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Why Do Maritime Students Train on Old Ships?

Why Do Maritime Students Train on Old Ships?

October 25, 2011

gCaptain.com has posted an intereting article by Captain G. Andy Chase, Professor of Marine Transportation, at the Maine Maritime Academy. The article explains why students at the academy still train on the school’s 80-year-old schooner Bowdoin.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In this modern age, all maritime schools are spending a great deal of money and time buying and training our students to operate the latest technologies in ship operations and management. Why then would Maine Maritime Academy want to also train them to sail an 80-year-old sailing ship?

“The answers are many, but first let it be said that we don’t require all of our students to sail on our sail training vessel, the 1921 built, wooden, 2-masted schooner Bowdoin. We require our Vessel Operations & Technology students (candidates for 500 or 1600 ton licenses) to do so, and we encourage all others to do so.”