Posted on 03/04/2019 3:52:36 PM PST by artichokegrower
He already is.
Waiting for a response from the Seafarers International Union (SIU) who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016...........
This sounds so COOL.
He really comes up with great ideas though, doesn’t he??
The “Non-Swamp” advisors in Trumps orbit are sharp and forward looking people. MAGA!!
Great opportunity for Trump to go full Regan/Patco on them.
Now all we need are a bunch of ships and a country that will support the Merchant Marine. Since Trump is from Queens, maybe he has heard of Kings Point.
Little known fact: The US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) is the only federal academy that is authorized to display a battle standard. 142 Cadets died during WWII. These were actual students put aboard ships during the war.
Kings Point is the smallest of the 5 federal academies. As I always say - Annapolis make officers, Kings Point makes Mariners. I would rather have a new 3rd mate from Kings Point on the Bridge than an Annapolis grad (of any rank).
My favorite math teacher in hs was a Kings Point graduate.
USMMA bump!
and my bet it that the Kings Point grads could probably keep a destroyer from colliding with mammoth cargo freighter
Actually that is only a fraction of the Merchant Marine, also all ships, tugs etc involved in coastwise and interstate commerce are manned by licensed merchant mariners. Supply and crew boats involved in the offshore oil industry are also considered merchant marine officers. The Jones Act, repeatedly being attacked, has protected these jobs for years and needs to be upheld. Repealing it would turn these jobs over to foreign companies and would destroy wages.
And yes, veterans should be able to transition their skills to this industry easily.
Actually that is only a fraction of the Merchant Marine, also all ships, tugs etc involved in coastwise and interstate commerce are manned by licensed merchant mariners. Supply and crew boats involved in the offshore oil industry are also considered merchant marine officers. The Jones Act, repeatedly being attacked, has protected these jobs for years and needs to be upheld. Repealing it would turn these jobs over to foreign companies and would destroy wages.
And yes, veterans should be able to transition their skills to this industry easily.
There are actually more Maritime academys. SUNY Maritime is just across the river from King’s Point. There is also the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City Michigan; Massachusetts Maritime Academey; and Cal Maritime in Vallejo, California. Plus many other smaller ones throughout the country.
Go to Annapolis and learn how to make a bed go to a maritime academy and learn how to drive a ship.
My father served in the Merchant Marines during WWII in several theaters, even delivering supplies at Normandy. He loved the sea and eventually signed on to be a cook on an Alaska salmon fishing vessel. But he never gained Veteran status until after his death in 1987, thanks to Ronald Reagan. It was always a huge source of pain for him.
Not every merchant seaman drives the ship. It goes nowhere without the engineering crew, ABs and deck hands have a job too. Electricians, welders, mechanics, even cooks; all ratings that most veterans acquire in the navy are perfect for the merchant marine industry. Not everyone is a Captain(Master of the vessel) or should they be. It is truly egalitarian to think of the Merchant Marine as only driving the ship.
That breaks my heart. I salute him and hope his reward is in heaven.
Due to liability concerns, union and insurance rules, and basic good sense, no merchant ship owner is going to waive training and certification requirements as the Navy did for the Pacific fleet before the two recent collisions. My father’s experience as a Kings Point grad with service in the Merchant Marine and USN during the Korean War was that the Navy had lower standards of seamanship and its officers tended to be less diligent while on watch. Even today, as he nears 90, my father has the habit of waking in the middle of the night and patrolling the house as if he is the officer of the deck on watch.
Are there any US flagged vessels left?
Nice about your dad. Hope he remains able to keep patrolling the house.
It’s sad what’s happened to the Navy’s standards.
The Trump administration is tackling the Navy's issues, but to a distressing degree, they seem institutional in nature and are likely to be resistant to reforms.
Yes, there are other maritime schools. I have always said there are good and bad from everyone of them. I also have a lot of respect for those that come up from the hawse pipe. I have also sailed with male and female officers. Of my three favorite Captains, one was a Kings Pointer, one was a Hawse Piper, and the Ft. Schuyler grad is a female. I would sail the river Styx with any of the three.
I just know Kings Point is best. We were told that all 4 years!
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