The TSSOM will arrive in Portland, Maine, on July 16, 2024, at the Portland Ocean Terminal. This is the final stop of the 2024 Summer Training Cruise, and students will begin disembarking on Thursday, July 18, starting at 12:00. Please join us in welcoming back everyone aboard after a successful voyage, either in person or via the livestream. The livestream event will begin at approximately 7:15 a.m. and will include prerecorded student interviews about their experiences this summer.
Latest 2025 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Running Smooth in Belfast: A Cruise Check-In from the Cadet Chief EngineerI’m Jacob Nowalsky, the cruise Lead Engine Cadet from Maine, and Maine’s Cadet Chief Engineer. Things have been going pretty well onboard! After being in port in Galveston, everyone was excited to finally get to sea, and now that we’re wrapping up our 2nd leg and are here in Belfast, people are fully into the […]
- From Celestial Navigation to Food Grinding: Embracing Every RoleAs we’ve embarked on our journey aboard the Kennedy, it’s been a great experience watching everyone settle into shipboard life. As a junior, I’ve been focusing on celestial navigation, taking on senior-level watches, and experiencing significant personal growth as a leader. These experiences have helped unite the Maine and Texas communities on board. A few […]
- From Hesitation to Hands-On Learning: Life at Sea on the KennedyMy experiences on the Training Ship Kennedy have been phenomenal so far. I came onto the ship with adverse thoughts, with the ship being from the 1960s, and cruising with another maritime academy. However, the Kennedy proved me wrong! I have met a lot of new people with different experiences and shared different aspects that […]
- From Engines to Charts: An Unexpected Journey Into NavigationSo far, the most memorable part of this experience has been standing night watch. There’s something incredibly peaceful and almost surreal about being out on the open ocean after dark. The calm of the water paired with the vastness of the star-filled sky creates a sense of stillness and wonder that’s hard to describe and […]
- The Job in Front of MeI’ve really enjoyed the simplicity of life at sea. Being underway is a lot of fun—everyone spends time together, and there’s something amazing about being out in the middle of the ocean. I’ve learned so much already, and it’s been great to apply what I learned in the classroom to real shipboard tasks. It’s also […]
- Out at Sea, It All Starts to ClickAfter spending the past year in the classroom, it feels amazing to finally be out at sea. I didn’t really know what to expect when I first stepped onto the Kennedy, but I was relieved to find that everything we learned in class actually connects to what we’re doing out here. Seeing it all in […]
