Time: 1900 Lat:  N 38° 33.8′ Long:  W 028° 11.4′ I used to think of the TSSOM as an endless maze. The last few days it has been a little Alice and Wonderland-y with the time change and never-ending close proximity. There are over 250 people onboard, and it is starting to feel a little […]

Time: 10:07 Latitude: N 39° 36.234′ Longitude: W 040° 48.000′ We are now more than halfway to the Azores! We have 2.9 miles of water beneath us! The sea state has stayed consistent, leaving the ship in a constant rolling motion. The texture of the ocean surface is so incredible and infuriatingly impossible to capture […]

Time: 15:34 Lat:  N 39º 36.365′ Long: W 051º 14.623′ (Plug these coordinates into google maps) Cruise Blog Questions I have been getting some questions over email! If you have any questions about the cruise experience/cadet’s everyday life that you would like possibly answered in a blog post, please send me an email with your […]

Time: 19:10 Latitude:  39° 36.369′ N Longitude: 063° 42.117′ W I have realized saying good morning/ good evening is no longer relevant. I’m asking around about the ship tracker, but our current lat/longs are included. We have begun adjusting to the Azores’ time zone. Cpt. MacArthur’s time adjustment schedule is as follows; “Azores observes GMT […]

Good Afternoon, We are pounding through growing seas on our way to the Azores! We made a quick trash stop in Norfolk, Virginia (anchorage G). I was a team member on most of the operations today, so I thought I would write a post on my day from start to finish. Some background information, the […]

Good Morning! I have been busy around the ship doing my freshman activities, so here is what we have been doing. We left Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, Saturday morning after an exciting couple of days along the pier. The pilotage up the Delaware River was very long; the pilots (all MMA alumni) boarded at 04:30 and […]

We took on fuel yesterday in NYC! It was a full day of bunkering in which we took on 1400 tonnes of fuel, and are now sitting 24 inches lower in the water! It was sunny and students were taking advantage of some free time and an incredible view. Deck cadets dropped the anchor and […]

Students and Staff have been taking photos! Take a look!

We may be busy, but we would never forget Mothers Day! Sending love and gratitude from NYC anchorage, TSSOM Cruise 2023!  

Welcome back to the Cruise Blog, Everyone aboard the TSSOM has been very busy getting the ship ready for a safe, productive, and fun 2023 European Cruise. So much has happened since the last post. I am currently sitting looking aft on the 03 enclosed deck where students muster every morning. Student report at 0710 […]

The TSSOM will depart Castine Harbor on May 10, 2023, with the last line being release from the dock at approximately 9:00 am. Please join us in wishing all aboard a safe and successful training cruise either in person or via the livestream.

Yesterday, May 7th, at 0800, boarding the TSSOM for Cruise 2023 started with check-in. LCDR Gualtieri and Warrant Officer Kowalski ensured that every cadet had their paperwork, passports, TWIC card, and juniors had their Merchant Mariner Credentials.  Then CMDR Christian and LT Willette reviewed the cruise agreement and conducted bag searches for unapproved items. If […]

An essential part of preparing students for summer cruise is gaining practical skills that are utilized every day. From replacing a valve in the engine room to exercising the mooring winches, students spend a couple of hours a week working with the ship’s permanent crew to keep the TSSOM looking its best. Maintenance is in […]

In preparation for the Summer Cruise, juniors assist freshmen in learning key aspects of life on cruise and the Training Vessel itself. The training is split between deck sections and engine sections with biweekly assignments with the purpose of furthering the understanding of the freshman. Pictured here is one of the engine ship rates helping […]