Ever wonder what it is like to take control of an 8,000 Horsepower engine spinning a 16 foot propeller pushing a 500 foot long ship through the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean?
Maine Maritime 2/C Engineering students on the 2024 training cruise no longer wonder what that is like.
Over the period of 4 days, each company (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta) all were given a lecture specific to the Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM) drive train. The lecture focused on the specific drive train components of the TSSOM and how to operate these systems in various emergency modes (in the case of equipment failure).
Power Point lectures can only take you so far. To supplement the learnings of the lecture, the students were given permission by the Captain/Master Gordon “Mac” McArthur and Chief Engineer Aaron Coy to display their learnings and take control of the Main Engine RPM and Controllable Pitch Propeller System, locally in “Shaft Alley”. The students were then “given bells” (change in speed requests from the bridge). Each student had to acknowledge the bells, and then make the appropriate engine RPM and Controllable Pitch propeller movements locally to change the vessel speed across the water.
Being able to train, hands on, with real equipment while making a transatlantic crossing is what makes the TSSOM a unique and invaluable asset to Maine Maritime’s students. There is no other learning platform comparable to what we can offer while onboard the TSSOM.
Chief Engineer Aaron Coy, 2nd Engineer Will Silver and Watch Officer Ryan Armstrong helped facilitate operation by preparing the system for student use 4 afternoons in a row. The willingness, dedication and positive attitude of these crew members is what made this happen. Every student thanked them for the opportunity. The students and faculty are lucky to have such support from the ship’s crew.
The student operation was overseen by professors Leon Hubbard, Rory Hersom, John Settles, Laurel Christian, David Walker and Thomas Whitney.
Post By: Professor Leon Hubbard
Latest 2024 Summer TSSOM Cruise
- Day 49: Palma de Mallorca excursion was a hitOur TSSOM, with its beloved crew, has departed Mallorca, exited the Straits of Gibraltar, and put the balmy Mediterranean Sea in our wake. We are pitching and rolling in the Northern Atlantic Ocean yet again. While enjoying our port stay in Palma, some of us embarked on an excursion, altruistically assembled by Chief Warrant Officer […]
- Day 48: Back through the StraitToday, we are headed back through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Pillars of Hercules. While I’m on yeoman duty today, the first time we passed through here I was standing watch on the bridge. After experiencing the excitement of steering, witnessing the 2/C muster up the confidence to navigate us through, and seeing us […]
- Day 41: Greetings from the MediterraneanAfter departing Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Tuesday, we made our way up the coast of Africa and through the Straight of Gibraltar during lunch yesterday. Many people came out on deck to get pictures of Morocco on our starboard side and Spain on our port. Passing through the Pillars of Hercules gave the deck […]
- Day 37: Puerto de Santa Cruz de TenerifeThe TSSOM finally made it to our first international port of call, and first port of call besides our unplanned one where we started in Castine and sailed for several days. Arriving to Tenerife was an interesting process as Delta Company was on watch. This proved to be a fantastic learning opportunity for the junior […]
- Canary Island Wildlife and Landscapes in Photos
- Day 34: We See Land!
