Who was the Captain?
Yes the ship ran into break water coming into the azores, but it also ran aground leaving the pier in N.Y. there trying to cover that one up. I was up on the bridge when both happened just got home from my summer sea term as a cadet. The Capt was Richard Smith and has absolutely no business on a training ship he puts a lot of lives in danger. The school is really taking a turn for the worst. Demerits is more important than ship handling and thats why so many 3rd mates from maritime are getting fired or getting injured on the job. Plus the coast guard license passing rate is pathetic and continuing to decline each year. New admiral (Wendy “the man” Carpenter) has the wrong ideas she is trying to make the school like the navy academy and could careless about producing some quality third mates. At this point it is safe to say the school is no longer what it used to be. After speaking with maritime graduate who is now a captain I learned that he had to fire all three of his maritime 3rd mates do to them knowing nothing. This is the same guy who when we ran a ground in between the whitestone and throggs neck bridge put the vessel at half ahead while the captain is outside on deck trying to teach the admiral about the ship. Absolute shit show and very embarrassing.
[QUOTE=richardsmith;72097]Yes the ship ran into break water coming into the azores, but it also ran aground leaving the pier in N.Y. there trying to cover that one up. I was up on the bridge when both happened just got home from my summer sea term as a cadet. The Capt was Richard Smith and has absolutely no business on a training ship he puts a lot of lives in danger. The school is really taking a turn for the worst. Demerits is more important than ship handling and thats why so many 3rd mates from maritime are getting fired or getting injured on the job. Plus the coast guard license passing rate is pathetic and continuing to decline each year. New admiral (Wendy “the man” Carpenter) has the wrong ideas she is trying to make the school like the navy academy and could careless about producing some quality third mates. At this point it is safe to say the school is no longer what it used to be. After speaking with maritime graduate who is now a captain I learned that he had to fire all three of his maritime 3rd mates do to them knowing nothing. This is the same guy who when we ran a ground in between the whitestone and throggs neck bridge put the vessel at half ahead while the captain is outside on deck trying to teach the admiral about the ship. Absolute shit show and very embarrassing. [/QUOTE]
I am trying to figure this out, you were on the bridge having returned home, yet the ship was leaving? Also, how do you know what the school used to be? How do you know anything you claim to say if you haven’t even passed license yet? Not to mention you base part of your story on one maritime graduate who on his watch the vessel supposedly ran aground AND put the vessel at half ahead?
So its safe to say you get written up quite often, not on Ricks good side and have a chance of being one of them flunkies?
Rick is a very good captain, and while the school is going through changes, I can’t see it being that bad. I know people who were fired because they were so cocky you couldn’t tell them a thing. It didn’t matter what school they came from, that was their attitude. If you don’t like the school then leave. No one is making you stay.
A few years ago I had the opportunity of making a cadet cruise as an engineering instructor at SUNY. It was truly a learning experience for me and I hope it was for the cadets also. While I did not always agree with Capt. Smith, I did find him to be very professional and concerned for the cadets’ welfare and learning experience. He is worthy of respect both as a person and a Captain. During my career as a Chief, I have had to fire, or write up engineering graduates from every academy in the country except Texas. I have found that those who resort to personal attacks or denigration and who have terminal attacks of “cockiness” on the job tend to be those who barely made it through school!
I dislike your comment about Captain Smith, who is a good captain and does the most for the school and it’s cadets. How hard do you think it is to run a regiment with over 1,000 cadets, a training ship with over 600 cadets, classes, and MARAD? So what if you get written up for demerits? I went through four years at Maritime and got little to no demerits, it’s just how to present yourself. And the new administration is working with something that didn’t expect to see; a lot of holes left over from the past administration that no one cared to fill. So before you point fingers and bad mouth administration, please get your license and graduate. Only then will you appreciate your college experience at maritime for what it was really worth.
The cruise is probably a month or two long and begins very early May. His post was in late June. Do the math…
Obviously the school is going to shit if they allow someone to graduate who can not write coherent English. Your high school was obviously shit also for allowing you to graduate…
It is a “Training” Cruise. Mistakes will be made and some by Alumni. Someone refresh our memory about how HAP went aground off Stepping Stones/Execution? or how about the Domer “involed” with that little Valdez thing? Sh_t happens. G Captain likes to rattle the cage. Maybe G captain should post some positive things. Like Domers conducting rescues at sea or about Domers serving active in the military.
[QUOTE=Scott Puckett;69986]Pilot fail…Is it ironic that a large part of the Texas Maritime Academy happened to be out on cruise with SUNY this year? Coincidence?[/QUOTE]
Why are you talking shit on the school that you went to and just graduated from.
To be fair I will let you respond before I drunkenly put you on blast. Hope BG does well for you, Dr.
[QUOTE=richardsmith;72097] The school is really taking a turn for the worst. Demerits is more important than ship handling and thats why so many 3rd mates from maritime are getting fired or getting injured on the job. .[/QUOTE]
The domenet wonks have ALWAYS considered demerits more important than shiphandling and, never going on a real ship for even one cadet shipping cruise, the new Schulyer 3rd mates have ALWAYS been a danger to those around them. So you can’t say that the school is going to shit. You can say it is shit but you’d be wrong again because it’s YOUR responsibility to become competent in your job. Why do you think many of the schools most noted alumni were demerit leaders? If you leave the training up to others then you are going to have a very long and uneventful career!
[QUOTE=domer;75366]The domenet wonks have ALWAYS considered demerits more important than shiphandling and, never going on a real ship for even one cadet shipping cruise, the new Schulyer 3rd mates have ALWAYS been a danger to those around them. So you can’t say that the school is going to shit. You can say it is shit but you’d be wrong again because it’s YOUR responsibility to become competent in your job. Why do you think many of the schools most noted alumni were demerit leaders? If you leave the training up to others then you are going to have a very long and uneventful career![/QUOTE]
Indeed!
Case in point Konrad was a dome demerit leader and he’s still a danger to those around him 
I agree with richardsmith. Maritime is trash.
The way the regiment is going an the way the administration have run the school down the drain is disgusting. When they send me the alumni newsletter and envelope for donations it gives me great pleasure to rip it to shreds and throw it away. The school should be less focused on who doesn’t have their short tucked in or a shave and care more about producing seaworthy mates. The best sailors I have ever had the pleasure of sailing with were not regheads but in fact had more demerits then most. All you cadets with out demerits we shall see how long you last in the real world.
I find it interesting that those “expert” cadets and recent grads making the most disparaging comments about Maritime also have the least mastery of the English language and the poorest writing skills. That is an intriguing data point. I guess reading and writing can be hard when you are so angry. Best of luck in the big wide world fellas!
[QUOTE=richardsmith;72097]Yes the ship ran into break water coming into the azores, but it also ran aground leaving the pier in N.Y. there trying to cover that one up. I was up on the bridge when both happened just got home from my summer sea term as a cadet. The Capt was Richard Smith and has absolutely no business on a training ship he puts a lot of lives in danger. The school is really taking a turn for the worst. Demerits is more important than ship handling and thats why so many 3rd mates from maritime are getting fired or getting injured on the job. Plus the coast guard license passing rate is pathetic and continuing to decline each year. New admiral (Wendy “the man” Carpenter) has the wrong ideas she is trying to make the school like the navy academy and could careless about producing some quality third mates. At this point it is safe to say the school is no longer what it used to be. After speaking with maritime graduate who is now a captain I learned that he had to fire all three of his maritime 3rd mates do to them knowing nothing. This is the same guy who when we ran a ground in between the whitestone and throggs neck bridge put the vessel at half ahead while the captain is outside on deck trying to teach the admiral about the ship. Absolute shit show and very embarrassing.[/QUOTE]
I see that you have used the Captains good name as your own. It is no surprise to me that you would remain anonymous. I have not written a reply to a post here is some time, but this young man (or perhaps young woman) has prompted me to do so. You are missing the point of any education. A teacher does not “teach” but places a student in an environment where they can teach themselves. If you are waiting for someone to break out the magic wand and turn you into a mate, you will have along wait. I have seen good and bad 3rd AEs and mates from all the academies and hawse pipers as well. The worst are the ones that feel entitled and that are truly beyond learning.
You are falling into this category. You obviously think you have more skills than many of those who have proven their good judgement with years of experience and a history of good decision making. I sailed with Captain Smith back when he was a mate and he can handle a ship better than you ever will be capable of.
You are the worst of the worst that any academy could possibly graduate. Maritime College is not for everyone. Not sure why you are there in the first place. Is it perhaps that your parents bribed you with a new car that you now risk loosing if you leave the academy? I knew cadets such as yourself when I was at the Dome and I truly felt sorry for them. Don’t you think that it is time that you pursue your own interests, what ever they are. Buy your own car and act like a man God’s sake.
The only thing that is embarrassing and a “shit show” is the fact that persons such as yourself will occasionally graduate from Fort Schuyler. Why don’t you quit now and do us all a favor including yourself.
Maybe it’s not c.captain we should be keelhauling 
hmmm a i knew a guy from suny…realllllllll fucking pompas ass who was from michagain and now lives in a 100k studio(willingly) in manhattan and gots that new york belief( my opinion is above all others and the peoples republic of new york speaks for the nation). well he would fuckin rant and rave about how great he is and his time at suny, hmmm maybe time i drop the bomb on him it/him wasnt so special if they hit things so much. then again a man with a 1600 licence riding as a AB gave me a chuckle, the whole time demading greater respect than the cadet.
I don’t undertand the logic - or what is to be gained - by slaming your school, admin and senior officers in a public forum. Talk about shooting yourself - and other cadets in the foot.
You do realize you are just adding fuel to the arguement that newly minted adademy grads are nothing but a bunch of educated dumbasses, don’t you? Did you not learn ANYTHING about utilizing the chain of command when there is a legit complaint - especially when it involves safety?
Posting this on gCaptain causes more collateral damage than you can imagine. You should not be attending SUNY Maritime - perhaps Barber College would be a better fit.
[QUOTE=richardsmith;72097]Yes the ship ran into break water coming into the azores, but it also ran aground leaving the pier in N.Y. there trying to cover that one up. I was up on the bridge when both happened just got home from my summer sea term as a cadet. The Capt was Richard Smith and has absolutely no business on a training ship he puts a lot of lives in danger. The school is really taking a turn for the worst. Demerits is more important than ship handling and thats why so many 3rd mates from maritime are getting fired or getting injured on the job. Plus the coast guard license passing rate is pathetic and continuing to decline each year. New admiral (Wendy “the man” Carpenter) has the wrong ideas she is trying to make the school like the navy academy and could careless about producing some quality third mates. At this point it is safe to say the school is no longer what it used to be. After speaking with maritime graduate who is now a captain I learned that he had to fire all three of his maritime 3rd mates do to them knowing nothing. This is the same guy who when we ran a ground in between the whitestone and throggs neck bridge put the vessel at half ahead while the captain is outside on deck trying to teach the admiral about the ship. Absolute shit show and very embarrassing.[/QUOTE]
Believe me, every class thinks that the school is going to shit immediately behind them. Every. Single. Class. It is the same everywhere, for any institution. Things were always better when you were there, or you managed to arrive just in time to watch it burn. You know what? We said the same stuff about Craine, and Ryan before him, and had a deputy Commandant we called “Lord Helmet”. We said the same stuff about demerits and the regiment, and cadet readiness to handle a mate position. Everyone predicted certain doom at the next turn. We heard the same stuff from classes ahead of us and alumni. It’s almost like one-upsmanship to see who had it worse and fantasize about how great it once was, whenever that was, 1875 maybe?
The only time to be concerned about a cadet is when he stops bitching.
But what most bothers me, is that you seriously come off as someone with an axe to grind and obviously lack experience and perspective. Perhaps you got kicked off cruise. Perhaps you racked up a bunch of demerits (then again, no one escapes demerits on cruise, so deal with it). But whatever it is, it’s always someone else’s fault isn’t it? If you aren’t a 1/c that got kicked off early, you’re either a MUG or 2/c (having finished the first 45), which means at best you’re only halfway through your education, or at worst a mere MUG who barely knows what he got himself into. So who are you to determine what the school “used to be”? If you’re a 2/c, why didn’t you cadet-ship? Or was that the school’s fault too? When I was there, cadet slots were based purely on grades and regimental record, and they’ve only added more slots since. Your story is painting quite the picture already and only makes your post more libelous and vengeful.
Do us all a favor – get your license, get a job, and get some experience, and then and only then you will have some perspective to opine about your time at the Dome. Any graduate from any academy knows absolutely shit until all three of those things happen; you’ll realize that pretty quickly. I don’t normally like to bash the confidence of cadet’s coming out, but that’s the truth, and if you didn’t hear it here, you surely will hear it soon enough after getting your ticket. The school supports you and provides the education for you to get the license, which is still up to you to achieve and you are solely responsible to make yourself a good mate. In this industry, success or failure is based on attitude more than anything. In light of the tone of your post, that might be something you’ll want to work on between now and then if you even make it that far.
It would appear to this limited English speaking, reading and comprehension candidate…
What is being wrestled with is the concept that graduates (from each and every academy) are NOT fully capable to stand an actual navigation watch and be left alone on the bridge. Being honest were you? But everything they are taught, told and indoctrinated with said they were going to graduate and be fully capable, professionally competent and able to stand a navigation watch. Hmm. Wonder what’s wrong with this picture?