Today marks the twelfth anniversary since my family and I moved to Annapolis. I was 12 years old when we moved here, which means that I’ve now lived here for half my life. Being a military brat it’s still hard to imagine that I’ve really lived in one place for that long.
Staying in Annapolis was not originally part of my plan. When I was in high school my goal was to attend the Coast Guard Academy, commission as a Coast Guard officer and live anywhere & everywhere.
As I mentioned the other day, and have been making subsequent posts about, my family & I are currently on vacation at our place in Maine. It’s been a great trip so far, and has been relaxing - for the most part. Yesterday evening we had some rain, which started out as a very pleasant experience given our large wraparound porch to enjoy the cool breeze & sound of the rain.
Capt. Richard Phillips, master of the Maersk Alabama who’s been held hostage since Wednesday, was rescued late this morning Eastern time. It’s been reported that when the pirates were sleeping or otherwise unaware, he made another attempt to escape and jumped overboard, at which point the Navy was able to neutralize the pirates. Of the four pirates holding him hostage, 3 were shot and killed by Navy snipers, and 1 is currently in custody on board a U.
The recent turn of events for the Maersk Alabama has had an interesting and prominent connection to Mass Maritime. As I reported in my last post, both the captain and the Chief Mate on board that ship are Academy graduates, as well as the mate being the son of one of our professors, Capt. Joseph Murphy.
Since Capt. Murphy is both closely tied to the situation and an experienced and well-known mariner himself, the news media has gravitated to him for answers like flies on butter at a picnic.
For those who may not have heard yet, or do not have full details, the American-flagged ship Maersk Alabama was hijacked early this morning off the coast of Somalia by pirates. The ship carries a crew of approximately 20 American citizens, of which are graduates of Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The Chief Mate aboard the ship, Shane Murphy, is a 2001 graduate as well as the son of Capt. Joseph Murphy, a professor here at the academy and very prominent figure in the maritime industry for his contributions to education and safety at sea.
The Coast Guard has put new regulations into effect regarding TWIC credentials and Merchant Mariner licensing. As previously stated by the Coast Guard, all mariners currently holding an MMC (Merchant Mariner Credential) MUST hold a valid TWIC by April 15 2009. However, TWIC is now going to be required for any new MMC applicants in order to be issued an MMC.
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As most people are fully aware, piracy has become a major issue recently, particularly off the coast of Africa. Numerous merchant vessels have been attacked and hijacked, left vulnerable to these attacks by crews that are at a disadvantage from lack of effective defenses.
Mass Maritime has recognized this problem, and yesterday gave training to 6 cadets, with the help of the Bourne Police Department, in handgun firing. The Cape Cod Times has the full story, which you can find at their web site.
I’m writing this with less than 12 hours until we arrive at the State Pier, and prepare to disembark the T.S. Kennedy for the last time on Sea Term 2009. Captain’s Inspection is finished, and all that remains is packing personal gear, doing a final cleaning of the holds, and manning the rails. A general feeling of excitement, relief, and accomplishment is very noticeable throughout the ship.
Our current plan keeps us on track for arrival at the pier at 0743.
For the past couple of days we’ve been in rough weather which has kept the ship rolling and pitching almost constantly since Wednesday. This is the first legitimately rough weather we’ve had on cruise, so it’s been exciting.
The most interesting and hilarious part of rough seas aboard the Kennedy is being in the mess deck. when we take big rolls, people and food go flying in all directions - sliding across tables, crashing into each other, falling over with full trays of food in hand, etc.
This morning around 0900 we departed St. Thomas, turned north and started heading back to Massachusetts. My division is on the Alternate rotation today and tomorrow, though I’m not on the support bill today, which means that I was able to watch us leave St. Thomas. I then indulged in a morning nap, a first for me this cruise.
Now that our next port of call is the State Pier in Buzzards Bay, everyone is expressing the same sentiment: “Are we there yet?
