Originally published: June 16, 2014 6:16 PM Updated: June 16, 2014 8:08 PM
By SCOTT EIDLER
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The Kings Pointer, a new training vessel, was christened during a ceremony at the United Stated Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point on June 16, 2017. The ship had formerly been the NASA vessel MV Liberty Star. (Credit: Newsday / Chris Ware)
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy christened a new training vessel Monday, more than two years after its last one was sent to Texas amid leadership and financial uncertainty at the Kings Point facility.
The new Kings Pointer, used to train midshipmen, is a 176- foot-long ship once used in the space shuttle program.
The academy's last training vessel was sent to the Galveston campus of Texas A&M University in December 2011. At that time officials said students at the Texas school needed a proper ship on which to train, while Kings Point midshipmen have access to merchant ships at sea.
But some school officials and parents of students worried that despite having semesters at sea and access to commercial vessels, midshipmen could have trouble meeting a 300-day requirement for service at sea without a ship at the Kings Point campus.
The new Kings Pointer, the fifth ship with that name, was formerly called the MV Liberty Star and was a solid rocket booster recovery vessel for NASA, officials said. It was retrofitted as a training vessel for $3.3 million at the North Florida Shipyard.
Monday's ceremony christening the ship was held on the recently restored Mallory Pier, which had deteriorated to the point of being deemed unsafe.
"This ceremony is the final step of perhaps the broadest team effort of the many projects undertaken for the academy over the last five years," said academy superintendent Rear Adm. James A. Helis.
"We're not only wishing it [the training ship] good luck, but we're celebrating a new era for this academy," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, who attended the christening. The DOT has jurisdiction over the Merchant Marine Academy, whereas other military service institutions such as the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, are managed by the Department of Defense.
Foxx said the Obama administration has allocated about $98 million in spending for capital improvements to the Merchant Marine Academy since 2009.
"It defies logic to think that the Merchant Marine Academy didn't a have a training vessel on its own campus," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at the ceremony. "The absence of a training vessel on campus provided very little leeway for midshipmen to meet the required 300 days."
The loss of the training ship was one of a series of financial and operational issues at the academy in recent years.
A federal report in 2010 outlined $300 million in repairs needed for aging facilities. It also suffered from frequent turnover of superintendents and was the focus of a 2009 federal investigation that concluded the school overcharged midshipmen by $8.1 million in fees and mishandled money.
Elected officials and administration from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point gathered on the school’s pier on Monday to christen the fifth version of the T/V (Training Vessel) Kings Pointer.
“The new Kings Pointer is yet another example of this administration’s commitment to ensuring first-rate training and facilities for the academy’s midshipmen,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “With this modern vessel, the USMMA will continue to produce the finest mariners in the world, helping ensure our national and economic security.”
The 176-foot long ship, which was formerly used by NASA to recover rocket boosters that fell into the sea, is the fifth vessel to be used by the school to give midshipmen 300 days on a ship during their four years at the academy.
The previous Kings Pointer had been transferred to Texas A&M University in 2012, leaving the academy without a training vessel in the meantime.
“It was vital that there be a training vessel on campus,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) said. “It defies logic to think that the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy did not have a training vessel on campus.”
Schumer said that the midshipmen have the opportunity to travel at sea during their studies at the academy, but the addition of the training vessel made it easier to accommodate every student.
The ship, formerly called the “M/V Liberty Star” has a two 2,900-horsepower diesel engines, a range of 6,000 miles and a maximum speed of 15 knots, Rear Admiral James Helis said.
“This ceremony is the final step of perhaps the broadest team effort of the many projects undertaken for the academy over the last five years,” Helis said.
The ship was bought from NASA and was retrofitted at the North Florida Shipyard for its new purpose, at a cost of $3.3 million, according to the academy.
The ship is the latest investment the Obama administration has made in the academy, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Foxx said that the Obama administration has spent more than $98 million for the academy since 2009, more than any other administration. Among the improvements made was the updating of Mallory Pier, where the christening was held.
“The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is the crown jewel of my congressional district because of the tradition of service and professionalism of its midshipmen and this institution,” Rep. Steve lsrael (D-Huntington) said. “The new Kings Pointer will ensure that midshipmen continue to receive superb training and preparation for serving our nation.”
The replacement of the academy’s training vessel is a part of the university’s five-year strategic plan, which former transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced in March of 2012.
After a 2010 federal report outlined the need for $300 million in repairs to the Merchant Marine Academy’s facilities, LaHood said that much of the university’s aging infrastructure would be replaced.
Jan Ryan Helis, wife of James Hellis, the academy’s superintendent, completed the ceremony with the customary smashing of a champagne bottle against the side of the ship.
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