FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
April 30, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 16
GRADUATION - With final exams beginning tomorrow, commencement is less than two weeks away, on Saturday, May 13. Our graduation speaker will be Rear Admiral RICHARD LARRABEE, USCG (ret.) A 32-year veteran of the Coast Guard, Adm. Larrabee was Commander of the First Coast Guard District in Boston prior to retiring. He directed the rescue and recovery operation of the JFK Jr. aircraft and Egypt Air Flight 990 and acted as the primary public spokesperson during both operations. Admiral Larrabee is currently Deputy Director of the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey's Port Commerce Department.
SUMMER SEA TERM ITINERARY DETAILS - The EMPIRE STATE departs Fort Schuyler on Saturday May 20, with port calls at Rota, Spain (June 2-7); London (June 13-18); Fort Schuyler (June 30- July 2); Anchorage in New York Harbor for OPSAIL 2000 (July 2 -July 5); Norfolk (July 7-10); return to Fort Schuyler July 18.
SHIP'S LIBRARY - The Ship's Librarian for SST 2000 is MARY NAHON GALGAN, who, back in the 20th Century, served as weekend reference librarian at the Luce Library (actually 1993-1996.) In addition to her Maritime College experience, Ms Galgan, a medical librarian, was for many years the Librarian at the John Thompson Psychiatry Library of Jacobi Medical Center. In addition to providing 7-day a week library service while the ship is underway, Mary will be involved in the preparation of the online Cruise Log.
YES, WE CAN TAKE IT WITH US - Thanks to DR. JOE GERSON, Class of 1947,and his Valiant Foundation (".. in support of ship, license, and regiment...") the Ship's Library will be sailing with a powerful CD-ROM information database containing the complete text for 200 magazines, plus abstracts for articles from another 600 titles. On a place like the Training Ship, where space is at a premium, this Military FullText database is a natural. Typically, Joe concludes: "Thank you for the opportunity to do another good deed for my beloved Alma Mater and its outstanding corps of cadets - First and Foremost !"
SAILING IN THE MED - A note from KIRBY STROSS, Class of 1977, who is sailing as Master of the USNS LITTLEHALES, currently in Greece, that PRASNEE KUDEERATANA, Class of 1999, is aboard as a Third Mate.
SOUTHERN REPORT - This update from TODD HILLER, Class of 1993, who spent Easter weekend in Brunswick, Georgia: "JOHN BEIMLER '94 is doing well with the Brunswick Pilots Association. He has until August, then he is a full-fledged pilot. Very interesting and challenging occupation." Todd also writes that he spent time with "JIM RYAN '94, who is self-employed under Locus International. Jim outfitted two of the BPA work boats with navigational masts. Jim is doing well and just told me that he is really busy with various design work."
CAREENING OUT - ALUMNI IN - BUCKS NEEDED - The saga of the Scout Ship 210 LONO KAI continues. JACK HAYES, Class of 1947, reports that: "The question of bottom cleaning was settled when the skipper came up with a local who dons scuba gear and cleans bottoms for $1.00 per foot - just our kind of price ! The answers for our call for help you sent out were all great, the best being to sail into the Delaware River through the effluent from the paint factories ' no barnacle would live though that !"
"The grads in the maritime industry have come through with adventures for the scouts. JIM McKILLUP '75 has us all aboard the GEORGIA RESPONDER, the oil-spill recovery vessel in the Savannah River. The reception was very warm and each of the scouts had a chance at the helm, we all had a rundown on how the vessel works, and the cook made sure the teens were full of hamburgers and fries. Thanks Jim. We're aslo scheduled to go aboard MV TELLUS, a 6,000 unit car carrier under command of PHIL HANSON '74, with Chief Engineer JOHN MURPHY, nephew of JEFF MONROE."
"We're trying to get work for 'the right price,' but with a bottom painting, a full set of running rigging, two new batteries and full mooring line purchases to look forward to, we can't ONLY rely on scouts selling popcorn to start a significant bank account.....Anyone who wants to help (tax deductible) just made a check to BSA and earmark it to 'Scout Ship 210 LONO KAI' and mail to Jack Hayes c/o Port Royal Landings Marina, Port Royal, SC 29935."
NEW ALUMNI WEBSITE - This from BOB CARTY, Class of 1964: "I recently retired from EXXON after 33 years of service in the systems and computing field. I have started a consulting practice in Informational Systems Project Management. My website is at http://www.tripro-inc.com "
CIRCUMNAVIGATION COMPLETED - According to a recent note from LOU GIATTINA, Class of 1953, his classmate RUSS BARTELL: "... returned from a sailing trip around the world on his boat, VICTORY, on Saturday 15 April 2000. He started on this trip in November 1996." Russ was kind enough to arrange to have the Seven Seas Cruising Association send NFFS the journal for the first half of the cruise (6 very full pages) aboard his 48 ' Vaughn-Mason. The journal, written during a 2-month stay in Fiji, takes him from Florida, through the Panama Canal and then to a bevy of exotic island groups stretching across the Pacific - Galapagos - Marquesas - French Polynesia - you name them, he and his wife Pat were probably there. The journal, which is really more of a cruising guide, provides detailed information about the anchorages, marinas, red-tape, best buys - and everything in-between. Serious sailors might also want to check out the SSCA website at http://www.ssca.org Welcome home, Russ and Pat, from your extraordinary undertaking.