FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
September 13, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 29
PROMISES KEPT - The Homecoming 2000 exhibition announced in the March 10TH NFFS will open as scheduled in the Luce Library on Saturday. "Student Voices Below the Surface - 1925 to 1999" displays samples of ten different underground cadet publications spanning 75 years, plus binders containing samples of the oldest underground newsletter "The Voice from the Dark" (1925) and the newest, "Maritime Screw" (1999.) Special thanks to alumni who donated many of these publications to the exhibition: WILLIAM CALDWELL, Class of 1958, JOE GERSON, Class of 1947, BARRY MARSH, Class of 1986, and MIKE QUINTO, Class of 1964.
The second Homecoming exhibition in the Luce Library features photographs taken during Summer Sea Term 2000 by Cadet CHRIS MENEZES, Class of 2002 (editor of the SST2000 webpage) and Captain JOE AHLSTROM, Class of 1982, Master of the Training Ship EMPIRE STATE VI, plus some of the prize winners in SST Photography Contests from past cruises.
FIRST E-BOOK FROM SCHUYLER ? You can now get "Last of the Boom Ships: Oral Histories of the U.S..Merchant Marine 1927-2000," written by JIM WHALEN, Class of 1962, in either paperback or E-book format. Jim interviewed fifteen deck officers, including one woman officer, for this book. Seven are graduates of SUNY Maritime, including Commodore LEROY ALEXANDERSON, Class of 1930, the last Master of the S.S. UNITED STATES. Currently available at: http://www.1stbooks.com ($4.95 E-book, $9.95 paperback)
KEEP TRACK OF PIRACY - "Regarding the article on modern piracy" writes ROY SOLURI, Class of 1962,
[see NFFS 4:27and 4:28] "to give you an insight into the magnitude of the problem, you might want to visit the following web sites: NIMA's Marine Navigation Department at http://164.214.12.145/index/ Click on either of the following links: 1) Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) or; 2) ONI World Wide Threats to Shipping. #1 allows a ship that has been attacked to send a message to NIMA's 24/7 navigational safety broadcast watch desk and permits access to the ASAM database for queries. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) at http://www.imo.org/imo/circs/msc/piracy/list.htm During the period January 1 to 13 March 2000, 130 hostile actions against vessels were reported to IMO. The operative word here is REPORTED." Roy is Deputy Chief, Marine Navigation Department, National Imagery and Mapping Agency.
PUBLISH OR PERISH ? According to Captain ED DANGLER, Class of 1949, "The August 2000 edition of Sealift features an article on page 5 by SALVADORE R. MERCOGLIANO [Class of 1989], entitled MSC History Corner: MSTS Moves Millions ...It is well written and most informative. Some of us old timers remember when MSC was MSTS and, in fact, many of us sailed on MSTS charter vessels to Korea and Vietnam. The article mentions the EMPIRE STATE VI which was reactivated in 1994 for service in Somalia." [The article also mentions the TSES V, which in her earlier life as the USNS BARRETT, provided the last scheduled military passenger service from the continental United States during the Vietnam War. Another article by Sal on the history of MSC appeared in the April issue of Sealift.]
PICTURE THIS NEW PROFESSOR - "I thought I would just let you know that I have begun a new job teaching at Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina," writes SAL MERCOGLIANO. Sal says of this one-year position. "I currently have four classes, three Western Civilizations II and a course in early American History. You can even see a cheesy picture of me on the Methodist webpage at http://www.methodist.edu/history/hps_Fac.htm My Western Civ courses have a decidedly maritime flair. I began the course with a discussion on the evolution of shipping, to highlight the rapid change in technology and communication that took place after the seventeenth century. In the spring I will be adding a military history course at night to complement my day classes."
WEIRD PROFESSOR ! Actually the title of a new book just added to the college library collection is: "The Wired Professor: A Guide to Incorporating the World Wide Web in College Instruction." Once the college gears up its web presence, the potential for using the Course Web Pages and setting up Instructional Web Sites will be enormous.
STORY WITH LEGS - The latest publication to pick up on the story of the EMPIRE STATE VI bringing back the derelict sailboat, GREY GIRL, is Boat/U.S. Magazine in its September 2000 issue. Thanks to Captain RODNEY McFADDEN, Class of 1975, for the heads up on this.
USEFUL URL FROM PROJECT LIBERTY - David Aldworth, the webmaster of "Liberty Log", the publication for the Liberty Ship JOHN W. BROWN, provided two useful web addresses where you find out if something is an online hoax. He writes: "Before you forward the latest scare story to the rest of the world, check it out." He recommends: http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/ and http://www.snopes.com
ABSOLUTE FINAL REMINDER - Passed on to his classmates by BOB BERNER, Class of 1965: "From Homecoming Plan of The Day - Reunion Classes are putting the final touches on their reunion plans. Special Tents will be disbursed throughout the Athletic Field for the Reunion classes of: 1995, 1990, 1985, 1980, 1975, 1970, 1965, 1960, and 1955. Bring the family, a few folding chairs and meet under the REUNION TENT!!!' ..... Stop by for a few and catch up with your class mates as the Marching Band notes of Saturday Noon Passes In Review echo in our minds."