News From Fort Schuyler

June 2, 2008 - Volume 8, No. 20

TRAINING SHIP IN BALEARIC ISLANDS - The ship arrived in Palma de Mallorca on 30 May. Throughout the 12 day transit from the Bahamas the editor of the SST Log, Dr. ANDREA MARCHESE, wrote informative daily postings about life on the ship illustrated with lots of captioned photos. Included in each posting were some Mallorcan (i.e., Catalan) phrases - quite different from the standard Spanish we learn in school. Dr. Marchese, who is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the college, received her doctorate in applied mathematics from SUNY Stony Brook in 2002 with a thesis related to fluid mixing and diesel fuel injection sprays. This is her second year as the author of the cruise log. (www.sunymaritime.edu)

The May 19 cruise log includes a blog by Cadet Alyssa Vecchione 3/C. One thing she writes about is acclimating to life at sea, writing: "The first few days were just a bit rocky. For all those who have never been out to sea we had been in for a rude awakening. It was not only my first time on a ship, it was a first for many other MUGS as well. Though I can honestly say I was miserable at first due to the bad weather we hit on the very first day, I can also honestly say that since Tuesday the 13th I have yet to have a bad day. Through work, class and watch, we all have our favorites, but we learn to respect each other for what it is, and take from it what we can get."

For a supposedly live satellite view of Palma go to www.webviews.co.uk and see if you can spot the TSES6 before the 0800 departure on June 3.

KESSLER MEMOIR - Meanwhile, back on TSES2 in the summer of 1951, HARRY KESSLER, '54, recalls in his memoir that after leaving their first port of call ".... we made a three week transit to Spain. The reason it took so long is because it was at sea where we learned our skills to become professional mariners. Although it took a few days for us to get sea legs, I can't recall anyone not adjusting. I can remember spending a great deal of time scraping and painting, doing compartment cleaning or mess cooking, and of course standing watches. During our first cruise we'd be helmsman and lookouts on deck, and watch gauges, clean bilges and parts of the steam plant in the engine room - all the cruddy, dirty jobs. But you could take some solace in that every mug before you went through the same miserable routine. Getting used to the chow at sea was another hurdle. Instead of eating off of plates, we ate out of steel trays. The Filipinos (Charley Ray's brigade) who ran the chow hall and galley at the Fort did the same on the ship. We were fed such delicacies as powdered eggs and milk, SOS, stale bread, franks and beans, spaghetti with greasy sauce, etc. But being young and always hungry we got used to the swill in due time. As the three week sea period came to a close, we all started anticipating visiting our first foreign country. I remember it well. It was Bilbao in Northern Spain. It provided me the opportunity to try out my two years of high school and one year of college Spanish. I did O.K. to my own surprise."

ANY SUGGESTIONS?- The ship is due to return to Fort Schuyler on Independence Day. That turns out to be a difficult date to arrange for a bagpipe band. As APRIL MARON, the Parents' Association's VP for Correspondence, said in an appeal sent to alumni and friends of the college: "If anyone out there has an affiliation with a band that would like to welcome the TSES and the cadets on the morning of July 4th, please contact the Parents Association ASAP. In the event we find a band willing to play, donations will be welcome to defray the cost; it is doubtful we will find ..[a]..band willing to donate their services on a holiday....Let's put our head together on this one and find a way to welcome the ship back home again this year." (Contact her at parents@sunymaritime.org)

WHAT'S IN A NAME - What a great name for a maritime school football bowl game - "The Chowder Bowl." According to the college website, SUNY Maritime won last year's inaugural competition by beating Massachusetts Maritime at Buzzards Bay. This year Fort Schuyler's home season kicks off on Thursday, September 4 by hosting Massachusetts Maritime in Chowder Bowl II. (More at www.maritimeathletics.com)

SUMMER READING - Now that school's almost over for the really young people in your lives (sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or just neighbor kids) here are a couple of recently recommended maritime-related children's books with a New York angle that might point them toward Fort Schuyler some day. "Reading Children's Books that Ooze New York," a recent blog by Tina Kelley, highlights "Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the JOHN J. HARVEY" by Maira Kalman, and "Harbor" by Donald Crews. Yes, both titles are in print or get them at your library. (Go to www.nytimes.com)

COMMITMENT TO A CLASSMATE - On, or about, 27 November 2007, DICK LUND, '47, died at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, with no survivors or close relatives. A classmate, BOB BARR, writes: "Because Dick spent his life at sea (several of those years as a captain of large oil tankers) I arranged for a few of his classmates and friends to gather aboard the good boat HOOKER on December 11, 2007. We put out to sea from Port Orange FL to commit the remains of Captain Richard A. Lund, NYSMA graduate, Class of '47, to the deep. At 10:30 AM, the HOOKER ... put out to sea.."

"Aboard for this solemn occasion were classmates BOB HOLZMACHER, JACK FITZSIMMONS and I; our wives, Ardith, Rita and Jean; as well as Gina Buscarello, daughter of classmate, SANTI BUSCARELLO. The weather was bright and sunny with just enough of a breeze to remind us that we were heading out to sea. The channel was calm and as we entered the open water, the sea became slightly choppy. Captain Smitherman took the HOOKER the required distance offshore and came close aboard a channel buoy. He headed into the wind, cut the boat's engines, and then nodded his permission to begin the ceremony."

"Leaning over the stern, I committed Dick's ashes to the deep and then read the poem, "Crossing the Bar," by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Bob and Jack joined me as we gave a final salute and bid farewell to our classmate and friend of over 60 years."

"Returning to the dock, all aboard reminisced about the many good times we have shared and how pleased we men were to be part of a close-knit 'Band of brothers'; a group that has kept in touch since we graduated from the Academy in 1947."

EBB TIDE - SANFORD ABRAHAMS '61 died on April 5, 2008 at the age of 68. According to an obituary in the Syracuse Post-Standard:"He was director of logistics at Carrier Corporation for 15 years until retiring in 1988, when he stated his own consulting business. He is survived by his wife, Sandy Gordon and ...family." Sandy was a reader with wide interests as attested by his reviews on the Amazon website of poetry, natural history and music items. (Thanks to classmate DEREK RICHARDSON for the heads up.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Richard Corson - Forest Hills, NY

Latitude 40.716N Longitude 73.85W

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++