The Maine Maritime Academy training ship, State of Maine, is flying a new pennant alongside the Maine Maritime Academy flag following receipt of the coveted Administrator's Award of Merit from the U.S. Maritime Administration. The award was presented to the officers, crew, and cadets of the training ship on Sat., Sept. 28, 2002, by William H. Cahill, MMA Class of 1967, Chief, Division of Maintenance and
Ship Repair, U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration,
on behalf of U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. William G. Schubert.
Known as the Maritime "M" Award, the commendation cited "their superb accomplishment in completing Special Periodic Surveys of Hull and Machinery for the American Bureau of Shipping, with minimal industrial support and great savings in cost."
The Maritime "M" Award was discontinued after the Second World War and recently reinstated by the U.S. Maritime Administration under the authorization of Capt. Schubert. Saturday's presentation was the inaugural presentation of the prestigious award and is believed to be
the first time it has ever been awarded to a ship's company. The pennant is authorized to be flown for a period of
one year.
The training ship, State of Maine, takes students on two-month training cruises to foreign and domestic ports-of-call. Under the command of
Capt. Laurence V. Wade, MMA Class of 1964, and Chief Engineer Roger Lowell, MMA Class of 1971, this year's itinerary included Portsmouth,
England; Cobh, Ireland; Tallinn, Estonia; Kiel, Germany; and Portland, Maine. Planned ports for the upcoming 2003 training cruise include Palm,
Majorca; Izmir, Turkey; Antwerp Belgium; and Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada.