NNEPA F.A.Q.

• When will my candidate call home?
• Can I send a care package to my candidate?
• When can I email my candidate?
• How are candidates placed into Companies?
• When will my candidate receive mail?
• How are meals served?
• More Questions?
• Where can I eat around Kings Point?
• When you graduated, what were your options?
• Could you choose between tankers, containers, cruise ships and all that or was it pretty restricted?
• Do you feel KP helped find you the job or was it something you had to really go out and look for?
• What type of pay would you expect upon graduation?
• Did you have the same job offers as your classmates, or did students with good grades and all that get more offers?
• What did your year look like (months at sea, some time off, etc)?
• What did you do in your time off?
• How did the Naval Reserve obligation work out?
• Did you have good options for what branch you wanted to do reserves in?
• When you say you get paid $10,000 a month; do you just get paid for the months you are at sea or do you get $10,000 a month year round?
• For your 2 week naval reserve vacation, what did you do?
• What are the chances of being activated in the naval reserves?
• Do tankers pay more?
• What is it like living on a ship?
• What did you do for entertainment (dare I ask)?
• Did you find yourself bored much?
• In a few years do you think ships will have good internet access?
• How long does it take to sail from Asia to North America or North America to Europe?
• When you hit shore, how much time do you have to explore the area?
• What is the weather like at sea? Ass-freezing-cold? or are you in a bubble in the ship and don't really go outside?
• How does pay increase with experience?
• How many months a year do you have to sail to keep your USCG license?
• From what we understand, if you go active duty, your commitment time is less but in choosing an active duty branch, must you be in the top 10% of your class?
• Have you been through a Shellback ceremony?
• Whats a shellback?
• What is a Golden shellback?
• What other Maritime Fraternaties are commonly observed on US Flagged Merchant Vessels?

When will my candidate call home?
While no one can say for certain, cadidates are typically given the chance to call home on Sundays. Be prepared however, as they only have 5 minutes to complete the phone call.

[top]

Can I send a care package to my candidate?
Yes. But be advised that packages received during indoc period are typically "shared" between the rest of the company-mates. This helps to build a sense that the company is a unit as a whole. Please include the company number if you have it. If not leave it out. The address is: Candidate John/Jane Doe, 2008 1st Company U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 300 Steamboat Rd. Kings Point, NY 11024-1699

[top]

When can I email my candidate?
Candidates receive their computers on or about the 28th of July, 2006. E-mail accounts will be set up and we will post the final format for e-mail addresses at that time.

[top]

How are candidates placed into Companies?
The placement of candidates into companies is done randomly. If your son or daughter played an instrument in high school, then they most likely will be placed into Band Company.

[top]

When will my candidate receive mail?
Mail is passed out at tattoo every few nights. Tatoo is a muster that candidates must go to every night until they are recognized. During indoctrination, the Senior Drill Instructor will explain to the candidates what they did wrong during the day, and the steps necessary to correct the problems. Note that each candidate must do push-ups in order to receive mail. A few extra push-ups is well worth a letter from home. Try not to send mail in colored envelopes.

[top]

How are meals served?
All meals are served family style. Candidates take turns going back to the kitchen to pick up food for the table. A Midshipman Officer stands at the head of each table to ensure that each candidate gets enough to eat and drink. Each candidate is required to drink at least two glasses of water or powerade during each meal. On especially hot days, candidates are required to drink three glasses of water or powerade during each meal.

[top]

More Questions?
Please contact the Academy's Parents Program Coordinator, Shirley Anthony at anthonys@usmma.edu or 516-773-5105 during normal business hours.

[top]

Where can I eat around Kings Point?

(It is best to call ahead for reservations and price range) Great Neck Area Alborz Persian Cuisine 613 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 773-1010

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill 1985 Jericho Tpke New Hyde Park, NY (516) 326-8730

Bardi Restaurant 420 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-3458

Bennigan’s 711 Stewart Avenue Garden City, NY (516) 222-1305

Bevanda Ristorante Expensive – Italian Cuisine 570 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-1510

Bocca di Rosa 24 S Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-9169

Bombay Palace 380 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-0010

Bruce's Restaurant & Bakery Moderate - Breakfast 34 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-8567

Bryant & Cooper Steak House 2 Middle Neck Road (corner of Northern Blvd. & Middle Neck Road) Roslyn, NY (516) 627-7270

Bruzell's Restaurant Moderate - Continental Cuisine Early Bird Special 451 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-6600

Burton & Doyle Very Expensive 661 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-9200

Cafe 12 Only Opened Mornings 12 Hicks Lane, Great Neck, NY (516) 504-1212

Cafe Classico 76 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-8008

Café Angelica 2370 Jericho Turnpike Garden City Park, NY (516) 739-0505

Cafe Rustica Moderate – Italian Cuisine 200 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-6464

California Pizza Kitchen 1256 Old Country Road Westbury, NY (516) 683-3338

Camellia Terrace Restaurant 8 Bond Street, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-8883

Chalet Restaurant & Tap Room 5 Railroad Avenue Roslyn, NY (516) 621-7975

Cheesecake Factory 1504 Old Country Road Westbury, NY (516) 222-5500

Chez Kama Restaurant 68 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-8360

China Wok Take Out Only 31 N Station Plaza, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-6888

Chung Fung Restaurant Take Out Only 711 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-8878

Colbeh Restaurant Iranian Cuisine 75 N Station Plaza, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-8181

Darband Restaurant 158 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-0030

Daruma of Tokyo 95 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-4180

Edison Ale House 550 Plandome Road Manhasset, NY (516) 627-7722

Finn Maccool’s 205 Main Street Port Washington, NY (516) 944-3439

Fish Kebab 288 Main Street Port Washington, NY (516) 883-1515

Friend of a Farmer East 1350 Old Northern Blvd. Roslyn, NY (516) 625-3808

Gino’s Pizza 60 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, NY (516) 487-1122

Empire K Roasters Take Out Only 9 Cuttermill Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-3573

Foo Hwa Kitchen 86 Horace Harding Blvd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-9393

Fuji-Ya Japanese Restaurant 20 S Station Plz, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-9700

Garden of Plenty Chinese Cuisine 4 Welwyn Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-8868

George Washington Manor 1305 Old Northern Blvd. Roslyn, NY (516) 621-1200

Ground Round 30 Stewart Avenue Garden City, NY (516) 228-3370 AND 1024 Northern Blvd. Roslyn, NY (516) 621-9375

Harvest Buffet 14 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY (516) 498-1888

Hunan Great Neck 507 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-7912

Int’l House of Pancakes 1586 Northern Blvd. Manhasset, NY (516) 365-2732

Jonathan’s 3000 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY (516) 742-7300

Jolly Fisherman & Steak House 25 Main Street Roslyn, NY (516) 621-0055

Joseph Deli 25 Cuttermill Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 504-6388

Kensington Kosher Delicatessen 27 Middle Neck Rd # A, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-2410

La Coquille 1669 Northern Blvd. Manhasset, NY (516) 365-8422

La Gioconda 21 N Station Plaza, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-2004

La Marmite 234 Hillside Avenue Williston Park, NY (516) 746-1243

La Pizzeria 114 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-5114

Land of Smiles 105 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 773-6344

Landmark Diner 1021 Northern Blvd. Roslyn, NY (516) 627-9635

Latitudes 45 Orchard Beach Road Port Washington, NY (516) 767-7400

Lemongrass 1363 Old Northern Blvd. Roslyn, NY (516) 625-4223

Leo’s Midway 1907 7 Street Garden City, NY (516) 742-0574

Louie’s Shore Restaurant 397 Main Street Port Washington, NY (516) 883-4242

Major’s Steakhouse 8289 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY (516) 367-7300

Mangia Bene 526 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, NY (516) 482-3335

Matsuya Japanese Restaurant 6 Great Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 773-4411

Navona Italian Restaurant Very Expensive - Italian 218 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-5603

New Hyde Park Inn 214 Jericho Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY (516) 354-7797

North Shore Steak House 611 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-3133

Omega Inn Diner 1809 Lakeville Road New Hyde Park, NY (516) 354-4666

Oyama Restaurant 148 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-8460

Pancho's Border Grill Moderate - Mexican 10 Grace Ave, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-5305

Peter Luger Steak House
Very Expensive Does not accept any credit cards
255 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-8800

Piri's Grill 4 Welwyn Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-1070

Pulcinella’s 31 S Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-5592

Riverbay (Seafood) 700 Willis Avenue Williston Park, NY (516) 742-9191

Santorini Taverna 37 Great Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 829-4877

Seven Seas Restaurant Diner 607 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-0980

Shang-Hai Grill 178 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-7518

Shishkabob Palace 90 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-2228

Shish Kebab 283 Main Street Port Washington, NY (516) 883-9309

Sports Corner Cafe 16 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 504-7566

Starbucks Coffee 71 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck, NY (516) 487-4944

Stella’s Ristorante 152 Jericho Turnpike Floral Park, NY (516) 775-2202

Sushi Q 38 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 504-0355

Szechuan Cuisine 150 Middle Neck Rd S # A, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-0665

Tea Village Take Out Only 495 Middle Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-8250

TGIF Friday’s 1445 Northern Blvd. Manhasset, NY (516) 869-9306

Toli's Gyro 63 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 466-3733

Turquoise Seafood Restaurant 33 N Station Plz, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-3737

Uncle Chau's Chinese Restaurants Moderate - Chinese 1 Chelsea Place, Great Neck, NY (516) 487-0610

Vespa Cibobuono Cuisine Moderate – Italian 96 Northern Blvd Great Neck, NY (516) 829-0005

White Pearl Chinese Restaurant 493 Great Neck Rd, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-5888

Wild Ginger 48 Great Neck Road Great Neck, NY (516) 487-8288

Yass Mediterian Grill 94 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY (516) 482-0444

New York City – Queens Restaurants

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill 61-48 188 Street Flushing, Ny (718) 264-1222

Aunt Bella’s Italian Restaurant 46-19 Marathon Parkway (2 blocks South of Northern Blvd.) Little Neck, NY (718) 225-4700

Bellagio’s (Italian) 234-19 41 Avenue Douglaston, NY (718) 224-1300

Ben’s Kosher Deli 211-37 26 Avenue (Bell Blvd) Bayside, NY (718) 229-2367

BK Sweeney Station Saloon 42-15 235 Street Douglaston, NY (718) 225-1866

Caffe on the Green (Italian) 201-10 Cross Island Pkwy (bet. Clearview Expy. & Utopia Pkwy.) Bayside, NY (718) 423-7272

Cajun Café 58-07 202 Street Bayside, NY (718) 225-7257

Cardini (Italian) 271-20 Union Turnpike New Hyde Park, NY (718) 343-2728

Erawan Thai 42-31 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 428-2112

Ernesto’s Ristorante 33-05 Francis Lewis Blvd. Flushing, NY (718) 463-5700

Fillmore’s Tavern 166 St. & 65 Ave. Fresh Meadows, NY (718) 762-2727

First Edition Bistro 41-08 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 428-8522

Future Diner 61-09 190 Street Fresh Meadows, NY (718) 454-8752

Giardino (reasonable) 44-37 Douglaston Pkwy. Douglaston, NY (718) 428-1090

IL Bacco Ristorante Expensive – Italian Cuisine 253-08 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 224-7657

Int’l House of Pancakes 248-16 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 224-1178

Jackson Hole 35-01 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 281-0330

La Baraka (French) 255-09 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY (718) 464-3133

Little Tokyo 232-20 Northern Blvd. Douglaston, NY (718) 281-4236

London Lennies Seafood 63-88 Woodhaven Blvd. Forest Hills, NY (718) 894-8084

Marbella (Spanish Cuisine) 220-33 Northern Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 423-0100

Master Grill International (Brazillian) 34-09 College Point Blvd (bet. 34 & 35 Avenues) Flushing, NY (718) 762-0300

Outback Steakhouse 23-48 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 819-0908

Papazzio (Italian) 39-38 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 229-1962

Patrick’s Pub Moderate – Irish Cuisine 252-12 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY 718 423-7600

Pier 25a Inc. 215-16 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY (718) 423-6395

Pizzeria Uno Chicago 39-02 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 279-4900

Scobee’s Diner 252-29 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 426-5777

Seville Diner 231-10 Northern Blvd. Douglaston, NY (718) 428-3100

Tenhn (Japanese) 254-02 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 279-1116

Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse 39-40 Bell Blvd Bayside, NY (718) 229-1100

White House Restaurant 10-24 154 Street Whitestone, NY (718) 746-1111

Yeats Tavern (Irish) 42-24 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY (718) 225-0652

Fast Food Restaurants

Burger King 222-10 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY

Dunkin Donuts (Great place for Changing into uniforms on your way back to campus) 248-09 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 225-2648

McDonald’s 250-09 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY (718) 229-9431

Subway 579 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, NY (516) 773-7374

Taco Bell 172-12 Northern Blvd. Little Neck, NY

Ice Cream

Carvel Ice Cream Bakery (Delivers Ice Cream Cakes to KP) 709 Middle Neck Road Great Neck, NY 11024

Cold Stone Creamery (If you’ve never been – you gotta try it) 6 Grace Ave Great Neck, NY 11021

Serendipity 3 (Expensive but worth it – EXPERIENCE it at least ONCE!) 225 East 60th Street New York, NY 10022

Also -- If you go to the CITY (Manhattan) and if you enjoy traditional New York Deli Sandwiches you can't miss Katz's Delicatessen, the pastrami is out of this world. The address is 205 East Houston St. NY, NY It is across the street from the metro in Lower East Side (Jewish Area) and there are plenty of Really good bakeries in the area there as well.

[top]

When you graduated, what were your options?
Too many to write, but I'll try. 1st choice you have to make: Military Vs. Civilian. Military = any branch of the military including active national guard units and NOAA. Civilian = anything maritime related, if you can relate it strongly to the maritime industry you can probably do it. Sailing, port operations, chartering, brokering, ship building - a short list of what is out there.

[top]

Could you choose between tankers, containers, cruise ships and all that or was it pretty restricted?
Yes, if you want to work for the cruise line, apply to the cruise line, they don't have any other ships, haha. If you want to work on a tanker apply to a tanker company, etc. You can also join one of the unions. With the unions you usually just take whatever job is out there. You can have a "wish list" though. With tankers specifically you need an additional endorsement that you can get while at KP. If you don't have the Tankerman PIC endorsement on your license you probably won't sail on tankers.

[top]

Do you feel KP helped find you the job or was it something you had to really go out and look for?
ABSOLUTELY! Tons of companies come to campus to recruit. During your first class year you can spend pretty much every night interviewing with different companies. For me specificially I interviewed with a company called ADM. After my initial interview at KP they then flew me out to St. Louis all expenses paid for a secondary interview. That is pretty much the usual. The school will let you out of class to go on interviews. The job placement rate at the time of graduation is darn near 100% every year.

[top]

What type of pay would you expect upon graduation?
That depends on who you work for. For me, I sailed for the union American Maritime Officers on oil tankers. This union is usually considered the one that pays the least. My pay was exactly 10,000 dollars a month. I still live off some of that savings 4 years later.

[top]

Did you have the same job offers as your classmates, or did students with good grades and all that get more offers?
Yes and no. Grades probably matter more for grad school offers or something like that; however, a good GPA is never a bad thing and it probably did help in some cases. Most companies know that if you graduate from KP you've got the goods. Now if two applicants are exactly alike except for GPA they will probably take the higher GPA. For sailing jobs it really doesn't matter at all.

[top]

What did your year look like (months at sea, some time off, etc)?
I hope you're referring to after graduation because that's what I'll give you. If you work for a union it's pretty much up to you how much you want to work. My job was 3-4 months on followed by 3-4 months off. If you work for a company sailing then your schedule is determined by then. Basically each job on the ship is filled by two people and you rotate with that person so you can work things out. If you need more time off and they are willing to stay longer well then you get more time off. If you need to work more for some financial reason or trying to hide from the "authorities" then you can probably work more. Vacation time is vacation time to do whatever the heck you want.

[top]

What did you do in your time off?
I mostly sat around my parents house doing nothing, haha. Oh well I bought lots of goodies (always a big spending spree the first week off the ship). Most people travel around to visit their friends or just travel the world. Some take classes, basically it's up to your own imagination. If you wake up wanting to go to Brazil that morning well then you buy your ticket and go to Brazil, you got the money so it's no worry.

[top]

How did the Naval Reserve obligation work out?
This is seriously one of the best kept secrets of the whole deal. It turns out to be a two-week paid vacation to wherever you want to go in the US. Your first duty after graduation is a required Ensign Indoc course type deal where you go learn about your future in the reserves. This is usually held out in california (San Francisco area) for two weeks. After that year you are free to choose where, when, and what you want to do from a list that is published on the MMR program website. Unfortunately I think it's password protected or I'd link it for you guys. If you are sailing you simply set it up for a time you're on vacation. There are offers throughout the year. Your requirement is two weeks of active training a year. No weekend a month requirement(see next question)

[top]

Did you have good options for what branch you wanted to do reserves in?
Yes, you can select what branch of the reserves you would like to enter. The only caveat being that only the Navy MMR program has the two weeks a year only option. All of the other services will require you to do a weekend a month and two weeks a year. If you are sailing this would be difficult to do. In the Navy you go into what is called the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), in the other services you would go on what is called the Selective Reserves (SELRES). You do have the option of doing SELRES in the navy if you want. Most from our program would go into Small Boat Unit reserve units; which are basically the people who drive the cool SEAL boats or do Riverine type stuff. Overall you can do whatever it is you want to do as long as it relates to the Maritime industry. There are a world of options that I couldn't even begin to write out or even imagine. The "Kings Pointer" is a good read and a good way to get an idea of what alumni are doing. Don't worry about the personal injury lawyer ads, I think most of those are directed towards the older generation who had to deal with things like asbestos and the like.

[top]

When you say you get paid $10,000 a month; do you just get paid for the months you are at sea or do you get $10,000 a month year round?
I should have been more clear on that. You get 10,000 for the time you are at sea. The way it worked for me as a union member is I redeived two paychecks. The first was from the company I worked for and that one was about 7,000 a month. Then when you get off the ship for vacation time you file a form with the Union to get your "Vacation Pay" and that equaled about 3,000 a month. Yes it's is quite a nice step up from Midshipman pay. Yet these days midshipmen even got a recent pay raise. When I was there it was $20 a day. Yes, I got the 10K right off the bat, actually I started two weeks after graduation. Yes there is still the "waiting game" with the unions - mainly with Master's, Mates & Pilots (MMP for deckies) as in that union you have to go to the hall and put your "card" in for the job. With American Maritime Officers (AMO) you simply call the people and pester them until you get a job. I'm not sure what the situation with Engineers is. MEBA and AMO are the two big engineering unions and MMP and AMO are the two big Deckie unions. There are benifits and downfalls to joining each union but that is way too detailed to get into here. Luckily for the midshipmen they get a nice taste of the unions while at sea. I mentioned the Tankerman PIC endorsement earlier, if you have this your job opportunities greatly expand. If you're a deckie at KP make sure you get this even if you think you'll never use it. You are correct that the labor costs are high for US Flagged ships, but shipping remains one of the cheapest ways to ship goods. You think we're expensive check out the cost of flying your goods somewhere. The reason the foreign flagged ships have cheap labor is where they get their labor from. There is a great animosity between the Greeks and Philipino's in the maritime industry. You have to sail in the Med Sea to get a true feeling of it.

[top]

For your 2 week naval reserve vacation, what did you do?
First one I went to San Francisco and worked in the Maritime Admin office, also spent some time doing inspections on some of their vessesl. Second duty I went to Norfolk and did vessel tracking for the war effort. Basically sat in a secure room and received positioning reports for the vessels we were in charge of. Weekends are usually off.

[top]

What are the chances of being activated in the naval reserves?
If you do the regular merchant marine program the probability is close to zero. There has never been anyone involuntarily recalled to active duty from our program since World War II. If you were recalled it would be to serve on the ships taking gear to the war.

[top]

Do tankers pay more?
Nope. the pay varies by the company or the contract the union has.

[top]

What is it like living on a ship?
As an officer you'll usually have your own room and own bathroom with a person who cleans your room for you (be nice and clean it for them, your mom/dad don't live on the ship with you). Amenities vary by the ship. Some are incredibly lavish, others not so much. There is almost always a officers lounge that will have more movies than you can imagine and most will have at least some weights if not a decent gym. Eating - usually you eat very, very well. This can be dependent on the cook, but on the APL ship I was on that went to Alaska we would buy fresh king crab to eat each voyage.

[top]

What did you do for entertainment (dare I ask)?
There are tons and tons of movies on every ship. Alot of people also read various books, I got hooked on Harry Potter by one of the engineers on my ship. I also did some correspondence classes through the navy while out. As an officer you are usually kept pretty busy (as a cadet it can depend on your crew, sometimes i worked like a slave (literally made less than $1 an hour at one point), other times I had more free time than I knew what to do with. In port the entertainment can vary from G rated to as far up the scale you so desire (sorry moms and dads, there are some salty sailors out there). Mostly I just saw the country I was in and did some shopping...and maybe had a few beers.

[top]

Did you find yourself bored much?
Not really, I kept pretty busy. The first couple weeks on the ship can be bad, but then you get in a routine.

[top]

In a few years do you think ships will have good internet access?
This one could go either way. Right now most ships have email access that you can use. The problem with the internet is you have to use satellite communication and that is both slow and expensive. I can't really see many companies paying for total internet access at the current expense. Really no need for it out there. Email is very, very nice though.

[top]

How long does it take to sail from Asia to North America or North America to Europe?
This one is very dependent on the ship you're on. Some of the newer ships are rather fast. My fastest ship did the Asia to California route in about 12-14 days I think. My slowest ship did the Gibraltar to Houston route in about 7 or 8 (these could be way off, can't quite remember). Let's just say it's enough time to be ready to see some land.

[top]

When you hit shore, how much time do you have to explore the area?
As a cadet this varies by the crew you are working with. As a general rule for the nice crews they will let you have all the time off the ship is in port. For container ships this could vary from 4 to 48 hours. For tankers this could be 12hours to a couple days. If you really want time off find an old timer Break Bulk Ship. For those you'll have 1-5 or longer days in each port.

[top]

What is the weather like at sea? Ass-freezing-cold? or are you in a bubble in the ship and don't really go outside?
Varies on where you are. If you get the antartica route that's available to midshipmen then you'll freeze. If you go to alaska in the middle of winter, you'll freeze. If you go to the equator you'll be warm. Of course if you're an engineer you're pretty much hot wherever you go. Most of your time is spent inside the superstructure of the vessel; however, there is always work to do outside so expect to spend at least a few hours outside each day (unless the seas are washing over the ship and they close the deck) And when you're docking/undocking you have to be outside no matter what the temp.

[top]

How does pay increase with experience?
Pay increases with your position on the ship. Captains and Chief Engineers make a very nice living. You won't make any more money as a third mate with 20 yrs experience than a third mate with 1 year experience if you're working on the same ship.

[top]

How many months a year do you have to sail to keep your USCG license?
You don't have to sail at all to keep your license. You must renew the license every five years (once at least for your graduation requirements). If you have 365 days sailing within those previous five years then all you really have to do is fill out some paperwork. If you don't have that time you simply take an open book test to renew your license. As an aside to upgrade your license you have to take a test (there have been some changes since I got my license, my understanding is that currently you graduate KP with basically a 3rd mate and 2nd mate (or engineer) license and all it takes to upgrade to 2nd mate is enough sea time)

[top]

From what we understand, if you go active duty, your commitment time is less but in choosing an active duty branch, must you be in the top 10% of your class?
As far as I know you do not have to be in the top 10% to go active duty. That would be very limiting in those going active duty as 10% would only encompass about 20 people at most. The time commitment issue is kinda weird. As far as I know you are only required to do 3 years on active duty (not including aviation - those guys have a minimum of 7 I think). After those three years you are put on a inactive reserve list for a minimum of five years from which you could be recalled to active duty. (I don't know enough for these to be hard and fast numbers, but they are correct to my knowledge) If deciding to go active duty the earlier you make this decision the better, especially for the Marine Corps. For most of the other branches you will be required to attend an officer's course, which if you decide early enough you can do during one of the summers. If you decide in First Class year to go active in a branch other than Navy you may find yourself at an officer candidate school for a few weeks.

[top]

Have you been through a Shellback ceremony?
I, unfortunately, am not a shellback yet. I never made it south of the equator, closest was Cameroon. But I have a feeling before my Navy career is ended I will kiss the belly of ole Neptune.

[top]

Whats a shellback?
Although six pages could probably be written about a "Shellback" it is merely a person who has crossed the equator on a ship. There is a traditional ceremony that goes along with the milestone that can range from tame to insane. Its kinda like a hazing thing that happens the first time your cross. You can look up alot online about it & see photos. It may not be the most dignified of nautical customs, but it’s certainly one of the oldest and most widely observed. When a vessel approaches the Equator, crew members who are crossing for the first time must appear before King Neptune and his court to demonstrate their worthiness as subjects of the sea. Proof is exacted through tests and punishments that can range from the mildly embarrassing—singing a song or reciting a nonsensical rhyme—to much more grueling treatments: running the gauntlet, tarring and feathering, or crawling through slops. The custom earns the sailor or passenger little more than a certificate and the right to call himself or herself a "shellback." But for all its ribaldry and rough play—and no doubt in part because of these qualities—the practice has been surprisingly popular. As the tradition goes, those who wish to work & live in the realms of King Neptune, must pay respect and meet his requirements upon entering his realm for the first time. Pollywogs are people who haven't had their "crossing" yet. Its a big ceremony and all manner of things occur to "wogs". Its a crazy ritual that I find charming as can be because of the history of it. A popular patch has also been created for shellbacks, that depicts Neptune battling a sea serpent with his trident.

[top]

What is a Golden shellback?
A person who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian (international date line).

[top]

What other Maritime Fraternaties are commonly observed on US Flagged Merchant Vessels?

Line crossing ceremonies are also carried out on many U.S. merchant ships. However, without the oversight of military justice, they can often get out of hand and lead to the abuse and assault which occurred in line crossing ceremonies of the past.

The Order of the Blue Nose for sailors/mariners who have crossed the Arctic Circle.

The Order of the Red Nose for sailors/mariners who have crossed the Antarctic Circle.

The Order of the Golden Dragon for sailors/mariners who have crossed the International Date Line.

The Order of the Ditch for sailors/mariners who have passed through the Panama Canal.

The Safari to Suez for sailors/mariners who have passed through the Suez Canal.

[top]