Stephen B. Luce Library Blog

Stephen B. Luce Library Celebrates Black History Month

2012-02-07T10:06:00.014-05:00

Carl Frederick Burnett,
First African-American Graduate
of Maritime College

In celebration of Black History month, the Stephen B. Luce Library honors notable African-Americans in maritime history with an exhibit of photographs, books and a digital display.

The virtual exhibit can be viewed from the library’s web portal, including:

An online slideshow presentation on black maritime history, which features information on the first African-Americans to graduate from Maritime College in addition to maritime ties of major American figures such as Frederick Douglass and Marcus Garvey
Recommended readings from our collection
Great online resources for black maritime history research, including great links from the Library of Congress and the American Merchant Marine at War

The physical exhibit will be on display throughout February in the Library’s foyer area:

A slideshow presentation on black maritime history
A display case featuring archival photographs, yearbooks, and biographical information on notable African-American Maritime College alums, Carl Frederick Burnett and Walter Womack Branford. Additional photographs highlight an exchange program with Liberia in 1961, during which four Liberian students were sponsored by the African American Institute to attend Maritime College and study Marine Transportation for one year
A selection of books from our collection highlighting prominent African-Americans in maritime and military history.

Walter Womack Bradford,
Second African-American
Graduate of Maritime College

The display gives the Library an opportunity to highlight aspects of both our circulating collection and our Archives. Though the books on display can be found through a simple Sextant Catalog search, several of the historic photographs required quite a bit of sleuthing. This is particularly true of the rarely-seen photos featuring several Liberian students who attended Maritime College in 1961 in partnership with the African-American Institute. After the photographs were discovered serendipitously in the Luce Library Archives, librarians uncovered background information on the mysterious pictures by cross-referencing the approximate date of their attendance with yearbooks and old Porthole editions.

The photos on display give a glimpse into black history and also illustrate Maritime College’s role in seeking to connect the international and multicultural maritime community.

Costa Concordia Cruise Line Disaster: Library Resource Guide

2012-01-17T13:30:00.001-05:00

In response to the recent Costa Concordia cruise line tragedy, the Stephen B. Luce Library has assembled a collection of resources with the most up-to-date information from domestic and foreign presses, including images, videos and news stories.

The Stephen B. Luce Library website on the “Costa Concordia” http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/costa-concordia.htm provides resources to the academic community at SUNY Maritime to conduct research relating to the different aspects of the tragedy. The resources are organized in various categories such as human tragedy at the coast of Tuscany; financial implications; and environmental impact of the accident to the biggest designated marine park in Europe; leadership and command of the vessel; safety issues and negligence etc.

New Online Slideshows Highlight Archival Collections

2012-01-11T09:43:00.019-05:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library is delighted to announce that three new online slideshows are available from the Current Exhibits page on our library website. For those interested in the history of Maritime College and the summer sea term, this is an excellent way of delving into the past. Slideshows feature a number of fascinating photos of training ships and of cadets during training, inspections and even leisure activities. The photographs are supplemented by captions with historical information and technical specifications.

A slideshow documenting the Schoolship Newport, Maritime College's second training vessel, gives a sense of the origins of Maritime College (then called New York Nautical school). The Schoolship Newport was powered by both sail and steam, which provided students with an excellent training platform during the transition to the age of steam.

Pictures of the Empire State I, which served as a Maritime College training ship from 1931-1946, illustrate both the ship's illustrious origins (as flagship of Commander Fleet Base Force, U.S. Battle Fleet from 1921 - 1931) and its fifteen years as training ship for Maritime College students. With the arrival of the Empire State, Maritime College's first fully steam-powered ship, out-of-state students could for the first time enroll as cadets.

The Empire State II, used as a transport ship for troops and supplies during World War II, was the first training ship of any Maritime Academy to make a post war cruise under its own officers and crew. It served as training ship from 1946-1956.

Online slideshows offer the public a chance to view the wealth of materials available in the Stephen B. Luce Library archives. Other current exhibition subjects include the Schoolship St. Mary’s, Women Seafarers, African American seafarers, and the history of Fort Schuyler.

Winter Holiday Hours at the Stephen B. Luce Library

2011-12-16T11:08:00.004-05:00

In observation of the Winter Holiday, the Stephen B. Luce Library will follow the schedule below:

Saturday, December 17: Open 1000 to 1300
Sunday, December 19: Closed
Monday, December 20 - Friday, December 23: Open 0830 to 1200, 1300 to 1630
Saturday, December 24 - Monday, December 26: Closed
Tuesday, December 27 - Friday, December 30: Open 0830 to 1200, 1300 to 1630
Saturday, December 31 - Monday, January 2: Closed
Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6: Open 0830 to 1200, 1300 to 1630
Saturday, January 7 - Sunday, January 8: Closed
Monday, January 9: Open 0830 to 1200, 1300 to 1630
Tuesday, January 10: Normal Library Hours Resume (Open 0830)

We wish the entire academic community of Maritime College a very happy holiday season and look forward to working with you in the New Year!

Happy Holidays from the Stephen B. Luce Library!

2011-12-14T09:53:00.007-05:00

In celebration of the Holiday Season, the Stephen B. Luce Library has created a holiday greeting page to wish all those affiliated with SUNY Maritime College -- whether they are students, alumni, faculty, staff, neighbors, family, or friends -- a wonderful holiday season.

View our wintry wishes, and have a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

Extended Library Hours During Finals Week

2011-12-13T10:05:00.011-05:00

As a service to Maritime College students during finals week, the Stephen B. Luce Library will offer extended open hours through this Thursday, December 15. The library will be open from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm daily so that students may come for a quiet place to study, work on group projects, and access resources needed to study for exams and complete final projects. A librarian will be on duty to assist with information research and access to course reserve materials.

Some helpful tips for students planning to study in the library this week:

Study carrels are available on both the first and second floors of the library
No food is allowed in the library, and any drinks brought in must have a cap or a lid
Course reserve materials may be checked out for four hours but must remain in the library

The Stephen B. Luce Library wishes everyone good luck and best of results in your final exams.

Library Director and Department Chair Constantia Constantinou Appointed to the Rank of Distinguished Librarian

2011-11-30T09:10:00.003-05:00

Stephen B. Luce Library proudly announces that Ms. Constantia Constantinou has been appointed as SUNY Distinguished Librarian, the highest rank conferred upon SUNY librarians. This is a remarkable accomplishment for Ms. Constantinou as there were only three other Distinguished Librarians in the history of SUNY.

SUNY news release on Ms. Constantinou’s appointed as Distinguished Librarian

In extending its distinguished ranks to the library faculty, SUNY recognizes the accomplishments of its entire faculty, and also assumes national leadership within the academy by becoming the first university system to so encourage and foster the full potential of the faculty status of librarians.

The Distinguished Librarian is a prestigious tenured University rank that is awarded to librarians whose contributions have been transformational in creating a new information environment by providing access to information, sharing or networking information resources, and fostering information literacy. The Distinguished Librarian rank honors and promotes the achievement of personal excellence, groundbreaking professional progress, and wide-ranging benefit to the academic community. Receiving this rank today is:

Constantia Constantinou has been the Director of the Stephen B. Luce Library at the Maritime College since 2001. She has served on the SUNY Council of Library Directors (SCLD) and represented SCLD on the CUNY Council of Chief Librarians and to the New York State Higher Education Initiative. As a Fulbright Scholar (2011) and as a Fulbright Senior Specialist (2005), in the country of Cyprus, she has accomplished what no other scholar or librarian has been able to do since 1974 by bringing the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot academic communities closer through overcoming ethnic and political conflicts. To achieve this, Ms. Constantinou established collaborations among institutions, lectured and trained librarians in information literacy, enabled the membership of the University of Cyprus into OCLC global bibliographic network, and promoted the establishment of the Cyprus National Library Consortium. Ms. Constantinou’s scholarly work and presentations in Croatia, Greece, Turkey, China, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have enhanced the principles of information literacy by setting exemplary standards within worldwide maritime universities.

Simon Winchester on Atlantic at the Luce Library

2011-11-22T09:22:00.035-05:00

On Thursday, November 17th, fifty students, faculty, and alumni gathered in the Luce Library for a lecture by bestselling author Simon Winchester on his latest work, Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories. Given that SUNY Maritime's student body traverses the Atlantic Ocean every summer, the discussion was bound to be one of the most relevant, exciting, and interesting of recent memory. And Mr. Winchester did not disappoint.

He explained that the writing for Atlantic contrasted greatly with his composition of an unsuccessful parallel book he had written about the Pacific Ocean. "All I knew was, I had to write about the Atlantic in a different way than the Pacific, which was a total disaster." Inspiration struck, however, through an anthology of poetry, edited by British politician David Owens, entitled Seven Ages: Poetry for a Lifetime. Owen uses Shakespeare's Seven Ages of Man speech to give the anthology its structure; Winchester decided on a similar tack.

"It occurred to me that the structure of Shakespeare's Seven Ages that worked so well for Owen might also work very well for our relationship with the Atlantic," he noted. Therefore, the book is comprised of seven chapters (as well as a prologue), each of which relates a different aspect of humankind's relationship with the Atlantic. For example, a chapter on Shakespeare's "lover" age focuses on the poetry, literature and artwork relating to the Atlantic Ocean; the following chapter, the "soldier" age, details the Atlantic's many famed battles.

Through this framework, Winchester was able to narrate such disparate elements of the sea as the age of exploration, the business of shipping, erroneous human beliefs about the sea, the effect of pollution, developments in oceanic cartography, the oceanic fishing industry, the history of piracy, and much more.

Simon Winchester's lecture at the library was triggered by a lone tweet from one of the Luce librarians which mentioned Mr. Winchester, a fact which seems particularly appropriate given the subject matter of the lecture. As Winchester noted, humankind's relationship with this most storied ocean has always had an unpredictable, serendipitous, and surprising nature, from man's first discovery of oysters as an edible mollusc on the shores of South Africa, to the heroic rescue of a marooned group of eighty British people on Africa's Skeleton Coast during World War II, to the way the British won World War I's Battle of the Atlantic.

After the event, Mr. Winchester stayed on to meet the audience and sign copies of Atlantic. Students exchanged stories of Atlantic adventures on the Empire State with the author, who was very receptive to questions and further discussion of the book. For many, this moment of personal engagement was the highlight of the event.

Simon Winchester's Atlantic is available in the circulating collection of the Stephen B. Luce Library; our newly signed copy will be transferred to the Three Star archives collection. Students interested in Winchester's work may also check out some of his other books from the Luce Library, including Krakatoa and The Map that Changed the World.

Winchester to Speak at Luce Library

2011-11-16T09:12:00.010-05:00

Bestselling author Simon Winchester, author of popular and accessible histories such as Krakatoa, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and The Professor and the Madman, is set to give a book lecture on his latest work, Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories this Thursday, November 17 at 3:15pm at the Stephen B. Luce Library.

Winchester's book tells the story of the world's most traversed ocean in inventive fashion: through seven chapters which parallel Shakespeare's famed Seven Ages of Man speech from As You Like It. In the first chapter, for example -- "First the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms" -- Winchester discusses the formation of the Atlantic Ocean and its geologic makeup, as well as humankind's initial forays beyond the shores of Europe and Africa. Later chapters discuss famous battles, the Atlantic's echoes in literature and popular culture, the effects of pollution on the ocean, and much more.

The Stephen B. Luce Library Lecture series features bestselling authors including Winchester and Clive Cussler as well as talks from our librarians on subjects such as the history of Maritime College. Simon Winchester's lecture will take place at 3:15 pm on Thursday, November 17 in the Luce Library. All are welcome.

Luce Library Archives for TV Production

2011-10-25T11:46:00.007-04:00

Just in time for Halloween, maritime history and ghost stories collide on Syfy’s reality series Ghost Hunters. This Wednesday, October 26 at 9pm, Ghost Hunters will air an investigation of the infamous Matron’s Cottage at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, and the Stephen B. Luce Library plays a key role in telling the story, thanks to the Sailors’ Snug Harbor Collection located in the Luce Library Archives. The librarians at the Stephen B. Luce library worked closely with Ghost Hunters’ production team in their investigation by providing photographs, documents, and other research materials on the history of Sailors’ Snug Harbor. The Sailors’ Snug Harbor Archives, acquired in 1975 and 2008, consists of official documents, scrapbooks, photographs, and much more. To find out more about the Sailors’ Snug Harbor Collection, please visit the collection’s web site or stop by the Library.

Image from the Sailors' Snug Harbor Photo Gallery. Click the image to see more photos

Sailors’ Snug Harbor, a former seaman’s retirement community located in Staten Island, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains many historic and architecturally significant structures. The Matron’s Cottage is rumored to be the site of a grisly tale of imprisonment and murder; Ghost Hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson team up with television personality and guest star Meredith Vieira to investigate the cottage’s haunted past. The Ghost Hunters episode will air on Wednesday, October 26 at 9PM on SyFy Channel (Cablevision #48, Fios #180, Direct TV #244).

9/11 Exhibit in Library

2011-09-20T12:51:00.000-04:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library extends another invitation to everyone to view the exhibit commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. The exhibit showcases a few personal reflections on what happened on that tragic day. On display are memorabilia donated by Maritime’s own Major General Robert Wolf (Director of Graduate Admissions) who was a first responder to the 9/11 tragedy. You can see Major Wolf's gears still covered by fine particulates, dust, and ash which were created by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Also on display are the personal photographs of Captain Robert Pouch, then the Director of Board of Commissioners of Pilots of the State of NY, who was a first responder on the rescue efforts by the maritime community in the New York Harbor. These photographs depict Captain Pouch's experiences on that tragic day and he went on to receive the 9/11 First Responders Medal in 2004.

The exhibit is currently on display in the Library’s foyer area.

Librarian Publishes Interlibrary Loan Study

2011-09-16T11:02:00.009-04:00

Librarian, Joseph Williams has recently published, as primary author, an article in the peer-reviewed, Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, titled, “Interlibrary Loan in the United States: An Analysis of Academic Libraries in a Digital Age.” This study examined the rates and practices of interlibrary loan in the United States and its impact upon American academic libraries within the last decade. A copy of the article is available at the Stephen B. Luce Library.

The full citation is: Joseph A Williams & David E. Woolwine (2011): Interlibrary Loan in the United States: An Analysis of Academic Libraries in a Digital Age, Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, 21:4, 165-183.

Captain Pouch Presents before Packed Auditorium

2011-09-09T09:39:00.006-04:00

Before a packed auditorium on Wednesday, September 7, Captain Robert H. Pouch kept students on the edge of their seats with his presentation: “September 11, 2001: Response and Rescue on New York Harbor.” Captain Pouch, a first responder to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, was born and raised on Staten Island and is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy. Until his retirement in 2009, Captain Pouch served as the Executive Director and Commissioner of the Board of Commissioners of Pilots of the State of New York.

Captain Pouch served aboard the P/B NEW YORK to communicate and coordinate relief efforts in the hours and days that followed September 11^th. His efforts manifested the largest water-based evacuation anywhere in the world since World War II. For his contributions, Captain Pouch was awarded the USDOT/USCG World Trade Center 9/11/01 First Responders Medal (2004), New York State Conspicuous Service Medal (2007), United States Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal (2008), New York State Board of Commissioners of Pilots Official’s Medal (2009), and the New York State Military Forces Conspicuous Service Medal for Meritorious Service awarded in 2010 (Second Award).

Captain Pouch concluded his presentation with a video describing the superb work of pilots in New York Harbor, many of whom are Maritime graduates. He encouraged follow up conversation, questions, and discussion.

On behalf of the Stephen B. Luce Library, Maritime College, and Regiment of Cadets, we thank Captain Pouch for his extraordinary lecture and his dedication within the maritime community in the face of “America’s greatest tragedy.”

The Stephen B. Luce Library will have Captain Pouch’s original photographs on display in the foyer throughout the month of September. Additional resources are also on display for research on 9/11, terrorism, security, and the maritime community.

Slip Sliding Away

2011-08-01T11:46:00.001-04:00

July 30, 2011

Slip sliding away

When in playing a seemingly endless game of Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall the countdown miraculously reaches single digits and the aroma of Staten Island tickles nose hairs midway ‘cross the Atlantic—you might begin to wonder, “What have I yet to do on this ship?” No, no; that’s not some grand metaphor for Life and Death—unless you think it’s brilliant, in which case it is. What I mean is: I don’t get out much - I’m a regular boatbody.

But two things I’ve meant to do. First, strike a Leonardo-DiCaprio-on-the-flying-bridge-in-Titanic pose. This however, is not plausible as there’s some serious shakin’ in the barn. Second, ever since I visited the medieval Arab Bath in Palma, I’ve been dying—quite literally dying—to don my towel and flip flops and see TS Empire State VI’s equivalent; of course, I’m talking about the sauna— aka, engine room.

Now, admittedly, I have something of a Harpo Marx-like knack for mayhem and the last thing I want to do is mistakenly hit the “eject” button or fall into a cauldron of boiling hot waste water. Therefore, I enlisted the stewardship of my dear friend 1/C Patrick “Georgia On My Mind” Collins, who, amongst other things, advised that I wear earplugs and not touch anything.

Upon reaching engineering, I found a tour guide in a man named - ironically enough— “Melody,” who was kind enough to take time away from the old heave-ho to lead me about. Unfortunately, here is where my words fail me, for despite the detailed explanation he gave of the various turbo generators and so forth—TG they’re called; not TB, as I misheard amidst that ear-splitting chug-a-lug cacophony—all I retained was: fire, oil, water, steam!

One of the more intriguing things I learned is about waste water. We got to do something with it! In fact, federal law demands it. Again, I should be one of those hardball investigative gumshoe sleuths who always has a pen and a notebook handy—a moleskin, as Hemingway favored—instead of just standing there plugging my nose, because there’s a process by which toxicity is boiled out and we can safely discharge the remaining water into the ocean blue, a process which, not having notes on which to rely, I can tell you but little. Now, I do recall that the Coast Guard and the Feds monitor this closely and if toxins exceed a certain percentage—wham! Hefty fine!

Indeed, according to the Chief Engineer, some—I want to say—20 or 30 percent our budget alone goes to satisfying environmental regulations, many of which don’t exist in other countries. Here’s looking at you, China! Which is why, he went on, we keep getting our butts kicked! The Jones Act might have something to do with that, too, Chief. Another interesting fact: right next to the waste water there’s this nifty device that turns seawater into drinking water; here’s to hoping they never mistake one vat for the other.

Another thing: since I’ve been wearing this delightful white muumuu—I mean boiler suit—it’s like I’m some kind of god. A stairwell clogged with cadets? Avast! Watch as I part them like Moses did the sea! A cadet who doesn’t see me coming up the rear fails to hold a door open for me? Watch as upon realizing the error of his ways he prostrates himself, begging forgiveness and calling me “sir”! In other words, it’s really no different than the treatment I receive wherever I go on land.

Dedications: my good friend Kevin Roche—cardsharp, guitarist extraordinaire—says to his father, James Roche, SUNY Maritime alum: “Thanks for being there for me all these years.” Me: I’d like to say to my little niece, Sif, who’s nuts about boats, that I’m looking forward to seeing you on the pier when we return. You’ll get a kick out of this boat. It’s really big; hardly your run-of-the-mill “baby boat.” And to my parents, my brother and my aunt: where in the world are y’all now?

Yars! truly,

-Curley

Too Many Rivers to Cross

2011-07-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

July 25, 2011

I send you today’s scuttlebutt from the very mouth of the Mediterranean, upon which converge Spain, Morocco and...England? Yes, sir. Or hath ye not heard of Gibraltar, also known as the Rock? For those of you who flunked History—go on, raise your hand—Gibraltar, like much of Spain, was ruled for 700 years by the Moors. Recaptured by the Spanish in1462 and Britain got its paws on it in 1704, where they remain today.

Sounds like an exciting place to visit; or, in the case of TS Empire State VI, to drop anchor within tantalizing eyeshot of—“bunker,” as it’s so called—and refuel; British Petroleum, you know; can’t beat it; what, with its excellent track record in offshore...hey, wait a minute! Unfortunately, the only person to debark to Gibraltar was Admiral Craine. Being the president has its privileges.

And now to discuss matters more pressing: my personal appearance! O, I’m vain! Vain, I tell ye! I can’t help it; I come from a long line of female beauties, whose continuation now so delicately rests on my volcanically erupting waistline. See, when I was told that the food on the ship was “good,” apparently that meant intolerably fattening! Truly, no matter the breakfasts I skip, miles I run, salads I substitute for heaping Tower of Babel portions of the flesh of every animal known to man, desserts from which I avert my eyes, etc. I’m still kept awake nights pinching mine stomach, thinking, “OMG! I’m getting fat!” Which is why I’ve replaced my impossibly handsome, slimming, pinching size-31-waist khaki trousers with this delightfully oversized white boiler suit! Indeed, I can now accumulate the collective blubber of some fourscore whales.

Lastly, Kurt Niemeyer addresses his kin thusly: “Hope everything is well. See you guys in 11 days!” And Nick Jones addresses the Jones Family: “Hope you’re enjoying your great PNW.” That’s Pacific Northwest, for those of you out of the know.

-Curley

Homeward Bound

2011-07-25T14:55:00.000-04:00

July 21, 2011

Homeward bound

The boat that I row won’t cross no ocean The boat that I row won’t get me there soon -Neil Diamond

BREAKING NEWS: TS Empire State VI and the Boys of Summer have turned a late-scheduled one-day stop in Mallorca into a four-day festival of fun, sun and Spanish Castle Magic. On account of our extended holiday in Spain, we are not—repeat, not!—going to France.

Four days in Palma de Mallorca, the disco inferno capital of Europe? ¡Hey, Macarena! Don’t get me wrong. There’s more to it than just shake, shake, shake—shake your bootie. I, for one, felt like everyone’s favorite knight errant, Don Quixote of La Mancha, when I disembarked the ark and what did I spy but a fort guarded only by a couple of grazing burros. I kid ye not. And what upon a hillside but a castle and a windmill! ¡Dios mio! My father, the medievalist, would have thought he’d died and gone to Dante’s Paradiso; if not that juxtaposed with the splendid medieval architecture—a 10th century Arab Bath, for instance; one of the few remaining testaments to 700 years of Moorish rule in Mallorca—were clothing optional beaches and all-night foam parties; in other words, a 21st century bath, if not quite Arab. Add expats and immigrants, and Palma is quite the mixed-up, perhaps reluctantly cosmopolitan place; a far cry from the passed over provincial backwater it had been before Franco opened the floodgates of tourism in the 1950’s. ¡Gracias al Caudillo!

Continuing on the subject of Gold Star dedications, my dear friend Nicholas Valavanis says hello to his mother and father, whom he loves and misses. And I, ol’ peppery Curley, say Happy Big Fat Turkish Wedding Day to my cousin Paul and his wife, Aylin. Wish I could be there to dance the Macarena—¡Hey, Macarena!—late into the Istanbul night, but, alas, duty calls.

Lastly, far be it for a seasoned—or seasonal, as the case may be—journalist to report on hearsay and rumor, but the hearsay and rumor scuttlebutt has it that our scheduled bunkering in Gibraltar for fuel and supplies might—repeat, might!—turn into a full-fledged pull-out-all-the-stops stop with liberty and justice for all...well, except for those naughty boys and girls assigned ED. I, for one, am as sure as Dante’s Purgatorio hoping for one last chance to sink my little tootsies into European soil before the long cross-Atlantic trek; but if Providence—or Captain Smith, whomever is calling the shots—wills it, then we’ll hunker down like Saint Brendan the Navigator, steamroll this here steamer past Go without collecting 200 greenbacks and head straight for Throgs Neck!

¡Hasta el próximo!

Curley

Photos

2011-07-18T10:27:00.006-04:00

Rijeka

Penny Lane

On Watch

Hotdog Eating Contest

Cobh

Castle in Rijeka

Mr. Curley

From Croatia to Venice, and back

2011-07-14T13:22:00.002-04:00

July 13, 2011

Hang on, Sloopy! Sloopy, hang on!

-The McCoys

When last we checked in our vessel was slip-sliding into Rijeka, Croatia. We welcomed aboard Rijeka's cultural dignitaries who told all about what rich splendors awaited us 600 red, white, and blue-blooded Americans in their industrial port town. We thanked them for their detailed presentation...then revealed our change of plans to travel via speedboat ferries by the boatload to — how fitting! — Floating City of Venice. We really love our boats, you see.

O, our cadets imbibed the culture of Venice and its oozing history like only land-thirsty sailors can; marveling at the great domed cathedrals—or “chapels,” as many of the boys curiously refer to them—labyrinthine infrastructure, and world-famous gondolas. To say nothing of the gondola drivers! What precision! The way they take those corners makes my parallel parking, which is renowned, by the way look like a hack job. And, finally, Gold Stars for all for such truly remarkable first-class American behavior! I’m sure our Italian and Croatian hosts would welcome us back at the drop of a beret!!!

Let us not forget Rijeka. No, we didn’t spend all of our time getting out of Dodge. And Rijeka had much to offer. For instance, there’s also a splendid old castle up an exhausting flight of stairs, which many of us braved for the views of town, but in which there was also a classical music ensemble that played Baroque-era tunes on Saturday night. I would speak to their playing and the stonewall acoustics; however, I went to see — and sit in with! — a Bob Dylan cover duo that night instead. O, and there were beaches…outside of town — none in Rijeka itself — rocky beaches with crayfish waiting to sink their little pinchers into our unsuspecting American tootsies! But I’m sure we’ll make up for that when we pull in to white-sandy-beached Palma de Mallorca. Can we pick ‘em or what!

Lastly, my dear friend Noah Collins sends his love to Grandma Bobbie! And I send greetings to my lovely wife. Wife, please send me another postcard.

-Curley

Independence Day!

2011-07-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

July 4, 2011

The stars at night are big and bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
-Gene Autry

Happy Birthday, America! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and proud parents of, we have a winner in the 2011 SST II Hot Dog Eating Contest: 1/C Michael Neimes, a strapping young Mustache Man who wolfed down ten dripping wet dogs and buns in under three minutes, exhilarating the capacity crowd as Old Glory waved triumphantly, fireworks parted the skies, and potato cannons launched tater tots into the sea. Poignant, such a fine display of floating patriotism; and further evidence—as if there were any doubts—of America’s unequivocal standing as the world leader in culture: boat, culinary, facial hair, and otherwise.

To be sure, today fun, sun and patriotism reigned wherever ye cast ye gaze (or ye fishing pole, for that matter, considering the lucky boy who reeled in a thirty-five pound albacore on behalf of Uncle Sam). That’s because, with the exception of a few naughty boys and girls assigned “extra duty”—ED—Sunday is a welcomed day off from the restrictive row-row-row-your-boat world of training ship life. Even yars! truly is allowed out of his Bat Cave deep in the heart of TS Empire State VI for part of the day to expose his anemic skin to the rejuvenating Mediterranean sun.

But, alas, I’m not the only one. No, when I refer to a loosening of restrictors, that goes for the belts of our monkey suits as well. Clearly word reached many leagues under that the beach party was going on aboard TS Empire State VI. No sooner had the first two litre soda cap popped than a school of bottlenose dolphins appeared and for many hours swam lead mere feet in front of the ship’s bow, occasionally leaping above water for fresh air, turning on their side to wave hello to us sunbathing matey’s. Getting to know you! Yes, sir! Eat your heart out, Discovery Channel!

-Curley

Maintaining Appearances

2011-07-02T09:59:00.002-04:00

I’m a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
-Right Said Fred

Mom, are we there yet? Yar! I kid, I joke. In truth, these leisurely days at sea haven’t been—dare I say it?—all for knot! Lately, I’ve managed to read everything ever written about Croatia, our next port. For example, this from the Culture
Smart! series guide to Croatia:

“...the culture of dress is flourishing, at times even bordering on ostentation. Looking good is more important for women than for men, but both pay a great deal of attention to appearance, designer clothes, fashion, and style...”

Well, then! Prepare to meet your match, Croatia, as I bring ye the boys and girls of TS Empire State VI!

Like in the former Yugoslavia, here aboard Empire, one’s daily life depends on his or her rank. As for the hierarchy, first come officers (captains, engineers, instructors, the all-important librarian, etc), then crew (cooks, housekeeping) and finally the lowly rank-and-file student body. These are further subdivided into first, second, and third class (1/C, 2/C, 3/C); 1/C being the salty seniors, enlisted for both first and second sea term; 2/C, veteran seamen but not yet seniors; and 3/C, freshmen, “mugs,” as they’re known, whipping boys, ye might say, one false move away from scrubbing the deck or—dare I say it?—walking the plank!

Now, the idea is to be able to identify one’s rank by his or her appearance, but it can get tricky, as officers and cadets are only given the following two options of dress: either the one piece boiler suit (“monkey suit,” if ye will), worn in
greasy locales, such as the engine room (I, despite requests, was not given one) [ed. note: He really did ask for one], or khaki pants paired with a khaki shirt (“khaki tuxedo,” if ye will, a fashion faux pas of the highest order). Monkey suits are cut and dry:

Officers = White; 1/C = Grey; 2/C = Tan; 3/C = Blue. It’s when everyone is clad in khaki tuxedos that there’s real ambiguity. Then, as in any great society, one resorts to scrutinizing certain class distinctions if you cannot quite catch the little rank badges from a distance.

For instance, with the exception of yours truly, officers are old. Spy a greybeard? Officer! But our class has another definition: after 5PM (1700 hours), we let our hair down (all one centimeter of it), button down the hatch of our khaki shirts and
replace them with fabulously handsome red or blue Maritime College polo shirts.

However, we are not the only privileged class. 1/C cadets are granted perhaps the most remarkable of honors: facial hair. Not just any facial hair. No, no. We’re not cultivating any hippies on this here boat! Like the New York Yankees of baseball, our boys are given but one option when it cometh to the hair on their chinny chin chins; that there shall be none! Mustache only!

What’s that ye say? What about our 2/C and 3/C cadets? What about them? says I. Second and third class citizens, the lot them! Utterly without distinction, utterly without importance!

O, but there is one man I neglected to mention, the one man who
sports not a khaki but a camouflage tuxedo to go along with his crew cut, well balanced gait in even the roughest waters, and combat boots. Yes, sir! To call him merely a man is to insult him; for he is a bear amongst cubs! Not only that, but a
Lieutenant Colonel to keep the Mugs in line!

Until next time,

Yar

Librarianship at Sea

2011-07-01T09:16:00.007-04:00

Summer Sea Term 2010 Empire State VI’s librarians, Joseph Williams (Maritime College) and Richard Delbango (Nassau Community College) made a presentation of librarianship at sea at the SUNY Librarian Association’s annual conference in SUNY Plattsburgh. Topics discussed were the unique nature of providing service to an academic seagoing community as well as the challenges of the profession in an unorthodox environment. Plenty of sea stories were told in this well-received presentation.

As dumb as a dock!

2011-06-30T09:43:00.002-04:00

June 29, 2011

Yar! matey’s. Ol’ Pappa Curley bringing ye the daily scuttlebutt!

Three days the saltier and infinitely the wiser! Or so I’d like to think. In truth, no matter how deeply I meditate on the sea— believe me—I can’t seem to open my mouth on this boat [ed. note: it is a ship, not a boat] without sounding like—in the words of Admiral William Smyth—“a dirty dog and no sailor.” Well, the latter description is applicable, certainly. As for the former, in fact I’m quite clean; and—while I’m divulging—I’m really more of a peppery (defined as sharp and stinging in style or content) than a salty dog.

Catch my drift? Me thinks not! Well, then, perhaps a dialog my finer moments will better illustrate my point...

Captain Smith enters library.
Smith: “Just confirming with you that we are definitely going to Rijeka, not Split. As soon as I find out, I’ll let you know the name of the berth.”
Curley: “Name of the birth? Like a Caesarean?”

Cadet Patrick Collins checks out a book.
Curley: “Man, did you hear about the whale sighting this morning?!?!”
Collins: “What about it?”
Curley: “What about it? C’mon, it’s not ever’ day you see a whale, for Jonah’s sake!"
Collins: “We see whales all the time on watch. All they do is blow their blowholes.”
Curley: “Isn’t that all any of us does, matey?”
Collins (rolls eyes): You should come on watch sometime. We see all kinds of stuff. Flying fish, dolphins—lots of dolphins—sea turtles...”
Curley: “...mermaids, Loch Ness...”

Ye see? And I’m not trying to be clever or snarky here, folks. Honestly, I’m bowled over by being at sea and seeing a whale! But I discovered that my asking a grizzled salty dog [ed. note: not sure if a cadet is really a 'grizzled salty dog'] whether he saw a whale is rather like his asking a smart aleck peppery dog (who happens to be a librarian) like me whether I’ve ever heard of a book they call Moby-Dick. “Uh, yeah, dude. I’ve heard of that one.” Talk about a role reversal!

I’m used to being the sophisticated cynic and indifferent to bubbly enthusiasm. Yar!I wish I had some saucy sea tales to relay, but, alas, everything has been—shall we say?—smooth sailing so far. I do, however, have these messages:

Zach Davidson says, “Hey, mom.”

Michael Carew says, “Love you, mom. Love you, Jackie.”

James Caracciolo says, “I love you, mom.”
Tim Bourke says, “What’s up, mom?”

And I, Curley, say, “Love you,” to me mum as well. Mum, they’re going to make me fat with the food they’re feeding me, thus ruining our long and illustrious lineage of scrawny! OMG! (Read about it in my next blog post.)

I am a rock, I am a...
-Curley

Bye-bye land; Hello open ocean!

2011-06-28T10:03:00.001-04:00

June 27, 2011

Ahoy, me matey’s. Greetings from the watery part of the world! Call me Curley, Brendan Curley, the ship’s librarian for the second sea term. Now, before you draw any conclusions about my fluency with 21st century sailor jargon, I must warn devoted readers of this blog—surely they number as many as the stars in the sky—who are accustomed to the sea-savvy tidings of Mike Russell, our former librarian and a veteran salty dog, that I, Curley, represent a very different point of view... that of a first-time sailor. I am like a fish out of water so consider this my maiden voyage!

Fortunately I am not the only one on a maiden voyage; I find myself in the same "boat" as many of the mugs — freshmen students, for those of you unfamiliar with sailor talk —who are here aboard TS Empire State VI for the first time. I know what you’re thinking, reader. “Seasickness, indeed!” No, sir, not I! For I’ve the constitution of a bear and the stomach of a sheep. I also float like a boat and sing like a Bee Gee (though I’m evidently rather poor at metaphors).

Don’t believe me? Feast your eyes on this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/its-been-done-before/5873358786/. "Truly singing his little Irish-American heart out on the boardwalk in Cobh." I must have been the spitting image of a genuine Irishman, too, for I had no sooner sat down when a group of cadets approached, turned my case around, tossed some Euros into it and said, “This is how we do it in America, boy-o!” Yes, sir!

O, I could go on and on, but enough about me! You're probably wondering about our beloved cadets, and I can tell ye that they were as smitten with Ireland as I. Good, clean, honest American fun was had by all. I saw our cadets everywhere I went in Cobh as well as Cork where many of us made excursions. I even spoke to a cadet in the library today who said he went fly fishing! And, naturally, there were many more who like me brought instruments into town to make music with the locals. Indeed, all I heard the last night in town as our seafaring cadets glumly filed back to the ship was, “What a wonderful country!” “What truly friendly people!”

Alas, here we are now one day out at sea and making great time due to arrive within another day or so in Gibraltar, at which point Captain Smith will apply the brakes, donut around a few islands, and float leisurely into Croatia by July 6. It’s quite lovely I hear. In fact, we are all looking forward to the beautiful Mediterranean scenery, weather, and locals.

Lastly, we also have a new port, ladies and gentlemen. Rijeka. I repeat: Rijeka instead of Split. Address cards and letters accordingly to:

Name of Cadet, T/S Empire State, c/o

BANDIC d.o.o. (Ltd.)

Smiljanica 2

21000 Split

Croatia

Until next time, dear reader:

Fair winds and following seas!

On the Way to Cobh

2011-06-16T10:07:00.003-04:00

June 15, 2011

It doesn't take long to get back in the underway routine. The cardio room and the cadet lounges surround the library on the third-deck and there are always people working out either on the cardio machines or doing exercise DVDs. Gosh, to have that much energy again! I have been true to my daily yoga, Pilates, and meditation. But, the six-deck climb up to my stateroom from the library is getting longer and steeper...

Today we came across a small 25 foot pleasure boat adrift. We tried hailing them on the normal radio frequencies, but without any response. So we circled around and came up within hailing distance. At first we didn't see any people onboard, but then we saw someone in the cockpit who was not moving. Finally, the blasts from the ship's horn got them up and moving. That's one wake up call they will not forget! I'm sure that all came as a relief to our rescue & assistance team who would have needed to go over to investigate. The pleasure boat indicated that they didn't require any assistance and so TSES returned to her course. Law of the sea, stop and give aid unless to do so would hazard your vessel. In my time in the CG I've seen merchant vessels render aid to others in the most trying of sea conditions and dangerous circumstances. That kind of story doesn’t make it on the evening news, besides they would never think of what they were doing as heroic – just doing their duty.

Later we did a ship's emergency drill followed by an abandon ship drill. These are required by the U.S. Coast Guard and are to be done on a set schedule. You do as you train and training gets you ready for the real thing and that always comes unannounced. I've been a member of rescue & assistance teams to other vessels in distress and been through several shipboard emergencies including fires and a helicopter crash on deck. Training and drilling make all the difference when the time comes.

For most of the afternoon and night we have been sailing the same course as a NATO squadron of destroyers and frigates along with the USS Mount Whitney. Kind of gives you a little insight of what it may have been like for merchantmen sailing in convoys under the protection of military escorts during the two World Wars. But, for Cap't Hugh Stephens, one of our deck instructors, he doesn't have to imagine - he remembers.

For the cadets on the 45 day cruise they are in their last week of training with finals exams starting over the weekend. Next stop Cobh, Ireland.

Photos in Gdansk, Poland

2011-06-13T14:43:00.007-04:00

Gdansk Waterfront, Old City

Gdansk Visa alley

SUNY Cadets

International Connections: Russian and SUNY Cadets

International Connections: Polish and SUNY Cadets

Gdansk

2011-06-13T14:36:00.002-04:00

June 12, 2011

Today, I took the ferry boat over to Gdansk with some of our cadets and some of the Russian & Polish midshipman for an afternoon in that old town. Cadets from each county got together in the ferry's forward salon and played a game of charades. Fortunately a few of the Russian and Polish cadets could speak some English and with sign body language that was enough to keep things going.

During the ferry ride we could see the resort city of Sopot and later we made our way through Gdansk's commercial port and down the Motlawa and Stara Motlawa. The Gdansk "Old Town" is more touristy than Riga with vendors selling amber jewelry everywhere, but it had a charm and authentic feeling to it. The area had been thoroughly bombed during World War II and stayed in ruins through the Soviet era. Since joining the EU, Poland has been able to revitalize its historical areas into economic zones.

In Gdansk, our immediate need was for Polish cash. We walked through Visa alley to the first bank where each us us valiantly tried (and failed) to get money. Fortunately, none lost a card! A little further down the street a sharp eyed deckie cadet spotted another bank where we were all able to fill our pockets with local "Zits." We went our separate ways and met four-hours later back at the ferry for a quick ride back to TSES and the Admiral’s Reception. The vast majority took these experience in stride, and enjoyed their adventure and the friendships they have made. Me, I'm sitting in a shaded cafe having a coffee and listening to classical music from a pair of street musicians. Sad that all hands are gathering to leave and so must I.

Riga

2011-06-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

June 11 2011

The Empire State VI is making the last leg of its passage to Gdynia, Poland from Riga, Latvia and we should tie up sometime tomorrow.

Riga was a blast! There was lots to do, places to see, and activities to participate in. There were several tours, but the most favorite was a tie between the bicycle trip and a wilderness park adventure from the oohs and aahs I heard. Personally, I only made the foot tour of the Art Nouveau district.

I did visit the National Library of Latvia which is currently being built. It's huge! One of its several complete buildings is the Art Nouveau style and I got to walk around inside and admire the chestnut moldings, columns, and plaster fittings. My need for some green was satisfied by Riga's extensive inner city parks and canal system. Not one big park mind you, but lots of medium sized parks with neighborhoods built around them flowing together Although Riga is a city of 1.2 million, it feels like a city of neighborhoods - a lot like my Philadelphia (but a whole lot cleaner).

Photos

2011-06-10T08:38:00.015-04:00

Learning Block and Tackle from Professor James McKoy

Rigging the Scaffold with Captain Mike Kein

Plugging a Leak

Cadets in the Computer Lounge

What's that Smell?

Coming into Riga

Getting Q's on the Life Rafts

Repairing the Ship

Sunset Over Denmark

The Tugboat "Hugin"

Hanging Out

Empire State Carnival

2011-06-06T13:40:00.002-04:00

June 6, 2011

In a few hours we will pull into Riga, Latvia, having completed a major portion of our training journey for this first half of the Summer Sea Term. I watched as the cadets went from station to station in our “Empire State Carnival” and have some nice pictures to share once we reach port. I’m sure they each had their favorite exercises!

From my perspective, the most challenging station involved cadets practicing how to plug leaks in a ruptured bulkhead (wall) as water gushed out at 200 gallons per minute from a half dozen differently shaped holes and cracks. The most successful cadets started by fixing the larger holes at the bottom of the bulkhead as it filled, forcing the water to flow instead out of smaller cracks. To add to the realism, cadets were sprayed with “fog” from a fire hose.

The point of the exercise is not only to stop the flooding, but to build team work through careful planning and lots of persistent practice. By design, it is impossible to stop all the water, but just stopping enough of the water so that pumps could keep ahead of the ruptures until proper repairs can be made in a real life flooding situation, which would affect the stability of the ship or worse.

Another station was a search and rescue exercise using SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) for practical firefighting. In this case, two cadets enter a dark compartment to look for an “injured” shipmate. One cadet places their left hand along the wall and his partner holds onto his right arm. The two “rescuers” crawl in a sweeping motion around a room filled with obstacles to find the victim. Cadets learn quickly that in the hot and disorientating room, it is nearly impossible to talk using the SCBA and communication is facilitated with trained hand signals.

On deck, cadets also trained in the safe use of blocks and tackles, boatswain chairs and scaffolds, and deck rescue/quick response boats. Riding around in the RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) is popular with the students.

Although these real life training exercises are playfully referred to as “Carnival,” students recognize the true application of the stations and come away from the experience as stronger, more devoted shipmates.

Underway to Riga

2011-06-06T13:35:00.002-04:00

June 2, 2011

It only took a few days after Aalborg for us to get back into our underway routines. Some cadets are painting, some are standing watch, and others are studying. Depending on the day, the cadets rotate their duties. The instructors are putting in eighteen hour plus days between teaching class, grading papers, and standing their own watches. At first I thought of the Empire State VI as a floating classroom and while she is educational, the experience is really an exploration of maturity for the cadets. Participating in Summer Sea Term is really a study of finding the right answers unexpected questions, showing initiative and tenacity, and always being prepared for the unknown.

Over the weekend the cadets trained in practical deck and engineering exercises which included damage control, seamanship, boat rescue, block and tackle, search and rescue, etc. One of the instructors helped to take pictures of these exercises and will assist again during the ship's "Carnival."

Cadets have been avid readers of C.S. Forrester’s Hornblower series, and some attention has been paid to the local wildlife at sea. Of note have been a few unique gulls and osprey. I'm writing the final draft of the port brochure for Riga, Latvia with input from officers, cadets, and librarians on shore. Riga is a modern European city and the second largest in the Baltic. There will be plenty of museums, cafes, shopping, and entertainment. Personally, the Botanical Garden, Bikeernieki Forest, and the Art Nouveau in the Centre district are on my list. The ports of Gdynia, Poland and Cobh, Ireland will be here before we know it.

Aalbourg Carnival and Sights

2011-05-31T09:04:00.008-04:00

May 29, 2011

We departed Aalborg this evening headed to anchorage to refuel. Our visit to St. Petersburg was cancelled due to logistics, but change and flexibility are part of ship-board life. With a stiff breeze it took two tugs to pull us away from the pier and after a 180-degree turn we headed out the Langerak to the Baltic Sea. Our weather is overcast, but with calm seas the EMPIRE STATE VI is just gliding along headed to anchorage near Skagen in the Albæk Bugt.

I haven't polled the entire crew but I think most of us enjoyed our port call. Early each morning I would walk through town and visit newsstands to get some English newspapers. It’s amazing to me, even after all these years, the similarity of towns in the morning.

For the most part I’m not sure what to make of the Aalborg Carnival. The children's parade was just like you would see back home – all cute and such. And the battle of the (marching) bands was interesting, although they were more like drum and bugle corps without the bugles. Theme teams walked along behind the band for what seemed like miles. Wanting to take a look, Eileen (Deck Yeoman) and I wandered down to the parade route along the Vesterbro. Eileen is more adventitious and soon we were following alongside the parade, but a wrong turn put us in the parade at its current epicenter. It was intense, but I had more to fear wearing a Giant’s jersey at an Eagles home game. It was something like a Halloween that didn’t quite reach a Mardi Gras level of intensity. After the parade there was entertainment in the town park and people would disperse from there to the bus/train station and I think most went home. I saw few (if any) police or security, and absolutely no fights or violence. The people knew what to do and where to go, following some unwritten code of limits.

The festival was ultimately a distraction and not the focus of our visit. We went to many museums and historic areas, along with a few amusement parks. A few people did manage a side trip to Copenhagen. The food was more or less the same international flavor we get back home. The Danish people are very private but are eager to assist, and once they are engaged are friendly with a lively and mischievous sense of humor. Well it was a no-brainer that the Danish pastries were good and while I couldn't always pronounce them they sure went down easy with a cup of coffee. My favorite baker was along Christansgade, near the train station.

Next stop... Latvia!

Photos from the leg to Aalborg

2011-05-26T14:23:00.011-04:00

Michael Russell, TSES SST 2011 Librarian (Part A)

Saying Goodbye

Pull those lines!

The Azores

"Steel Beach Picnic"

Fantail Watch

Engineering Cadets Muster

Aalborg, Denmark

Another Shot of the "Steel Beach Picnic"

What saying goodbye looks like to TSES

Starbucks, Danish Style

2011-05-26T14:17:00.001-04:00

My cell phone is now a brick, well at least until TMobile unlocks it. Seems there was a little confusion on its being prepared for international sim cards. To their credit, TMobile locked the phone after the international sim card tried to launch. I like TMobile and their customer service, I just wish we had been on the same page. Anyway, we found several pay phones that take American credit cards, which is a miracle within a miracle. The Danes love their cell phones and like the USA, pay phones are almost extinct, but we did find some at the public library and the train station. Europeans have embraced smart cards and hardly ever use magnetic strip cards. So paying at a store with an American style credit card just isn't going to happen. In theory it should be possible to pay with it, but just stop and think how much trouble processing the occasional exception is for a merchant and all the trouble keeping counter help trained. My debit card works at the bank ATM and I assume the same is true for the cadets.

As I write this, I am sitting upstairs at the Aalborg equivalent of a Starbucks enjoying a cafe mocha that is a universe better than anything back home. Now, as I look out the window, sip my cafe mocha and surf the net, I can spot our cadets about a mile off (I have good eyes). Sometimes it’s a hat, or a jacket, or that they are in a group that sets them apart. But, mostly it's the look of bemused curiosity on their faces, wide smiles and a certain step that tells me they’re ours. If all else fails look for the backpack and the American style shoes!

Being a librarian, I HAVE to go to the local library. The Aalborg public library is just your average Danish library which puts the vast majority of US public libraries to shame. They are simply amazing. In fact, I'm going over to the library in a few minutes to upload these blog posts and send a few pictures with a promise of more to come.

Aalborg is the kind of town you think you can see in a day, but you could spend a year here and only hit the high points. The people are very friendly and happy. Remind me to tell you about the bicycles in the next blog.

Jutland

2011-05-26T14:16:00.000-04:00

And the ship rolls on...

We are making the final leg around Jutland to begin our approach to the port of Aalborg. We pick up the pilot at 0600 and should be berthed by 0800 on 5/25.

I'm looking out my stateroom window and can see a few stars peeking through at us.

After a rough ride today, the ship feels almost still. We encountered a couple of weather systems and it provided heavy rolling. However, I think after the last bout of rough seas, we were better prepared and had just about everything secured. Also, people have their sea legs now.

Work went along as usual. Some cadets were chipping and needle gunning the lifeboat platforms behind the officer's mess. Others were painting the main stairwell on my level. Some engineers recharged the refers. Classes went on and the watches stood. Being underway is about routines, rhythms, and procedures.

Being in a crew is like being part of a family and crews like families, run the gamut of great to bad. TSES is a great family and with our first liberty port it’s important to know that your shipmate is going to be there for you, even if they only know your face.

I use an iPad for my writing and picture storage. So expect some photos in the next couple of days.

I know you’re all anxious for news from your loved ones. Believe me, the cadets know about the blog and that they need to call home and all that. TSES is a very controlled environment with safety the first, middle, and last word of the day. There really aren’t many opportunities for us to call and the email has been slow. Trust isn't an easy thing granted, but your cadets have been very busy learning a new profession and growing as individuals. That has been a consuming activity and while it only takes a handful of minutes to write an email it is easy to be absorbed in this 24 hour-a-day underway world.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2011-05-24T10:32:00.006-04:00

In other news related to the library world, there have been many celebrations (and more to come!) in honor of the New York Public Library's 100th Anniversary. This past weekend (May 20-23) was the official kick-off of a year-long celebration of the contributions of literacy to society and particularly as related to the NYPL, archives and rare collections.

As part of their celebration, the NYPL ran a contest for 500 participants who were creative, original, thoughtful, and enthusiastic about libraries to spend one night at the main building in Manhattan (the one with the infamous lions standing guard) to participate in a scavenger hunt of artifacts held in trust at the NYPL... and Liz Berilla, Library Coordinator of the Stephen B. Luce Library, was one of the lucky winners!

At 8:00 p.m. on Friday night, Liz (proudly representing Maritime College!) and 499 other participants gathered at the Schwarzman Building to discover that there were 100 artifacts hidden throughout the library, and it was their duty to find them all before sunrise. These artifacts ranged in material from a cuneiform tablet to a Gutenberg Bible, to maps and sun dials, to Jack Kerouac's personal belongings and Virginia Woolf's walking cane. The participants broke into small teams of 7-8, and worked to "capture" each artifact on smart phones, unlocking further chapters in the game with more difficult clues to uncover. After locating certain artifacts of great personal interest, they were instructed to log into the game's portal online, and respond to a short prompt about the artifact. For example, Liz "discovered" the song lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Changing of the Guards," so her task was to write a protest song inspired by Bob Dylan. (Which she ended up writing against modern piracy on the high seas...)

After completing their written parts throughout the night, all 500 "published" entries by submitting what they wrote to editors in a different room who would review the work, then print the submissions onto parchment paper. This paper was then ordered, and given to an in-house book binder who feverishly hand stitched the parchment together throughout the night, indeed completing the task by 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning. All of the submissions on the priceless literary works held at the NYPL have been compiled into one book, which is now being cataloged and available for use at the Schwarzman Building in NYC. The NYPL encourages the public to now "Find the Future" on their own by visiting in person and online until the end of the year.

Based on the teamwork required to "Find the Future" successfully, it was very revealing to Liz how the work that we do as librarians is not just about looking at the past for the present's sake, but how we will thrive in the future because of the knowledge we are collecting today. The access and tools we give to our students here at the Luce Library will truly build a brighter future - one that will withstand the test of time just as the marble structure of the Schwarzman Building has thrived under the watchful gaze of its guardian lions for a century.

Land Ho!

2011-05-23T14:38:00.001-04:00

The cadets are hard at work researching Marine Firefighting and Lifesaving Systems this week. They devour the Combined Federal Registers (CFR’s) and the Ship’s Library Reference Collection, puzzling over regulations. Perhaps this assignment explains why I haven’t seen the students lately, who were bringing one of the air hockey tables back to life. I'm not sure if they were successful, but they made their own puck and repaired the handles. That said, while the table is right outside the library, I probably would not have heard them playing anyway; such is the cacophony aboard EMPIRE STATE VI.

The ship is getting a “field day” (or a “makeover” in layman’s terms). Passageways are blocked as decks are stripped and waxed, trunks (stairways) cleaned, treads wire-brushed, and berthing areas and classrooms tidied up too. All the while ship watches, maintenance, and cadet training continue in perpetuity; no steel deck picnic this week, but a BBQ dinner for the cadets and a few hours relaxation in the sun as we head into the English Channel. Some of us with cell phones managed a moment’s respite from this monastic existence as we passed close enough to shore to pick up reception. I, however, was disappointed to see "emergency use only" flash on my screen. I plan to invest in an international throw-away when we get to Denmark.

As we move into the North Sea, we can see oil platforms all around us. It's a busy time on the bridge. Cadets navigating and on lookout have to contend not only with the platforms, but increased ship traffic and fishing boats. These smaller vessels don't always show up on the radar, making a vigilant lookout all the more essential. Thankfully the skies have been clear both day and night, allowing the cadets to practice their celestial navigation.

Finally, email has been slow for me. I haven't got anything in or out, I believe, since Thursday and nothing from home in a week. I know that my wife Chris is reading these—so Hello, Chris. I love you!

All for now,

Mike

Scraping, and Priming, and Painting... Oh My!

2011-05-20T10:52:00.004-04:00

An “average” day is hardly average at all in the life of a cadet. Daily watch assignment, class, practical instruction, and inspection are the run-of-the-mill aboard the Empire State VI these days, piled on top of routine work to maintain the safety and appearance of the ship. Cadets are gaining practical experience – and perspective – of the rigors of life at sea by keeping their ship clean and safe despite the challenges of what would be “normal” to us on land, such as balancing food on the galley (kitchen) table while simultaneously being tossed by the ship’s endless rocking and rolling.

Cadets are learning exactly what it means to be responsible and accountable for their behavior, working in team units to build on learning experiences for themselves and their shipmates. One of the most important activities with which they’ve been involved in recent days is painting – an essential maintenance activity to the safety of the ship. Ships are made of steel and steel rusts in the presence of water; add salt to that mixture and it rusts all the quicker.

Cadet teams are assigned specific areas of the ship to paint, learning how preparation, temperature and humidity, and a little extra elbow grease can go a long way at sea. A complicated equation of chipping, scraping, cleaning, brushing, sanding, priming, and painting ensures teamwork and leadership to complete the task on time and rust-free. Working together ensures quick (and loud!) work by both deck students and engineers alike. Even if painting isn’t exactly the most exciting job aboard ship, cadets realize it still needs to be done. The cadets are starting to prove to be excellent managers and motivators of each other whether it is for painting, standing watch, or working in the engine room.

Even in my own career, some of my earliest leadership lessons came from painting: at first being a good follower and, later, leader to my team. Later still, I can see now how painting even prepared me to manage my resources with safety and attention to detail in mind for my ship and Captain. Once the cadets are finished painting, they rush off to class, stand watch, or squeeze in a few hours of study time before lights out.

It’s just another day at sea.

All for now,
Mike

Crossing the Atlantic

2011-05-16T14:51:00.001-04:00

Since the rough seas life aboard has settled into normalcy. My day has become a tight circle of the library, officer’s mess, and my stateroom. When I have time, I visit the regimental office, sickbay, and the cadet mess.

The cadets stay very busy with their class, watches, and studying. The studying I directly witness at the Library is near full each evening with members of our community coming and staying. Mostly, the cadets’ time on Empire State VI is a practical experience of being a deck or engineering watch officer in training. I should stress the word practical. This is the time where you step out of the books and do something with it. Figuring a vector plot in your dorm room is a lot different than doing one in a chart room at night under red lights on a tossing ship.

On Sunday, May 15, I experienced my first steel beach picnic in sixteen years. Around here they call it “BBQ at Sea.” It is a great tool for morale. It gives those not on watches a chance to kick back for a few hours, and enjoy the sun with as many burgers, dogs, and ice cream as they can eat. It's just a couple of hours, but it is appreciated by all hands.

The food aboard is excellent but very dangerous. There are "fat pills" sitting on the side board this morning with frosting and sprinkles. They keep calling my name, but so far I've resisted their call. The food has been beyond good and so far I've been fortunate not to have gained any pounds around my waist. I have been trying to fit a workout into my schedule, but so far I've kept myself busy in the Library.

The Library is busy in the evening with students doing their homework or using the PCs. At times every chair is taken and table space is at a premium. The engineering students in particular like to use the large, slanted atlas tables to do work on their technical drawings. Also, we have all been sending emails out to family and friends, but there appears to be some small glitches with certain addresses; please be patient as we sort out this new email program.

Locally, we are seeing some dolphins and bits of Sargasso seaweed. We are running along the edge of the Gulf Current and making about 17 knots. I miss seeing albatross, but unfortunately those are more native to the Pacific. Otherwise not much else in the way of pelagic birds this far out.

That's all for now,

Mike

Life on the Atlantic

2011-05-13T13:01:00.001-04:00

Sorry to have been away from writing for a while, but yesterday evening we moved into heavy seas and the Library had some books fall off their shelves. Last evening was damage control of just wedging books on shelves to keep any more from falling.

Today was putting them back up and in order. So like 52 pickup I had to sort the books by call number back into their places.

The sun came out around 1330 for a few minutes, but the horizon was obscured - so the cadets couldn't get a position fix. The NOAA guy, we call him Weather Wizard, says we should be out of the effects of the storm in a couple more days. So maybe they will have better luck or they might get a break for a night position fix.

Last night the Captain put the ship about into a following sea which greatly reduced the rolling and gave us a chance of a good night sleep without getting tossed out of our berths. With the exception of the weather decks being secured, life and watches go on as usual. The cadets attend classes, stand watches, and some leisure time while the officers and crew go about the endless tasks of running the ship.

This morning the Captain had the ship come about and we turned into the 15 to 18 foot seas. The ship pitches (goes up and down) more, but there is less rolling. As the day wore into night the ride has once again become gentle.

For me, one of the more interesting aspects of life aboard ship has always been the scuttlebutt. Folks will stop by an engage you with innocent conversation talking about this or that before they finally get around to asking, have your heard we are going to do x, y, or z. Like fairy tales there is a bit of truth in what they say - although sometimes remarkably little.

All About Mike

2011-05-13T12:59:00.003-04:00

Some of our readers wanted to know more about our ship's librarian, Michael Russell...

Michael Russell is the Ship's Librarian to the TS EMPIRE STATE VI for the first half of the summer cruise. Mike is a retired Coast Guardsman with three tours of sea duty. He has a BS from Southern Illinois University and an MLS from Rutgers University. He has worked in a number of research and analyst positions since retiring from the Coast Guard.

This position unites both of his career paths, so we hope Mike enjoys the cruise.

Mike will be changed out at Ireland for our 2nd cruise librarian, Brendan Curley. More on Mr. Curley later!

Rough Seas

2011-05-13T12:56:00.001-04:00

From 5/12/11

We are back on course now and we will be in rough weather for a while. Actually we are not rolling so much now as pitching. The Captain came about last night and put us in a follwing sea - with the 20+ swells we were taking heavy rolls. But, we didn't come about before the entire reference collection and most of the Gove collection came off their shelfs onto the deck. The metal books ends were not stong enough to keep the books from shifting and working their way loose. Surprising just how quick it all happened. The old bungie cords didn't have enough "twang" to hold the collective weight of the hardback books on the shelf - actually we had several bungies break under the strain.

The Non-fiction collection fared much better and we only dumped four shelves. I think this is because those shelves sit at more of an angle with the back sitting about two inches lower. The fiction collection dumped a few shelves too, but the book ends did a better job of keeping them in place and the bungees were not affected by the books' collective weight. The periodicals didn't budge at all.

We flipped a couple of the round tables too. There were six students in the library at the time and none were near the falling books or flipped tables. No students were injured in the library.

I should have the entire collection re-shelved and the shelves read by the end of the day. Also the computer lab printers are all down (the regimental Office's printers are not faring much better) - so the cadets are coming to me to do their printing. Its been about a dozen a day - and with Kimmey suggestion of using the R:\\ it's been successful about 90% of the time. Anyway it gets the kids in the library and I tell them to go look for a book while I do the formatting.

The Captain. First Mate, First Engineer along with the SWO have been great at helping me and providing bodies or materials as needed.

I'm smiling and this isn't anything I haven't been through before and it will all work out just fine.

Wow, that last wave put some air under the keel. Gotta go.

Mike ;-)

About Our Ship's Librarian

2011-05-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

Some of our readers have been wanting to know about our Ship's Librarian, Mike Russell.

Mr. Russell comes to us with extensive maritime and library experience. After over 20 years of duty with the U.S. Coast Guard, Mr. Russell obtained his Master of Library of Science from Rutgers University and worked as a research and reference librarian for various companies and public libraries. In accepting the assignment aboard the Empire State VI, Mr. Russell has united his two overarching careers that will undoubtedly be a benefit for our ship's community.

Heavy Seas

2011-05-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

We are back on course now and we will be in rough weather for a while. Actually we are not rolling so much now as pitching. The Captain came about last night and put us in a following sea - with the 20+ swells we were taking heavy rolls. But, we didn't come about before the entire reference collection and most of the Gove collection came off their shelfs onto the deck. The metal books ends were not stong enough to keep the books from shifting and working their way loose. Surprising just how quick it all happened. The old bungie cords didn't have enough "twang" to hold the collective weight of the hardback books on the shelf - actually we had several bungies break under the strain.

We flipped a couple of the round tables too. There were six students in the library at the time and none were near the falling books or flipped tables. No students were injured in the library.

The Captain. First Mate, First Engineer along with the SWO have been great at helping me and providing bodies or materials as needed.

I'm smiling and this isn't anything I haven't been through before and it will all work out just fine.

Wow, that last wave put some air under the keel. Gotta go.

Mike ;-)

Preparations at Dock, and Drills

2011-05-09T12:09:00.002-04:00

(from Ship's Librarian, Michael Russell)

May 6, 2011

It was a long day of drills for the TS EMPIRE STATE VI with the Coast Guard inspectors closely monitoring its officers and crew. Firefighting, security, man overboard, and abandon ship alarms rang along the decks as the 1C cadets’ leadership and preparations were tested along with the recent training. In the fading light of a cool evening the cadets came loaded down with their personal gear to move aboard.

The engineers are working very hard to get EMPIRE STATE VI ready for Monday. There being out of sight in the machinery spaces makes them less visible than most. But underway they make the power, light, water, and sanitation happen in a blazing hot engine room - 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.

May 7, 2011

A clear sky as the cadets rig out the port accommodation ladder and lower the brow to the pier. Under the leadership of the Third Mate, two teams working block & tackle lower the brow while a third team uses a fork lift to pull it away from the ship's side. Clear orders and close coordination make quick work of a dangerous task. Safety Always. The day continues with cadets bringing down their gear and moving aboard. Being an old corpsman I was drawn to Sickbay like a moth to a flame and stopped to talk with several 1C who were checking in and stowing medical supplies. The Sickbay that is not much bigger than that on USCGC BOUTWELL: a Doctor, a Nurse, a Chief Corpsman with two rated corpsman.

May 8, 2011

The Ship's Library is ready for sea. The Luce Library staff had labored hard over the past four weeks to re-enter every book into the Ship's online catalogue after the old library server failed. A new catalogue system, a new server, a greatly expanded collection of fiction and nonfiction, and newer movies were brought aboard. The Ship's closed circuit entertainment system with its wide screen TVs will show two movies per evening. The cadets also have online Intranet (local) access to select professional publications and country guides on the Library's student PCs. About two dozen students came by during the day to say hello, look over the Ship's Library collection or to check on previously reserved materials.

Preparing for Departure

Ship's Librarian Mike Russell, and librarian Joe Williams oversee materials brought into the library

For some images of the send off, see http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/photoalbums/SSTSendOff/index.html

Departure Day, May 9 @ 10:00AM

2011-05-09T11:58:00.004-04:00

Under a sunny blue sky, the TS EMPIRE STATE VI departed Maritime Campus promptly at 1000 this morning. Manned by a hearty crew of 500 professional mariners, cadets, faculty, staff, and one eager Ship's Librarian, the EMPIRE STATE VI made headway out of Long Island Sound bound for Denmark and the North Sea.

The Stephen B. Luce Library wishes fair winds and following seas to all those aboard the EMPIRE STATE VI this summer. Our Ship's Librarian will be posting his reflections while at sea regularly here on the Library's blog... stay tuned!

Library Hours - Extended for Finals Week

2011-04-25T09:58:00.002-04:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library announces extended hours during final exams week.

From Monday, April 25 through Thursday, April 28 the Library will open extended hours from 0830 to 2300 (11:00 PM) to provide a quiet place to study, work on group projects, and access resources needed to study for exams and complete final projects. A member of the library faculty will be on duty to assist with information research and access to course reserve materials. On Monday, May 2, the Library will begin its summer hours, 0830 to 1630 Monday-Friday.

The Stephen B. Luce Library wishes everyone good luck and best of results in your final exams!

Luce Library named in “Great Libraries of the World”

2011-03-14T11:14:00.005-04:00

The February 23rd edition of American Libraries Direct, the e-newsletter of the American Library Association, has awarded the Stephen B. Luce Library distinguished recognition as one of the “Great Libraries of the World.” This announcement was posted in the newsletter’s AL Direct feature, which celebrates 250 libraries around the world notable for their exquisite architecture, historic collections, and innovative services. The Luce Library has been specifically nominated for its strong collections in marine engineering, naval architecture, marine transportation, nautical charts, oceanography, transportation economics and management, and meteorology. The entire list of notable libraries has been published in The Whole Library Handbook 5 edited by George M. Eberhart and will be released later this year.

Library Acquires JSTOR

2011-01-25T15:16:00.003-05:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library is pleased to announce that it has acquired access to JSTOR’s digital collection, Arts and Sciences I. This collection includes 118 core journals in economics, history, political science, and sociology, as well as in other key fields in the humanities and social sciences. This collection also contains titles in ecology, mathematics, and statistics.

To access, go to the library web page at http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/ select ejournals under eresources. There, select the link for JSTOR. If you are accessing from off-campus, you will be prompted for your campus username and password.

For more information about JSTOR see http://about.jstor.org/about-us.

For more information concerning the Arts and Sciences I collection, see http://about.jstor.org/content-collections/journals/arts-sciences-i.

Library Director Takes Part in Marine Technology Conference

2011-01-14T13:14:00.005-05:00

In November 2010, Constantia Constantinou, Library Director and Department Chair, presented in Istanbul, Turkey as part of SUNY Maritime College’s delegation of faculty to the first Global Conference on Innovation in Marine Technology and the Future of Maritime Transportation. Sharing her research on the Library’s relationship with students, Ms. Constantinou’s paper entitled, “Measuring Maritime Student Expectations and Satisfaction through Library Performance Assessment at SUNY Maritime College,” was well received.

Click here to continue reading a review of the conference published in The Maritime Executive and to learn more about the conference!

Season's Greetings from the Luce Library

2010-12-17T09:48:00.023-05:00

Wishing one and all HAPPY HOLIDAYS,
and a healthy NEW YEAR!

Click Here for Season's Greetings from the Stephen B. Luce Library of SUNY Maritime College

Winter Holiday Hours

2010-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

The faculty and staff of the Stephen B. Luce Library would like to wish the entire Maritime College community a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. In observation of the Winter Holiday, the Stephen B. Luce Library will follow the schedule below:

Dec 18

Open

1000-1300

Dec 19

CLOSED

Dec 20

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Dec 21

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Dec 22

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Dec 23

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Dec 24

CLOSED

Dec 25

CLOSED

Dec 26

CLOSED

Dec 27

CLOSED

Dec 28

CLOSED

Dec 29

CLOSED

Dec 30

CLOSED

Dec 31

CLOSED

Jan 1

CLOSED

Jan 2

CLOSED

Jan 3

CLOSED

Jan 4

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Jan 5

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Jan 6

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Jan 7

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Jan 8

CLOSED

Jan 9

CLOSED

Jan 10

Open

0830-1200,

1300-1630

Jan 11

Normal Hours Resume, Open 0830

Library Extends Hours during Finals Week

2010-12-14T11:18:00.000-05:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library announces extended hours during final exams week.

From Monday, Dec. 13 through Thursday, Dec. 16 the Library will open extended hours from 0830 to 2300 (11:00 PM) to provide a quiet place to study, work on group projects, and access resources needed to study for exams and complete final projects. A member of the library faculty will be on duty to assist with information research and access to course reserve materials.

The Stephen B. Luce Library wishes everyone good luck and best of results in your final exams.

Fulbright Award for SUNY Maritime College Stephen B. Luce Library Director and Department Chair, Constantia Constantinou

2010-12-13T15:31:00.004-05:00

Constantia Constantinou, State University of New York Maritime College Library Director and Department Chair, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and lectures at the University of Cyprus, in Cyprus during the 2010-20111 academic year, according to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. She has also been the recipient of the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. She is the first SUNY Fulbright Scholar Librarian since 1994. In 2004 she was also awarded the Fulbright Senior Specialist Award in the area of Librarianship. In 2008, SUNY Maritime College professor and alumnus Janis Schulmeisters, LL.B., Maritime professor of Global Business and Transportation’s (GBAT) professor of admiralty law, marine insurance, business and international law was a Fulbright scholar and studied in Latvia.

Ms. Constantinou will begin her research and lectures with the University of Cyprus in the areas of Library Technology, Digitization, and Information Literacy in January, 2011. She will return to SUNY Maritime College and her duties at the College’s Stephen B. Luce Library in June 2011. She is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2010-2011.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to funding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient John Atta Mills, President, of Ghana; Lee Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Riccardo Giacconi, Physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, Chairman and Founder, Bose Corporation; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, writer and Daniel Libeskind, Architect

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Upcoming Lecture: A History of Maritime College, 1874-1949

2010-10-25T14:11:00.020-04:00

Join us at the Stephen B. Luce Library for an evening lecture presented by Joseph Williams, MA, MLS, on the History of Maritime College: 1874-1949.

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

6:00 p.m.

Stephen B. Luce Library, SUNY Maritime College

Reception 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Presentation 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with intermission and Q&A session

FREE ADMISSION

RSVP appreciated - 718-409-7237 or library@sunymaritime.edu

Maritime College is the oldest merchant marine college in the United States. The lecture discusses its historical development from its establishment as the New York Nautical School until its incorporation into SUNY in 1949. The lecture will cover:

The daily lives of the students aboard the St. Mary's and Newport.

The origins of the New York Nautical School and its development into the 20th century.

The acquisition and reconstruction of Fort Schuyler.

Joseph Williams is the Acquisitions Librarian at the Stephen B. Luce Library. Holding an MLS and MA in History, Mr. Williams has made a special study of the history of the College using the archival materials at the Stephen B. Luce Library.

See you there!

New and Improved ILL Services @your Library

2010-09-08T16:15:00.012-04:00

New and Improved InterLibrary Loan Service

The Stephen B. Luce Library announces a new and improved interlibrary loan (ILL) service for the 2010-2011 academic year called IILiad@Luce. This service is fully automated and accessible online 24/7, allowing users to submit ILL requests at anytime, receive updates on their requests, and actually receive periodical articles electronically! All users are encouraged to sign up for their personal ILLiad@Luce account to start experiencing this enhanced ILL service. Read more, sign up, and access your ILLiad@Luce account via the Library's web portal, http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/ill.htm.

As a reminder, interlibrary loan service allows users to obtain research materials that are not available in the Stephen B. Luce Library collections and is open to all Maritime College users with a valid Maritime ID card. When requesting ILL materials, please be aware that response time varies from 2 days to 2 weeks depending on the source location and type of material.

Fort Schuyler History Exhibit

2010-09-03T14:52:00.014-04:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library would like to extend a warm welcome to the entire SUNY Maritime College community with a new digital exhibit,
Fort Schuyler: A History from the Stephen B. Luce Library Archives.

Explore the history of Fort Schuyler, view original photographs from our in-house archives, and see firsthand how the Fort evolved from an Army garrison in the 19th century to Maritime College of the 20th century.

The exhibit, which is currently on display in the foyer of the Luce Library, is also digitally mounted on the Library's website at: http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/fortschuylerfade.html.

The Stephen B. Luce Library wishes all a successful and productive academic year!

2010-08-04T12:37:00.002-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Tuesday, August 3
We left St. John's last night in a hazy mist that turned into a dense fog by morning. The fog lingered most of the day. It started burning off above us, but a low fog clung to the ocean. It was weird. When you looked up there was sun and blue sky, but when you looked out, there was nothing but a gray mist. The air temperature in these Canadian waters has been rather cool, 65 -70°, a refreshing change from the hot Mediterranean. The ocean is fairly calm as we start to enter back into American waters off the coast of Maine. We're doing about 10 knots so we will get to NY in time. We'll be tracking by Cape Cod sometime later this week.

Today is the last day the library is open. I have to pack materials and supplies that are returning to shore and that is quite a bit. Even though most items remain on the ship, I still had over 40 boxes of stuff to go back last year. This year should be the same.

Monday, August 2
We sailed on in fog all day and finally reached St. John's about 17:00, right around dinner time. We maneuvered near the mouth of the harbor which was barely visible through the fog. Two peaks guard the narrow entrance to the harbor. While we waited for them to get the fast boat readied to take the cadet ashore, a whale swam around the ship to entertain us. The cadets were more excited by the fact they had cell phone service from shore than by the whale.

Finally, the patient made his appearance hobbling along with the aid of the two corpsmen. They got him into the boat and he, one of the corpsmen,two of the mates and two cadets were lowered into the water and headed to St. John's. We are still awaiting their return, and then we'll head south, past Nova Scotia and New England, to home.

Sunday, August 1
This morning we got the news that a cadet had broken his ankle... The doctor deemed it serious enough that it required getting him to a hospital ASAP. The injury was not so serious as to require an airlift, but serious enough to get him off the ship. There were two choices; turn around and go back to the Azores or proceed northwest of our track to the nearest port with medical facilities, St.John's, Newfoundland. The Captain decided that St John's would be our best bet for keeping on our timetable to get back home on the 7th. We made the turn and increased the ship's speed. We should arrive at St.John's late afternoon on Monday and anchor in the harbor. The two Navy medical corpsman on board will take the cadet ashore by launch and accompany him to the hospital. It is assumed that he will be staying there for treatment and then be flown home. We will then proceed home, hopefully arriving on-time. I'll keep you posted.
So, I'll get to see another part of this earth that I've never seen,Newfoundland. Newfoundland is Canada's eastern most province and its newest, having only joined Canada in 1949. It consists of the large island of Newfoundland and the mainland portion called Labrador. It is a huge, sparsely populated region with a rich maritime history. St. John's is the capital and most populous city. Strangely, off the coast of Newfoundland, are two tiny islands that are the last remains of France's North American colonial empire; St. Pierre and Miquelon. An odd thing about Newfoundland that will affect us tonight is that it is in its owntime zone that is 3 hours and 30 minutes less than Greenwich Mean Time. That means we set the clocks back 90 minutes tonight instead of the one hour we were supposed to. We'll have to make up the rest of the 30 minutes another night this week.

With all the excitement, our last Sunday at Sea continued as scheduled. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The barbecue that Chartwell's food service put on for us was as good as usual. Everyone enjoyed the food and the rest. Six days to go.

Heading Home

2010-08-02T11:30:00.002-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Saturday, July 31st
This time next Saturday we will all be home. It'll only been 6 weeks for me, but some on board have been away for 3 months. The crossing home so far has been spectacular. Warm weather, light seas, you couldn't ask for better conditions. The clouds broke last night and millions of stars were visible in the sky above the dark ocean. The Milky Way stretched across the sky. Today is equally as beautiful. You can't get too complacent at sea though, it will kill you. The ocean can turn into a roaring nightmare at the drop of a hat.
By the end of this cruise, I will have spent 6 months of my life at sea. That seems like a lot to me, but nothing to some of the "old timers" onboard who have spent years on water. Even Vinnie, the guy who runs the Ship's Store and hardly a professional mariner, has done 30 of these cruises. That's almost 5 years at sea. It's a hard life that these cadets are choosing. Being away from home and loved ones takes its toll. Some will never go to sea again, some will do a few cruises and drop out for shore jobs, but some will do this their whole lives sacrificing a "normal"life to do what they love.

Friday, July 30th
I had two treats this morning. The first, when I headed down to breakfast was the sight of LAND! Capt. Smith had taken us on a track between the two westernmost islands of the Azores, Flores and Corvo. I thought the sight of the cliffs of Brest would be the last land I would see until Montauk Point. It was nice to see the peaks of these volcanoes sticking up through the blue ocean. There is something reassuring about seeing terra firma while at sea, even if you don't land there.

The next treat was, when I opened the library, it was downright COOL. The temperature had dropped 10° from closing last night to a chilly 68°.

Thursday, July 29th
Everyone on the ship has settled back into their routine. The classes are in review mode getting prepared for finals. The last painting will start soon with a fresh new coat of green on the decks. The ship will look mighty spiffy when we arrive back at the fort.

The seas have been calm. No storms ahead in the foreseeable forecast. The weather is warm and cloudy most days, much to the chagrin of those cadets that still have to "shoot some stars" for their celestial navigation assignments. People are still checking out books even though they only have a week to read them. I myself have gone through 6 books including the 1,000 page tome"Dreadnaught" that I have been putting off reading. It's nice not to have the distractions of TV and the internet for a while.

Tuesday, July 27th
The coast of France is behind us and only the open sea is ahead. We left Brest at 10:30 Monday morning. The weather was cool and drizzly.

Now we're back on the Atlantic heading home. As soon as we got to the open ocean we hit a thick fog that lasted most of the day. Thank God the radar's working. The drone of the ship's fog horn cut eerily through the "soup" for hours. By evening it began to clear, but the afternoon's planned lifeboat drill was cancelled. I knew that they'd probably have it in the morning, so I prepared for such. I was right. At 08:30 the alarm rang.

One nice thing was that we crossed into another time zone last night. That means we gained an extra hour's sleep. I'm getting back all of the hours Joe lost sailing over here. We're only 5 hours ahead now and will probably gain and hour every other night.

The cadets are scrambling to finish their work. Teachers are preparing their finals for next week. 11 days to go and counting.

Brest, Quimper, and Normandy

2010-07-29T13:30:00.006-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

July 25th - Normandy
On Sunday I took the long awaited trip to Normandy and the D-Day battlegrounds. When I first looked at the map of Brest, I saw that Normandy didn't look so far away, a lot closer than any other attraction that I wanted to see in France like Paris. A lot of other people on the ship felt the same way. The Captain's aide, Anderson Smith, who arranges the tours for us, tried to get a Normandy tour from the ship's agent in Brest. Apparently no one else who goes to Brest goes to Normandy. There were no "canned" tours to Normandy available. Not to be daunted, he was able to rent busses for us to take us up there where we would meet a local guide to take us around.
Two days were set up, Saturday and Sunday, for 80 persons each. They sold out quickly. As it turns out Normandy wasn't that close, the tours were scheduled to be 18 hours long! Most of that was traveling time to and from the region. Originally, I planned to go Saturday because I knew such along day would wear me out and I'd be exhausted Monday when we departed.. I reconsidered and booked for Sunday when I realized that almost everything in Brest would probably be closed that day.
The tours were scheduled to leave at 04:00, way before dawn. We left an hour late in a Breton rain with about 3 hours of the driving in the dark. What a lot of driving it was. It took us 5 hours total to arrive in the town of Bayeux, home of William the Conqueror. Unfortunately, we were running late and didn't get time to walk around the town. We met our guide and headed on our tour of the D-Day battle sites.
We passed some sites, such as the British and German cemeteries, without stopping, while our guide regaled us with facts and stories about the invasion. Our first stop was the town of St. Mère Église. This was the town where the U.S 82nd Airborne paratroopers landed the night before the invasion to act as pathfinders for the invasion force. Located here is the Musée Airborne devoted totally to the airborne aspect of the invasion. Moving on, we went to Utah Beach, the westernmost beast of the invasion and the one with least casualties. Little remains of the gun emplacements or any other traces of the war. Only a few monuments dot the site.
Next we went to Pointe du Hoc, a 150' high, jagged cliff that 225 Army Rangers climbed to successfully capture a Nazi gun emplacement, only 90 survived. The landscape is still littered, like the surface of the moon,with bomb and shell craters 20' deep. A very surreal spot.
We finally drove to Omaha Beach which was the bloodiest of all sites in the area. It's easy to see why it was such a killing field. It is a wide beach at the low tide that the invasion took place. There is no place to hide. The Nazis had an unobstructed view of the entire beach from their machine gun nests on the bluff above the beach. We hiked along the beach and up the bluff where there are now stairs. At the top is the largest of the American war cemeteries in France. It is a magnificently beautiful spot, perfectly manicured bushes, trees and grass with row upon row of stone crosses and Stars of David. Over 9,000 Americans were left here. Many more of the dead were sent home at their families' wishes. All of the stones face home to the west. There is a beautiful chapel and a memorial with the names of those missing or never identified. It is an incredibly moving spot that really makes you appreciate the sacrifices made by those men and women (there are 4 here).
After the cemetery it was time to bid adieu to our guide and head back to the ship. We arrived back at 23:00, exhausted, but inspired by the sites of the day.

July 24th - A visit to Quimper
After being underwhelmed with Brest, I decided to go south on Saturday. The seaside tours that the Ship had arranged had fallen through due to lack of interest and I had already decided to switch to my Normandy trip to Sunday. I had read about the Festival de Cornouaille in a town called Quimper in the Fodor's guidebook and it looked interesting. It was touted as a 9 day street celebration of Celtic heritage held in a quaint Breton town. I confirmed on Friday at the Brest tourist office that the festivalwas still going on for the weekend.
Leaving the ship early on Saturday morning, I encountered a Sandy from theChartwell's food service crew who expressed an interest in going along. So about 09:00 the two of us set off to Quimper, some 70 miles to the south. Luckily, we were able to catch the first Ship's bus of the day into downtown Brest which deposited us off right in front of the Gare SNCF(train station). We got a noon train with a 19:00 return for only 20€, giving us a good 6 hours to roam Quimper. The 70 minute ride was very pleasant, traveling on the super-modern SNCF train through the Breton countryside, making 4 stops in some of the smaller towns on the way. We spotted about a half dozen Maritime cadets on board also getting out of Brest for the day.
When we arrived in Quimper, there didn't seem to be much activity around the station. It was already their 4 hour lunch break and most shops in the vicinity were closed. Asking for directions to the fair, we hiked toward the center of the town. After about a 6 block walk along the lovely, florally decorated river quay, we spotted the first stalls of the festival vendors. Luckily, it was early and the festival wasn't too crowded yet and we were able to move through the stalls without having to fight our way through crowds.
There was an interesting variety of locally produced goods at the stalls along the quay: jewelry, artworks, Quimperware (locally produce pottery) and food. We snacked at a crepe stand, bought some edible seaweed spread and some souvenirs. Unlike the rest of the town, the shops along here stayed open instead of closing for their mid-day siesta which was a nice treat.
The fair led off the quay into the winding streets of the old town. There was a central food market in the town with excellent fresh foods; fruits,cheeses, breads, fish, pastries, etc. We got a variety of stuff there and had lunch on the street French peasant style.
Wandering on further we came to the town square where they had a Celtic orchestra accompanying 2 groups of native dancers having a sort of ancient"dance off'. It was amazing to watch.
Heading back, we went to Quimper's cathedral of St Corentin, the 2nd largest cathedral in France. It was magnificent. The festival continued in the courtyard where they were having an "American Idol" style competition of Celtic music. By evening, the clouds that had kept us cool all day began to drizzle on us and it was time to return to Brest.

July 23rd - Exploring Brest
We docked this morning at 09:00 at Brest France. After anchoring last night off the coast, we met the pilot, entered the harbor and pulled in at at the French Navy base. It took an extraordinary amount of time before we could get off due to the fact we couldn't use our own gangway The tides are too high here so the Navy had to move their gangway in with a crane.

We finally got off the ship at 12:30 and headed to town. It was a long walk to get off the base and almost the same distance to town. It wasn't too bad because the weather was cool and cloudy. Certainly a change from Malta.

The town is pleasant enough. I expected worse. A nice complex of medieval buildings at the town entrance and the new constrution not as bad as I was led to expect. The only problem was they are ripping up the entire main street of the city to make a new boulevard with a light rail running down the center.

Captain Stephens and I had a great dinner at a French restaurant with the cooperation of a very patient waiter who spoke some English. After dinner we hit some of the local shops before they closed. Everything in Europe closes so darn early.

The tour to the coastal towns, that I was supposed to take today, was cancelled due to lack of interest. Too bad, it looked good. The Normandy trips for Saturday and Sunday are both still on. They were very popular. Both are full. I decided to go Sunday. Since it won't be back until late, I probably won't be able to post any pics until I get home 2 weeks from tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I may head 60 miles south to Quimper where there is a Celtic festival going on. It looks cool. We will see. Au Revoir for now.

Man Overboard!

2010-07-27T18:48:00.000-04:00

Man Overboard!

We’ve been spending the last few days steaming around Majorca doing various drills and maintenance during the days. There is lots of activity and its accompanying noise all day around the ship. At night
we’ve been anchoring in Majorca harbor. We have a magnificent view of the bright city at night. Everyone is craving to get off, but it’s just not possible.

The ship has been a beehive of activity. Yesterday was the man overboard drill. We use a dummy made out of old clothes and a life vest. The maneuver is complicated because the ship can’t just stop.
We have to do a figure 8 turn to come back and get the victim.

Also on deck, some cadets were practicing the valuable art of plugging leaks. They do this on a special jig made of a steel plate with various size holes in it through which is forced sea water from a high pressure fire hose. They shove various objects in until they get the leaks under control. In the process they also get soaked which is a welcome relief in the hot, Mediterranean sun.

This morning they lowered the lifeboat to practice lowering and launching the boat. They took it a little away from the ship, then returned and raised it back up. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the electric winch and the boat had to be lifted back up by “cadet power”.

We’re going to steam some more around Majorca this afternoon, then head southwest and west to the Straits of Gibraltar and the open ocean. We should be there by Monday, ready for the voyage north up the Atlantic coast of Europe to Brest. The cool Atlantic waters will bring some relief to the warmth of the Ship.

Richard Delbango
Ship’s Librarian SST 2010

Towards

2010-07-22T16:08:00.003-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Thursday, July 22nd
We lost sight of the northeast coast of Spain last night and are taking a diagonal track across the Bay of Biscay directly toward Brest. As I write this, we are some 16 hours away from docking. The ocean is rougher and much cooler here. The ship has chilled down to where I have to wear a light jacket in my cabin and the rest of the ship, except for the library which is a comfortable 78°.

The tours of France have been announced and I am going to register for two. I hope to get on Saturday's 18 hour tour to Normandy. It looks great. We'll be going to the battlegrounds, cemeteries and museums in the historic region. They are repeating it on Sunday, but I think I'd be too exhausted come Monday morning if I took that one. There will be a shorter (4 hour) tour to some of the coastal towns on Friday and Saturday. I'm going to try for that one for Friday. There is another 5 hour hiking tour that looks good, but I think I'll either try to get to the Celtic festival in Quimper (60 mi. south of Brest) or just see what there is to do in Brest.

We're already almost to our last port. After that it is 12 days for the crossing and we're home.

Wednesday, July 21st
We will arrive in Brest, France on Friday morning. We will be docked at the French Naval base there. For those of you who know little about our next port, here is a condensation of the fact sheet that I have written for the cadets and crew.

France's Brittany region is a distinct area on the country's northwest coast. It is a vast plateau of rocky, sandy soil and scrub trees. It has a rugged coastline with many bays, inlets, estuaries, capes and offshore islands dotted by numerous lighthouses. The area is populated by the Bretons, a Celtic people related more to the Irish and Welsh than the Gallic people of rest of France. While French is the official language, Breton, similar to Gaelic, is also spoken. Most names in the region arein Breton. Brittany was contested for centuries by the French and English and as such, there are many medieval castles and cathedrals located throughout the district. There are several cities in the region most notable being Rennes and Nantes, and many small, picturesque towns. Brittany is mainly agricultural, known especially for its apples used to make alcoholic cider. Fishing is also an important industry in a region that has such a long coastline along the Atlantic in the southwest and the English Channel in the north.

Brest is best known as the port of the French Navy's Atlantic fleet. Sited in a natural harbor on the Atlantic at the mouth of the Penfeld River, the city has a rich military history. Seized by the Germans in WWII and made the base of their submarine activities, Brest suffered severe damage by Allied bombing during the war. As such, most of the pre-war historic buildings were destroyed. Brest was re-built with modern, rather sterile, architecture giving it the reputation of "one of France's ugliest cities."

It is not without some charm. Its waterfront does have a few remainin gold buildings and museums as well as beautiful views across the bay of the Plougastel Peninsula. One of the City's oldest monuments is the Tour Tanguy, a 14th century lookout tower. Crossing the Penfeld River by thebridge next to the tower (the longest lift-bridge in Europe) takes one toBrest's medieval castle which houses the Musèe de la Marine, the navalmuseum. Nearby is the Musèe Municipal, an art museum displaying French, Flemish and Italian treasures from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Europe's largest aquarium is located in Brest at the futuristic Ocèanopolis center.
About 65 miles south of the city is the medieval village of Quimper. The village hosts the 9 day Celtic extravaganza, the Festival de Cornouaille, in mid-July. The town is also home to the beautiful, gothic Cathedrale St-Corentin, the 2nd largest cathedral in France. Next to the cathedralis the Musee des Beaux-Arts housing more than 400 works of art fromartists such as Rubens, Corot and Picasso. Quimber is known for its distinctive earthenware pottery.
Further south in what is considered to be the prettiest area of Brittanyis the town of Pont-Aven. It was made famous by the artist Paul Gauguin who established an artist's colony there. Still further south lays the village of Carnac, known for its beaches and the ancient stone monuments. The 6,500 year old monuments are contemporary to Stonehenge in England and are equally impressive.

The city of Nantes is at the southernmost corner of Brittany. It is the cultural center of the region. There are many historic building, museums and a cathedral here.
Northern Brittany, on the Channel coast, is full of many quaint fishing villages. To the east is the Channel port of St. Malo. Here ferries embark for England on a regular basis. Just east of St. Malo, in the southwest corner of Normandy is the famed Mt. St. Michel. This impressive fortress/monastery sits on a mount that is attached to the mainland at lowtide and becomes an island at high tide. The tides here are among the most extreme in the world, rising some 45' with the tide rushing in with a tidal bore.
Dinan, south of St. Malo is one of the best preserved medieval towns in France. There is a medieval festival held there the 3rd week of July that includes jousting, a market, parades and music.
In the easternmost section of Brittany is Rennes, the capital of the region. It is a mixture of medieval and 18th century architecture due to a fire which destroyed half the City in 1720. Sites here are theParlement de Bretagne, the Musèe de Bretagne and the Musèe de Beaux Arts.
It looks as if we will have a tour of Normandy, arranged by the College, on Saturday. This will be a very long tour, about 18 hours, and will take us to all of the historic landmarks in the neighboring region. Everyone is looking foreword to this. Several other shorter tours of Brittany are also being offered.

Monday, July 19th
As I write this we are passing through the Straits of Gibraltar out of the Mediterranean and out into the Atlantic. Africa is a couple miles off on our port, Europe off our starboard. These are the legendary Pillars of Hercules; Morocco's Atlas Mountains and the Rock of Gibraltar.
We were shrouded in fog for the early part of the day then it slowly lifted into a haze so that both of the Pillars were barely visible as we passed. As we enter the ocean there is a noticeable change. The waves are higher, the air and sea are cooler. The fog was caused by this cooler ocean water hitting the warm Mediterranean.
This is the fourth time that the Ship has gone through the Straits this year and twice last year. These have become very familiar waters for our cadets and crew. This area is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
As we turn north toward France, we've been warned to secure all of our belongings. We've gotten complacent with the Mediterranean's calm waters. It was like we were sailing on a lake for the last few weeks. TheAtlantic and especially the Bay of Biscay can be extremely unpredictable. We will see. On to Brest.

Drills.....and then BBQ

2010-07-19T13:43:00.003-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Sunday, July 18th
We had our last Sunday at Sea in the Mediterranean today and the day was fantastic. It was sunny and warm all day....By the time I got up and out the barbecue had started on the sun deck. Almost everyone had a very restful day. Most of the cadets worked on their sun
tans instead of their studies today. After dinner of steak, potatoes and corn-on-the-cob, I finally reported for work at 18:00, mostly to show the evening's movies.

Next Sunday we'll be in Brest and the next, and last, Sunday at Sea we will be in the mid-Atlantic on the way home.

Adieu to the Mediterranean, it was beautiful.

Saturday, July 17th
We've been spending the last few days steaming around Majorca doing various drills and maintenance during the days. There is lots of activity and its accompanying noise all day around the ship. At night we've been anchoring in Majorca harbor. What a magnificent view of the
bright city we have at night.

The ship has been a beehive of activity. Yesterday was the man overboard drill in which an unwitting cadet was thrown overboard and had to be rescued. Just kidding. We use a dummy made out of old clothes and a life vest. The ship can't just stop. We have to do a figure 8 turn to
come back and get the victim.

Also on deck, some cadets were practicing the valuable art of plugging leaks. They do this on a special jig made of a steel plate with various size holes in it through which is forced sea water from a high pressure fire hose. They shove various objects in until they get the leaks under
control. In the process they also get soaked which may be enjoyable in the hot, Mediterranean sun, but probably not so much if we were sailing in the Arctic.

We're going to steam some more around Majorca this afternoon, then head southwest and west to the Straits of Gibraltar and the open ocean. We should be there by Monday morning ready for the voyage north up the Atlantic coast of Europe to Brest.

Tomorrow is Sunday at Sea, our last in the Med. We're all praying for good weather for the barbecue and day of rest. So far, the weather has been spectacular. Let's hope it holds for one more day.

Balearic Islands

2010-07-15T11:41:00.003-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

The Captain has taken us on a pleasant detour through the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. We lost sight of land after we left the Straits of Messina the other night and were on the open sea for 2 days. Seeing the lovely hills of Majorca was a pleasant diversion this morning. Everyone has settled back into their routines.....Soon, we'll head southwest toward the Straits of Gibraltar and the open sea. I hope the ocean will be calm. We've been spoiled by the gentle
Mediterranean....

Back to Sea

2010-07-14T14:08:00.003-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Monday, July 12th
We left Malta about 09:30 this morning, saying goodbye to a fantastic
port. The history, the culture, the swimming, the food; all in close
proximity to the ship. What more could you want in a port? We had three
days of excellent weather. The Maltese people were warm and welcoming.
With a very low crime rate, I felt safe walking the darkest streets at
night.

I spent the last night on shore at the dock area doing my internet stuff,
buying magazines for the library and enjoying a cold soda. The pier was
crowded for a Sunday night because they were showing the final of the
World Cup on dozens of TVs all along the wharf. The Europeans love their
soccer.

When we left Malta, we headed northeast, then north to go around Sicily
and east through the Straits of Messina. It's night now and I just took
an evening break and saw the coast of Italy on the starboard and Sicily
off the port side. It is a beautiful sight to behold. Tomorrow we'll be
in the open Mediterranean heading west toward the Atlantic. We'll reach
Brest, France in about 11 days and gain an hour on the way.

Malta

2010-07-12T09:03:00.015-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Malta - Day 3

On Sunday I took the shortest of the excursions arranged by the Ship. We started out at the Malta Quarry Museum. Every building on Malta is built from the yellow, natively quarried limestone. This museum, set in a depleted quarry, told the history of the process. We headed south to the southern cliffs of Malta and the Blue Grotto. This was as beautiful as the grotto in Gozo was. Absolutely gorgeous! We finished with a trip to a local fishing village and its colorful and fragrant fish market. I went back to the ship torest up for the last night in Malta. Monday it’s back to sea.

Malta - Day 2

Saturday was more restful for me. I took a trip, also arranged by the College to the Blue Lagoon on the tiny island of Comino. We travelled by an excursion boat filled mostly with young Europeans in Malta for an English immersion summer program. We arrived at the Blue Lagoon and were greeted by a spectacular sight of the clearest, bluest water that I have ever seen. Surrounding it was a rugged, rocky hillside with no sandy beach, just rocks all the way to the water. Perched on these rocks were thousands of daytrippers that you had to practically climb over to get to the water. After finding my own little perch, I cautiously climbed down the rocks to the water. It was spectacular, clean and cool. I stayed in for hours. I swam away from the crowds into several hidden caves. One of these caves opened out into the open sea. It was amazing. I didn’t want to get out.

Malta - Day 1

We docked in the magnificent harbor of the capital, Valleta, about 08:00 on Friday July 9. The entrance into the harbor is breathtaking as you sail past the ancient fortresses at the mouth of the harbor. We docked at the Pinto dock which was a prime location, right at the foot of the city wall, easy to get to the City. The only problem is the City is at the top of the wall and the wall is 100’ – 150’ high!

I wasn’t going to tackle the City on the first day. . I was scheduled to go on a tour of Gozo, the western island. The vans left at 09:30 for the 40 minute trip across the island of Malta to the ferry. The ferry to the island took another 20 minutes. The scenery on both legs of the journey was spectacular. We drove through rolling hills of gold dotted by small towns all built of their yellow sandstone.We were met by a bus on Gozo to continue our journey. The first stop was the ancient ruin of the Ggantija temples. These are among the ancient structures of the prehistoric residents of Gozo that are 1000 years older than the pyramids in Egypt. They are the oldest standing, human structures in the world. They are believed to be temples to the Mother goddess (Mother Nature) because the outline of the temple has the shape of the small Mother deity idols found in many primitive cultures.

We moved on to see the capital of Gozo Victoria Rabat. This is a small, crowded city topped off by The Citadel, a castle at the top of the highest point in the city. After a laborious climb up to the Citadel, we had a more laborious one inside of it up to the tops of its walls. After the climb down and some time for shopping in the City it was off to a great lunch at one of Gozo’s finest hotels.After lunch we heads southwest to the sea and the amazingly beautiful cliffs at a spot called the Azure Lagoon. Here we were taken by boatmen in small, colorfully painted boats through grottos gut naturally through the cliffs by the sea. Out in the open sea, we entered several other caves and saw the Azure window, a rock formation framing a fantastic view of the sea.

Off Malta

2010-07-08T12:32:00.002-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

We've been anchored since last night about 13 miles off the coast of Malta, right near two oil platforms. We're pulling into Valleta harbor tomorrow morning about 08:00. I heard there are some webcams of the harbor. Look for us. We should be docked very close to the city because it appears that the harbor is the center of the city. We're at, what I'm told, is one of the deepest anchorages in the world. We are surrounded by ships, mostly empty tankers, that are parked here awaiting orders.

I've got some tours lined up for next 3 days if they all run. The Regiment Office arranged a nice selection. It looks as if you could spend a couple weeks here to see all the sights Malta has to offer. It seems like a very interesting place. There are pre-historic ruins, Roman ruins, fortresses, huge cliffs, quaint fishing villages, Medieval and Renaissance palaces, and churches. LOTS of churches. I think they have one for every 1,000 inhabitants of this country. From the travel video I ran last night, Valetta looks a lot like Venice without the canals.

Link to webcam at Grand Harbour, Valletta http://www.visitmalta.com/webcam1

2010-07-07T11:25:00.004-04:00

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

July 6th, Malta Bound
The Mediterranean is beautiful. Calm and peaceful. It's been sunny for the last four days and getting hot. It's going to be scorching in Malta. Meanwhile we're just sailing along.

The Regiment Office is arranging some tours for us. They should be good..There is plenty to do and see on these islands.

July 4th, Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day everyone. What a difference this year's 4th is from last. Last year we were heading home at this time. This year we still have over a month to go. Last year it poured on our celebration. This year the weather has been gorgeous. The best thing is that this year it luckily corresponded with our Sunday at Sea and that means relaxation for most of us and barbecue for all.

There were no classes today. The only cadets working were those on watch or with extra duty jobs. The hardest working people on board today were the Chartwell's Food Service people who toiled all day getting the barbecue set up and cooking for over 500 hungry sailors. Thanks to Henry and his crew who did such a great job as usual. Burgers, franks and chicken for lunch; steaks and shrimp for dinner. Between meals, we had some fireworks as cadets shot off some expired flares and smoke marker grenades. Not the Macy's fireworks, but it would have to do.

We are somewhere in the mid-Mediterranean Sea, heading east. We will probably sail between Corsica and Sardinia to do maneuvers before heading to Malta. Everyone is getting anxious to get to land, especially to swim.

July 2nd, Refueling
We anchored last night, after I went to bed, only yards from the town of Gibraltar. After dropping anchor about 02:00, the bunker barge (really a small tankership) arrived. They tied up alongside, hooked up their giant fuel hose to us and began pumping over 1,000 tons of low sulphur ships oil into our tanks. I don't know what the gallon count is, but it is a heck of a lot.

The weather is warm and hazy, with some light intermittent drizzle. The Mediterranean is calm. Since we have a week to get to Malta, it is going to be a slow, meandering journey...Meanwhile, the cadets are keeping busy drilling and painting the ship. Last night they were practicing lowering the lifeboats right outside the Officer's Mess at dinner time.

In the Mediterranean Sea

2010-06-30T14:41:00.009-04:00

(excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)
Saturday, June 26
We left Dublin shortly after midnight this morning and we're now making headway south to the Mediterranean.

Tomorrow will be the first Sunday at Sea of the 2nd cruise. If the weather permits, they'll be a barbecue for all on the sun deck. Because it is the beginning of the 2nd part of the term and classes just began today, most cadets will have classes for at least part of the day. Next week there should be no classes for our second Sunday which also happens to be the 4th of July. Irregardless, I still have to work because thelibrary is open every day we are at sea, holiday or not.

Sunday, June 27
We hit some rough water, not the worst I've ever seen, but uncomfortable..The ship rolled all night. Anything not tied down rolled back and forthon the decks, including me in my bunk.

.....I was happy to see that things had calmed down enough for our Sunday at Sea barbecue which was already going on out on the sun deck. I wound up having burgers and hot dogs for breakfast. Yum! The day was gorgeous, sunny in the mid 70s.

Monday, June 28
It has been a real quiet day. The seas were calm and the sun was strong. Everyone is settling in to the 2nd half of the cruise. We're in the Atlantic, off the northern coast of Spain I think. It's hard to tell because the interactive map with the Seawave e-mail system dosn't seem to be working this year and my hand held GPS seems to be on the fritz too. I can always go up to the map room and ask where we are, but it's a long way up from where I'm stationed (8 decks).

We're cruising fairly slowly, below 10 knots. We'll probably make it to the mouth of the Mediterranean by Wednesday and anchor by Gibraltar to take on fuel on Thursday. Since we're not docking at Gibraltar, I'm going to have to see if I can use my binoculars to spot any of my little monkey friends on the top of the rock.

Ms. Kenney

2010-06-28T11:03:00.003-04:00

Ms. Kenney aboard the Empire State VI

June 25
Anne Kenney, the internationally known chief academic and administrative officer of the Cornell library system who is also an innovator and expert in digital library development and management went aboard the Empire State VI for a tour of SUNY Maritime College’s training ship. She was given a complete tour of the ship spending the most time in the ship’s library with the ship’s librarian Richard Delbango where they discussed many maritime trade topics. Ms. Kenney was also given a descriptive account of the unique hands-on training that SUNY Maritime provides through their training ship. It was a pleasure to have her aboard.

Sea Change

2010-06-25T08:53:00.004-04:00

(Excerpts from the ship's librarian Richard Delbango)

June 24

The old Empire State VI looked in good shape, no worse for the wear of the last 6 week journey. We were greeted by rousing cheers by the cadets that were leaving and couldn't wait to go home. The transition was slow as those who were departing had to vacate their spaces before we could move in. I met with Joe, my predecessor who showed me all of the improvements he made to the Library since May 10. He helped me get my stored bags from the library up to my newly repaired cabin and I helped him get his stuff out for the flight home and then he was off.

June17

Since my last post, I found out that the ports we will be traveling to on the second cohort are Malta and Brest, France While Malta looks beautiful, I have learned that, due to destruction from bombing in WWII, Brest is a very modern, industrial looking city with little old world charm.

Dublin

2010-06-23T11:50:00.008-04:00

Dublin Castle

Dublin

(Excerpts from the ship’s librarian: Photos by Joseph Williams)

June 22
Dublin, of course, is a very lovely city so in the limited amount of time

I have I've been trying to make the most of it.

Dublin

To The Bay of Biscay

2010-06-21T10:12:00.002-04:00

June 19

(Excerpts from the Ship’s librarian: Photo by Joseph Williams)

As we emerged from the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic, a change has overtaken the water. Where once the smooth seas of the Mediterranean lay beneath us, it has been replaced by the slow and steady rocking of the Atlantic. The water looks different visually as well – it is somewhat grayer. But, on the good side I did see a dolphin or a small whale today peaking up with its dorsal fin. It was just a passing glance and I didn’t see it after the first look.
We are now about 80 miles off the coast of Portugal and moving at roughly full steam north to the Bay of Biscay and then the waters of Great Britain

Balearic Isles

2010-06-17T11:56:00.006-04:00

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian: Graphic by worldpress.com)

June16
We are finally pulling out from the Balearic Islands today and our course is set for the Straits of Gibraltar. We can expect to be there within a couple of days, and then out to the Atlantic, and then the cool waters of the Irish Sea.

At Sea En Route To Dublin

2010-06-14T12:06:00.006-04:00

Students using ship's library

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian: Photos by Joseph Williams)

June 11

Ships naturally need to communicate. In the old days, they used to use flags (this was after they discovered that burning smoke signals on a wooden ship was not a good idea). Flags, however, have become obsolete and are now used mostly as decoration. Radio communication predominates, but also heavily used are lights and sound.

June 14

At the time of this writing we are passing through the strait between Sardinia and Corsica again following back our tracks toward Gibraltar. Weather and seas have been pretty calm; like they have been through most of the Mediterranean.

Williamson Circles

2010-06-10T11:43:00.005-04:00

Tower of Winds: Greece

(Excerpts from the ship's librarian: Photo by Joe Williams)

June 9:
I found out today is that one cannot simply stop a ship like a car. In order to stop a ship, you need to have about 2 miles (or more depending on your speed). So if something comes up in your way, you can’t simply hit the brakes so to speak. Rather, you need to maneuver the ship around the obstacle. That is why among other reasons you need to have watches, and you need to keep ships at a safe distance. The larger the vessel, the harder it is to stop it. And how do you stop it? By reversing the engines, yet you can imagine how much power it would take to stop something as big as an oil tanker. Now, imagine this situation and somebody goes overboard. The best you can do is throw them one of those life rings and execute a circle (called a Williamson circle). The person in the water has to wait until the ship can complete the circle and hopefully they can fish you out.

QQML Conference 2010

2010-06-10T09:56:00.003-04:00

Constantia Constantinou, the Stephen B. Luce Library Director and Department Chair attended the International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, (QQML 2010), in Chania, Greece. Constantia presented two papers “Improving Student Academic Performance through Library Instruction” and “Measuring Library User Expectations with User Satisfaction” and chaired the session on Information and Learning. Over 50 countries were represented at the QQML 2010 conference.

Grecian Isles

2010-06-08T08:56:00.001-04:00

Joe being ferried to Andros

(Excerpts from the Ship's librarian June 5 -7
Photos by Joseph Williams)

June 5
Today was an enjoyable day at Andros, the northernmost island of the Cyclades.We zoomed over the water and arrived at the dock where groups of SUNY Maritime people began to outpopulate the native Androsians. The town has a population of 1,500 and you have to figure about 600 of us went for the day trip.

The town of Andros itself is small, but terraced along a mountainside. The pastel-colored architecture is just plain awesome to look at and has many narrow streets.

Street in Andros

June 6

After we arrived in Athens, I took leave early in the day and went into the city by myself using the metro. The walk to the subway was rather long, but I think it was closer than Malaga. I landed at the Monastratiki stop and looked up to see the famed Acropolis of Athens.

Scene In Athens

Joe at the Acropolis in Athens

June 7

Today, I visited the island of Aegina in the morning

where I saw the Temple of Aphaia, which are very well-preserved Doric ruins..

Aegina

Temple of Aphaia in Aegina

At Sea

2010-06-07T15:50:00.009-04:00

Students Plugging a leak aboard the ship

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian, May 27 - June 2: Photos by Joseph Williams)

May 27:
Midnight on The Bridge:
While on the bridge, I was first introduced to the technical navigationaland GPS equipment they have. While their GPS equipment does not providevocal directions such as, “Turn starboard at the next reef.” The system is incredibly intricate where the navigators lay in waypoints. In the training ship, they also use paper charts to plot the ship’s course. They use triple backup systems since this is an educational voyage, and safety is paramount.
By the morning, we had left the island of Majorca behind and now we are sitting and recalibrating the compasses in front of the island of Minorca..

May28:
Today we saw the first drops of rain in about 2 weeks with apassing shower, and the sea has been remarkably calm. Today, we also passed through the Straits of Bonifacio, which separates the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. I only saw Sardinia, and Corsica was out of sight.

May29:
So last night we passed through the Straits of Bonifucio between Sardinia and Corsica.Tomorrow we will pass through another strait, this one will be the Strait of Messina which was considered perilous in ancient times because of its rocks and whirlpools. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, “The strait was greatly feared by sailors in antiquity, mainly because of the rocks and whirlpools known as Scylla and Charybdis, personified as female monsters in Greek mythology.”

May30:
The ship today went through the Strait of Messina and now we are in theIonian Sea. It was rather dramatic looking, since there is a wall of mountains that suddenly drop into this patch of open water. I took some pictures and it was somewhat hazy out, but I did get good views of MountEtna.

June 2:
We are now in the realm of Odysseus, and much like the “man of twists andturns” the ship is going on its own odyssey through the famed Aegean. We have already passed our anchorage and Andros, and now we are going tobe circling islands. All of the ones I have seen have been very rugged,very mountainous, and many are covered with windmill farms. Generally speaking, everything thus far has been very scenic.
One of the things I have noticed is that our students have an intense curiosity about where we are going – not just for the recreational stuff –but they also want to learn more about the history of the ports andcountries that we are visiting. There is something beautiful about taking two weeks to get to a port since it allows time for curiosity to build.

The Odyssey of “Empire State VI”: En Route to Greece

2010-05-28T10:13:00.014-04:00

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian, May 24-26)

May 24:

We are back at sea and going nowhere. By that I mean that we have moved the ship about 5-10 miles away from Malaga (very clearly in view) and are at anchor while we do drills (they even lowered the lifeboats today). If we were to just go full steam ahead to Greece, it would probably take us only a couple of days or so to get there. “Empire State VI,” much like Odysseus, is going to take a long and leisurely route before we finally raise the Hellenic lands. This scenic tour of the Mediterranean is going to test the navigation and piloting skills of cadets… particularly when we encounter the Sirens and the Clashing Rocks.

May 25:

Today we fell out of sight of land and are now in the middle of the giant salt puddle known as the Mediterranean Sea. Today nothing really noteworthy happened (we haven’t met any Krakens, Sirens, or seen the Clashing Rocks yet), but I did happen to have my first official meeting with the Captain. The Captain wanted to talk about some of the content to put in my port guide for Greece. There is apparently going to be a three island tour offered, as well as a tour of the Acropolis. All surrounding this will be two receptions. One when we anchor at Andros, and then a huge reception on the ship on the night of the 6th. Alumni and industry leaders will be there. In addition, once we are in Piraeus we will be offering tours of the ship, etc.

May 26:

Allow me an indulgence to express my annoyance at doing concentric circles around lovely islands without any intention of stopping there. Majorca, which is the island we are circling now, is a beautiful island, and, according to one of the officers, is a “really great port.” Of course he thought I was joking when I asked him to pull over the ship so we can get out, even for half a day….Weather has been humid and growing hot. The seas, however, have been especially calm as we do our concentric loops.

Liberty in Malaga

2010-05-24T09:24:00.027-04:00

The Empire State VI arrived at its first port, Malaga, on the morning of Friday May 21.
(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian, May 21-23)

Friday May 21, Liberty in Malaga: After coming into Malaga, the inspection went well and liberty was granted starting at around 10:30 a.m. One needs a liberty card to leave and exit the vessel. I´m very happy to have my ticket to freedom right here in my pocket. Students have been let out in waves, and no matter where I went today, I kept bumping into some. I did a random walk through the town (very windy and warrenlike) and decided to go to the Alcazaba and the Castille de Gibrafalo. Both of these are Moorish ruins that provide excellent views of the town. I have already been back and forth to the ship, the ship is moored perhaps a mile and a half away from the main city but once you are in the city, everything is in close proximity to each other. That´s it for now. I have to decide what to do for tomorrow. I think I might be doing an outing to one of the towns nearby.

Walk up to the Castille de Gibrafalo.

Saturday May 22, A Day Trip to Ronda: If you ever get a chance to go to Spain, go to Ronda. The scenery alone is gorgeous. Ronda is the largest in a series of fortified towns in the mountains and probably the most awesome in its location being set upon a gorge that is crossed by a cliff. The town itself was about an hour and a half bus ride out of Malaga and it goes straight up into the winding hills. This town is known as the birthplace of modern bullfighting, an inspiration for Hemmingway, and also where Orson Welles had his ashes scattered.

Ronda´s Gates

Ronda, a town on a cliff

Ronda´s ¨New Bridge¨ spans a deep gorge.

Sunday May 23, A day at the Alhambra: Our destination was the fabled Alhambra, the citadel of the last Moorish kingdom of Spain. Our tour guide was a man named Frederico who was fluent in about four languages. His erudition really impressed the cadets and crew that were on the tour, but even more impressive was the Alhambra itself.

The Alhambra

Frederico our tour guide with rapt cadets and crew

A ceiling of the Alhambra

Images of a ship at sea

2010-05-24T08:51:00.029-04:00

A calm day at sea

Using the Sextant

Joe Williams, Ship's Librarian with the Azores in the background

A Sunday barbeque at sea

Life boat

Cadets learning to tie knots

Raising the Azores

2010-05-20T12:17:00.007-04:00

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian, May 17)
May 17: In the morning we finally reached the Azores. These dramatic looking, mist-shrouded islands rose pretty much straight from the sea and are dotted with rural communities and bustling towns. Today, on the whole, was a quiet day in terms of activity in the library, probably because everybody wanted to look at the Azores (we stopped the ship here for a while), and also because the heat problems in the library have been continuing. At my request, they have brought fans that will be installed on the walls in the library. This should help with air circulation.

Stormy Seas and Setting Sights on Land

2010-05-20T11:55:00.005-04:00

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian, May 13-14)
May 13: Right now, we are encountering some fairly heavy turbulence and nobody is allowed to go out on deck. I do not think it is extreme weather, but it’s heavier than it's been since we started sailing. It is very cool to look at however, and any photo I take of the water does not do it justice. The library was very quiet all day due to rough weather. Reports of sick students throughout. This a.m. Captain came with two crew to secure library.

May 14: Ship rolled heavily though most of the day then finally settled by the midevening. We are one week out of Spain and should raise the Azores over the weekend. Reference questions have now begun to turn a bit more toward our first port of call with students asking of things to do in and around the port. Those using the library seem to be here for study.

Ship Departs, May 10th

2010-05-12T10:53:00.016-04:00

The Empire State VI departed Fort Schuyler on the morning of Monday, May 10. Follow the journey with periodic updates from the Ship's Librarian.

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian)

I boarded, climbed to the cabin deck, and then hung around outside as I waved to the little people ashore.

Tug boats came in, pulled us off the pier, and now we are cruising along the Long Island Sound heading toward Montauk. At Montauk, the cadets and crew will be performing one more quality check before we make the crossing.

The crossing itself should take about 10 days or so with the ship going at an optimal speed to conserve fuel. I can’t imagine how they used to make these crossings in sailboats just relying on wind power – it must have been so much quieter!

Women's History Month

2010-04-01T11:25:00.011-04:00

As we close out Women's History Month, Stephen B. Luce Library highlights the history of women's courageous efforts at sea with an exhibit, Courage at Sea: Women Seafarers. This exhibit features some of the women pioneers in seafaring, including a few of SUNY Maritime's own such as the first woman to graduate (in 1974) and the first class of women graduates (class of 1978).

All are invited to view this exhibit online on the Library’s web portal at: http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/exhibitseafaringwomen.htm

Also, visit the Library’s Foyer Exhibit area to view the Courage at Sea: Women Seafarers display and other exhibits and digital presentations.

Black History Month at the Luce Library

2010-02-23T09:00:00.044-05:00

In celebration of Black History Month, the Stephen B. Luce Library has created two slide show displays:

"Black Jacks: African American Seafarers”

and

"Leaders & Pioneers"

These slide shows can be viewed on the TV screen in the Library's Foyer. Selected books are also on display in the Library’s Foyer exhibit area.

Want more information on African American Seafarers? Check out the Current Exhibit section of the Library's website where you can find the "Black Jacks" slide show and a bibliography of research sources, including selected Internet sources and books available at the Luce Library.

New Database - Lloyd's List Online

2010-01-12T16:35:00.004-05:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library is pleased to announce the addition of Lloyd’s List Online to its array of electronic resources. Lloyd’s List, established in 1734, is the world’s premier source of maritime news and information covering all aspects of the shipping industry, including business of shipping, marine insurance, offshore energy, logistics, global trade and law. Lloyd’s List Online is an essential research tool with a fully searchable data bank of more than one million articles spanning the last 15+ years of industry information. Lloyd’s List Online can be accessed 24/7 from either on or off campus.

Instructions for access (on campus):
1. Go to the Library’s web portal (http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/)
2. Click on “eResources”; then “eJournals”; then “Lloyd’s List”

Off-campus access:
1. Go to the Library’s web portal (http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/)
2. Click on “eResources”; then “eJournals”
3. Enter your Maritime College email ID and password
4. Click on “Lloyd’s List”

Questions? email: library@sunymaritime.edu or call (718) 409-7231

Holiday Greetings from Your Library Staff

2009-12-23T16:25:00.002-05:00

A greeting card from the Stephen B. Luce Library of SUNY Maritime College (http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/holiday/holiday.html)

December 7: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

2009-12-07T11:15:00.016-05:00

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. On this day we remember the events of December 7, 1941, when Japanese plans attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in the U.S. territory of Hawaii. More than 2,300 Americans were killed in the attack, which also destroyed the U.S.S. Arizona, capsized the U.S.S. Oklahoma, sank three other ships, damaged many additional vessels, and destroyed more that 180 aircraft. The next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan and the United States officially entered World War II.

The Stephen B. Luce Library has an ongoing online exhibit on Pearl Harbor and the events and aftermath of the December 7, 1941 attack. The exhibit features late Lieutenant Commander William F. Muir, USNR, New York State Maritime Academy Class of 1939 who survived the Pearl Harbor attack while serving as Senior Assistant Engineer Officer onboard the Ammunition Ship USS PYRO (AE-1). It also highlights selected Internet resources and books available at the Luce Library.
You can view the online exhibit here:
http://www.sunymaritime.edu/stephenblucelibrary/pearlharbor.htm

Below are some additional Internet resources from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection and from the National Park Service.

After The Day of Infamy: "Man on the Street" Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html

Pearl Harbor Oral Histories from the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/journey/pearlharbor-transcript.html

Photographs of the attack on Pearl Harbor from the National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/archive/usar/photos1/index.htm

Remote Access to Library Resources

2009-10-15T10:13:00.021-04:00

You don’t have to be in the library to do library research! You can search the online catalog and article databases and read eJournal articles and eBooks from anywhere with an internet connection. Simply follow the steps below to login and begin your research.

The Sextant (library catalog): Search for library books
The Sextant is open access. No login required. Just go here: http://seneca.sunyconnect.suny.edu:4540/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b

Online Journals and eBooks: Search for articles and ebooks.
1. Go to http://luce.sunymaritime.edu:2048/menu
2. Enter your Maritime College email ID and password
Note: A new page opens with a list of all databases
3. Click on the database of your choice and begin searching

Need Assistance?
1. For help with login username/password: Call Computer Services Helpdesk @ (718) 409-6917 or submit a Login Assistance Request
2. For help with library research: Ask a Librarian!

New Database: Marine Technology Absracts

2009-10-14T10:36:00.041-04:00

The Stephen B. Luce Library is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Marine Technology Abstracts online. The Marine Technology Abstracts electronic database contains bibliographic information providing a reference and description for over 90,000 technical articles, reports, books, conference and transaction papers and other material on all aspects of maritime technology, dating back as far as 1940 and drawn from all major marine engineering publications, published worldwide in at least 10 languages.

Topics covered include:

Ship and vessel descriptions;
Design and construction;
Ship powering, equipment, maintenance, repair, conversion;
Cargo handling/port design and operation;
Safety at sea/environmental protection;
Coastal and ocean engineering/offshore technology;
Fluid mechanics, hydrodynamics, hydraulics and aerodynamics;
Ship resistance and propulsion, motions, seakeeping and manoeuvring;
Structural response, material properties, corrosion and fouling;

Naval vessels and defence technology

To access:

Go to The Library's Website
Scroll your mouse over eRESOURCES and select eJOURNALS from the list.
Select the link for 'Marine Technology Abstracts'
*Note, if you are accessing this remotely, you will be prompted for a username and password. This is your maritime email and password.

How to use:

The database provides abstracts for many print journals that are held at the Stephen B. Luce library. Use the citation information to locate print journals, proceedings, and books that are held within the library. Electronic resources are also indexed.
Users may perform simple or advanced searches.
If materials cited are not available at the library, they can be obtained via Interlibrary Loan Services. Users may inquire about this service at the circulation desk.

Smooth Sailing

2009-07-08T20:45:00.001-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Tuesday, July 7)
As the cruise comes to an end, I can't help but note the fantastic weather that we had for the entire voyage. Except for about 30 hours off Portugal while heading to Iceland, the seas have been remarkably calm. There was very little rolling which obviously held seasickness down to a minimum. We had some morning fog for a couple of days off the north coast of Scotland heading to Belfast and a full day of rain and fog that ruined our last Sunday at sea. Otherwise there was lots of sunshine almost every day(and nights in the Arctic).
I've heard about storms and rough seas on previous cruises. All I can say is that we have been blessed on this one. I just hope I haven't jinxed us for the last two days.

1000 Miles to Home

2009-07-08T20:43:00.001-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Monday, July 6)
As I write this (Monday July 6 @ 10:30am) we are about 1000 miles north
east of New York. After yesterday's Independence Day/Sunday at sea
washout, the weather today is gorgeous. Go figure!
It is the last day I am keeping the Library open. For the next several
days I will be packing up all of the items that have to return to shore
and writing my final report of the voyage.

From what I've gathered, the plan is for us to reach Montauk sometime
Thursday and anchor to await Admiral Craine, the College's President, and
make the ship presentable for the return celebration. We will then move
on, sailing south of Long Island to the mouth of NY harbor and anchoring
again early Friday morning off Staten Island. There, we will be met by
the new Chancellor of the State University of NY and some other
dignitaries who will accompany us into the harbor and up the East River
for the final leg of the voyage, our grand journey home.

Final Exams

2009-07-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Mr. Delbango; posted July 2, 2009)
It's almost the end of the voyage and that means the end of classes and
final exams. The cadets have been studying diligently in the library, in
the classrooms, in the mess and on the deck (when the weather permits);
anywhere they can find space to lay out their books and notes. They are
also scrambling to finish assignments, some due now and some that were due
weeks ago. The Library has been busy all day but especially so in the
evenings. You can feel tension in the air.

Homeward Bound

2009-07-01T10:13:00.002-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Mr. Delbango)
We left Belfast around 17:00 Sunday evening. That was late for a port departure for us, but we had to have a high tide to leave. The tugs hooked up and pulled us out backwards out of the Victoria Channel and then turned us around. As we pulled out, we got a clear view of the now dormant dry dock where the Titanic was built. Steaming ahead, we entered the North Channel, rounded the Ards Peninsula and headed south into the Irish Sea toward the Atlantic and home. By Monday evening, we had past the southern tip of Ireland and left behind our last view of land until we see Sandy Hook. No more ports for us but home.
Everyone is busy finishing up their work. Finals will begin this week for the cadets' classes. Projects are due. Things have to be packed up around the ship. Grades have to be submitted. Final cleaning and repairs have to be done to make us presentable. There is no down time until July 10th. We can rest when we get back to the Bronx.

Around Belfast

2009-07-01T09:24:00.007-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Mr. Delbango)
(images from www.samscab.com)
Belfast was a good walking city, very compact and organized. Unlike Sao
Miguel and Gibraltar, they actually had wide sidewalks and pedestrian
malls. This made walking fairly safe, except for the darn traffic moving
in the wrong direction. Three days isn't enough time to get used to cars
coming at you on the left side of the road.
The busses from the Ship left us in the heart of Belfast, right by the
City Hall and there was plenty to see and do in the immediate area. Most
of the shopping is within several blocks of the City center. There are
two really nice malls right there, Victoria Square and the Castle Court
and several smaller arcades. Most of the shopping district is either new
construction or beautiful restored Victorian buildings. The area has been
re-invigorated since the Peace of 1998 made the area safe again. For
almost 30 years it was an armed camp with roadblocks that wouldn't allow
traffic into the zone and pedestrian checkpoints. Unfortunately, the
re-construction process is continuing and there are lots of what they term
"diversions" (detours) that I had to maneuver around.

Other things I saw nearby were the Albert Clock Tower which is listing to
one side after 120 years like the Tower of Pisa, The St. Anne's Cathedral,
the Linen Hall Library and the Big Wheel Ferris wheel next to the City
Hall that I had to ride.

Outside the City center, in the working-class residential areas of the
west, are the former battle zones of Belfast's religious conflict. Here
are the Peace Walls. These are huge murals painted on the sides of row
houses commemorating events and personalities of what they call "the
Troubles". There are dozens of them. It was a horrible time for the
people of Belfast and it pervades the psyche of the whole population who
lived through it. The murals are mostly in the areas known as Shankill
(the Protestant area) and the Falls (the Catholic zone). I was able to
only get to the Shankill.

In the north part of the Shankill district is the 164 year old Crumlin
Road Prison, now closed but open to the public for tours. It was an
active prison until 1996. I took the tour and it was awesome, especially
the execution room where they hung 13 men over the years.

The north and south of the City are the more upscale residential areas. I
spent a bit of time exploring the north. Here are nice single family
homes and garden apartment complexes with beautifully landscaped grounds.

I was able to see a lot in three days. It was a great port to just roam
around.

The Giant's Causeway

2009-07-01T09:15:00.003-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian)
(image from www.myguideireland.com)
On Friday several cadets and I took the Giant's Causeway tour to the northcoast of the County Antrim. This was an 8 ½ hour tour of the beautiful northern region. Only 13 of us chose to go that day. It was unfortunate for those who didn't come along because we saw some of the most astounding scenery of any of the ports of this cruise. We traveled through peaceful, green farm country passing quaint cottages and farmhouses. Reaching the coast, we traveled though the seaside villages of Portstewart and Portrush and stopped at the ruins of Dunlucie Castle on a cliff overlooking the sea. This castle was the ancestral home of the McDonnell clan, the chiefs of Antrim and my Mother's family.. The day was clear and warm and we could see all the way over to Scotland from the site.
Traveling further west, we came to the Giant's Causeway itself. The causeway is a natural formation of regularly shaped basalt columns formed 60 million years ago by volcanic activity. They extend out into the sea. The weathered tops are so regular in shape that they look like floor tilesmaking up a walkway to the ocean. The legend is that it was created by the giant, Finn McCool so he could walk to Scotland to battle another giant.
After exploring the Causeway for an hour we had a traditional meal of Irish stew for lunch. Our bellies full, we moved on to the adventurous part of the trip, crossing the rope bridge or Carrick-a-rede. The rope bridge was first built centuries ago by fishermen so they could reach their fishing spot on a small, rocky island 70 feet offshore. It hangs precipitously 80 feet above the sea. Walking across on the narrow planking was a harrowing experience to say the least. The bridge shook and swayed while crossing it and some of us managed the crossing better than others. My method was just not to look down. After walking around the tiny island on the other side with cliffs dropping straight down to the sea, we had to make a return crossing to the mainland. It was just as thrilling.
Heading back to Belfast, we took the Antrim coast road passing through the spectacular Glens of Antrim and the lovely seaside towns of Ballycastle,Cushendall, Larne and Carrickfergus. Returning back to the ship that evening, we were exhausted yet invigorated by the beautiful Irish sights we had experienced.

Belfast, Ireland

2009-06-28T14:29:00.002-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian, Mr. Delbango)
(image from Google images)
We pulled into Belfast harbor on Wednesday about 22:00. Darkness actually fell while most of us were still awake for the first time in weeks. We anchored in the harbor and really appreciated the dark because it allowed us to view the City lit up in all its glory. There had been a magnificent sunset over Belfast, and then it just started to glow in the clear night.
We thought we were going to dock about 2:00, but didn't actually dock until about 8:00. We finally got off the ship by 11:15 raring to go.
Once again, because of the distance from the docks to the city center, the College arranged busses for us. They run once an hour to the town and back. This is a real convenience because it is about 3 miles from the Ship to the downtown through a large industrial dock area.
The bus leaves us in a very busy district with plenty to do. There is some great shopping in small stores and two really nice malls re-engineered from old Victorian buildings. There are plenty of places to eat and drink. There is even a huge Ferris wheel right next to the City Hall! Thursday's weather was fantastic, sunny and warm. It was a great day to enjoy a great city.
I am are going on two of the scheduled tours over the next few days. Friday I'm taking an all day tour of the Giant's Causeway and the northcoast and Saturday a 3 hour bus tour of Belfast. Saturday is also the Carnival in town. All in all, it's going to be a busy port.

Passing Shetland Islands

2009-06-24T12:25:00.004-04:00

(Excerpt from Ship's Librarian)
(image from "www.shetlandtourism.com")
We passed the Shetland Islands Monday evening and someone started the rumor that you could see the Shetland ponies on the shore. Even if they were, we weren't that close. During the night, we hit the Prime Meridian(0°) and headed south, then back west toward Belfast. In the morning the ship was shrouded in dense fog and we could see nothing. About 11:00 the fog lifted and we saw land on both sides of the ship. We were passing through Pentland Firth, a fairly narrow channel with the Scottish highlands to our port side and the Orkney Islands to the starboard. We're going to continue southwest past Scotland and the Outer Hebrides and down to the North Channel of the Irish Sea to the Irish island, arriving Wednesday night/ Thursday morning ready for our last liberty.

Librarian Joe Williams Presented at SUNYLA 2009

2009-06-24T11:45:00.004-04:00

At the recent 41st Annual SUNY Librarian’s conference (SUNYLA 2009) held at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarian, Joe Williams, did a presentation on using a scientific approach to assess and analyze libraries' collections in relation to the academic curriculum. This presentation titled “Measuring the Maritime Curriculum: Library Collection Assessment at SUNY Maritime College” explores how to use various factors to determine what an optimal collection should be and then comparing this to the library’s existing collection – a formula based theory to collection assessment. You can read more about Mr. Williams’ research by viewing an abstract and PowerPoint presentation online at Luce Library’s conferences web page. Mr. Williams had a very captive audience who expressed great interest in this topic and shared many questions at the end.

Kudos to Joe for a job well done!