The Kings Point Sentry

The Sea Year pause cancellation harms the potential victims it supposedly seeks to protect.  Before the Sea Year pause cancellation, midshipmen obtained valuable, real-world, training […]

As I’ve covered extensively in this blog, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) is blocking USMMA midshipmen from their long-established, and essential, Sea Year training aboard commercial […]

Update:  At today’s BOV meeting, in response to objections to having MARAD involved in the approval of the BOV’s charter, MARAD’s new Chief Counsel actually […]

A while back I asked for background information on John Ryan Melogy, the self-appointed crusader against SASH in the maritime industry. I was overwhelmed by […]

This discrimination decision is damning.  Last year, Deputy Superintendent Susan Dunlap was found to have engaged in discrimination against the Academy’s Sexual Assault and Sexual […]

SOLAS-compliant vessels now eligible for EMBARC Bravo Zulu to Keith Mcliverty, the president of the USMMA National Parents Association, who has been keeping lines of […]

In Part 2 of this series, I demonstrated that MARAD was deliberately dismantling USMMA Sea Year by applying an artificial restriction—”subject to SOLAS”—on vessels that […]

Today’s post is an exposé on how MARAD has begun the deliberate dismantling of USMMA’s Sea Year. In a follow up post, we will explore […]

MARAD is playing major games with data and semantics as part of an effort to mislead Congress and the public about Sea Year and the […]

Before an administrative agency wishes to adopt a rule, the U.S. Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) mandates that the agency first give notice and an opportunity […]

Last week I published a proposed draft request for a waiver of the EMBARC requirements that, if granted, would allow Academy midshipmen who requested this […]

As most readers know, Sea Year was paused cancelled in November 2021 until MARAD developed a plan to further address the risk to midshipmen of […]

John Ryan Melogy is an Academy alum who is supposedly on a crusade against SASH in the maritime industry but it seems that his agenda […]

VADM Buono announced today that he will be retiring as the Academy’s 13th Superintendent when the Class of 2022 graduates in June.  Thirteen turned out […]

This week, Senators Roger Wicker and Susan Collins wrote the Secretary of Transportation expressing their frustration with MARAD’s failure to fully restore Sea Year and […]

The United States Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association (“USMMAAAF”) has published a summary of the policy arguments supporting Sea Year training.  This can be helpful […]

8 pm EST update:  I never attempted to monetize this blog.  It was always about what was best for the Academy.  Now I’m going to […]

Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby has just announced the appointment of Jack Buono ’78 as Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy. Admiral Buono, a Master […]

Colonel James A. Helis, the superintendent who lacked the competence, experience, and credentials to sail as a wiper or ordinary seaman, and who never should […]

Update:  Today’s the final day.  USMMA is in second, behind West Point, by about one percentage point of participation.  And those young punks from the […]

MARAD has announced that Superintendent Helis has accepted a position at MARAD HQ  as “special assistant to the administrator.” Unfortunately, he will remain in place […]

Given the marine interests of this of this blog, let me step out of our usual topics and emphasize something that is of important interest […]

At the request of Congress, the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has reviewed the progress — or lack of progress — shown […]

I haven’t had a chance to read the opinion yet and won’t until late tonight or tomorrow. But, given the interest, I wanted to post […]

Correction:  In the original version of this post, I stated that the the Newsday article did not indicate that anyone from the government’s side had […]

Update:  I’ve modified this post slightly.  The change is shown in “strikeout.”  An explanation appears at the end of the post. Preface: Once again, I […]

Preface- I don’t have an opinion about the guilt or innocence of the accused midshipman in the incident I am writing about. This column is […]

Ever since this blog was started, I have emphasized the importance the Academy’s sea year has to the goal of graduating the best and highest […]

An article on gCaptain.com called my attention to a podcast with Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby that was done by maritime attorney Kalus Luhta. The […]