Evening star., 1941-11-02
THE SUNDAY STAR WASHINGTON, D. c. NOVEMBER @ 1911.
$4,000 Are Needed
To Man 1900 Ships
In 1943 Program
Maritime Commission
Selecting 1000 Youths
For Troining Schools
BY WILLIAM ]. WHEATLEY.

With 1900 new ships scheduled to
be commissioned for the American
Merchant Marine by the end of 1943,
Maritime Commission officials yes
terday estimated that 10000 new
officers and 10000 seamen will be
needed within the next year.
The commission is selecting 1000
youths through competitive exam
nations for induction during the
next IL months into its three cadet
training schools in New York, San
Francisco and New Orleans.
Commission officials have pre-
dicted that postwar trade will be
so great that many Of the new sea-
men will be kept on the merchant
ships after the emergency if they
desire. Graduates automatically re-
ceive commissions in the United
States Naval Reserve, and while they
are students they are exempt from
selective service training.
Applications Pour In.
While applications are said to be
pouring into the commissions head
quarters here. the requirements as
to education and physical condition
are rather strict-in fact 1t was said
that they are as stringent as those
for entrance into the United States
Naval Academy, except in the up
per age limit.
Applicants must be unmarried,
citizens of the United States be-
tween the ages of 18 and 25. They
must possess Is units from an ac-
credited school. eight of which may
be elective and the others, manda-
tory. as follows: Three in English,
one in algebra, one in plane geome-
try. two from any of the following:
general science. biology, chemistry,
physics or workshop subjects and
one in a foreign language. How
ever, an applicant for cadet en-
gineer may substitute a mechanical
art subject for foreign language.
1t was pointed out that in the
event that a ship on which a cadet
is taking his training is taken over
by the Navy he is appointed a mid
shipman in the Naval Reserve.
More than so such cadets already
are on active duty in that rating.
For the first eight weeks in the
service a cadet is sent to one of the
three schools. where he becomes
acquainted with the fundamentals
Of seamanship and learns merchant
marine tradition by example from
his instructors He must. it was
added. be more than an engineer or
navigator-he must be an expert
in seamanship, good executive and
dipolmat.
Study Courses At Sea.
After completing the tour OF duty
ashore, he is sent to sea for a year
and 10 months, being assigned to
various merchant vessels plying the
trade routes throughout the world.
Aboard ship he lives in close asso-
citation with the officers. The uni
form the cadet wears on duty is SIM
ilar to that of midshipmen. While
at sea he learns in actual practice
and by study courses mapped out
by the commissions officers COW
ering wide variety Of subjects he
must master to win his stripes. A
deck ofdcer must learn cargo ham
ding. commerce regulations, COM
munications. naval science, mari
time law, ship construction, meteor
ology and other subjects. :
The third year of the training is
spent ashore in the cadet schools for
advanced training. Then the cadet
takes such subjects as gyro and is
even assigned to various stevedor-
ing concerns, shipyards and the
like.
During his tour of duty as a cadet
he receives base pay at the rate of
S65 month, in addition to quar-
tiers and subsistence, and on gradu-
alton receives an ensign's commits
sion in the Naval Reserve. After
graduation he is qualified to take
examinations for third officer or
third assistant engineer. for which
the minimum pay is $3.50 a month.
The new officer then can look for
ward to top annual salaries of
$500 or more paid to masters and
chief engineers of first-class passen-
ger ships.