Evening star., 1946-02-24

The only source of trained personnel
of this type can be the Federal Govern
ment and the States. While the ships
are operated privately, nevertheless, the
Federal Government has the function
Of providing the means for developing
the foreign commerce and channeling it
into American bottoms. A well differed
and manned merchant marine is great
national asset in time of war. The per-
sonnel is available for service in the
Navy in time of war, but, more impor-
tant, perhaps, is their training to op-
crate the merchant ships. required to
transport the sinews of war to the rov-
ing fighting fleets.
The recent conflict made this more
apparent than ever. While the dis
patches were full of the worldwide row.
ings and success of the fighting fleets,
those same fleets would have been most
ineffective had it not been for the bridge
Of merchant ships which kept them
supplied with the millions of tons of
ammunition and other needs.
Quietly and unobtrusively under the
secrecy of war, the training organiza-
ton of the War Shipping Administra-
tion, under the direction of Commodore
Telfair Knight has built up an efficient
group of young sea-going personnel,
gathered during the war from the high
schools of the country, until it has
corps of real, red-blooded young sea-
farlng Americans of a considerably
higher intelligence quotient than has
ever before followed the American flag
to sea.
Commodore McNulty Originator.
The United States Merchant Marine
Cadet Corps is the brain child of its
present supervisor, Commodore Richard
r. McNulty, U. S. N. R., who conceived
the idea years before the outbreak of
the war, and who has worked incessant-
ly to bring it up to its present high
standards, even under the necessities of
forcing" young men through to meet
the needs of the vastly expanding mer-
chant fleets during the war years A
former merchant marine officer, grad
School and the Georgetown University
School of Foreign Service, he early Wis
ualized the need for the Government to
take hold of the training of its mer-
chant officers
With the conflict over, these officials
now have turned their attention to the
peacetime program and are revising
the course to comply with the degree
issuing requirements of the Association
of American Colleges. The lads who
come out of the new system will be we'll
trained and educated to handle not only
the problems of ship operation, but will
be masters of ocean transportation and
fully capable of fighting the battles of
American overseas commerce. They will
be thoroughly grounded in the history
of ocean transport, the principles of eco
nomics, accounting, shipping, marine
insurance, commercial, international
and maritime law, sea cargo, rules of
the road, refrigeration and ventilation,
meteorology and photography, marine
Inspections, naval architecture, ship
construction and design and damage
control.
Beginning with 1949, the plans call for
graduating class of 500 young officers
each year. Each freshman class will
start with $50 cadet-midshipmen, $50 of
whom will be at San Mateo, Calf, and
300 at Pass Christian, Miss. This is ex-
pected to be reduced to $50 in the Sec
ond year, the sea-going year, through
natural attrition from designations and
those who bilge out. The second class
Is expected to start at the Merchant
Marine Academy at Kings Point with
600, with perhaps loss during the year
of approximately 100, leaving 500 for the
first or graduating class.
The training organization of the War
Shipping Administration has already set
up quite an installation at the cadet
school at Pass Christian. There the Gov
ernment took over during the war an
old summer resort, known as the Inn
by-the-Sea, and has built up an elabor-
ate group of buildings for the classes
and the housing OF the cadet midship-
men, fashioned somewhat after the sys-
tenn at the Naval Academy. The cadet
midShipmen are grouped four to a
room in the living quarters, with ade-
quate locker space for the uniforms and
other equipment, tables for their study
periods and bookcases for their text
books. machine shop is provided,
with knocked-doWn marine machinery
hni1 ole &c
ding gear and other paraphernalia for
the deck officers. The course is one of
the stiffest provided at any of the Gov
ernment academies, the students being
required to put 30 hours week in class.
Cadet Met Emergency.
To give some indication of the train
ing which is received by these young
sters, the case is cited of a new ship
which was placed in commission. With
all of its other modern equipment in
stalled for the more efficient and more
economic operation, it had an intricate
system of combustion control for the
boilers. The only one aboard who was
capable of operating and maintaining
it was cadet midshipman, a product
OF only years training i'll the basic
school. He not only carried the load for
the officers who were over him, but gave
them instruction in its operation and
maintenance
The wartime graduates of the schools
made history during the war; not few
lost their lives and many of them were
decorated for outstanding heroism. At
Pass Christian there is a memorial on
the parade ground to those cadets who
lost their lives and in the library are
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