Unlike our British forebearers, we have a pitiful history of naming our warships in the US Navy. Here you’ll find no “Invincibles,” or “Broadswords.” We’re more in favor of naming our capital ships after politicians. The first ship of the Nimitz-class was named after a fleet admiral, the second – in a gesture of inter-service comity – was named after a five-star general, Dwight Eisenhower. Which gentleman, someone undoubtedly remembered, was also a president. After that, it was game on: Vinson and Truman, Lincoln and Roosevelt, Washington and Stennis, Reagan and Bush. Ford on the way.
In fact, the best named vessels in the active service are our minesweeps and patrol boats – too small and trivial to attract political regard.
To my mind at least, the best named vessels of the US Navy were the 44 foot Luder’s yawls at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. I have fond memories of walking the quay wall there and seeing one or another of these classically designed beauties toss at her mooring lines like high spirited mare in a cross-tie. I fell asleep on many a humid evening with the windows open, listening to the wind chime tinkling of shackles and turnbuckles playfully slapping at the mast and stays. Berthed there were boats with such names as Audacious and Courageous, Active and Lively and my favorite: Flirt.
For years, mids by the hundreds went to sea in the summer on one or another of the academy’s fleet of 44-foot sloops to spend a week or two in close quarters, dealing with whatever the ocean threw at them between here and New England. In Navy parlance, it’s called small-unit leadership training at sea and is regarded by many as a cornerstone of preparation for budding officers.
Two years ago, about 1,000 mids made the summer passage either from Newport, R.I., to Annapolis or the other way around after a week of training on one of the academy’s 21 blue 44-footers, said Cmdr. Jay Cavalieri, a former all-American dinghy sailor who now runs the school’s sailing program. This year, he expects only 120 or 130 will make the trip.
The offshore program and inshore basic sail training in smaller boats are victims of budget cuts, said Cavalieri, who has been struggling to keep them afloat on about one-tenth of the funds he’s used to having.
The racing programs won’t be affected, just the off- and on-shore summer cruising up and down the Atlantic Coast in a 44-foot boat with a dozen people whose actual lives depend upon the smart choices of those entrusted with the watch through the dark hours of the night. In lieu of time spent floating about on an Amphibious Transport Dock signing off PQS, maybe. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
It’s the right decision of course. Resources are limited.
Still: It’s a pity.
Oh, BULLS#@*!!!!
I don’t care what any penny-pinching, swohating budget officer says, CSNTS (that’s summer sailing cruise) was one of the best training blocks USNA had. And when Grampa Rempt made it mandatory for all 3/C, it was probably the best decision of his tenure. In three weeks, you actually learned how to sail and handle a boat, because you had to. You learned how to navigate and you got a real feel for a port and starboard watch rotation, because you had to. It hammered in the importance of that book learning about ship handling, weather, and nautical nomenclature. The lessons learned from going to see in little blue boats are manifold and invaluable.
And when I did that cruise again as the 1/C MIDN skipper of the Frolic an all mid boat (that’s right: they put 2 new 1/c and 8 green never-sailed-before Junksters on a $250,000 boat and told us to sail to Newport, offshore, during hurricane season), it was the best (and arguably the only genuine) practical leadership experience I had at USNA.
I know there was a genuine feeling that it was a cruise that only benefited would-be shoes, but almost the whole program was run by aviators. And when I was midshipman skipper, something akin to 18 of the 25 of us were SNA selects. Three were SEAL selects. I don’t recall the rest.
So yeah, I think this is a step in the wrong direction.
(Nota bene: the Luders Yawls were long gone a long time ago. The article is talking about the McCurdy and Rhodes “Navy 44″ sloops, which are supposed to be replaced any year now by spiffy new polymer-hulled boats.)
1390,
I’m in total agreement. Nothing teaches leadership like being in charge in a situation that is just a bit above your head!
Nose
PS Ixnay on saying USNA doesn’t provide practical leadership. That’s why it exists, pal. Shhhhhhhh….
this is just plain wrong, on so many levels.
as an alternative, give the young pups a rucksack and a weapon w/blanks, and a piece of dirt about 25 square kilometers…
they won’t learn squat about tides, but they’ll learn the mid-watch and weather, and might even find out something about leadership…
Having been a sailor (small s) for years, I can’t agree more with 1390 and Nose as to the practical application of leadership and seamanship than doing a cruise like that up the east coast. Throw in an elevated pucker factor with hurricane season and WX factors and you have a real growing experience.
Lex and friends … as far as big boats go, I’m a landlubber with very little experience. But small boats, well, that’s somewhat of another story. I married a small-boat racing sailor back in 1971, and we sailed and raced happily until time took its inevitable toll and we started hurting ourselves and had to give it up. But we both agree with Nose and Humble 1390. Small boat sailing and racing really teaches leadership because you always have to sail at least a little bit above your skill level, and keep your head while doing it.
Christopher Buckley, son of the recently deceased and fondly remembered Bill Buckley [prolific author, television commentator, and general all-around pundit] wrote an essay on his father called My Old Man and the Sea. It’s lovely — funny, vivid and fond. In it he says “Great men always have too much sail up. Great men always take great risks… ” Christopher tells some wonderful tales of his father’s seagoing exploits which are worth reading, one of which details sailing across Long Island Sound in a hurricane, and getting back safely. “Oh we’ll be fine,” Bill Buckley said. And, to everyone’s surprise, they were.
Other highlights were sailing with his father through the Pacific [Buckley's book was called Racing Through Paradise], and sailing across the Atlantic to the Azores and elsewhere, navigating by sextant and stars.
If you want to check it out, I found it on maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com. I’d link it, but I’m still learning and I don’t know how to do that yet. Take a look at it if you have the time. It’s wonderful. Christopher writes as well as his father ever did.
Marianne
I agree with 1390 above…
Although I hated it at the time (due to an incompetent OIC), my 3/c CSNTS cruise was probably one of the best training experiences at the Academy. Living in close quarters with 8-10 other people and going on deck during a gale to change sails is a pretty awesome experience.
Giving command of these 44′s to MIDN is probably a better leadership experience than summer detail–leading those who have already learned to follow. What a shame.
I imagine that just like CPO initiation (’99, before the Season of Pride), the experience teaches lessons about yourself and others that you may not benefit from until years later when you most need them.
From the looks of things, the beancounters have determined that this kind of training has to pay off within the Fiscal Year in order to be worthy.
best memories of college at ODU were sailing on our 53′ Gulfstar Ketch and teaching sailing for the whole summer after commissioning. No money for maintenance for the big boat so basically all the prior E OCs put in our time to maintain it. We took care of her like our baby. Awesome times.
When my first aniversary came about in Nov of 93, I had the choice of dinner with the Mrs at Il Giardino in VA beach, or sail up the Chesapeake with my buddies to take the boat to the Academy for some much needed maintenance and hopefully a new Jib. (and a weekend in Annapolis) The Mrs will tell me till I die that I made the wrong choice. I figured that other aniversaries will come, but that was as a once in a lifetime experience.
Lets see, nasty waves, rain, atrociour weather, the LT OIC forgot to check the gas tank and we ran out of gas at 3 am, got rescued by the coasties and then we cleaned out their galley leaving as much cash behind as we could, I almost got run over by a merchant in the middle of the night, running through the crab pots…oh and the infamous Steakums cooked by the same LT OIC that made everyone sic (the bay was pretty rough too, that was my excuse). Although some will find many reasons to cut the sailing budgets, it is my belief that it teaches a lot more re leadership, responsibility and “get it done attitude” than any of the other courses you can take in college. Sad to see USNA limiting their program.
claudio
Never been to the Trade School, but had a fairly long albeit limited acquaintance with small to middling size sail and power craft through scouting and actual paid work experience. The lessons thus learned with deck under foot, lines in hand, in actual piloting and seamanship situations instilled a love of the sea and a healthy respect. Also many of the essential skills upon which to build a 26 year “shoe” career.
There can be few things done at USNA that contribute more to actual development of naval officers than the sailing program.
But, I guess dairy farms, football teams, and endless squandering of assets enforcing political correctness at all costs are deemed more important by some. Perhaps those with such misguided priorities are infected with the same diminished mental capacity afflicting the nearby Congresscritters. Too bad. The Navy suffers greatly from such fools.
While I can’t say anything towards experience sailing, I am glad to see someone more important than me is disappointed that the US is naming carriers after politicians while letting good historical names like Lexington, Saratoga, Intrepid and Hornet go unused or bumping others like Bonhomme Richard or Wasp to Amphibs.
Cutting the sailing program at Annapolis is a bit like dropping the marksmanship program at the Point. Just a few fond recollections:
In ’53 or 54’ the Notre Dame Sailing Team attended a regatta at the Academy (known to Lex as the “Trade School”). At that stage of the game, we were sailing either Tech Dinghy or Dyer Dinghy. Skipper and crew, with no weight restrictions manned the crafts. Like our hosts, we could not drop in a 105 lbs co-ed lady as crew or skipper into the craft. Our lightest crew member was Don Street, who tipped the scales at 135 lbs. Don of course went on to fame as the guru of the cruising world writing the definitive cruising guides for the Windward Islands. The next lightest crew member was Don Matthews at about 165lbs, he of the famed duel between the 12 meter Vim and Weatherly… It was always the weight, not our skill, that led to poor performance!
It all came back when we parked our grand old lady, “Perseverance” off the Academy, and every morning, over coffee, were treated to the morning chants as the cadets did their marching. For Marianne, and all the other sailors on this blog, “Perseverance” was a true cutter rig, Krogen 38’, fore and aft duel centerboard design…
I digress. Others have pointed out how the craft and art of sailing leads to leadership, self reliance, team work and more. But I will vote for two other aspects.
First, it leads to the love of the sea. Whether it is a small boat, or a big boat, there is always an up tick of excitement when you step aboard. That feeling that you are facing the unknown, that feeling that something new is out there. You just love the water that floats your boat. And that yearning never stops, you always want to go out there…
Second, there is an element of fear that has to be meet and overcome. Geo6 and Marianne as small boat sailors know this, when it is blowing, and the race course has been set, you just know one mistake is going to lead to swim time.
I think Lex ought to snip out this post, with the distress that folks have voiced, and send it to the Secretary of Navy, and the Commandant of the Academy. Only somebody who has never been “out there” can consider this a valid cost reduction.
Forget that “may the wind always be on your back” stuff. Just remember, the weather is always good for sailing, but sometimes it is a little better than others.
Is that the guy I see in the water in the lead ’44?
The problem with “cool” names for warships is that after a while they’ve all been used and re-used by multiple navies. It’s like sports teams – how many Eagles, Lions, Wildcats? U.S. warship names are dignified (mostly) and distinctively American. Also there are lots of choices. The British ran out of cool names and had a whole class of escorts named for flowers. Though I know of one jack tar who really liked the idea of U-boats getting blown to bits by HMS ARBUTUS and HMS BUTTERCUP.
As a landlocked farm boy in my youth, my introduction to sailing didn’t arrive until age 19. Ironically, my initial sail was aboard a very 44-foot Luder’s yawl that the Academy had recently relinquished.
Not surprisingly, I was immediately hooked on salt, sea, and sail.
Then over the many ensuing years, I enjoyed both crewing and skippering on a wide variety of sailing vessels. But every time I set sail – even today – I frequently flashback to that strong and sturdy craft, with its teakwood and sail aplenty, and a hard-charging crew all (mostly) working in concert to do her justice.
So while I may be a skinflint regarding defense budgets, this is a painful (and not very productive, I think) budget cut for me.
Probably they could afford this program if they dropped 20% of the PC B.S they are legislated to “teach”…
You all make compelling, “emotive” and esoteric arguments for retaining it. However, not to be a devil’s advocate, I’ll remind you I had to buy my first Hobie and subsequent boats myself yet I was able to function pretty well as a Naval Officer…. Many others too..in fact most.
b2
The real issue with this is the loss of yet another right of passage as a midshipman. That the Academy has time to do diversity nights, but not time to teach a nautical subject that it could teach-and costs little once the sunk cost of the boats is subtracted-is evidence of how far gone the Navy is on respecting and passing on tradition.
I always wanted to learn to sail but never learned the craft. That the USNA teaches it is a good thing.
Amen to all the comments above.
Brief sidebar about monikers. While the RN may have the kewl names (Warspite’s my favorite), there’s something to be said for a ship that goes and makes a name for itself. (cf. Bonhomme Richard, Growler, Johnston). And then there’s ships whose names alone should stir every patriot’s blood (cf. Saratoga, The Sullivans, Perry). In short, no jealousy here.
So good hunting to you, JIMMY CARTER and GERALD FORD!
It turns out that the Flirt is berthed right here in San Diego, fliterman. Perhaps you and I could make a consortium to buy and operate her.
I should think that the paying pax would never tire of sailing, and if they did, well – they could entertain themselves with the squabbling of the owners
Well, I’m sure there is still plenty of money for diversity training.
You folks are all right. It is an utter disgrace to strip the USNA sailing program. I have been involved with the Navy sailing program since ’91, and never has it been at its lowest. With two world class sailers, CDR Jay Cavaleri, head of all Navy sailing and Jahn Tihansky, head coach of the offshore sailing team, how better could the USNA sailing program be in better hands. Except for two idiots at the helm of the Big Boat Driving School: Supe. Fowler (Fowled-up); Comandant Klein. You won’t find a MDSN or faculty member on the Yard who has nothing but contempt for Boris & Natasha. Fowled-up seems to want to destroy many underpinings of Canoe U, the sailing program being just the latest. No program at the Academy has taught leadership skills better than the offshore sailing program. One final note: there is one erroneous statement from one of the folks. Not only is the CSNTS program decimated, but the Varsity Offshore Sailing Team (VOST) is in peril. As of today no funds have been released for the upcoming racing season! We do not know if or how many boats may participate in not only Chesapeake Bay races, but in the Bermuda races and other events, such as the ALIR and New York Yacht Club regatta. Such a shame for sailing, but more a shame for the excellent training these MDSNs will miss. As a retired 3-star Admiral, intimently connected to the USNA, said to me recently, “How can Fowler have his head so far up his ass.”
Lex-
Re: Buying Flirt- the Trade School has already sold 1 of the 44′s. . .for the princely sum of $30,000. She went with a full compliment of sails (funny, I never sailed on one that had all of its assigned sails). The buyer was going to have her repainted and re-rigged so he could double hand her. Estimates for all that were in the $30k range. All in all, a steal for such a boat.
There was a published plan a while back detailing the phase out schedule and who to send your checks too. . .but it seems lost in the ether.
Sez you! I hated PQS. Still do. Hated checkouts, studying, and everything associated with qualifications except the triumphant and glorious denouement when it was over.
Now I find I am still qualifying and improving my bonafides to get ahead until the day I draw me last breath.
But sailing as a summer experience would have been a better use of said time.
Subsunk
1390, y0u’re talking one of the new Navy 44′s, the fiberglass boats fof $30k? That’s not a steal, that’s robbery!
jmh, while admiring the passion of your argument I have to say I feel a little uncomfortable about sponsoring personal attacks on named, serving officers from behind a screen of Internet anonymity.
I say that fully cognizant of the fact that my hands are not entirely spotless in analogous regards. But, gosh.
Cranking and Trapping in a small monohull or Hobie does wonders for learning, confidence, and learning HOW and WHEN to push limits. It is training self-discipline and teamwork under the disguise of fun and effort.
Never did the Navy or Trade School thing but i can tell you I did not spend a lot of time in Juvie (a/k/a the brig for punk-teens) BECAUSE I sailed when I was a punk teenager.
Those lessons learned are fondly remembered today 25 years later. Now my 7 year old son will learn in a year or two at the hands of a 470 or Two(fat)Man Laser on Narragansett Bay, the necessary Really Small boat handling skills that will carry him through life.
As an aside, I guess I won’t be seeing the arriving Academy youngins while I’m surfcasting for striped bass off Beavertail, Castle Hill, or Brenton Point.
Remember, if you’re not capsizing from time to time, you are not trying hard enough…
Lex- Mebbe I phrased that oddly: they are selling the olde (circa 1988) McCurdy and Rhodes Navy 44′s one at a time, as the new replacements are delivered. The first Navy 44 Mk II (Renaissance) was just delivered, so they have only sold one of the Mk I’s thus far.
y’all are whippersnappers; I remember Vamarie and sailed on Freedom, as well as the Luders and knockabouts. The diminution of the program in any respect is a great loss and shows the shortsightedness and leadership failure of not just the Darkside, but also of the current misadministration about 30 miles away … but then there is something [very little] to be said for consistency !
lex…appreciate your thoughts, but when something this egregious happens at the hands of idiots, whether serving or retired, it is time to name names. Speaking of football, who could be more insensitive than Boris & Natasha to not grant town liberty to the Mids when we beat Notre Dame?