Maine Maritime Academy

Founding and early years (1941–1945) An institution devoted to nautical training in Maine was first proposed in the 1930s by educational and civic leaders throughout the state, led by Senator Ralph Leavitt of Portland. [ 3 ] Through efforts of Senator Ralph A. Leavitt and the Portland Propeller Club seeking to establish an institution of nautical science, the Maine Legislature made an appropriation of $15,000 in March 1941. [ 4 ] The Maine Maritime Academy was formally established by an act of the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. The original class of 29 students, known as the "Solid 28," reported on October 9, 1941, to Rear Admiral Douglas Dismukes, USN, a veteran of World War I who came out of retirement to head the fledgling school. [ 3 ] Classes initially met on the campus of the Eastern State Normal School, with students lodged at Castine's Pentagöet Inn, until the Legislature transferred the Normal School building to MMA property on January 23, 1942. [ 5 ] The Mattie, a schooner out of Camden, Maine, served as the first training ship. [ 3 ]

The academy's founding coincided with America's entry into World War II, creating an urgent national need for trained maritime officers. World War II required a rapid build-up of the U.S. Merchant Marine, with a critical need for trained deck and engineering officers. The Academy met that challenge, graduating its first class in May 1943 after a truncated course of studies. [ 3 ] [ 6 ] By war's end, Maine Maritime had graduated 384 men who served at sea during the war in every theater of operations. [ 7 ] These graduates were commissioned as officers in the Merchant Marine and U.S. Naval Reserve, many immediately entering active duty or serving aboard merchant vessels in support of the ongoing war effort under wartime conditions where merchant mariners died at a rate of 1 in 26, which equated to the highest casualty rate of any military service. [ 6 ] A World War II memorial at the academy reads "The seas washed over them and they were gone. 6,895 Merchant Mariners, 60 from the State of Maine, and 1,810 members of the U.S. Naval Armed Guard lost their lives in WW II. We shall not forget them." [ 7 ]

In the post-war era, the program expanded from the original concept to a three-year course of study, and in 1960, to a four-year, Bachelor of Science degree program. [ 3 ] [ 8 ] In the 1960s and 70s, Rear Admiral Edward Rodgers, USMS, led a multi-million dollar development program culminating in full membership in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. [ 3 ] [ 8 ] Rodgers, a 1940 U.S. Naval Academy graduate and World War II naval aviator, served as superintendent from 1964 to 1984, transforming the academy through comprehensive modernization and academic expansion. [ 9 ] During his tenure, Rodgers received both a BA and MA of Science in aviation engineering at MIT and helped test the Navy's Skyhook personnel rescue project before transitioning to his academic leadership role at MMA. [ 10 ]

In 1976, Academy senior Deborah Doane Dempsey became the first woman to graduate from any maritime or service academy in the United States, graduating as valedictorian of her class. [ 11 ] She later became the first American woman to achieve the rank of Master Mariner and command a cargo ship sailing internationally, and was the first woman to become a regular member of the Council of American Master Mariners. Dempsey served during the Persian Gulf War and received the U.S. Navy Meritorious Service Award for Public Service, and in 1994 received an honorary doctorate from Maine Maritime Academy. [ 12 ] The academy has continued to evolve in the modern era, expanding its academic offerings beyond traditional maritime programs to include engineering technology, international business and logistics, and marine sciences, while maintaining its core mission of preparing students for careers in the maritime industry and related fields. Today, Maine Maritime Academy stands as one of six state maritime academies in the United States, distinguished by its comprehensive maritime education programs and strong traditions rooted in its wartime origins.