Maine Maritime Academy (Maine Maritime or MMA) is a public college focused on maritime training and located in Castine, Maine. The academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Unlike federal service academies, a congressional recommendation is not required to attend this state school. Students are not obligated to go to sea or into the military after graduation, and a large portion of the graduating class chooses shore-side employment, often in maritime-related fields or the power generation industry.
Maine Maritime Academy has co-op and internship programs.[2] Students from all engineering majors and the Marine Transportation Operations major are required to complete at least one co-op. Some majors are required to complete multiple co-ops. Students in the Regiment of Midshipmen have the opportunity or requirement to participate in two cruises with the Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM). Students in the Small Vessel Operations major have the opportunity to sail with the schoonerBowdoin on her yearly training cruise.[3]
Maine Maritime competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, sailing, soccer and swimming & diving; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming & diving and volleyball. Club sports include men's & women's wrestling. The football program was suspended on August 14, 2020 due to COVID-19 financial impacts. [5] It was announced on January 9, 2023, after a successful fundraising campaign, that the football program would resume a varsity program with the 2025 season, competing in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. [6]
Training ships
The academy has utilized a number of vessels over the years to provide hands-on training and instruction opportunities for cadets at sea, usually former U.S. Navy ships. Each of the academy's training ships bear the same name, TS State of Maine, during their respective time in service as the academy training ship.
