The SUNY Maritime College training ship Empire State VII is expected to return to its Fort Schuyler campus in the Bronx, N.Y., no later than mid-November after the federal government changed its activation plan for the vessel, college President Rear Adm. John A. Okon said Wednesday.
In a message to the college community, Okon said the ship is expected to resume academic use, ship work, and cadet watches once it returns. He did not say what changed in the federal plan or what happened to the Navy support mission for which the ship was activated.
The college is working with the Maritime Administration (Marad) to confirm details of the ship’s return, Okon said. Neither he nor the college gave an exact arrival date.
In August, Marad Administrator Stephen M. Carmel authorized the activation, which was expected to last about 170 days. The ship left Fort Schuyler Sept. 30 under a Marad sailing order for Norfolk, Va., where it was scheduled to undergo maintenance and repair work, including certification of its flight deck, through Oct. 30.
Marad and the college never publicly detailed the Navy operations the ship was to support afterward. A Marad spokesperson said in August that the Navy, Military Sealift Command, and Marad were evaluating options to increase transportation capacity for personnel supporting naval operations in the Indo-Pacific. Reports at the time said the ship could be sent to Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean.
The ship’s absence has disrupted the college’s academic year. Okon said last month the college had told Marad the vessel needed to be back at Fort Schuyler by about Feb. 12, 2027, to keep the 2027 Summer Sea Term on schedule. The mid-November return would come about three months ahead of that date.
Okon said the ship’s return will allow the college to resume hands-on learning, shipboard activities, and the sea time required for its U.S. Coast Guard-approved program. Cadets seeking Coast Guard licenses must complete seagoing service through summer sea terms aboard the ship, cadet shipping on commercial or government vessels, or a combination of both. Before the activation, the ship also served as instructional and berthing space when moored at Fort Schuyler during the school year.
Delivered in 2023 by Philly Shipyard, the 525' Empire State is the first of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels ordered for the state maritime academies. Marad owns the ships, and the academies operate them. The vessels are designed primarily for cadet training but can be called on for federal missions and disaster response. The Empire State activation was the first use of an NSMV for national security mission support.
