CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs executive director Ruth Coleman said the 500-foot ship Golden Bear is connected with the California Maritime Academy, which is one of seven degree-granting maritime academies in the U.S. and is affiliated with the California State University system.
Coleman said staff from the Marianas Visitors Authority and her office will be at the port to welcome the cadets and officers of the Golden Bear today.
Coleman said the Golden Bear’s commander is Capt. Harry Bolton.
The California Maritime Academy is not a military academy but the school receives support from the U.S. Maritime Administration.
“The training ship is a former Navy ship transferred to the academy by the Maritime Administration,” Coleman said.
Students at these academies can graduate with appropriate U.S. Coast Guard licenses as mate or engineers if they choose to take the Coast Guard license examination, and may become commissioned reserve officers in any branch of the service when graduating under a ROTC scholarship from the academy.
During their four-day stay, the cadets will get a chance to mingle with the locals and get a taste of island life.
The Golden Bear is the largest and fastest oceanographic ship built for the U.S. Navy as a hydrographic survey vessel to map the deep ocean floor.
It is the fourth and largest training ship at California Maritime Academy and the third to carry the name Golden Bear.
The Golden Bear will depart Saipan on the morning of June 15.
