CASTINE, Maine — For 27 years, the Maine Maritime Academy's State of Maine training ship has called Castine's pier home, the vessel sailed out for its last voyage on Wednesday.
The training ship departed from Castine shortly after noon for the last time. Maine Maritime Academy students will spend two months training at sea. When the voyage ends, the State of Maine vessel will dock at a pier in Portland, returning to the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Division’s (MARAD) Ready Reserve Force.
Representatives from Maine Maritime Academy said the ship will be replaced by a National Security multi-mission vessel sometime early next year.
The new ship will be available for use if needed for an emergency.
The State of Maine, which was originally named USNS Tanner, was designed and built in 1990 as an oceanographic research vessel.
After its renaming, the ship arrived in Castine in 1997 to serve as the academy’s at-sea training platform.
The State of Maine has completed 30 training voyages during its tenure, turning thousands of Maine Maritime Academy students into mariners.
Students like Sage Dentremont, who is a cadet second mate, said boarding the vessel for the last time is bittersweet.
"What she looks like," Dentremont said as she explained what she will miss and always remember about the beauty. "You can see her when you're walking down the hill coming down for watch. I don't ever think I'll forget the silhouette of her sitting here down at this dock."
Dentremont said the ship was a maze, and she will miss all of its quirks. As a junior student, this is Dentremont's last voyage as well.
Many of her peers, like junior student Christian Cabrera, will also be boarding the vessel for their last times. Cabrera, who is a regimen commander and cadet maintenance officer, said he sees the moment in history as an honor.
"In 27 years, to think about everybody who has stepped foot on this dock this ship, and to be the last one... I can't put into words what it means to me," Cabrera said. "We couldn't be more proud to wear the MMA logo on our chest."
When Cabrera boards the State of Maine, he and other students will look out at the waters in places like Port Everglades, Spain, and St. Thomas.
"The sea really does get into your blood, and you feel a certain brotherhood and sisterhood with your shipmates on board," Maxwell Dingle, former cadet master and recent 2024 graduate, said. "That's something you can't really get anywhere else other than some place like this."
Dingle did not board the vessel for its last dance at sea, but he helped organize pre-departure training for lower- and upper-class students.
Many people came to see students and the State of Maine off for their two-month voyage. Marie Bernard waved from the crowd as she tried to make out her son Danny's face from far away.
"I've already had a good cry," Bernard said as she said goodbye for now. "Danny, I love you, and I'm so proud of you and I know you can do this."
The State of Maine sailed off from Castine pier to do what she does best.
"We are mariners. We make mariners. We are the mariners," Maine Maritime Academy President Jerald Paul said.
There are 202 students, 25 faculty, and 20 crew members on board for the final voyage.
Crews will work with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to deploy six Argo floats during the two transatlantic crossings that will gather and transmit hydrographic data back to scientists ashore.