SCI Chaplaincy for SUNY Maritime College’s Summer Sea Term and Indoc and the United States Merchant Marine Academy Indoc

In accordance with a directive defined in the Board’s Strategic Plan to “explore avenues for collaboration with US merchant marine academies, in areas like seafarers’ rights, pastoral care, and crisis and suicide intervention training,” SCI’s Chaplains and Chaplain Associates have provided support to the State Maritime College of New York and the United States Merchant Marine Academy since 2021 and 2018, respectively.

Chaplain Kempton Baldridge’s reflects, “Indoc” is the term for the orientation period (“Indoctrination”) undergone by the incoming class at USMMA, or Kings Point for short. Upon completion, the future officers go from being a “plebe candidate” to fully-fledged “plebe,” and are accepted into the Regiment of Midshipmen. It is, by design, an intensive experience, quite unlike any these young scholars would have faced before or will likely encounter elsewhere. One of its main aims is teaching midshipmen to cope with stress.

The training emphasized military discipline, teamwork, physical fitness, basic seamanship, and an introduction to college-level academics. Candidates experienced weapons familiarization firing, Waterfront Safety, Sexual Assault Response and Prevention training, Honor training, and an introduction to the industry-wide Standards of Training in Crew Watchstanding, to name but a few.

Self Care and Care for Others

Members of SCI Pastoral Care team and the Center for Mariner Advocacy have also joined forces on several occasions to make highly-attended presentations to maritime students on mental health awareness, issues around bullying, and suicide prevention.