MC2 Tom Smith Midshipman 1st Class Jeffrey Iiams learns basic maneuvering techniques on board a Yard Patrol (YP) at the U.S. Naval Academy, during a training exercise. Seamanship and navigation are some of the skills taught at the academy during summer cruises, in a realistic hands-on environment. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Tony Smith.

‘‘It’s important because we are not just teaching them navigation. We’re also teaching them leadership. They’re going to need to know this as soon as they hit the fleet. They’re going to be leading Sailors and Marines into harm’s way and they need to know exactly what that means,” said Navy Lt. Christi Floeck.

Floeck is a 2005 graduate from the Naval Academy, and she said technology has changed, so have courses’ layout.

‘‘Because of the changes in technology, we have two full-mission bridge simulators and we also have a couple of other smaller versions,” she said. ‘‘This allows for more hands on teaching which simulates real time scenarios at sea. The important thing to remember is that the things we are teaching them now, they’re going to use in the fleet, regardless of what service they select.”

The academy also uses Yard Patrol (YP) crafts for training in navigation, ship handling, fleet tactical maneuvering principles, rules of the road, shipboard military procedures, and to gain an appreciation for being at sea.

The YP is a 108-foot long, wood hull construction and has an aluminum super-structure. The craft is powered with two diesel engines with twin screws and travels up to 12 knots.

Chief Petty Officer Kyle Riggin, the craftmaster for YP 687, said the lessons they teach are important because they are actual scenarios the future officers will see on real ships in the fleet.

”I teach the midshipmen how to run a ship so when they get to the fleet, they are proficient. We teach them navigation, rules of the road, organization, everything they’re going to need to know to be a good division officer, a good Mariner when they get to the fleet. We have everything ships in the navy have on a miniature scale,” Riggin added.

Floeck said updated navigation and damage control equipment reflects the fact that the Navy is going chartless and leaning toward more electronic navigation.

Floeck and Riggin also use a controlled environment in their training, which allows for accuracy and precise shipboard movements.

Riggin said, ‘‘They can learn from their mistakes here. I’m teaching my next boss. I return to the fleet soon and one of the students could possibly be my division officer. I want them to be trained properly.”

Midshipman 4th Class John Nurthen, a first year student at the academy, said it’s very challenging but rewarding. ‘‘We get to apply what we learned, and we get to make our mistakes here and not in a situation where it is critical,” he said.

Nurthen said it’s the combination of seamanship and navigation classes with all the other demands at the academy that make it more realistic for what he’ll actually see in the fleet.

He said, ‘‘Time management is important because of the details and the demands of each class. You can’t put anything off to the side. You have to tackle each thing head on if you want to be successful at this school.”

He said he uses lessons learned from class to get him through the drills and training scenarios.

‘‘The leadership class is most interesting to me. They put a lot of things into perspective. You’ve seen it naturally occur, but you never see how people think and why people do certain things. It’s really eye opening. It opens up our minds to how different people work, and the best way to work for people and work above people and lead,” Nurthen said.

Seamanship and navigation are some of the tools used to teach future Navy officers at the academy, but it’s the environment and real life scenarios that give Nurthen and his classmates the experiences they need. This environment prepares future officers to lead on the ocean.