NSMV Patriot State Delivered to Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) officially took custody of its new training ship Patriot State during a handover ceremony on October 11.

The vessel is the second of five being built by Philly Shipyard under the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program, designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for the nation's state maritime academies.

During the handover ceremony, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips, MARAD Administrator, officially signed the NSMV over to the Academy and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The event was attended by a number of federal, state and local legislators, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Congressman William Keating, former Deputy MARAD Administrator Richard Balzano and State Representatives Mathew Muratore, Patrick Kearney and Steven Xiarhos.

Patriot State is 525 feet long, has a 55-foot depth and a range of more than 10,000 miles at 18 knots. The ship features diesel electric propulsion with 16,800 kW of total installed power plus a 900 kW emergency generator.

Each new NSMV is built with instructional spaces, a full training bridge and space for up to 600 cadets. In addition, each ship features hospital facilities, a helicopter pad and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need. The NSMVs can also provide needed roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity for use during disaster relief missions.

“Make no mistake about it, the NSMV program is the envy of the maritime world,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, president of Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “These amazing vessels will train the next generation of mariners, and the next generation or two after that.

“They will directly impact today’s mariner shortage, helping our nation’s economy in times of peace and our nation’s ability to project force abroad in times of conflict.  And they will stand at the ready to support those who have fallen in harm’s way as they are deployed in emergency response,” McDonald continued. “This is an amazing day for Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the maritime industry and the nation.”

A keel laying ceremony was held for Patriot State in September 2022. The ship was launched in July 2023 and christened in September 2024. Upon entering service for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the newbuild will replace TS Kennedy, a 1960s-built break bulk cargo freighter converted to a training ship in the early 2000s.

The NSMV shipbuilding program is the U.S.' first to utilize the vessel construction manager (VCM) model, which places the responsibility for the selection and oversight of the shipyard on a government contractor that utilizes commercial best practices to manage the project. 

In 2019, MARAD awarded TOTE Services a contract to be the VCM for the NSMV program, and Philly Shipyard secured the contract to build the first two vessels in 2020. The next two vessels in the NSMV program were ordered in 2021, followed by the fifth and final vessel in 2022.

The series' first ship, Empire State, was delivered to SUNY Maritime College in 2023, and Philly Shipyard is currently constructing the final three ships in the NSMV series: State of Maine (Maine Maritime Academy), Lone Star State (Texas A&M Maritime Academy) and Golden State (California Maritime Academy), for scheduled delivery in 2025 and 2026. The yard has said it is seeking schedule relief for the remaining builds due to various challenges, including workforce shortages and supply chain issues.