Mass. Maritime ship may fly Kennedy name

Proposal honors family's legacy

Officials at Massachusetts Maritime Academy are expected to announce plans today to change the name of the school's cadet training ship to honor the Kennedy family.

"We've got five Kennedys here who have truly been inspiring public leaders and public servants to the people of Cape Cod," said Admiral Rick Gurnon, president of the school in Buzzards Bay.

He said that US Representative William D. Delahunt proposed the idea to him about a month ago, partly to honor Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

"In light of the senator's many accomplishments and in recognition of the public service contributions of the entire Kennedy family to the people of our country and especially our neighbors on Cape Cod, I propose we honor the family by renaming the ship," Delahunt wrote in a letter to Gurnon last month.

In a telephone interview Friday, Gurnon called the proposal a great idea. He plans to bring it to Mass. Maritime's board of trustees later this month. If the plan is approved, the school will have to ask Governor Deval Patrick to submit a letter to the US Maritime Commission requesting the name change. Gurnon said he hopes it will be official by early fall.

"Response has been overwhelmingly positive," he said, adding that the Kennedy family has a nautical connection going back two generations.

Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. worked in the Quincy shipyard during World War I, and in 1938 he was named the first chairman of the US Maritime Commission.

It was there that he is believed to have said, "You can have a merchant marine with first-class men even if they sail second-class ships, but second-class men cannot be trusted with the finest ships afloat."

The phrase is immortalized on a bronze plaque that now hangs on the engineering building at Mass. Maritime, and incoming freshmen are required to memorize it, Gurnon said.

The maritime tradition was passed on to Kennedy's sons: Joseph Kennedy Jr. was a decorated Navy pilot, as was his younger brother John F. Kennedy. Their brother Robert F. Kennedy was a member of the US Naval Reserve, and Senator Kennedy received an honorary degree from Mass. Maritime two years ago.

"Senator Kennedy has been close to the school," Gurnon said. "He lives nearby and our cadets frequently serve as boat boys aboard his yacht."

Cadets at the 1,000-student school form a deep bond with the training ship, spending at least one semester at sea.

"We use our training ship to give them practical experience," Gurnon said. "If you haven't lived aboard a ship, it's hard to explain the attraction and allegiance that's formed."

Built in 1967, the six-container cargo ship traveled the world under the names Velma Lykes and Cape Bon before being acquired by Mass. Maritime in 2000. The ship underwent a $38 million conversion and students spent the first sea semester aboard her in January 2004. Training cruises in 2005 and 2006 were interrupted when the ship experienced mechanical problems.

In a written statement yesterday, Kennedy's spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said he was "touched by the gesture."

"Senator Kennedy has always been inspired by the exceptional students of Mass. Maritime and their service on the sea," she said. "He looks forward to continuing his strong relationship with the Academy, its faculty, and students."

Tania deLuzuriaga can be reached at deluzuriaga@globe.com.

Correction:Because of a reporting error, a story in Monday's City & Region section about Massachusetts Maritime Academy naming a boat after US Senator Edward M. Kennedy mischaracterized the World War II experience of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. He served as commander of a motor torpedo boat.