Once a cadet accepts their scholarship and acontract with the Navy, they look forward to training over the summer as the beginning of their real world “Fleet Experience.” The knobs participate inCORTRAMIDin either Norfolk, VA or San Diego, CA. There they witness every community the Navy has to offer from Surface Warfare to Submarines, Marines, and Aviation. Each community has a week of training somidshipmen can fully experience what that community has to offer
During Surface Warfare week midshipmen havethe opportunity to go underway on a ship for a few days in order to experience shipboard life. They are normally underway for a total of 3 days packed full of lessons and experiences. Although each ship’s training plan varies, the typical training includes damage control, navigation, and shipboard life. The first lesson is every sailor is a fireman, and midshipmen learn how to patch a pipe and get a little wet in the process.While on the bridge, they take a look at the charts the navigator uses and learn how the ships are guided through the water. They learn how the Combat Information Center and the Navigation team on the bridge bounce coordinates back and forth in order to maintain the safest course and speed. This is an essential tool that the midshipmen will need to know when they become commissioned officers. The midshipmen also have an opportunity to shoot some of the small weapons the ship has to offer. The most common weapons the midshipmen get to fire are the M-16s and M-9s. When their underway trip is complete midshipmen continue to have classes on shipboard life, ship traditions and etiquette, and damage control.
They then move on to Aviationweek where the midshipmen get to experience a flight in a T-34. However, before they make it to the cockpit of an actual jet they sit through different simulators for varying types of air platforms. One simulator that stood out to MIDN Visser, a sophomore in the Navy unit, is the Helicopter simulator HS-60, but overall he enjoyed flying as a co-pilot in the T-34 the best.
One of the most challenging weeks may be Marine week where the midshipmen are taken to either Camp Lejune or Camp Pendelton for intense training. They are led by their instructors on humps, taught urban warfare, and are shown what it takes mentally and physically to be a Marine. Apart of that experience is learning to sleep in the field. After humping, or marching with a pack on his back, to the rifle range, MIDN Visser’s company set up camp. This entailed laying out their ISO-matsand using their poncho liners for blankets. In the true Marine style, they enjoyed MRE’s, or Meals Ready to Eat, for their meals. However, the true excitement came when they were able to watch a static display and shoot some of the weapons under the watchful supervision of their instructors. They were also led by an EOD team through a bomb scavenger course to gain a better understanding of what the Navy’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal teams do.Even though this is one of the most demanding weeks of CORTRAMID,it gives the midshipmen an accurate glimpse of what their life could be if they joined this elite force.
The final community visited during CORTRAMID is Submarines. All of the midshipmen get to spend time on either a fast attack Submarine (SSN) or aBallistic or Guided Missile Submarine (SSBN or SSGN). When they are not underwater at an unknown location and an unknown depth they are taking classes to learn more about the inner workings of the submarines they could be stationed on. They learn everything from the nuclear propulsion engines that power submarines to how to drive. While staying 24 hours on either a Boomer or a Fast Attack submarine they have a chance to tour the engine room, combat, and the bridge. MIDN Visser commented on his time onboard: “My favorite experience was being underway on the sub. I was underway on the USS Maine with an awesome crew, and everything from the tours of the torpedo room to dining with the captain impressed me and got me excited to be there.” Submarine week is definitely a highlight of CORTRAMID, and for some this will be the only time they are able to set foot on one of these incredible pieces of machinery. But all good things must come to an end.MIDN Visser’s advice to next year’s midshipman is “… go into CORTRAMID with an open mind, have fun while you're there, and pay attention…I can’t stress that enough.” If midshipmen follow that advice they willleave CORTRAMID with a new outlook on the Navy, more knowledge than they had before, and excitement for their next summer cruise.
The training between freshmen and sophomore year takes a full month to complete and leaves midshipmen with a lot of stories to tell and looking forward to the next summer’s training. Between sophomore and junior year midshipmen go on their Second Class cruise. After viewing all of the different communities during CORTRAMID they get to choose if they want to go on an Aviation Cruise, Surface Warfare Cruise, or Submarine Cruise. Each cruise can last anywhere between two weeks to a month. During this cruise midshipmen are fully immersed in their community while following around enlisted personnel. This gives midshipmen a special opportunity to gain an enlisted perspective which will be integral to their success as commissioned officers. They get down and dirty with enlisted and have a lot of fun doing it. Some midshipmen were able to go to exotic placeson their Second Class Cruise.
MIDN Rapoport took part in a Surface Warfare Cruise and spent two weeks aboard USS Bunker Hill (CG 52). He started his trip in Hong Kong andsailed through the Straits of Manilla and across the Pacific to Pearl Harbor in Honolulu,Hawaii.He was able to learn a lot on his summer cruise and this picture only represents one of his experiences.
UNREP with the USS Henry J Kaiser (T-AO-187) with USS Gridley (DDG 101) also receiving fuel on the Kasier’s starboard side with a VERTREP being completed by helicopters from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
The summer training between junior and senior year is known as First Class Cruise, and it is the last training opportunity for the midshipman before they commission at the end of their senior year. The selection offered to midshipman for this cruiseisvery similar to the previous summer training.They can take part in an Aviation Cruise, Surface Warfare Cruise, and Submarine Cruise. Also, they have a new option to go on a Special Warfare Cruise, where they have the option to follow a SEAL team or an EOD team in their training regimen. The main difference between the First Class Cruise and the Second Class Cruise is midshipmen follow a junior officer on this cruise instead of enlisted personnel. This is midshipmen’s first glimpse of their roles in the community that they choose after commissioning.
MIDN John Tousignant participated in an Aviation cruise. The highlight of his cruise was “three flights over the course of the month which totaled over 20 hours in the air. I enjoyed everything about the cruise from flying to our professional development time on the golf course.”
MIDN Jordan Smith had a unique opportunity on his First Class Cruise. He tookpart inthe Midshipman Foreign Exchange program. For two and a halfweeks, Midshipman from colleges and universities across the United States traveled around Japan learning about Japanese culture and their Self-Defense Force. During his cruise, MIDN Smith took part in various lectures and discussions about the relationship between the US Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) specifically concerning hostilities in East Asia and the recent recovery effort for the Tsunami, OperationTomodachi. During his time there, MIDN Smith also visited many of the famous landmarks of Japan and had the opportunity to stay aboard a Japanese Destroyer, JS Harusame. MIDN Smith also stayed for three days at the JMSDF Maritime Officer Candidate School, a one year long school comparable to the US Navy’s OCS. He completed his summer cruise with a weeklong cruise aboard the USS Lassen (DDG 82), preparing him for a commission as a junior officer inthe Surface Warfare community.
Every summer training from freshman year on is a stepping stone towardsmidshipmen’s ultimate goal, commissioning as an officer in the United States Navy. The first summer, CORTRAMID, is a baby step to simply learn about every community the Navy has to offer so they can make a well informed decision about their Second Class Cruise. The following summer, Second Class Cruise, gives midshipmen a more in-depth look at their prospective community and allows them to experience the enlisted perspective. The final and most important summer training, First Class Cruise, is when midshipmen start to learn about their jobs and roles in their prospective community as an officer. Each summer training is as important as the next, and by the end of senior year they will be well rounded in their knowledge and confident when entering into the fleet.