After being called into federal service in late August for an undisclosed national security mission, the training ship Empire State VII is expected to return to SUNY Maritime College, bringing an early end to the first federal activation of the nation’s new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) fleet.
“The federal activation plan has changed, and the ship is now expected to return to Fort Schuyler for academic use, ship work, and with watches resuming no later than the middle of November,” SUNY Maritime College President Rear Adm. John Okon wrote in an Oct. 21 message to the college community.
The Maritime Administration (MarAd) had expected to deploy the 525-foot Empire State VII for approximately 170 days on a national security mission supporting Military Sealift Command. Although details of the mission were not disclosed, MarAd said at the time that it was evaluating options to expand transportation capacity in support of naval operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The vessel departed SUNY Maritime on Sept. 30 and arrived in Norfolk, Va., in early October, where it underwent maintenance and repairs as well as certification of its flight deck in preparation for follow-on operations in support of the U.S. Navy.
Although the NSMVs were designed primarily as training platforms for the nation’s state maritime academies, their ability to support disaster response and other federal missions was built into the program from the beginning.
The activation presented challenges for SUNY Maritime, which relies on the vessel for cadet training and sea time. Okon had emphasized the importance of returning the ship by February 2027 to avoid disrupting the college’s summer sea term.
“Empire State is more than a training ship. It is a classroom, a laboratory, and an essential part of the Maritime experience,” Okon wrote in his Oct. 21 message. Having the vessel back at Fort Schuyler, he added, “will allow us to resume the critical hands-on learning, shipboard activities, and sea time requirements for our USCG-approved program.”
SUNY Maritime will continue working with MarAd to confirm the details of the ship’s return and prepare to resume normal operations, Okon said.
