Pratt/Thor Adventures: Hudson River Cruise

Tuesday, October 14th, Milton -- The weather cleared up, at least it stopped raining, with lingering clouds and wind gusts.

On the way to breakfast today, I met the Captain of the ship and talked him into giving me a quick tour of the pilot house -- the ship is powered by 3 diesel engines that drive 3 twin propeller units capable of rotating 360 degrees. There are no rudders; steering is accomplished by adjusting engine power on one of the engines.

This day's excursion was the complimentary tour of West Point or the United States Military Academy. Two buses of participants rode from Milton through a variety of small towns to Highlands, the town bordering West Point. There we visited the "Visitor Control Center," which is not your typical visitor center, though there was a large college-type store with lots of black and gold apparel and knickknacks. This stop was a restroom break and to pick up a "qualified tour guide."

The Milton dock and gangway (a little steep but necessitated by the river level).

Train tracks divide the river side from the parking lot.

The key word in the visitor center sign is "Control." This is where visitors (those without DoD badges) go to get permission to enter West Point through two security checkpoints. Our tour guide was our qualified individual and was in charge of escorting all of us visitors.

The view from the Visitor Control Center parking lot.

The tour guide rode on our bus and provided a comprehensive description of the buildings we passed, the culture and philosophy of West Point, the history of the place during the Revolutionary War, and identified the many statues/memorials. This is the view from the bluff looking north up the Hudson River, and where the story of the great chain is told.

Some of the links of The Great Chain. It was stretched across the Hudson during the Revolutionary War to prevent English ships from ruling the river. The chain (600 yards long) was floated on huge log rafts every 40 feet -- it weighed some 65 tons, and each link was over 100 pounds.

Memorial to West Point graduates who died fighting against each other in the Civil War. Lots of symbolism about the need to prevent further wars - spiked cannons, upside down torches. We heard about the various generals who attended West Point - during the Civil War, the two sides were led by generals who had undergone the same training, and the Superintendents who led the institution.

The parade ground with the "barracks" behind. All students live in this complex.

All 4,300 cadets arise at 5:30, have breakfast, attend classes all morning, have lunch, more classes in the afternoon until 3:30 and then for next 3 hours participate in sports. Every cadet must participate in competitive sports! (The competitive spirit is high, as demonstrated by the phrase "Sing Second." According to tradition, after a sports event, the song associated with the losing team/college is sung, followed by the song associated with the winner . . .) They then have dinner and complete homework, and repeat. Cadets are not allowed to leave the campus for the first two years. Plebes are not allowed to speak except for the usual "yessir," "no sir," " I don't understand," etc. First years (freshmen) are called Plebes, second years are called "yearlings," third years are called "cows" (when they return to campus after their first holiday, they reportedly look like "cows returning to the stables"); and fourth years are called "firsties" because they have become first lieutenants.

All students graduate as Bachelor of Science - no arts at this school. Prior to 1980, they all graduated as engineers. Since then, the list of majors has expanded to 43, still with a STEM emphasis. Students who apply for admission have to be endorsed by an elected official (Federal office) and required to serve in the US military for varying amounts of time. There is a significant contingent of foreign students who return to their home countries for military service.