Texas A&M Maritime Academy Training Ship Lone Star State is Heading Home

[By Ryan Anderson, Division of Marketing & Communications, Texas A&M Maritime Academy]

For nearly two decades, the Texas A&M Maritime Academy has waited for their ship to come in. The waiting ends on Tuesday, September 8th at 10 a.m. as the Lone Star State docks in Galveston, ending a journey that began at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard. With the arrival of a new training ship, a new chapter of Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s critically important role of preparing mariners to perform vital roles supporting the Blue Economy begins.

“We have dreamed of this day for 21 years,” said Col. Michael E. Fossum, ’80, vice president of Texas A&M University, chief operating officer of the Galveston campus, and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “Today, we celebrate a team that has simply refused to give up. To our Texas congressional delegation, state elected officials, former students and industry leaders, thank you for your support helping us support the nation’s $1.5 trillion blue economy.” 

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy has been without a dedicated training vessel since Texas Clipper II was reassigned in 2005 by the federal government after serving in disaster response efforts for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Bringing the Lone Star State home to Galveston is the culmination of decades of sustained institutional effort, investment and partnership to bring a new training ship to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy.

“To finally see this ship sailing into Galveston flying our colors is the realization of an over two-decade long dream,” said Capt. Allan Post, Deputy Superintendent, Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “This cements the legacy of our academy in training future mariners for the global maritime need. The Texas A&M Maritime Academy is not just a local or regional institution but represents a pillar of America’s maritime strategy to ensure that our goods are shipped throughout the world and that our strategic needs are met in times of crisis.”

Arriving during a year of celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of Texas A&M University and the 65th anniversary of the Galveston Campus, the TS Lone Star State expands the capacity to educate and train the maritime workforce, conduct real-world operational training and serve state and national needs. 

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy is one of six state Maritime Academies in the U.S. and the only one located on the Gulf coast. The academy partners with Texas A&M’s College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies to provide U.S. Coast Guard-required training to become a ship officer through integrated degree programs spanning engineering to humanities. In addition to an undergraduate or graduate degree, students earn a U.S. Coast Guard officer license that is required to serve in high-ranking positions on commercial and military vessels. Industry demand for licensed maritime professionals has surged over the past three years and provides lucrative career opportunities. 

“Mariners are the backbone of the nation’s security and economic prosperity,” Fossum said. “Jobs span every sector in the U.S., and industry pay and employment conditions are the best they’ve been in decades.” 

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy and the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies are located at Texas A&M’s specialized marine, coastal and maritime branch campus, Texas A&M University at Galveston. Through university, state, and national investments, the campus has transformed in recent years into an educational ecosystem that connects the knowledge and research needed to understand oceans and coasts with the workforce and operational expertise needed to work within them. 

Uniquely positioned on the edge of the Gulf with direct access to the Houston and Galveston ports, it is at the intersection of the people, industries, communities, and environments it was created to serve. The arrival of TS Lone Star State significantly expands the Galveston Campus’s capabilities to advance its sea-grant mission, especially when combined with the breadth and resources of Texas A&M. 

TS Lone Star State is the fourth National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) specially built for the state maritime academies to address the critical shortage of mariners Its arrival builds on state and federal investments that have helped transform the Galveston Campus. In the past two years, enrollment has surged, infrastructure investments are underway, professional education and training have launched and academic options have expanded to support shore side and inland maritime careers.

Congress approved $325 million in funding to construct the NSMV in Dec. 2020. The 524-foot state-of-the-art ship represents a significant investment by the federal government in supporting the future of the maritime industry and future merchant mariners in Texas. The vessels have numerous training spaces that can support up to 600 cadets at sea and include critical disaster response capabilities in the Gulf. A campus and community-wide celebration of the Lone Star State will be held at the Galveston Campus on November 21, 2026. In the meantime, TS Lone Star State’s inaugural voyage to its home port is available here