Summer Cruise

CORTRAMID

Career Orientation Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID) is conducted at shore facilities on the East Coast in Norfolk, Virginia, and on the West Coast in San Diego, California. The purpose of CORTRAMID is to familiarize midshipmen with the various warfare communities available to them upon commissioning. The program is four weeks long, with each week devoted to a different community:

  • Surface warfare
  • Submarine warfare
  • Aviation
  • Marine Corps

The program emphasizes values and qualities necessary for leadership and career development.

When

A midshipman on scholarship attends CORTRAMID the summer after their freshman year. The program is offered at two different times each summer. The first phase takes place on the West Coast and begins in late May and goes through June. The second phase takes place on the East Coast and starts early July and runs into August.

In the absence of unavoidable date conflicts, students residing on the West Coast will go to the first phase and students on the East Coast will go to second phase.

The Four Weeks Include

Surface Week—Offers insight in the surface community, typically involving a daylong underway on a ship. Some activities that midshipmen from the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ have done in the past include:

  • Driving the ship
  • Using ship driving simulators
  • Firing various weapons underway
  • Participating in an UNREP (underway replenishment)
  • Participating in firefighting and damage control training
  • Taking an extensive ship tour
  • Interacting with crew members
  • Learning about the special warfare community
  • Exploring naval diving and salvage training

Submarine Week—Offers insight in the submarine community, typically involving an overnight stay on a submarine. Some activities that midshipmen from the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ have done in the past include:

  • Training in a dive simulator
  • Using a wet trainer (simulation of ship flooding)
  • Driving the submarine
  • Conning the submarine
  • Taking an extensive tour of submarine
  • Becoming familiar with nuclear reactors

Aviation Week—Get insight into the Aviation community. Some activities that midshipmen from the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ have done in the past include:

  • Learning about the various aircraft used by the Navy and Marine Corps
  • Swimming qualification and water survival training
  • Flying a variety of aircraft flight simulators
  • Flying actual training and fleet aircraft

Marine Week—Provides insight into the various aspects of the Marine Corps, including amphibious warfare, ground combat, and marine aviation. Some activities that midshipmen from the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ have done in the past include:

  • Participating in the obstacle course
  • Participating in urban warfare simulations, combat town
  • Taking tours and rides in various tactical vehicles
  • Becoming familiar with weapons, including live fire
  • Learning about Marine Corps aviation community
  • Hiking with packs

2/C Cruise

The second class cruise takes place in the summer prior to a midshipman's junior year. Midshipmen choose from surface, surface nuke, or submarine platforms. They are assigned an enlisted running mate in order to learn about the daily life of enlisted personnel. Midshipmen stay in enlisted berthing, eat in the enlisted mess, and integrate themselves into the enlisted watch bill. Often, midshipmen rotate between different departments on the ship, including engineering, supply, air operations, and deck, to get a broad understanding of the opportunities available to enlisted personnel.

1/C Cruise

The first class cruise takes place in the summer prior to a midshipmen’s senior year. Midshipmen choose a specific platform (surface, surface nuke, submarine, aviation) and are assigned a junior officer running mate to learn about their daily life, post-commissioning. Being integrated into the wardroom of a particular ship, sub, or squadron provides first class midshipmen with a number of unique opportunities.

Below are some of the things first class midshipmen from the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ Unit have done on cruise:

  • Surface/Surface Nuke
    • Fired a 50-caliber machine gun
    • Stood watch on the bridge
    • Incorporated into the watch bill
    • Conned the ship pier-side
    • Conned the ship during an underway replenishment
    • Handled the lines during an underway replenishment
    • Witnessed missile launches
  • Submarine
    • Took the helm
    • Participated in select training evolutions
    • Conned the boat to periscope depth
    • Fired various weapons
    • Monitored nuclear power plant controls
  • Aviation
    • Flew a P-3 (multi-engine aircraft)
    • Rode in a prowler (jet aircraft)
    • Hovered a SH-60 (helicopter)

Foreign Exchange Cruise (FOREX)

First class midshipmen can choose to forgo the usual first class cruise and apply for a foreign exchange (FOREX) cruise. The FOREX cruise allows midshipmen to learn about the naval services of other countries. Like a normal first class cruise, midshipmen are assigned a running mate and learn about the life of personnel on board.

Although FOREX cruises are difficult to get, many Rochester midshipmen have been able to participate on cruises in Germany, Norway, and Japan.

Officer Candidate School (OCS)

Marine Option midshipmen between their junior and senior year conduct their summer training at Officer Candidate School (OCS).

Mission Statement

The mission of Officer Candidate School is to educate, train, evaluate, and screen officer candidates to ensure they possess the necessary moral, intellectual, and physical qualities needed for commissioning, and the leadership potential to serve successfully as company grade officers in the Fleet Marine Force.

For more information, go to the .