Known throughout Maritime College for many years as the Navigation Lab, the official naming of the Electronic Chart Display and Information lab took place during a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 24. The newly minted Hornblower e-Navigation Lab, named after the national dining cruise, tourism and ferry service company, Hornblower, was celebrated during the ceremony. Hornblower has been an invaluable partner of Maritime College for many years, offering support through sponsorship and providing the maritime industry with employment opportunities on the water. “We are extremely grateful to have Hornblower as a valued industry partner,” said RADM Michael Alfultis. “Their generous donation demonstrates a commitment to supporting the maintenance and modernization of these sophisticated navigation simulators, and helps ensure that our students graduate with the training and skills they need to operate vessels safely.” 

Maritime College alumnus Richard Paine '04, regional director of Hornblower, was joined by several Maritime College alumni who are currently employed by Hornblower. “We are honored by this truly special naming recognition by Maritime College, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to the school, its programs and its students,” said Paine.

The Hornblower e-Navigation Lab is used for instructional exercises and applied learning for deck license students in their sophomore and junior year. Students in the Small Boat Club also access the Lab to practice boat handling.

The lab boasts a total of 20 stations, 10 in each of the lab’s two floors. Each station mimics the bridge of a ship and allows students to work individually or as a team of two at each station. Instructors control the activity of the lab with simulation exercises that appear on the screens of the entire class, allowing for an interactive exercise. Through the lab, students gain exposure to the electronic navigation equipment in a vessel’s bridge (radar and marine global positioning systems), and are introduced to interacting with other vessels. The lab, utilized heavily each day, is designed to lead students toward their next step: decision-making in vessel navigation. “This lab is truly essential to the license program and gives students the ability to focus on using one specific piece of equipment at a time,” said Assistant Professor of Maine Transportation Tamera Gilmartin. The Hornblower e-Navigation Lab also allows many more students to work at the same time.

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