Voyages of a Michelson Mate

In February 1964 when Michelson emerged from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to begin sea trials it took on a new merchant marine operating crew. Most of them were from Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) in San Francisco, since Michelson was scheduled to head there via Panama upon completion of its shake down cruise.

This was not to be. The ship sailed as far as San Juan, Puerto Rico, where somebody decided that more extensive testing of the newly installed electronics was needed before Michelson' could be deployed in the Pacific. Thus began the months of sea trials in the Bahamas while operating in and out of Florida ports until September, when the ship finally left for San Francisco.

One of the new MSTS crew was newly minted third mate Jim Cozine, a graduate of the California Maritime Academy. Recently, he sent along copies of his Certificate of Sea Service, or "seaman's book",  documenting his time aboard Michelson back in 1964. This kind of record  is used for licensing purposes and promotional advancement.

Michelson's master at the time was James E Sedam, who signed each entry in the seaman's book. Next in charge was chief mate (first officer) Page Secor.

There were two deck officers with third mate's licenses, Jim Cozine and Bruce Frolick, both of whom along with the second mate (the navigation officer) each stood four hour watches in the pilot house.

Jim recalls "The one thing that sticks in my mind was the steaming back & forth like plowing a field for the survey work - the survey center would call up to the bridge and tell us to do a Williamson turn - and then after we did it  tell us how many feet off the old wake we were. We got really good at it."

Steaming back and forth over the "Tongue of the Ocean" near Andros, Bahamas, Michelson put newly installed survey gear to the test:

• SINS Mk. 3 inertial navigator, an expensive dead reckoning system.
• BRN-3 satellite receiver, a very early experimental predecessor to GPS.
• SASS array sonar, the first of its kind, also an untested intensive care unit.

His service record shows that Jim Cozine served aboard Michelson from February 26 to October 7, when he left the ship after its arrival at San Francisco (Oakland). After nearly a year aboard an MSTS operated cargo ship he then sailed as second mate on USNS Pitcataqua, a gasoline tanker operating out of Sasebo.

Thanks to Jim for furnishing the scans of his sea service. This information solidifies Michelson's in port and sailing dates during the extensive 1964 sea trials.