U.S. Navy Tall Ship came to Freeport

Several hundred Freeporters were on hand to greet the arrival of the “Middies” – U.S. Naval Academy cadets who arrived in Freeport in a huge sailing ship on Friday. Village Mayor Robert Kennedy and Village Board members joined U.S. military veterans and civic leaders to greet U.S. Navy cadets and officials in a ceremonial presentation of the Freeport Village flag. The arrival of the sailing ship at the Nautical Mile is a 17-year summer tradition. The Freeport Nautical Mile Esplanade is one of several ports-of-call that the young cadets visit along the east coast each summer.

The ship was in port for the weekend and open to the public. The cadets, students in training at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis for service as commissioned officers, led tours of their craft throughout the weekend.

The cadets, many in their third or fourth year at the Naval Academy, said the four-day trip from Annapolis was tiring but rewarding. Each cadet is required to be on duty aboard the ship in four- to six-hour shifts.

On Saturday, the village hosted a barbecue in honor of the guests. “We are very glad to see you,” Mayor Kennedy said. “It’s exciting for me as a Navy veteran and for the village of Freeport.”

He urged the cadets to be role models for enlisted men and women. “I owe my career to the Navy and went to college on the Navy bill,” he said. “So take the ball and roll with it.”