Midn. 3/C Naomi May participates in a Foreign Object and Debris (FOD) walk on the flight deck of USS Nassau (LHA 4). Nineteen Midshipmen from across the country spent three weeks in June on Nassau for fleet familiarization. USNA photo by MCSN Patrick Green.

Only a few days after checking on board, the ship went to sea. The Mids were able to experience departure from the pier, flight operations, underway replen-ishment, and various events and drills that occur while the ship was underway.

‘‘It’s good to experience things we’ve been learning about all year,” said Midn. 3⁄C Katrina Lamsa. This was her first time at sea. Lamsa added that seeing the enlisted Sailors working with the officers has really opened her eyes to the working dynamics of the Navy.

When they arrived on Nassau on May 31, the Midshipmen met with their running mates, Nassau Sailors who assisted and trained them. The junior Mids were teamed with enlisted Sailors, while the first class Mids linked up with junior officers.

‘‘Now is when they see the real Navy. We show them the other side, the blue shirt side,” said Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW⁄AW) Patrick Magee, one of the enlisted running mates aboard Nassau.

Magee said that it’s the firsthand experience with the enlisted Sailors that will mold them into better junior officers in the Fleet. They will share a connection with the people under them because they’ve experienced working with them before.

During their four days at sea, the Mids were taken on tours of the shipboard spaces, including the flight tower, bridge, hangar bay and flight deck.

‘‘It’s cool to see the way all of the things come together,” said Midn. 1⁄C Trevor Byrne, who has been underway before. Even though this was not his first Navy ship experience, Byrne said he is still experiencing new things.

‘‘We can see the Mids’ faces light up when they see something they haven’t seen before,” said Magee. ‘‘They’re seeing how ‘Big Navy’ really does things.”

For Midn. 2⁄C James Jones from Penn State, his experience has gone above and beyond his expectations.

‘‘I originally thought that I’d be really cramped up, wanting to go home every day,” said Jones. ‘‘It turns out now I’m actually enjoying it.”

In their first week, the Midshipmen have experienced many things that they will take with them into their future careers. The enlisted Sailors and officers are making sure that the Mids get the full shipboard experience possible during their stay on Nassau.

‘‘I knew they would be very impressionable,” said Magee. ‘‘We have that ability to mold them, creating the future leaders of tomorrow’s Navy.”