The Charles A. Kane was at sea when Class IV hurricane winds and waves hit the ship. Students at the Seattle Maritime Academy (SMA) used their training. Some inspected the vessel for damage, others prepared to lower the lifeboat in case they had to abandon ship. High winds continued to hammer the ship, washing the decks in saltwater and damaging steerage. The abandon ship order went out.

Fortunately, this was only a training exercise, acted out in the reasonably placid waters of Puget Sound.

The reality of what a real emergency set in quickly as the students were ordered into the lifeboats four miles from land. Their instructions were to begin rowing to shore, where they would use survival skills learned in the classroom.

They took turns rowing, six students in two boats each and seven in the other.

Each student will graduate from the academy with an STCW, Standard for Training Certificate Watchkeeping that conforms to the guidelines dictated by the International Maritime Organization and licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

All students will earn an additional Able Bodied Seaman Certificate (ABSC) that includes deck training to learn how to operate ships.

The training will be used for survival if necessary, during careers aboard deep-sea ships, tankers, NOAA vessels, the Washington State Ferries, Argosy Ships and tugboats where former SMA students are now working.

"Any ship, anywhere in the world," said Deck Instructor and Port Captain Patrick Boyle speaking of where his graduates have found jobs.

Often times crew members on ships are not prepared to abandon their ships because the skills are not practiced on a day to day basis. The SMA students test their survival knowledge on the open water in these exercises.

This was the first of 12 such exercises for students to gain experience in survival and emergency situations.

"This is their survival day. We drop them off several miles from which they have to find their navigation marks, go ashore, build a survival camp and put out rescue signals," said Instructor Bob McDougall.

"They make a camp they can stay at for an extended period of time to wait until rescue help arrives," said McDougall.

The good news for the students is they will only be stranded for 90-minutes today before returning to the Charles A. Kane.

Today, the weather is cold, but not bad. In past exercises, students were battered with rain and wind. Instructor Rick Brewer monitored the rowboats aboard a small whaler chase boat. "They did well for the first time out. They looked in good shape," he said.

Each boatload of students worked as a group. "People have different talent and abilities. Some are natural leaders. Others are builders or cooks," said Boyle.

"None are a complete sailor. But together they can be good," Boyle said.

Each boat's coxswain was given a compass to navigate them to a specific designated point, where they would turn towards the west side of Vashon Island and land on the beach at Camp Sealth. They are graded for the accuracy of their readings and each person on the boat collectively agrees to the correct navigation settings.

As the boats near the shore, students jump out to secure lines to tree branches. These lifeboats weight 900-pounds, making them easier to maneuver. Most lifeboats weigh up to 4,000 pounds. One mistake in beaching the boat in a fast moving wave can crush someone.

After the boats come ashore, students scramble to bring survival equipment onto the beach. Each survival kit included: water, a hatchet, matches, lantern, a whistle, flare guns and smoke flares.

One student who was tracking the rowing distance by GPS and said it was more like 6.1 miles. There is no stopping when rowing to land, students either keep rowing, or they will be pushed off course by the tide and wind.

"The boat rowing was a killer. I never rowed a boat so far in my life," said Jay Fulling.

"The rowing was good. It was a distance for people who had not rowed before. The current was OK. It gives us confidence, everything we went over in class, we did today," said Adam Beba.

The first task was to gather wood to start a signal fire.

One student has brought along a small bottle of diesel fuel to help start the fire. Another has a bar of magnesium that he scrapes with a pocket knife to fuel another fire. All three groups had their fires started within twenty-minutes or less.

"I was in the army. Survival is easy as long as you stay calm," said Brian Eldred who wants to become an engineer and travel around the world.

Fulling said the survival skills are a good thing to know. He's learning a lot in a short amount of time at the SMA and is looking forward to working in the maritime industry.

Fifty-two-year old Dana Africa, with a last name suited for adventure, was the only woman in the class and was nearly twice as old as some of the men. She wants to join her daughter who is in the maritime industry in California and work alongside her.

"It's wonderful, I love them all (her younger male counterparts), it's fabulous. Everything you learn here is hands-on and applies to everything you will do in the future," said Africa.

A boat with three students is sent out on the water to catch fish. Mourad Boui stays ashore with is fishing pole and casts out into the water from the beach.

Students talk about looking under logs for edible insects, since this is only a 12-hour exercise, that includes a eight-hour round trip boat ride, they pass on the meal.

They debate whether to set up camp on the small beach or on higher ground, where they'd have to make their way through thick trees and brush.

A silver emergency blanket is stretched over some branches overlooking the beach. Cory Bilton and John Lohrey figure out a way to drape an emergency blanket over some oars on the lifeboat for shelter.

White signal flares are prepared in case they spot a plane. Others gather wood to keep the fire going.

As the Charles A. Kane approached the island, students send a white flare into the air to signal for help. After loading themselves back into the lifeboats, they were soon safely aboard the mother ship again on their way back to the SMA.

Boyle said it is exciting to see his students working as a team to achieve a goal and lets students make the decisions as best they can. He takes this same approach during the trip aboard the 105-foot Charles A. Kane, which he lets the students operate on their own with little supervision.

After graduating from the one-year program, students can work as deck officers or engineering officers on any ship regardless of type or size.

The SMA is a division of the Seattle Central Community College, is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard and receives support from the U.S. Maritime Administration. It provides vocational education, technical training and license preparation to meet the needs of the industry which includes commercial fishing, Merchant Marine and workboat fields.