TS Golden Bear was docked at Mare Island in Vallejo on March 12, 2026, during a temporary relocation from the Cal Poly Maritime Academy campus. The nearly 500-foot training ship had been moved to Mare Island for the spring 2026 semester while work continued on the academy’s pier, allowing cadets to continue their hands-on shipboard training before the vessel’s final Summer Sea Term later that year.

In the summer of 2024, my son, a Cal Maritime cadet, had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience during his commercial cruise aboard the MT California, a crude oil tanker owned by Crowley Alaska Tankers.

On July 7, 2023, the TS Golden Bear (Cal Maritime) returned from the 2023 Cal Maritime Summer Cruise, marking the end of an over 60-day journey that included stops in Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, Samoa, Hawaii, and Oregon, before returning to Vallejo. My son was on board for his first training cruise as a student at California State University Maritime Academy.