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The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York has a new training vessel, the MV Liberty Star, a twin diesel ship with 2,900 horsepower. The 176-foot long Liberty Star has a 6,000 mile range and a maximum published speed of 15 knots. In its prior seagoing life, Liberty Star was one of NASA’s rocket booster recovery vessels. Along with its twin, MV Freedom Star, Liberty Star worked on NASA’s shuttle missions by positioning itself 140 miles offshore of Cape Canaveral in advance of shuttle launches to retrieve the two 146-foot, 200,000-pound reusable booster casings ejected during shuttle launches. Continue reading →