Mulligan Ready for Sea with US Merchant Marine
Ryan Mulligan is ready to go to get underway on the high seas next Tuesday. The 2011 Huntington High School graduate and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy freshman takes his last final exam this week and then has a four day summer break before beginning a four month stint on the merchant ship Green Ridge.
Mr. Mulligan "had a great year at Kings Point, but it's been a lot of work, with not much free time," said his mother, Jennifer Mulligan. This spring the former Blue Devil sports star played on US Merchant Marine Academy collegiate lacrosse team, which kept him even busier.
Mr. Mulligan will fly to California and get on the Green Ridge there. He'll work on board the ship until November. The vessel is known as a roll-on, roll-off, which typically carries cars, trucks tanks and any other wheeled vehicles. Mr. Mulligan is excited about the sea duty because he will travel the Pacific, with expected calls on ports in such places as Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Washington State, Australia and other locales.
"Ryan will be known as a cadet on board and work under the supervision of the engineers that run the ship," Mrs. Mulligan said. "He will have a sea project to do while on board, in addition to his duties working with the rest of the crew. This is where he puts to use all the hard work in the classes he took this year, including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, machine work, welding, physics, statics and dynamics, calculus, etc.," Mrs. Mulligan said.
On the lacrosse field, Mr. Mulligan started at defense in five of the six games in which he appeared in. He scooped up 16 grounds balls and caused opponents to turn the ball over five times. He wears No. 21 in college, just as he did for the Blue Devils.
"We're looking forward to seeing him before he ships out," said Mrs. Mulligan about her son.