CASTINE (AP) – After a delay caused by mechanical problems, the Maine Maritime Academy training ship set off Friday on its spring cruise.
The State of Maine, carrying about 210 students and 50 officers and crew, left Castine at 7 a.m. on a voyage that includes stops in Antwerp, Belgium; Tenerife, Canary Islands; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The ship’s departure was postponed Sunday when a rocker arm broke after the engine was started.
The malfunction occurred as friends and families gathered on shore to watch the vessel sail off.
The rocker arm was repaired, but academy officials officials decided to postpone the departure until the engine could be thoroughly inspected.
The annual training cruise takes first- and third-year students to different ports around the world to learn about life aboard ship.
AP-ES-05-16-03 0953EDT
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