KINGS POINT, N.Y., May 7, 2026 - As Midshipman Alexander Virostek ’26 prepares to graduate, the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and American Merchant Marine Museum extend their sincere appreciation for his exceptional volunteer service over the past year. At a time when the Museum has been short‑staffed, Alex stepped forward with initiative, reliability, and genuine enthusiasm for maritime history. 
 
Professor Joshua Smith, Museum Director, said, “Alex has volunteered here for the last year. He has been an immense help to the Museum, which is very shorthanded.” 
 
During his time at the Museum, MIDN Virostek researched the stories behind key artifacts, welcomed visitors and crafted displays on elements of Academy history. Two such exhibits were one on Cadet Edwin O’Hara’s ship the SS Stephen Hopkins, and a display of celestial navigation instruments in Bowditch Hall, among others. His work on new displays in Bowditch and O’Hara Halls will introduce even more midshipmen, alumni and visitors to pieces of maritime history they may never have encountered otherwise.  
 
To recognize his contributions, we are proud to publish the article he wrote about his experience, a reflection of the love of history and spirit of Acta Non Verba that he brought to the Museum each day. 

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Article by Midshipman Alexander Virostek, Class of 2026 

Oftentimes when I mention the American Merchant Marine Museum to my classmates, and even some alumni, I receive some variation of: “I have not been down there since that one time during INDOC.” Nestled on the far corner of campus at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), the museum is a hidden gem within the hidden gem that is Kings Point. I spent an inordinate amount of time at the museum, absorbing its many exhibits until one day I asked the Museum Director, Professor Joshua Smith, a fateful question: “Can I help?” The rabbit-hole I fell down has been amongst the most rewarding in all my time at USMMA. I had the incredible opportunity to handle priceless artifacts in the museum’s collection and learn the incredible stories behind them. And I wanted to share those stories with those around me. 

Recently I spearheaded two new exhibits in Bowditch and O’Hara Halls, bringing the museum to my classmates and the public at large. With the help of Celestial Navigation instructor Captain Timothy Tisch USMS, a cabinet displaying historical navigation instruments was set up outside Ackerman Auditorium. Among the items on display is the chronometer from the SS Robin Moor, a WWI-era steamship torpedoed in 1941 by a German U-Boat. Used to help determine longitude, the chronometer was used in the lifeboats to try and navigate them to land, though it was horribly inaccurate by the time the survivors were rescued after weeks of exposure to the elements. 

Outside Liebertz Gymnasium stands a large model of the Liberty Ship Stephen Hopkins beneath an impressive painting of a red-haired mariner firing a large naval gun at a flaming German vessel while his own sinks beneath him. For most people coming to watch a basketball game or swim meet, O’Hara Hall is just the name on the sign in front of the building. Now there is a proud display showcasing how during WWII, Midshipman Edwin J. O’Hara single handedly manned the 4-inch gun on the SS Stephen Hopkins and sank the attacking German auxiliary cruiser SS Stier. An action which cost him his own life. That is how he became the only midshipman to be honored with a building on campus named after him. The Academy has a proud history with many traditions, and it surprises me how often they are left to the wayside and forgotten. With a little help from the little museum on our campus, perhaps we might remember a little bit of who we are, and where we come from. 

MIDN Alexander Virostek ’26 is from Akron, Ohio. A graduate of Stow-Munroe Falls High School and Kent State University with a BS in Aeronautics, MIDN Virostek is a Maritime Logistics and Security Major and intends to sail commercially on his Third Mate’s License after graduation from USMMA. 

The American Merchant Marine Museum on the grounds of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is open to the public. To plan your visit, click American Merchant Marine Museum.