Texas A&M Maritime Academy

Father And Son Together On Summer Sea Term

Jim H. Gompper, left, and Jim P. Gompper, right.

This summer, James P. (Jim) Gompper, Texas A&M Maritime Academy commandant, and James H. (Jim) Gompper ’21, Texas A&M University at Galveston former student and summer sea term deck watch officer, are sailing together on TS Kennedy as part of the academy’s annual summer sea term. The pair are father and son, each happy to spend his summer with the other. And if you’re wondering who is who, as Jim H. joked, “The ‘P’ stands for Parent.”

Though Jim P. is a Maine Maritime Academy graduate, his history with the Galveston Campus spans over 30 years. His first shore duty assignment in the Navy was at Texas A&M-Galveston from 1993-1995 as one of the two Strategic Sealift Midshipman Program officers.

When Jim P. retired from the Navy in 2009, he taught naval science at a high school, running the school’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program until starting at the Galveston Campus as commandant in May of 2022, just days before his son graduated from the university.

“I get to work with very bright, very impressive young people, and I want Texas to have the top maritime academy,” Jim P. said about his role as commandant. “I see what it did for my own son, for my own family, and it’s important to me that this place succeeds.” He added, “I also get to go to sea for two months a year – and notice that is not a ‘have to,’ but a ‘get to.’ I have missed being on the water.”

Jim P. is a proud fourth-generation mariner and shares his love of seafaring with Jim H., now the fifth generation. Though the legacy is strong in the Gompper family, when Jim H. was a child, he was diagnosed with diabetes, disqualifying him from naval service. That discovery crushed the younger Gompper, who had dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps.

Guided by a suggestion from his father, though on a different path, Jim H. found his own way into the maritime industry. 

“I grew up in the Navy environment and I had always heard about going out to sea,” Jim H. said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to be in the Navy, so I originally applied to just Texas A&M in College Station, with no real hope of sailing,” Jim H. said. “Then my dad mentioned he used to work at this place, Texas A&M-Galveston, so I decided to send in an application. I eventually visited campus and saw the ship, and when my offer of admission letter from Galveston arrived, I accepted.”

He continued, “I realized I was actually relieved to have found the program.”

Jim P. added, “When James was younger, we’d go down to the shooting range together and I’d tell sea stories. I vividly remember a conversation where he was very upset, telling me that he’d never have sea stories of his own. I was thrilled when he got into the maritime academy.” Referencing TS Kennedy, he said, “I’m glad he got a chance to serve on a good old-fashioned ship, too.”

Jim P. has a unique relationship with TS Kennedy, having sailed on its sister ship, Louise Lykes, in 1987. Originally Velma Lykes, TS Kennedy was converted in 2003 into the training ship it now serves as. Jim P. turned to his son, reminding him that at the time, they had to use a sextant and a full day of calculations to get across the ocean.

“We had to grow the times in the Navy,” said Jim P., who keeps his celestial navigation skills sharp during summer sea term and can often be seen shooting stars alongside cadets. “I watched a lot of this technology develop. I worked with the very earliest electronic charting devices, which were brand new and experimental when they came out.”

Working as a deck watch officer on summer sea term is a unique opportunity for Jim H., who works for Texas A&M-Galveston during the summer but is employed through the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association the rest of the year, and will have the required sea days at the end to upgrade his license to second mate. He emphasized his fondness for TS Kennedy and for working with students, a sentiment shared by his father.

When asked what it’s like working with the other, both immediately said “it’s interesting,” followed by a comment about the other being from a different generation. While Jim H. likes to poke at his father for being “old school” and Jim P. says he often remarks about how differently the younger generation operates, they both expressed an appreciation for the opportunity to sail together as they debated the merits of different ways to navigate.

Each Gompper is fiercely proud of the other, with an understanding and gratefulness of how special it is to be shipmates.