Students from The Maritime Academy of Toledo will hit the highway today so they can set sail on Wednesday as part of the U.S. Brig Niagara crew.

The 10 students, four juniors and six seniors, for a week will work alongside the ship’s permanent crew to learn more about life on a tall ship and how to navigate the ship, a reconstruction of the relief flagship for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry used in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

Each of the cadets participating in the training program will have different assigned duties. Gary Cunningham, 18, a senior at the academy, will work with the ship’s cook.

“The only thing I’m worried about is not having pleasing food and they’ll toss me overboard,” Mr. Cunningham said.

The training cost $500 per student, which was paid through sponsorships, said Rick Brown, director of the school’s Career Technical Education Program. The school paid for transportation to and from Erie, Pa., where the students will meet with the Brig Niagara crew. There they will go through ship familiarity training, emergency drills, and sleep aboard the ship. On Wednesday the cadets will set sail with the crew to Buffalo, N.Y., for the Buffalo Maritime Festival.

The students will return home Sept. 23.

First Published September 16, 2014, 12:56 p.m.