Students on the aft deck of the Empire State VII preparing for this year's summer cruise. They'll sail to Charleston, S.C., Málaga, Spain and Belfast, Northern Ireland before returning to New York. SUNY Maritime College hide caption toggle caption SUNY Maritime College The gangway up to the Empire State VII slopes from the dock at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx, where the East River meets the Long Island Sound. The ship is massive — 530 feet, nine decks - and it's being prepped for its annual summer teaching cruise. Tom Murphy, SUNY Maritime College's Chief of Staff and a 1993 alumnus, has spent a lot of time on vessels at sea. But this one is different. "This is the first ship purposely built for training cadets," he said. "This isn't just a working ship, this is a school on water." SUNY Maritime is one of six state-run maritime academies in the country. Most are run like quasi-military academies.…