A SUNY Maritime ship returned home to Throgs Neck Wednesday after a six-month stint helping with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

The Empire State VI, a 565-foot training ship, was responsible for bringing Maritime College staff to the hurricane-ravaged area. The staff provided food and shelter aboard the 17,000 ton ship for the victims. Crew members also helped the uprooted oil rig workers repair the New Orleans refinery.

The ship was also used to move U.S. troops from Somalia to Kenya in 1994.