I’ll get straight to the point. First-timer here. I’m a 23 year old from Wisconsin, finishing his last semester of land college and am preparing to hawsepipe on the Great Lakes/inland U.S waters in Wisconsin and the surrounding area. I’m not necessarily opposed to going to a Great Lakes Academy, but I would rather start work immediately after college since I already have my TWIC and MMC. I’ve been looking at deckhand/OS jobs and work on a tug seems like a good gig to me, but I’m not at all opposed to working on bulk carriers or other vessels; as long as I’m on a boat on the water I can’t complain. I read through and took note of the prerequisite, “Read this before you get a job!” post on the Maritime employment thread, and I also noticed someone posted about “OS in the Great Lakes Union” in the Professional Mariner forum, so maybe my post here isn’t in the right spot, but the other guy didn’t get any replies, so I’m trying my luck here. I can re-post this elsewhere if I get no replies, or if this isn’t the correct place to post it.
Essentially what I’m looking for is advice and or any relevant experience anyone has working on a tug or other vessel on the Great Lakes. I’ve talked to a guy who’s an AB on a tug out in Alaska, and a gal who works on a blue-water vessel off the West coast, but they had little to no advice or experience when it came to my questions about brown/inland-water or Great Lakes employment, experience, advice, etc. I realize that there’s some overlap in terms of the industry expereience as a whole but every vessel/company/area is different, hence my request for Great Lakes experience/advice.
I’m prepared to do hard labor, and I can cook so I’m not worried about being a lowly OS/deckhand or food handler. I’m just trying to get as much info as possible before entering the industry. Preferably I’d like to land a gig working on a vessel, (rather than not) whether that’s a tug or something else. In the near future I plan to work towards my AB limited, at least, and get a job on a larger vessel, like a bulk carrier or something with longer hitches/better pay etc. I have thought about working and then attending an academy after a year or so of work. Any and all information about working on the Great Lakes on a tug, or other vessel would be more than satisfactory, but specific advice/experience about certain companies, living situations (i.e renting/living near place of employment), gear recommendation (I’ve already perused the Mariner gear guide thread, but additional info is appreciated), would be great. Thanks in advance for any and all info.
Don’t tell anyone about your personal life. That includes what type of car you drive and what state your from. It’s none of there business. You might get a boss that hates people from Texas or what ever. Had a qmed tell me he worked with a guy that hated young people. Showed me pictures of what he looked like after working 6 months with the guy. Lost like 40 plus pounds because the guy would just work him straight told him to put his food in a to go box all the time because work had to be done so often times me just skipped the meal s. Those people are still around.
I was told this the other day. The higher you go the quieter you need to be. Don’t go telling people yeah I’m working on my ab ticket 3rd mate ticket my 100 t master 200 ton mate. Keep all that shit to yourself
I disagree on a few points, not all. I had a boss at one time that was not kind to young up and comers. He was from “Monks Corner SC” I had to keep the crew from poisoning him. If you drove a car not built in USA, you were on his shitlist. If you were young and had ambitions, again on his shitlist. He drank Sanka coffee, he knew perhaps if the other coffee was “Off taste”. A rotten fellow for sure. Most Captains are not like that. Agree Menizzi, a few but not many are out there. An os/cook/tankerman/deckhand will know whether he wants to move forward after a trip or so… His effort will be well known by the crew he works with, especially when they helped in the engine room. I busted my ass to get those that wanted to put in the quality time to get ahead, no matter what their goal. I could spot the fakers fairly easily. They didn’t last long. Addition to my post, I could also spot the guys early on making an effort, no matter how green.
That makes sense, now that I think about it. I just want to give myself the reality check that I’m new to the game, rather than learning the hard way from some unsavory characters. But I’ll keep that in mind when I start, and look forward to AB, thanks.
Thanks for the advice. That makes sense, I’ve experienced this a little in other jobs I’ve held; I suppose there will always be naysayers out there. More and more I’ve resolved to live by the words of Mark Twain, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
Thanks for the advice and other perspective. Glad to hear there are less Captains like that, but of course as I said earlier I’m sure there will always be a naysayer, no matter what. I’m confident I can hack it in terms of the hard work, and still enjoy what I’m doing while gaining experience, but I suppose I won’t know for sure until I’m actually out there. All I can do now is accrue knowledge/advice and gear, and start applying when winter/spring hits. I’m definitely excited for the job.
I work on Great Lakes tugs. Dredging right now. We have been going through a lot of new deckhands. Lots of hours, pay is ok. Good place to learn basic skills if you get in with the right crew.
Get a clear answers on pay and benefits before taking a job. If going into marine construction ask about per diem, hotels paid?, or live aboard. Learn about base pay and “fringes”.
Schedule? Or work straight through the whole season.
Thanks for the response and advice. I assume those would be things I find out after an interview or contacting a company? I’ve done some preliminary research on some companies, but the information I found from either the job description or their website was often limited. I imagine I’d find out more by calling or contacting them. Mind if I PM you with some other questions?
Idk about Great Lakes, but Western Rivers is hiring like crazy right now. Think Towboats pushing 15 barges. Very physical labour as a green hand. No MMC rating required, just the TWIC. 6 hour shifts. 28days on. Then either 14 or 28 off. Most companies have cooks, but some don’t.
Feel free to PM me
That sounds like a pretty lucrative opportunity. Would this include the Mississippi? I did see a job on the western side of Wisconsin; a tug operation looking for a fleet deckhand, is that similar to what you’re referring to? I’ll PM you with questions.