Getting into Dynamic Positioning?

Offshore Dynamic Positioning
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[QUOTE=Max94;116921]Hello,

I’m currently in my Junior year at USMMA as a deck major, after graduation I will receive my 3rd mates unlimited. I was interested in pursuing a job in the oil-field, hopefully DP on a drill ship. I am planning on taking the basic Dynamic Positioning class before graduation. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for how to get a job as a DP officer on a drill ship? Or does anyone know of any internships that any of the companies have, that I would be able to apply for?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

Max[/QUOTE]

If you are Junior at USMMA as a deck major then you got the world by the balls and that pisses off some of us hawepipe guys

Everyone here that can help figures they paid their dues and it looks to them like you haven’t. So if you want help here you need a better story. Something along the lines of how your father was a coal miner and it was his dying wish you go to King’s Point and then use the income to help put your siblings through college. Or a good sin and redemption story. .

Work hard, be a good shipmate and you’ll likely end up doing ok…

42

^^
What he said.
You do yourself a disservice by looking for the shortcut to the top.

Put in the time and energy to learn from the ground up. You will be a better boss if you have actually done the tasks you are asking your subordinates to do. You will then be able to develop reasonable expectations in their work performance. And you will know when they are truly working their guts out for you, and when they are goldbricking.

Take the opportunity as an underling to observe and learn from others who are supervising you. Ask yourself what it is about their leadership style that makes them a good boss … and what doesn’t. Maybe the guy is a dick, but knows what’s what … or the boss could be a nice person and pleasant to work with, but one heartbeat away from a catastrophe … Guess who I would rather work for.

Don’t be in a rush to sit in that DPO seat. Get good at driving a boat first.

43

[QUOTE=“Kennebec Captain;117398”]

If you are Junior at USMMA as a deck major then you got the world by the balls and that pisses off some of us hawepipe guys

Everyone here that can help figures they paid their dues and it looks to them like you haven’t. So if you want help here you need a better story. Something along the lines of how your father was a coal miner and it was his dying wish you go to King’s Point and then use the income to help put your siblings through college. Or a good sin and redemption story. .

Work hard, be a good shipmate and you’ll likely end up doing ok…[/QUOTE]

His dad is likely a “Service” academy leech himself, and has a plush Pentagon job.

44

[QUOTE=SomalianRoadCorporation;117406]His dad is likely a “Service” academy leech himself, and has a plush Pentagon job.[/QUOTE]

Could be.

My job is to run the ship safely and efficiently. I divide people into two groups,the ones that make my job easier and the ones that make my job more difficult. Other then that I don’t care where their from or who they are.

45

[QUOTE=SomalianRoadCorporation;117406]His dad is likely a “Service” academy leech himself, and has a plush Pentagon job.[/QUOTE]

so what is that supposed to mean?.. by that statement you are denigrating every single service academy grad whoever was. is it "service"enough for you for a recent USMA, USN or even (USMMA) grad serving as either Ensign or 2nd LT who dies on the way (via IED) from the Baghdad airport to the green zone or enroute to his/her first assigned post on their first day in country? is it “service” enough for you for all the very quickly dead 2nd LT USMA grads who died from the class of 66 in Vietnam.

i fulfilled my “service” academy obligation to the letter of the law, and never have done anything but gone to sea on unlimited tonnage bulkers, crude tankers, car carriers, product tankers, container ships and even worked for lowly transatlantic lines for a a while. done everything from burn trash and muck tanks as well as my actual duties as an LDO to make money and do what was needed to keep the ship running efficiently, safely and in line with company’s and charterer’s policies/procedures.

not patting myself on the back, but certainly not leeching.

you want to teach Max a lesson then stick to recommendations about earning his keep, actually learning something and not pissing off the rest of us.

i went to KP and i didn’t call him a leech or anything negative, i clearly reminded of his contractual obligation without badmouthing an entire group of over 100,000 service academy grads who’ve been working and dying for this country since the late 1700s.

do you think the 142 USMMA cadets who died in WWII were leeches? i’m sure there were more than a few suny, maine, and mass cadets who also died during WWII. let alone all the maritime academy grads who served as either active duty USN or as commercial mates and engineers who died in WWII.

i’ve got no love lost for my alma matter, but think about what you are saying. you don’t like service academies, then let’s shut them all down as well as all military recruiters and ROTC programs.

then we can have mandatory military service and the involuntary draft when a politician whom you don’t agree with says we need it. i’m sure that will be just peachy for everyone.

46

I have a box under my stern station that says Honeywell with some wires hanging out of it.

47

Hi,

I have just completed my 30 dp days familiarization onboard. (new logbook)

All familiarization tasks pp21-27 and competent’s officer initial validation p.28 were signed by my captain.

What makes me worry is my captain already signed it but he don’t have a DP license yet. We got confused with this ‘COC or DP cert’.
When I read the guidelines for filling up this new DP logbook A5, what I understood is that those sections must be signed only by a DP licensed officer.

I am still onboard, what must I do with those sections? I’m afraid this will give me headaches when I will finish and apply for DP license.
I have found a PDF file on Nautical institue (link: http://www.nautinst.org/download.cfm?docid=DBCB1258-7093-4F02-8200E95A164981A9 ) Seagoing Familiarisation Watchkeeping Declaration.
Do I have to secure a copy of this file and have it signed by my DPO mates while I’m still onboard?

Thanks and best regards!

48

[QUOTE=Flyer69;117399]^^
What he said.
You do yourself a disservice by looking for the shortcut to the top.

Put in the time and energy to learn from the ground up. You will be a better boss if you have actually done the tasks you are asking your subordinates to do. You will then be able to develop reasonable expectations in their work performance. And you will know when they are truly working their guts out for you, and when they are goldbricking.

Take the opportunity as an underling to observe and learn from others who are supervising you. Ask yourself what it is about their leadership style that makes them a good boss … and what doesn’t. Maybe the guy is a dick, but knows what’s what … or the boss could be a nice person and pleasant to work with, but one heartbeat away from a catastrophe … Guess who I would rather work for.

Don’t be in a rush to sit in that DPO seat. Get good at driving a boat first.[/QUOTE]

This is a most excellent post. I completely agree that taking the hawsepipe is the best way as you will have paid your dues. Hawsepipers are experienced enough to know that you must always continue learning, and that you don’t know everything, and some of the stuff you know, the next guy might know it better. I always value the input of the AB’s (I was one of them). I might not always go with their suggestions, but I definitely want that input. I think it helps to make us all more well rounded mariners.

Academy’s are great for getting lots of new young blood into the work force, which we need. The academy grads that realize their license opens doors for them, not provide them a quick ticket to easy street, can become very fine mariners and shipmates.

Mariner tradition is to always train “the kid” to become a good sailor and shipmate. I valued my time as being “the kid” on up to first Mate. So my response to this kid is to do your research, keep an open mind, and know that your license opens up doors. Be mindful and observant, and listen to everybody around you, but follow what you feel to be right.

I’m looking to get into DP myself, and in my mind I am starting over once again. Granted my prior experience with boat handling, etc etc will help a great deal, but I am going into it thinking of starting from the ground up and working from there.