I received my offer of employment call for Supply Utilityman on May 3rd. I’ve completed the medical and security steps, and hope to be cleared for employment and receive a NEO reporting date soon.
In the meantime, I’m wondering what to do about my housing, car, etc. I just moved back from Asia last year, so I live by myself in a furnished apartment in Rhode Island with only enough belongings to fit in the back of my car. I don’t see any reason to keep the apartment, so I guess I’ll pack my stuff and drive to NEO in Virginia and eventually get a place wherever my ship is home ported. Any advice? Do most people move with their ship assignments or do you just keep a residence wherever your from?
There are a couple of completely different cultures within MSC, and you will have to figure out where you will be assigned to answer your question. There are many MSC Atlantic Fleet mariners who live in the greater Norfolk area because most of their ships are based there and spend a decent amount of time in port there. In the Pacific Fleet, other than a few ships based in Puget Sound or San Diego, most ships are based overseas, and the mariners have homes all over the Pacific. There is probably a good chance that you will be assigned first to a ship going to the Middle East. In the short term, probably a storage locker is the best answer. Good luck.
Live outside the 50 mile radius of the pool and you get the S&Q allowance. Live inside and you get to go home quicker/more often. Norfolk is a kind of dumpy town though, so keep that in mind.
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Norfolk is actually a pretty decent town - used to sail for MSC and lived in Hampton, just North of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. There have been a lot of improvements in the downtown area over the past 10 years- wouldn’t mind moving back to that area.
Stow your stuff and car ANYWHERE for now. The 2 MSC ships I worked on were homeported NOWHERE!
Welcome aboard Mackerel… As a new third most of your training will be at Freehold. Let me know as soon as you get a ship assignment and email me if you have any questions. If you don’t yet you will soon have a …mil email address. Can’t advise you on what to do with your stuff. As a CIVMAR you could be anywhere. AE class are all going away. AFS are all gone. The multi-commodity AKE class are taking their place but not all of them do ordnance. The AKE10 just had her INSURV and there will be one more. The last three will be prepo. The AOE and the AO class will be here for a while and there is chatter of an AOX… (new oiler class long time away). I will ask HR where the new guys usually go. I have read in some other threads about the CBRD and other “BS” training. While it is true that the academies train and prepare you for the Merchant Marine and sailing for MSC is the Merchant Marine, we are somewhat different. Remember that you are employed by the DoD and support that mission as well not just point A to B cargo movements. You and others may regard the CBRD, FP, small arms training as “BS” and we can always hope that you never have to use it, but think if you have to go to that place west of Japan and the situation is less than benign. You might then appreciate the things you were required to learn. As a 3rd and a freshly trained new guy, you will become the CBRD officer, count on it.
[QUOTE=Jeffrox;36359]Stow your stuff and car ANYWHERE for now. The 2 MSC ships I worked on were homeported NOWHERE![/QUOTE]
I second that motion. At least with MSCPAC, there was really no such thing as a homeport. Guam probably came the closest to that, with San Francisco Drydock a close second (60 days in the yard, woo-hoo!). But most the time is spent UNDERWAY. Save some bucks and put your stuff in storage.
If you don’t have a family to feed…save yourself the agony and stay on unemployment.
Welcome to Americ’a #1 shipping copmany. We are gaining ships and the benifits get better every year. The benifits will amaze you, MSC literally pays for absolutley everything. Soon I bet they will pay your rent…just kidding, actually, anything is possible. Steady & secure federal employment is about as good as it gets. Most mariners would love to be in your shoes right now. We are a very fortunate group to be working for this orginazation. If you do not enjoy the job as SU, then come over to deck of head below to the engine department.
I would reccomend you get rid of the place in Rhode Island, just wasting your $$$ paying rent for a place that you will never step foot in again. Take all your belongings down to Hampton Roads and get a storage unit for everything. Get through NEO, head to your first ship, put your car in the NEX long term parking. Maybe your ship will be staying right there in Norfolk? Go to your first ship, feel things out, explore the Hampton Roads area, if you like what you see than your best bet is to settle down there. I would reccomend looking for apartments in VaBch, Chesapeake, Suffolk. If you become a PAC sailor then I don’t know what to tell you, move to the PI and live like a king (or at least that is what the guys whoe live there tell me).
Thanks. I’d like to go Pacific eventually. Do the ships stop off in Singapore often? I left a girl back there…
[QUOTE=captobie;38015]I second that motion. At least with MSCPAC, there was really no such thing as a homeport. Guam probably came the closest to that, with San Francisco Drydock a close second (60 days in the yard, woo-hoo!). But most the time is spent UNDERWAY. Save some bucks and put your stuff in storage.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I’d like to go Pacific eventually. Do the ships stop off in Singapore often? I left a girl back there…