RUN!!! (Just kidding)
I work for NOAA as an AB also, been here about two years. Welcome to the lowest paying gig on the ocean, but also the least amount of work.
You don’t get to pick a ship (regardless of what they tell you) Instead the ship picks you. Are you in the augmentation pool? I imagine you are.
The ships are good and bad which totally depends on the crew. You will share your room with at least one other person no matter what ship you are on except 1, the Ka’imimoana out of Honolulu. On the Alaska ships you could have as many as 4 roomies bunking with you.
They will tell you that there is no money for school or overtime, I have heard that from day one, yet I have managed to have them send me to about 15 grand worth of schools. It is a good place to get some experience if your new, and get some schools out of the way. I don’t see it as a career gig unless you can manage to get promoted quick.
You only get about 45 days off a year without taking non paid leave. They make it VERY difficult to take non paid leave. They expect you to live on the ship even when at port, you don’t rotate home like the rest of the industry. If you have a family or are looking for a rotational assignment that does not fit with the NOAA culture. Most of the senior deckies are still around because nobody else will hire them…the good guys run away within 3 years or less.
As for what to bring, not much as the rooms are VERY small and have little storage in them. What to bring depends on what sort of mission your ship has (survey, fishing, diving). Bring a laptop as they all have internet at sea most of the time.
[QUOTE=Seaman;50102]Signed on as an ab and I am going throught the process about to get a ship. What to do now. Any good ships vs not so good. What to bring, ot, time home, trype of work, aand on…oh and do the people like it there? Just fishing. Thanks[/QUOTE]