Great pics! Thanks for sharing.
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;82779]Straight out of something Joseph Conrad might have written.[/QUOTE]
It was a pretty surreal experience. Our next scheduled port was Kaohsiung, but Carter had just recognized the PRC, and those wily Nationalists on Taiwan were none too happy with Americans at that time, followed by stops in Kobe and Yokohama. We were ultimatey told that we faced likey arrest in either Japanese ports by some creditors. Honolulu was the first US port on the schedule, so we started heading east. After a couple of days, we were told that Hono was out, and that we would be heading straight for San Franciso. We had lots of Hawaiian crew members and they had quite a bit of personal stuff that they didnât want to haul home, so they sold quite a bit of it to others on the ship. Of course, a couple of days later, Hono was back in the schedule. A few cutthroats raised the resale price. All in all, a VERY interesting trip. Of course I didnât really mind the two week stay in Manila, either.
. [QUOTE=cmakin;82814] All in all, a VERY interesting trip. Of course I didnât really mind the two week stay in Manila, either.[/QUOTE]
Oh you didnât do THAT did you - oh - you did, you did ⌠So did I. 
You rascal you
[QUOTE=cmakin;82772]In 1987/1988, I did a âside jobâ during my time off onboard the SEAVIEW as a project engineer. It was a Bollinger Utility boat that was used as a âResearchâ vessel. We added a diving compressor, âFisher Nozzlesâ, a deck crane and a few other goodies. It was chartered by the Mobius Society, headed by Stephan Schwartz. Not sure if he was a con man or not, but he DID live in that psychic fringe and did get the attention of a lot of folks with money. In this project, they were looking for sunken treasure using âremote viewingâ (psychics). Of course we had a magnetometer, too. Lots of real suspicious con men were also involved, the type that hang around the marinas in South Florida putting bigger and bigger engines into smaller boats. . . . . Interstingly, one of the remote viewers was Michael Crichton. We set out to search for two Spanish caravels, but didnât conclusively locate them. We did locate an American Brig, the LEANDER. Interestingly, Schwartz wrote a paper about how successful we were in locating the Brig, yet left out the bit about looking for Spanish treasure. Of course the treasure story could have been the come on to get investors. It doesnât matter, the project was shut down after a few months with out any real profitable findings. I can say that it was VERY interesting and quite a diverse group onboard. The Captain was a Maine grad that I sailed with for years and the other engineer was one of those barefoot engineers that work or used to work in the oil patch. Last I saw of him, he was Captain on a Tidewater boat some 18 years ago. One of the most interesting folks that I did meet onboard was the late Peter Throckmorton. Peter was an early pioneer of marine archeology. He was onboard to give some legitimacy to our project. I was in for 50 bucks a day and 1/2 of 1% of any findings. I was told that there was the potential for several billion dollars. I am glad I did it. Crappy picture, though.
Sea View1 by cmakin, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
I seem to remember these guys at the Bananna Dock in Tampa back in the '80s. There was a âdonation lock boxâ at the gangway. anyone could invest in a share of the treasure.
[QUOTE=injunear;82818]I seem to remember these guys at the Bananna Dock in Tampa back in the '80s. There was a âdonation lock boxâ at the gangway. anyone could invest in a share of the treasure.[/QUOTE]
That was probably after the use on the Bahamian project. I donât really know what happened to the boat or the equipment that was installed on it after it left the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area. We used both Port Dania and Miami as operating bases. The picture (obviously) was taken in Miami, near the Belcher tug docks. Other than the lack of a decent mooring system, it made a pretty handy dive/excavation boat. Typical for a Utility Boat, however, was the split bus electrical system, so generators could not be run in parallel. Of course there are a lot of smaller vessels in the âtreasureâ trade. I had no idea until I got involved in this project.
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;82817].
Oh you didnât do THAT did you - oh - you did, you did ⌠So did I.
You rascal you[/QUOTE]
Is âbutterflyâ a bad thing?
An FPSO conversion that I did when I was with ABS. All topsides of the port production train were installed at the Bechtel yard in Galveston (the old Todd Shipyards) along with some pretty significant steel renewals in the ballast tanks. The FPSO sailed to Portugal for drydocking, more repairs and all of the underwater installations needed for completion. I do believe that the Unit is still in operation in Equatorial Guinea. I know that they did an addtional production train while on location. I managed to get this picture because on the same day it left Galveston, I had to go to the Bolivar Roads anchorage to carry out a damage survey. It timed just right. On my way back in, the Unit sailed.
Scan10003 by cmakin, on Flickr
The main engine of the FPSO.
[QUOTE=cmakin;82772]In 1987/1988, I did a âside jobâ during my time off onboard the SEAVIEW as a project engineer. It was a Bollinger Utility boat that was used as a âResearchâ vessel. We added a diving compressor, âFisher Nozzlesâ, a deck crane and a few other goodies. It was chartered by the Mobius Society, headed by Stephan Schwartz. Not sure if he was a con man or not, but he DID live in that psychic fringe and did get the attention of a lot of folks with money. In this project, they were looking for sunken treasure using âremote viewingâ (psychics). Of course we had a magnetometer, too. Lots of real suspicious con men were also involved, the type that hang around the marinas in South Florida putting bigger and bigger engines into smaller boats. . . . . Interstingly, one of the remote viewers was Michael Crichton. We set out to search for two Spanish caravels, but didnât conclusively locate them. We did locate an American Brig, the LEANDER. Interestingly, Schwartz wrote a paper about how successful we were in locating the Brig, yet left out the bit about looking for Spanish treasure. Of course the treasure story could have been the come on to get investors. It doesnât matter, the project was shut down after a few months with out any real profitable findings. I can say that it was VERY interesting and quite a diverse group onboard. The Captain was a Maine grad that I sailed with for years and the other engineer was one of those barefoot engineers that work or used to work in the oil patch. Last I saw of him, he was Captain on a Tidewater boat some 18 years ago. One of the most interesting folks that I did meet onboard was the late Peter Throckmorton. Peter was an early pioneer of marine archeology. He was onboard to give some legitimacy to our project. I was in for 50 bucks a day and 1/2 of 1% of any findings. I was told that there was the potential for several billion dollars. I am glad I did it. Crappy picture, though.
Sea View1 by cmakin, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
No way, the picture is fine.
Looks like Iâd fit right in with that crew.
Neat story
Is that a Colt-Pielstick?
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;82841]Is that a Colt-Pielstick?[/QUOTE]
That or a Caterpillar. . . âŚ
If memory serves, it was a B&W.
[QUOTE=cmakin;82823]Is âbutterflyâ a bad thing?[/QUOTE]
Certainly not in the world we use to romp around.
Can you help me? Whatâs your name? âMy nameâs Roosevelt E. Roosevelt.â Roosevelt, what town are you stationed in?. âIâm stationed in Poontang.â Well, thank you, Roosevelt. Whatâs the weather like out there? âItâs hot. Damn hot! Real hot! Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking.â Well, can you tell me what it feels like. âFool, itâs hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? Itâs damn hot! I saw - Itâs so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. Itâs that hot! Do you know what Iâm talking about.â What do you think itâs going to be like tonight? âItâs gonna be hot and wet! Thatâs nice if youâre with a lady, but it ainât no good if youâre in the jungle.â Thank you, Roosevelt. Hereâs a song coming your way right now. âNowhere To Run Toâ by Martha and the Vandellas. Yes! Hey, you know what I mean! Too much?
R/V Miller Freeman built by American Shipbuilding in Ohio 1964. Suprisingly seaworthy vessel that spent 40 years bouncing around the GOA and Bering sea. I spent almost 8 years on this ship, started as Ordinary Seaman and worked up to Bosun. Dutch Harbor and Kodiak were the ships two main ports. Not a lot going on in either but we made the best of it.
[QUOTE=cmakin;82842]That or a Caterpillar. . . âŚ
If memory serves, it was a B&W.[/QUOTE]
It looks filthy enough to be a Colt StickâŚ
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;82846]It looks filthy enough to be a Colt StickâŚ;)[/QUOTE]
Yellow and dirty, it could be a Cat, too.
Here are a couple more taken on the production deck.
[QUOTE=Bloodyshitcakes;82844]R/V Miller Freeman built by American Shipbuilding in Ohio 1964. Suprisingly seaworthy vessel that spent 40 years bouncing around the GOA and Bering sea. I spent almost 8 years on this ship, started as Ordinary Seaman and worked up to Bosun. Dutch Harbor and Kodiak were the ships two main ports. Not a lot going on in either but we made the best of it.
[/QUOTE]
EXCELLENT shots, bloody, Thanks
That some ice build-up !!
Pictures of one of my favorite ships, the SS [I]Lion of California[/I]. Everybody had to work with their hands, even the Captain and Chief, I know, I was the Chief.
Here are three pictures of her. The first is her steaming down the Columbia, the last two were taken at the Martinez Tosco dock (before the disastrous refinery explosion).
I was down in Trinidad working on a claim for a jack up rig. Just so happened at the time I was there, the CAJUN EXPRESS stopped in during its delivery trip from Korea to the US Gulf. Even though classed as a self propelled rig, notice the big ass tugboat towing it. Shot taken in the waters near Chaguramas, Trinidad back in 2000.
Cajun Express by cmakin, on Flickr
