Allright, wayyyy back in 1989 I participated in the delivery of a 96grt newbuild auto ferry from Mississippi around thru the St Lawrence to the UP of Michigan. I contacted the shipyard that hired me and unfortunately any records they might have had were destroyed during Katrina. The vessel operators say any logs dating that far back would have been shipped off to operations. The Michigan DOT office which operates the vessel say they would not have any records dating that far back. The captain I worked under is now deceased. The chief engineer who was on board is still a good friend of mine and keeps meticulous records. Can he, as a USCG licensed mariner, sign off on my seatime?
If JDCavo doesn’t reply to this thread in a day or so, pm him. He is the one to answer this.
[QUOTE=gcsaylor;76971]Allright, wayyyy back in 1989 I participated in the delivery of a 96grt newbuild auto ferry from Mississippi around thru the St Lawrence to the UP of Michigan. I contacted the shipyard that hired me and unfortunately any records they might have had were destroyed during Katrina. The vessel operators say any logs dating that far back would have been shipped off to operations. The Michigan DOT office which operates the vessel say they would not have any records dating that far back. The captain I worked under is now deceased. The chief engineer who was on board is still a good friend of mine and keeps meticulous records. Can he, as a USCG licensed mariner, sign off on my seatime?[/QUOTE]
He can’t “sign off” per se, i.e. his doing so would not fit the criteria described in 46 CFR 11.211(a). However, as was noted in another recent discussion, if you cannot obtain sea service records, prepare a narrative of your service and efforts to get it documented. Include anything and everything that is relevant. A personal letter (not a sea service letter as a company would prepare) from the engineer with anything he has that is relevant and have him include documentation of his own time on the vessel if he has it. Dig up anything you can to how you worked on that boat or for that company. Pay records, tax records, even personal photos if you have them. You’re trying to make a plausible claim that you were on that boat. The above are only examples of what you can provide. Think of anything you have that could in any way show you worked for that company and/or was on that boat.