Unlimited horsepower/tonnage jobs

[QUOTE=Steamer;56619]Maybe he was going to use the WD-40 to clean his hands or to clean up any stray grease. It works great for that. Why would anyone think he was going to use it to grease the winch?[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately (or more likely as a result of) the strike encouraged some real idiots to come to New York. I have no reason to doubt the skipper, since I worked with him for 7 years prior to the strike. This is just an example of the ‘calibre’ of worker that are out there even today. Talk a mean story. BS their way into a job. But when it comes right down to it… there ain’t much there!

Also why the ‘uninspected towing vessel’ is undergoing the scrutiny it is today.

Interesting stories for sure! I have a few of my own about Licensed Chief Engineers telling subordinates to go work on live circuits that he said were secured. Only carrying an RF detector saved my ass. We all have stories to tell. The reason I have the DDE right now is that is what was available to me at the time after SIU would’nt even talk to me. Its a new age for engineers with companies paying manufacturers to come and fix everything. Tough for the engineer to get a wrench on the equipment. Another reason to get on deep sea ship, better class of engineer and able to actually work on something and get more experience. Everyone of you started somewhere and had to learn under someone, that part hasn’t changed. Thanks for all your comments.

[QUOTE=STEVO63;57109]Interesting stories for sure! I have a few of my own about Licensed Chief Engineers telling subordinates to go work on live circuits that he said were secured. Only carrying an RF detector saved my ass.[/QUOTE]

Safety lecture for the day; Even if you see the chief secure the power, lock it out and tag it out with your own lock and double check with the correct type of meter. Anyone who doesn’t do that shouldn’t be on the boat and definitely shouldn’t be allowed near an electrical panel.

I was thinking the same thing. I don’t care who tagged it out always double check and lock out when only you have the key. Even when I lock out myself I still put a fluke on it to check

[QUOTE=Steamer;57122]Safety lecture for the day; Even if you see the chief secure the power, lock it out and tag it out with your own lock and double check with the correct type of meter. Anyone who doesn’t do that shouldn’t be on the boat and definitely shouldn’t be allowed near an electrical panel.[/QUOTE]
During my first hitch in the engine room, I was holding the trouble light for the Chief as he opened the breaker on a hydraulic pump. He then pulled the fuses in the starter panel. When he reached further into the panel, his fingernail on his pinkie was blown off. He then jumped up and down and spun around several revolutions clenching his finger. He then stopped and said “boy, here’s 2 valueable lessons. Sometimes there’s more than one voltage source to a panel and the PAIN DANCE dosen’t help.” He then pointed to a a placard that was painted over, warning of multiple voltage sources.

[QUOTE=STEVO63;57109]Interesting stories for sure! I have a few of my own about Licensed Chief Engineers telling subordinates to go work on live circuits that he said were secured. Only carrying an RF detector saved my ass. We all have stories to tell. The reason I have the DDE right now is that is what was available to me at the time after SIU would’nt even talk to me. Its a new age for engineers with companies paying manufacturers to come and fix everything. Tough for the engineer to get a wrench on the equipment. Another reason to get on deep sea ship, better class of engineer and able to actually work on something and get more experience. Everyone of you started somewhere and had to learn under someone, that part hasn’t changed. Thanks for all your comments.[/QUOTE]

Of course things have changed since I sailed, but I still work in the industry. What I have found is that with the smaller engine crews on modern diesel ships, quite often a shoreside gang is called in for big jobs (more than one piston change, turbo replacement, etc.). Of course I only attend when there is an issue, but I have found that most ocean going ship engineers (and tug/atb/itb) tend to handle most day to day maintenance and repairs. Even when I worked at Crowley, we as engineers were expected to handle EMD Main Engine power pack change outs if it were four or less. More than that, they would call in Marine Systems, Inc. to do the work.

In my experience with the offshore supply vessels and other vessels in offshore service (for the most part) most repairs were carried out by shoreside personnel. Electrical systems on the older supply boats were a “split bus” system, so many engineers did not know how to parallel generators. While I did not sail on any OSV’s while I was going to sea, what I have found from my ABS and subsequent days around the offshore vessls is that, for the most part, engineers are onboard to move mud and othe liquid cargo, as well as controling the P-tanks. The larger deep water DP vessels are changing that a bit.

With regard to your comment about getting time using a wrench, I feel that I was fortunate with my training. While many KP grads take a lot of flak, I found the “training” that I got while sailing as a cadet to be extremely instrumental in learning my way around many engine rooms. On the ships that I sailed on as a cadet, I was certainly not coddled. On most of the ships I worked primarily as a day worker, along with (or in the place of) a Day Third. I was often given the fun jobs like cleaning out the salt water sides of the evaporator and other coolers, cleaning out the bilges, scraping superheater tubes; but was also put to work changing out motors, pumps and similar jobs as the engineers (and myself, of course) became more comfortable with the increasingly complex jobs. Believe me, I had NO problem getting a chance to swing wrenches in my cadet sea time. I also never tried to dodge any of the grunt work either. Of course it came in handy once I got out of school, too.

[QUOTE=cmakin;56555] As I understood it, it was a replacement of the old “Oil and Mineral” Engineer’s license; which, at least from my experience, didn’t amount to much.[/QUOTE]
I had a great visit with an old shipmate today. We both started out with M&O licenses and talked about the engineers we worked with over the years that had the most influence. (Kadak ect) It reminded me of an interesting year.

In 1977, a company wanted me to deliver an AHTS from Galveston to Alaska and work a 2 for 1 rotation. I told them I’d deliver it but would need more money to work there. The owner had an apoplexy over the fact I wanted $25 a day more. They hired a guy with a 1st steam and 2nd motor and was given a M&O Chief endorsement for the job. 10 days later, they flew me to Panama to ride the vessel to Port Hueneme. They then hired a new Chief. He held a 1st motor and Chief motor towing. They flew me back to Houston. 5 days later, they flew me back to LA and back to Port Hueneme. I had to baby-sit this guy to Seward. The next guy they hired held an Unlimited Chief with an endorsement for the “SAVANNAH”. (come to find out, he had a bad substance abuse problem even at '77 standards) In the crew change turn-over, this guy ask me what license I held, to which I replied “M&O 7000hp”. He then said “M&O??..that’s like a note from your mother!!”…OK, I flew back to Houston.

Fast forward 3 weeks…the Teamsters are snooping around the RR dock in Seward and wages miraculously increase $75 a day. The company flies me back to Alaska to replace the drunken chief. As I walked into the day room to speak with the Chief, he poped off some smart remark. My retort was “I have a note from my mother that says I can have your job!!”

You get what you pay for…Some companies understand that. This company has gone out of business.

[QUOTE=injunear;57245]I had a great visit with an old shipmate today. We both started out with M&O licenses and talked about the engineers we worked with over the years that had the most influence. (Kadak ect) It reminded me of an interesting year.

In 1977, a company wanted me to deliver an AHTS from Galveston to Alaska and work a 2 for 1 rotation. I told them I’d deliver it but would need more money to work there. The owner had an apoplexy over the fact I wanted $25 a day more. They hired a guy with a 1st steam and 2nd motor and was given a M&O Chief endorsement for the job. 10 days later, they flew me to Panama to ride the vessel to Port Hueneme. They then hired a new Chief. He held a 1st motor and Chief motor towing. They flew me back to Houston. 5 days later, they flew me back to LA and back to Port Hueneme. I had to baby-sit this guy to Seward. The next guy they hired held an Unlimited Chief with an endorsement for the “SAVANNAH”. (come to find out, he had a bad substance abuse problem even at '77 standards) In the crew change turn-over, this guy ask me what license I held, to which I replied “M&O 7000hp”. He then said “M&O??..that’s like a note from your mother!!”…OK, I flew back to Houston.

Fast forward 3 weeks…the Teamsters are snooping around the RR dock in Seward and wages miraculously increase $75 a day. The company flies me back to Alaska to replace the drunken chief. As I walked into the day room to speak with the Chief, he poped off some smart remark. My retort was “I have a note from my mother that says I can have your job!!”

You get what you pay for…Some companies understand that. This company has gone out of business.[/QUOTE]

I have to tell you, anyone that references Crazy Joe Kadak (RIP) always gets a smile from me. I learned more from him than any of my instructors. Now, there is a distinct difference between tugboat engineers and supply boat engineers, and I know that I don’t have to tell you the difference. There is also much more demand put on a tugboat engineer than there is on a “deep sea” engineer. I know because I have sailed in both positions. I remember back when I was running the ATB SEA SKIMMER/PLAQUEMINE; a real beast. We were in Lauderdale for repairs and they sent my relief. New guy. Like your situation, this guy had an unlimited steam and motor license and had been working for Sabine for years (this was back in the mid 80’s). After I showed him around, I bid him a fond farewell, but figured that I would be back before the repairs were complete. He assured me that he could handle the job, so off I went, to one of my shoreside adventures that one could have as a young, single seafaring kind of person with all that time and no obligations. Well, two weeks later, you guessed it. I was on a plane back to Lauderdale two weeks early. My ever so humble ex relief shook his head and told me that he didn’t know how I could put up with it, got in his cab and went off to the airport. Similarly, I had another relief with an “unlimited” license. He quit the day before he was supposed to relieve me. At least he made one trip.

My comment about the M&O license is general, of course (at the risk of sounding like C.Captain). Like anything else, there are (were) some very good engineers with the M&O License. It has been my experince, however, that most of them ARE like notes from their mother (oh, I like that). You have to remember, ALL of my time on the hawser was outside of the oilfield and there is a huge difference. I didn’t get exposed to oil field engineers until I started working on the ATB. I will have to say that I agree with your comment about getting what you pay for. We were non union on the ATB and the company paid us what we could negotiate. Ironically, it was a Scottish ship management company. They are still in business, but they have since washed their hands of doing business in the States.