[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.