I’m curious if anyone has done a MSC tour on the USS Mount Whitney. If so are you willing to share your impressions? I’ve been on the Blue Ridge before, so I’m familiar with the class of ship and the mission. A PM is fine if desired.
I too am curious. A tour aboard the Sixth Fleet flagship, all the while moored in Italy? Sounds like a dream job…
I did my commercial cruise (60 days) on the Mt Whitney two years ago when I was at CMA. What exactly do you want to know?
[QUOTE=JPetru82;143045]I did my commercial cruise (60 days) on the Mt Whitney two years ago when I was at CMA. What exactly do you want to know?[/QUOTE]
I’d be interested to hear your role on the ship (deck/engineering?) and how you liked it compared to other sea tours. Thanks!
I am deck. I’m headed to take a test for a type rating on my license. I’ll write up about it when I get back to the hotel this afternoon.
I sailed in the old girl in 2010. JPetru82 may be able to update, that is, if he ever ventured down into the deck ape/galley slave berthing (unlikely, but who knows?)
First, the good:
Sailing to ports no MSC ship ever goes to: Kiel, Germany; Gdynia, Poland; Klaipeda, Lithuania; etc.
Participating in the unusual, such as seeing the first landing of a Russian Navy helicopter on a US Navy ship, to deliver a bottle (Vodka?) that went right up to the Bridge; or having a brief exchange while at the wheel with Prince Edward of Kent on a tour of the MW Bridge.
Fun stuff like erecting the giant tent on the 01 for VIP parties, and helo ops, and seeing the green flash in the Strait of Gibraltar after a crappy Bay of Biscay crossing.
The Blue Nose Ceremony upon sailing past the Arctic Circle.
Capt USN (now Rear Admiral?) Long. The Best. One day at lunch he sat down with the deck apes at our table just to shoot the shit for a few. [Not to be confused with Capt. ex-Admiral Long of MSC (sourpuss).]
All this is subjective, and probably won’t reflect your time aboard at all. I’ll skip the bad, which was mostly the shitty accomos with the cardboard stuck between the standing lockers separating your space from the next guy’s. This berthing space was supposedly going to be retrofitted in 2011. Jpetru?
If you come aboard, say a hello from Paul K to my shipmate AB Farmer. He’ll be there.
Thanks for your impressions. It sounds like an interesting tour to go on. Too bad about the material conditions of the quarters. Hopefully, they’ll get around to fixing that. If I go aboard, it will probably to do mission systems work. That’s what I was doing on the Blue Ridge several years ago.
MSC has deck, engine, supply and the galley on the Mt. Whitney. Comms is too important on a flag ship to give to them, so the Navy still has comms. I think DynCorp has some of it also, as they were advertising for techs with TS clearance and MCSE or MCSA. I had all except the Microsoft certs, and the recruiter is too much of a dyck to tell me which MCSA I need.
MSC took over the Emory S. Land and Frank Cable also (sub-tenders). I was with MSC 5 years in radio. I was also on the Coronado in Italy as it was the flag ship in the 80’s as a young ET. Working along side the Navy as a civilian will bring challenges, I think it might not be such a good tour. When I did the civ sub on the Emory S. Land, we replaced 15 kids that worked in radio with just a few old men. There is a Navy Capt, not a master, and your subject to a more strict atmosphere. Our MSC Commo, was replaced for being a bit mouthy. That does not happen on MSC only ships. While going to lunch one day the mess deck PO told me to take off my hat. WTF! Did I enlist and not know it? So be careful what you ask for.
He is right about the port calls though. On the Coronado we also went where no regular Navy ships went. Romania ( Communist then).Yugoslavia ( no longer exists),Tunisia, Morocco, Gibraltar, etc…
GS
[QUOTE=GetSailin;143508]MSC has deck, engine, supply and the galley on the Mt. Whitney. Comms is too important on a flag ship to give to them, so the Navy still has comms. I think DynCorp has some of it also, as they were advertising for techs with TS clearance and MCSE or MCSA. I had all except the Microsoft certs, and the recruiter is too much of a dyck to tell me which MCSA I need.
MSC took over the Emory S. Land and Frank Cable also (sub-tenders). I was with MSC 5 years in radio. I was also on the Coronado in Italy as it was the flag ship in the 80’s as a young ET. Working along side the Navy as a civilian will bring challenges, I think it might not be such a good tour. When I did the civ sub on the Emory S. Land, we replaced 15 kids that worked in radio with just a few old men. There is a Navy Capt, not a master, and your subject to a more strict atmosphere. Our MSC Commo, was replaced for being a bit mouthy. That does not happen on MSC only ships. While going to lunch one day the mess deck PO told me to take off my hat. WTF! Did I enlist and not know it? So be careful what you ask for.
He is right about the port calls though. On the Coronado we also went where no regular Navy ships went. Romania ( Communist then).Yugoslavia ( no longer exists),Tunisia, Morocco, Gibraltar, etc…
GS[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it does not sound as glamorous now, especially if you have to deal with military servicemembers who forget civilians are not a part of their hierarchy.
Still would be a pretty awesome assignment, IMO.
From [U]The Bluejacket’s Manual[/U], 1940 US Naval Inst. Annapolis, Tenth Ed. “[I]Ninety cents, postpaid[/I]”:
“Grumbling is as necessary to most men as fleas to a dog.” [edit: OK, sounds reasonable so far. Let’s continue:] " A reasonable amount is good for both of them…it keeps them interested in life" [WTF? And finally:] “…It is best to limit this art to what is necessary for the man’s pleasure in life.” [Right off the deep end]
This book has many gems like the above. I bought one online.
Is she still in Gaeta? I have always loved that place, especially the beach.
[QUOTE=civmar;143779]From The Bluejacket’s Manual, 1940 US Naval Inst. Annapolis, Tenth Ed. “Ninety cents, postpaid”:
“Grumbling is as necessary to most men as fleas to a dog.” [edit: OK, sounds reasonable so far. Let’s continue:] " A reasonable amount is good for both of them…it keeps them interested in life" [WTF? And finally:] “…It is best to limit this art to what is necessary for the man’s pleasure in life.” [Right off the deep end]
This book has many gems like the above. I bought one online.[/QUOTE]
This merchant ship org chart is from the United States Maritime Service Training Manual, Preliminary Training in 1944. It has its own kind of charm:
[QUOTE=rbc;143824]This merchant ship org chart is from the United States Maritime Service Training Manual, Preliminary Training in 1944. It has its own kind of charm:
[/QUOTE]
Thanks for this. The Brief Maritime History buried in the middle of the Contents makes great reading. Recommended.
Here’s a little piece:
PS: It was published by the federal government, so it’s public domain.
[QUOTE=catherder;143805]Is she still in Gaeta? I have always loved that place, especially the beach.[/QUOTE]
Looks like she’s in the Black Sea right now:
http://news.usni.org/2014/10/13/two-u-s-ships-black-sea-french-surveillance-ship-due-friday
The article says she is still home ported in Gaeta.
Yes, she left for those parts in August, I am informed. Don’t know how close she would have been to the action in Ukraine, from what I read Odessa, the port Grasp used when I was there, is in chaos.
I hear Bulgaria is nice. Romania, too.