It was entertaining. One I remember well. After the usual daily report the captain said he needed to replace one of the crew at the next port. When asked what the problem was he explained there had been a physical disagreement between two crew members, one had given problems before and was confined to his cabin until port.Office asked if they would need medical attention upon arrival. Captain said one is back on watch, he’s fine. Office asked,“What about the one confined to his cabin? Will he need medical attention?” Captain said not as long as he don’t come out of that cabin he won’t.
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Well, on a drill ship, the list goes on an on - along with all the traditional duties of a captain, dealing with client reps (the coffee is too strong in the galley. The coffee is too weak in the galley. We need to use Community coffee up at the coffee stand on the bridge. We don’t like Community coffee). Dealing with the multiple safety observations cards. Begging everyone to write a safety observation card. Writing a safety observation card. Writing a safety observation card that will not piss the drill crew off. They wrote a safety observation card that was unfair against the drill crew. Do we really need to leave right NOW if there’s a hurricane three days away? Do we really need to start pulling the stack if it’s only a tropical storm right now? No, you can not put the crude oil that came up from the well in the hull. Why did they get crude oil over the shakers? Why did they not detect a kick before the crude oil came up to the shakers? No, it was not my DPO’s fault the pipe got stuck. No you can’t take four thrusters down while we are latched with well control issues. No, you can’t read a book while you are on the desk. I really don’t care who’s sleeping with the galley hand. Please do not sexually harass the galley hand you were sleeping with. And, my absolute favorite - I can’t help it that everyone who chose a square for the Super Bowl Pool didn’t pay up, this is all we collected and this is all you are getting…
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Back around '89 I spent a while “listening” to SITOR (Ships Telex Over Radio). I remember various, including a famous ocean liner ordering thirteen dozen sets of Wedgwood Clipper dinnerware for arrival in New York on Tuesday. Figure they must have hit a big wave.
And her casino manager explaining to the office that if they would book discount passages they couldn’t expect a lot of high roller action.
A deepwater rig off South America that had gone crazy and was doing circles around the drill string, and had just munched their spare boot floppy. And by the way the crew are complaining because the clothes washer keeps breaking the welds holding it to the deck.
And the tanker leaving the St. Lawrence seaway being instructed to wash out her tanks for a cargo change, and “don’t talk about it on the radio because Canadian Coast Guard monitors it”. I may have mentioned that one with along with position to the Canadian Coast Guard, in case they were interested. They were.
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As soon as I think I’ve squared away all my work during a given day and have time to go to the gym, I either get lost checking the nooks and crannies of the engine room to pile more work on the first or look up something in the SMS and find a new responsibility, “the chief engineer shall…” It never ends and I never make it to the gym. That’s a regular day at sea. In port, it’s hide and go seek with the port engineer, the vendors, the bunker barge, the office sloths via chiefs phone, and try to stay awake or sleep if you’re sailing in a few hours.
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A saying attributed to Admiral King
Paid for one or two decisions per trip.
Dream up new stuff to piss off the First and CM
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Not surprising. As Twain said there are no original thoughts.
You mean everything was already “thought up” by Plato, Socrates, Kung Fu Tze et al several thousand years ago??
As a hawsepipe master unlimited, here is my opinion. Every vessel is different. Every company is different. Every master and chief mate is different. If you’re a part of the bridge team, you should already know what the master and chief mate does all day. If you don’t know, maybe you might need to get in the game and pay better attention. Maybe you need to grow a set and ask to follow him around off watch. Hell, maybe he’s lazy and reads comics all day while sipping a latte.
If you’re not an officer asking this or suggesting masters sit doing nothing all day, your 15 minute break is up. Get back out there and keep painting.
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There are probably ideas that predate those you mention, they just were not written.History was not written for thousands of years as you well know. Human needs once you get beyond the basics of food and shelter has not changed. So, to answer your question, yes.
I have said that often, not knowing it had been said by Twain, most notably when a co-worker and I discovered that “squirrel underpants” are a thing. I guess that proves the point.
The sample assessor’s name on the last page of enclosure (3) to NVIC 04-14 is the result of the squirrel underpants conversation.
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You’re absolutely correct noting there are differences in ships, companies, personnel, and even in unions/non-unions. It’s a helpful suggestion that a junior officer pay better attention to absorb & learn more not only to improve his/her own skill set, but to be a more valuable part of the team, whether on the bridge or deck or in the engine room. Therein lies the problem. To do that takes a little more initiative. Maersk has Policies and Procedures (as I’m sure most companies do as required by ISM) that each crewmember is responsible to read and follow. That junior officer that spends wasted time wondering what the Captain and/or Chief do all day, could review the company Policies & Procedures to see what the senior ratings responsibilities are. While this won’t provide specifics as how they accomplish them, it will give them a better idea of their work scope. I enjoyed mentoring a few of ambitious, hard-working Mates who ultimately sailed as Captain and they all told me that they had no idea how much work (much of paperwork) that the Captain’s job required. And this after they had sailed a few years as Mate. I had a mentor and I was very appreciative of the help that I received preparing me to sail as Captain. I believe it is also an officers duty to help mentor a junior officer. It will make for a more professional/better shipmate and “paying it forward” will help our industry. Of course, there are going to be some that you’d be better off just telling them to grab a paint brush or chipping hammer.
Please tell me that wasn’t his real name. Geez.that would be like a boy named Sue
Who says there is no humor in government? Well done Mr. Cavo and co-conspirator!
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Dam straight because my one correct decision is WAY cheaper then then 10 years of my day rate.
Yeah, that drilling in questionable weather has had some deadly consequences.
Oooh, yeah. . .the fun in port. . . I was CE on an ATB at a very young age, and was often mistaken for being an oiler. Of course it was something that I also fostered. . . . kept a lot of the vendors from bothering me as I was trying to get things done before we sailed. . . .
They never learn…
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I wasn’t going to say anything but …? We’ve all sailed with a CE/CPT who certainly had their faults right? I’ve sometimes thought there must be some sort of divine intervention that enables the chief to ‘come through’ … luck , whatever.
Ultimately , they are paid for the time they’ve put in, the license they hold and hopefully for what they know.
I spent a lot of time trying to make sure the next bs that broke and kept you up all night didn’t happen. The rest of the time deducing what’s wrong. any remaining on paper work.
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