You can. Age limit is 32 or 35 last time I checked. But they want at least a chief mate AGT or chief eng. any HP to consider for direct commission. The requirements are available with an easy google search. They get as many as they want out of the academies already.
NOAA Corps is non armed uniform service. So, there is no weapons aboard ships, except for a few shotguns on Alaska boats. Also, they DO NOT follow the UCMJ. They do not go to war zones anymore, so no chance of getting caught spying. Itâs pretty much a good old boys club (4 months training and 150 days at sea you can get your own watch!) Two years at sea and three at a BS shore side job-all while the Wage Mariner gets to do 1.5 careers (sea days) at sea in 30 years.
They get all the benefits of a military officer without the sacrifice of getting deployed to the Middle East or getting shot at.
I suggest a person research all their pay and benefits (basic housing allowance, moving expenses, family separation pay, COLA, etc.) itâs all on a google search if you look.
[QUOTE=MariaW;118000]If it is such a great thing (according to the govât) why doesnât MSC have the equivalent? That would make more sense, or am I missing something? It sounds like there are more civilian mates, captains, etc. in MSC than in NOAA?[/QUOTE]
I believe the vast majority of the deck officer positions on NOAA ships are filled by NOAA Corps officers, while the vast majority of engineering and unlicensed deck positions are civilian. And those NOAA Corps officers arenât mariners, theyâre mostly scientists. Itâs a weird system.
MSC doesnât have an equivalent because itâs always been civilian service. NOAA clings to it as a tradition, but there really is no reason why it needs to be that way.
Bigger issues should be asked as to why is this country run by corporations â answers is blogs are all simply pissings in wind.
The icing on the cake for me was the move to Newport. Letâs move the whole Pacific fleet to the middle of nowhere, have a $40-50million facility built, and sign a 20yr GSA lease! By the way, the old NOAA facility on Lake UnionâŚthe guy who owns Ride the Ducks (who I also despise) bought $1.5 mil piece of the property then sold the majority of it (minus a boat ramp) to US Seafoods, which purchased the rest of the property for $7.5mil. So a couple million to fix the pierâŚplus a little under $9mil for purchasing the property outright. You can thank the NOAA Corps and their fearless leader Lubchenco for that stunt. There are some good people that work as NOAA Corps officers and a lot of â90 day wondersâ who have no business operating a $50mil ship. Some senators seem to think they need the Corps for whatever reason. I guess NOAA Corps are the only ones allowed to fly hurricane hunters into Cuban airspace. Whoopdidoo. Anyway, I agreeâŚabolish the NOAA Corps.
NOAA Corps is a good deal, but so is my civilian government retirement. Hard for any government employees to complain. As I recall, they are forced to move fairly often and not paid any overtime. I knew a couple deck guys straight out of high school making 50-60k at sea and much more if they took their AB to the commercial world. Not bad money for a government employee of any type and especially with lack of degree. Many Chief Engs make north of $200k on NOAA vesselsâŚmaybe what an admiral makes. I was around when they were considering doing away with Corps and GAO determined the cost savings not that substantial. Master with overtime is pretty costly. Iâd much rather keep the Corps than contractorsâŚdealing with that nigthmare now. I was an enlisted navy guy and didnât like Navy officers either, but come to find outâŚa good deal of enlisted were A holes too. Spent most of my time in the Navy in an office vs getting shot at. Watching all this government shutdown BS now and eliminating 300 NOAA Corps not going to put a dent in US problems. GAO said savings would be $600kâŚthatâs easily 4-5 Master salaries.
[QUOTE=c.captain;117981]why the HELL is everybody trying to find some ârationalâ reason for their to be a uniformed NOAA Corps? There is no reason other than it is a very sweet deal for those who get in and out in 20 with a lifetime pension and then able to either go back to work for the federal government or any other place and take their training and experience with them when they go. Iâd like to have $7500 or more a month for the rest of my life at 42 years old and an unlimited masterâs license or multiengine pilotâs certificate.
Many of these supposed retired âwarriorsâ are making absolute bank and any attempt to take away their silver spoon makes them cry like babies who have had their binkies taken out of their mouths. Not since 1997 has anyone in any administration or the Congress had the balls to try to do it again! It is sickening how special interests control the process in Washington and the NOAA Corps is just another like KP.[/QUOTE]
No way is any NOAA Corps officer banking $7500 a month in retirement. They get 50% of their high three year average base salary. Thatâs about $4000. The only person âcrying like a babyâ is you.
[QUOTE=SeaStorm;122571]NOAA Corps is a good deal, but so is my civilian government retirement. Hard for any government employees to complain. As I recall, they are forced to move fairly often and not paid any overtime. I knew a couple deck guys straight out of high school making 50-60k at sea and much more if they took their AB to the commercial world. Not bad money for a government employee of any type and especially with lack of degree. Many Chief Engs make north of $200k on NOAA vesselsâŚmaybe what an admiral makes. I was around when they were considering doing away with Corps and GAO determined the cost savings not that substantial. Master with overtime is pretty costly. Iâd much rather keep the Corps than contractorsâŚdealing with that nigthmare now. I was an enlisted navy guy and didnât like Navy officers either, but come to find outâŚa good deal of enlisted were A holes too. Spent most of my time in the Navy in an office vs getting shot at. Watching all this government shutdown BS now and eliminating 300 NOAA Corps not going to put a dent in US problems. GAO said savings would be $600kâŚthatâs easily 4-5 Master salaries.[/QUOTE]
I think it is the whole â20 and doneâ thing that bothers these guys. Never mind the fact that they essentially gave up tens of thousands of dollars per year in potential salary by staying in the Corps. The prospect that a retired NOAA Officer would make â$7500â a month is a gross exaggeration. Itâs probably more like $4k, which isnât bad. But, again, you have to take into account that these people could take their licenses and certs to the commercial side and make at least twice what they made per year working for NOAA. I guess people just have to find something to be whiny and pissed off about.
We got the email for that one. Oops. NF also had an incident with civilian master but I donât know the details.
Oh nuts. I just assumed it was NOAA Corps. Could they have been prior NOAA Corps?!
Not discussing it further here. I donât know the circumstances, at any rate.
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Yes of course. I just like giving them shit. There are some good officers out there.