Aw-Bless their cotton picking socks

**j.sabourn** · 21st August 2014, 09:59 AM

Further to above in 1995 I was master on a US flag ship the Dickerson Tide. By US law which they still maintain I believe there had to be a US presence on board. She was a shallow water Seismic vessel, used to lay a cable on the sea bed sit on DP at the end of for the surveyors to get their Data . The US skipper I re -signed on as 2nd. Mate. He when working in the Gulf and other places with a US crew was on less money than the Australians. His twin brother died in the US and the only way the US coastguard would let him off the ship was for me to go back off leave, as had previous knowledge of vessel. He was eternally grateful and up until not so many years back used to hear from him occassionally. At this time I thinking back was on about 79000 dollars a year and an AB on about 62000 dollars. So the wages the same as everywhere else unless the country is in a depression have gone up accordingly, partly also to the cost of living. I dont know why the government should be concerned though as they rake it all back in income tax. I never paid less than 30,000 dollars tax and that was the first year out here as was not a full year tax wise. JS

**j.sabourn** · 21st August 2014, 10:18 AM

Further to that salarys were not a mystery here. They were laid down by the union and all the same regardless, I got the same whether on a supply vessel or oil rig. These salarys were always open for inspection. Everyone knew their contents. JS