Career At Sea

[cappy]

The only growth industry at sea today.
Cheers
Brian

guess thats about right brian ........but i would only say an apprentice on a tramp would see more of daily seamanship than a cadet on a cruise liner.......mind 22 months like ivan did......would see more than 20 cruises......regards cappy

[Captain Kong]

Hi Cappy, there are no more Tramps or cargo ships as we knew 50 years ago.
No more Derricks to top, no Jumbos to rig, no splicing, all done ashore, No painting on stages over the wall, done ashore with cherry pickers.
Tankers, container ships and cruise ships do not need Seaman as we knew it, only maintenance men.
I saw the Cadets on HAL with dirty oily hands, greasing and maintaining lifeboat falls, with 16 lifeboats plenty to do. They also work down below so they know what it is all about down there.
So today they will do as much seamanship on a cruise ship as they will on a Container ship.
The game has changed beyond recognition.
This is the only seamanship required today.
This is me last year on the Amsterdam paying off my bar bill.
Cheers
Brian

[Doc Vernon]

If the Young Man is interested in the Sea,and the MN is not offering the same sort of life we had,have you considered him joining the RN at all!
There he can learn a good trade while also going to Sea!
Just a thought!
Cheers

[Captain Kong]

Hi Vernon I don't think we have a RN at the moment, just a couple of ships and a sub is all. Had a lot of cuts.
I read a year ago that we rent a `UBOAT` From the Germans to train our men,. Who would believe that? Our dead Seamen would be spinning in the wrecks on the bottom of the ocean if they knew that.
San Diego Maritime Museum has more ships than we have.
I think he would be better on a cruise ship, the fleets are expanding and more men needed.
Cheers
Brian

[Doc Vernon]

Did not know it was that bad Capt! ?????? Surely they have enough Ships there!
Careers | Royal Navy

List of active Royal Navy ships - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Even Aussie have a good few!
And still getting more Built!
Cheers

Then the Young Man can come to Aussie to join the RAN lol

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Vernon, it is just what we are lead to believe by various political factions. We were told that there is only one Nuke sub out on patrol at any one time, the others are in dock and usually very few ships are out on patrol around the world as we used to do, We once had the 2nd largest Navy in the world but not anymore. Most of our Navy is tied up in Navy Bases as it is cheaper than sailing. They usually only sail if going to assist some country with a disaster similar to the Philipine one.
They used to say Join the Navy and see the world but they don't see much of it today.
We also had in the 50s, 52% of world shipping now virtually none. only a few ferries and supply boats. even the mighty Cunard is now foreign Flag.#
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

Although times have changed and the design of shipping with it, there are more cargo vessels than passenger liners sailing on the High seas. Mostly nowadays consisting of Bulk carriers. Cargos with self inherent dangers and some requiring special stowage, to name but a few Grain and all the different types requiring knowledge of the grain regs. Sulphur, Coal, Cotton and its special stowage re. spontaneous combustion, these are but a few, loading a ship to its marks with a full deadweight cargo is a skill in itself, even carrying cars on the drive on and drive off system requires special knowledge re the fuel retained in a vehicles petrol tank. There are still numerous complexities to a working ship. There are few remaining ships with derricks but what happens if you sail on one. Cranes are more fashionable now, but one has to drive and maintain them also. Bridge watchkeeping although important is a small item when it comes to running a ship. Watchkeeping should be second nature to a mate. There is very little need to use the brain as re. celestial navigation nowadays, but that part of a ships officer duties as said is only a small part of running a ship. It used to be a boast of most fishing skippers, put fishing gear on the Queen Mary and they would take it to sea, as their cert. stated to take any fishing vessel anywhere. I have no doubt with a familiarization course on the Bridge controls they could do it as well. As regards Tankers my 12 months experience on such as Ch. Officer was one had to have knowledge of what oils were compatible to others, how to start and stop steam driven pumps for the kerosene tanks, and paraffin tanks, knowledge of Butterworth tank cleaning systems. I was fortuanate to have tanker men around me which I was not. I did however do all the gas inerting systems courses etc. Shipping is still there and still requires certain skills apart from passengers and giving guided bridge tours to, holds to be swept out, dunnage to be laid, cargo such as steel coils to be tommed off and secured. To get that experience and plenty more one has to be on a working trading vessel. Cheers JS

[Red Lead Ted]

Absolutely John, I was fortunate enough to sail in every type of ship, Conventional Cargo, Container, Ro Ro, Passenger, Bulk Carriers, heavy lift cargo, and one Tanker, But agree as a working seaman on deck if I didn't have the experience of working lets say Butterworth gear, Then my fellow seaman although I new what the gear was there fore and the exercise you were carrying out would assist you. As I assisted other seaman in duties they were not familiar with. These days of course most on deck are foreign crews some I have no doubt worth their salt, But as we all learned from the likes of the Costa Concordia recently, Leave a lot to be desired. There is no substitute for experience I done 3 months in Gravesend, It was only the basics in every aspect of what challenges a working deck of any ship would throw up to you, It certainly helped but the people who got me through my seamanship skills were the experienced seaman aboard ship which once I knew the ropes done the same with the younger seaman coming aboard it was as much for your own safety as it was theirs, I can't see how you break the language barrier between seaman today Especially young ratings and I would not like to be stepping aboard any ship today without basic training and the experienced hands to pass on their skills. A for instance a few years ago a ship put to sea from Liverpool the bosun had his young 16 year old son aboard on a work experience no training he would obviously look after him as it was only around the land, The lad was killed while storing the Anchor chain in the coned chain locker as they sailed it would not have happened in our day, The reason a break down in communication {LANGUAGE BARRIER } Regards Terry.

[j.sabourn]

Terry, I was never on a deep sea ship yet with supposedly self stowing lockers that self stowed, always someone standing at the chain locker door with a broom to shove the chain over to fall hopefully in place. The lockers were always too small. That was with only 8 or 9 shackles of chain as normal for the average ship. Never saw this problem on custom built oil supply boats which normally carried at least 25/28 shackles on each anchor. Bigger and better chain lockers. Probably why the average ship had smaller lockers, suspect may have had something to do with the Gross or Nett tonnage figures which harbour and light dues were paid on. Everything on a merchant ship revolved around money. The American ship tonnage re gross and cubic, all their tonnages are base re door entries etc. on being able to get a standard bale of cotton through. One thing though about US ships they still stick to feet and inches and haven't gone overboard with the metric system of Europe. Cheers JS Re splicing nowadays although hand splicing re cargo gear is a no no, as use ferrels now, they still have to be put on with a machine and stamped SWL date etc. Whenever I moved a rig if was less than 50 miles had 3 ABs with me over 50 was 6 Abs. Whenever got onboard was quite usual for the rig crew to have a list of splicing jobs for the seamen to do re. safety and guard rails etc. Wires requiring ferrels I had to survey and sign for as going on correctly. Wire splicing if it is not already a past art is slowly getting there, which is in some cases is a mistaken philosophy as there are other wires on board apart from cargo handling gear. JS PS As regards shipping numbers I have been into Fremantle 3 times in the past week or so, and each time there has been at least 5 large bulkers anchored off waiting to come in. Each time there has been different ships there, so are not the same ones lying idle. The amount of cargo being shipped out of Australia is always under estimated. Unfortuanetly these ships are mostly Chinese and Far Eastern Flag vessels and doubt there is any British seamen amongst them JS

[happy daze john in oz]

There once were ships, now there are still ships but not as we knew ships to be. That is how the world continues to change.

But many of the tasks remain he same, painting is sill done on a full time basis on most cruise ships. Hospitality has changed very little but the role of some officers is different.

Brian, on some Princess Cruise ships now tours of the engine room and bridge are allowed for groups of ten.