The Merchant Marine Express

Vol. 2 No. 9 (Supplement)
IN PORT

We arrived into Port. Guam is where we are staying for a short while!

The trip over was not too bad, except the last day the seas were building up due to a meteorological disturbance to the southeast of us. Our automatic pilot was trying effortlessly to hold course, but the ship’s speed barely held to its required Estimated time of arrival (ETA).
We are currently in the midst of a US Coast Guard inspection that will renew the ship’s Certificate Of Inspection (COI). Most ships require a bi-annual inspection that encompasses checks of the engines and related systems, fire fighting and lifesaving gear such as fire hoses, fire extinguishers, their condition, and the total integrity of the ship’s superstructure and hull. Both regulatory bodies- The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) are on hand, to put the ship through various checks and tests. ABS is one of the world’s largest classification societies- similar to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Once everything is complete, the ship receives a report and in it states what is satisfactory, and what needs improvement.
In port, we’ve had a few crew changes, as well. One of the third mates signed off due to his normal rotation, and a new third mate replaced him. I volunteered to stand the Watch from midnight until 0400,and the second mate would stand the 0400 until 0800. Of course, the compensation would be for four hours of overtime, and being the Good Samaritan that I am, it would look good in the Chief Mate’s eyes if I agreed to the extra duty. I found out that this new third mate worked as a Chief Mate for the past ten years and it is rumored he is at the sprightly age of Sixty. He nearly fainted when he saw all the electronics up in the wheelhouse (Bridge).
These past couple of days have been spent helping with pallets of new food and supplies, received onboard. I figured the ship took a total of one forty-foot container worth of food- refrigerated and non-perishable. It required an “all hands” effort to unload about thirty pallets of supplies. This task took over four hours and ten crew to complete! In addition, I’ve assisted with gathering over seventy-five fire fighting hoses that extend to over one hundred feet and layed them out on deck, in order for a “pressure check” to be conducted by the coast guard-all of this within two days of pulling into port!
The one thing lacking was my ability to spend any time, ashore. We’re situated within the Navy base and the local Merchandise “Exchange” is roughly a mile away. My schedule starts out at 0800 and ends at midnight with a couple of hours in the afternoon for a nap. My time off is after midnight, yet, I don’t think I’ll be getting off very much. I will make an effort to reach the “Exchange”, yet if I don’t find a ride “to town”, I don’t think I will miss much. Many of the sights to see on the island would be beneficial to anyone who’s on temporary “leave” such as the military personnel, onboard. Otherwise, the green hill along the bay is the setting for my “room with a view”.
The arduous tasks are making the days grow into weeks, and I am realizing that my time aboard shows two months and three weeks to go. Our new Captain Mulderig arrived and I had the fortune of having a nice conversation during dinnertime with him.
Time to do it all over again- I am ready!
Have a great day!

Tags: USNS Fred Stockham