The Merchant Marine Express

It’s been over a week and I am settling into my job aboard the SS Petersburg as Third Mate. The 730 foot tanker has been pre-positioned in the South Pacific and is under the guidance of the US Navy.

Over a week and a half ago, I was uncertain as to my fate aboard a ship. The Summer was fast approaching and with a new License, in hand, I was sure something would metamorph into a nice paying job. But days grew into weeks and upon the third week in May, I was slightly apprehensive.

Finally, the call came from the dispatch department at my Merchant Marine Union (American Maritime Officers) and it was Brendan on the phone asking if I wanted either a month-long ‘relief’ job or a full four-month assignment.

Although I had worked two out of the first five months of this year, I was relishing a lucrative paying job that would end the year on a positive note…

And then I got the break I was waiting for.

This assignment aboard a government ship was an emergency assignment as the normal replacement to the Third Mate was off doing other things. I was only given two days to prepare as the third mate was anxious on getting home due to an over-extended stay, onboard.

I had all my qualifications and paperwork in order, so all it meant was to decide on a date to fly.

And it was determined that within the two days, I would be on a plane headed to Japan then connect to Guam, the final destination.

Over nineteen hours of flying including three hours of layover took its toll. I was picked up by the ship’s agent at 1:00am and whisked off to a launch boat to be taken directly to the anchored ship.

Once aboard, I was amazed at all the gear onboard which would later be explained to me. This ship is not just an ordinary tanker. I will explain at a later date. I was offered the guest stateroom, originally intended for a Pilot, just for the night as the third’s mate room was still occupied.

With only three hours of sleep and the excitement of having a job, I was awake and alert by breakfastime, 7:30am. At that time, I was introduced to the Captain, Parker. He’s a conservative, quiet man who looks to be in his late fifties and appears to have years of knowledge behind his belt.

I was joined by many of the other Ship’s officers including both Deck and Engineering. The second Third Mate was happy to see me and I would be teaming up to share some of the safety inspections, in addition to the normal routine of watchkeeping.

After moving into the room which I would call home for four months, I did notice that my predecessor smoked a lot and as a result, the room stunk of the sweet, aromatic odor of cheap cigarettes.

I wasn’t picky and was happy I was back at work!

The ship was anchored within the Harbor but was soon ordered to shift back to the Dock that it routinely moored for weeks, on end. The Fuel Pier was only a half mile east of its relative position and the whole transfer took about an hour to complete.

I observed the handling of the mooring lines on the stern and also the choreography of Able Seaman as they were instructed on what mooring lines to be placed in strategic positions and when to tug on the lines.

Soon, I would be tasked to instruct the mooring operations on the stern so this was a good time to ask questions and take charge. Although most ships only require the direction from one Deck Officer to assist with line-handling, this ship has the man-power of two Deck Officers on the stern. Everything we do onboard ship is a team effort. Not much is done solely on the efforts of just one person.
A week has gone by, yet I feel as I am becoming a part of the team, already.

Have a great Day!
- Nadir

Tags: S.S Petersburg, Voyages