The Merchant Marine Express

I bet you were wondering where I have been? Well, the ship just returned from a week long sea voyage which took us out in the middle of the Pacific, and where the navy wanted us to ‘steam around’ for days on end. We played a part in ‘Valiant Shield’, a training exercise which would comprise of the largest contingent of naval forces in the Pacific Ocean since the Vietnam war era. This would set the scene for various training exercises involving both military and quasi-military vessels.

Also included were aircraft and other forms of mobile ‘platforms’ which I am not going to divulge further- just to respect the classified nature of the mission, if there was any. And the expanse of the area affected would equate to hundreds of square miles of virtual battle field. Basically speaking, we were instructed to follow predetermined routes and follow a schedule of events and time lines just as if this were one big military pow-wow. I felt as if I was a part of a gigantic ship ‘cruise’ similar to a car ‘cruise’ or car show and we were the classic dilapidated example of what an original conditioned 1960’s era vessel (read car)should look like. But our ship was unique among an Armada of modern merchant ships, which were instructed to follow in a convoy similar to trucks on an endless highway. I could only imagine what our vessel looked like, from a bird’s eye view.
We didn’t see much action by military might, yet, we were convinced that simulated gun battles were erupting on some latitude close by, albeit not within our sight. Rumor has it that a couple of ships destined for destruction were used as targets and were purposely sunk. On paper, a classified message would indicate regions where ships and aircrafts would coordinate like a well choreographed theatrical dance- this being far and away from our positions, at any time, though. Frankly, it was mostly boring, motoring at a pace as we watched various patches of rain clouds skirt by and an occasional frigate bird diving into the depths for its morning quota of fish. That was our excitement!
In addition to this sea experience, while out on the water, all onboard the ship were getting ready for the ship’s own inspection in a couple of weeks that would involve the United States Coast Guard. Each year, the ship has to renew its safety credentials, which is called a Certificate Of Inspection (COI), and which the Coast Guard conducts and issues the renewal. All the safety gear and related equipment, along with the basic machinery such as the ship’s engine and cargo gear gets a thorough inspection for compliancy for the two days. As a safety officer, all the gear that’s involved with firefighting or lifesaving equipment such as lifeboats, life rings, or firefighting hoses and extinguishers are checked on a monthly basis by me. This inspection period just emphasizes that all the gear needs to be maintained and in good working order. During this past week, I was running around on deck making sure that all the equipment was in order, and that we would be ready for the COI.
In the final hours prior to arriving into port, the unfortunate news that one of our crew members was in need of immediate assistance from a medical team, ashore due to arising chest pains. Our captain called the harbor to request the pilot much sooner than our intended schedule, so that she could be rushed to a hospital. We monitored her vitals within the ship’s own cramped hospital room, and I was instructed to maintain a watch over her and check for pulse and stable blood pressure as the ship arrived to the dock. But with training and coordination on the part of the officers and crew, we made it in good time and our needy crewmember was in the hands of knowledgeable medical professionals. Although, we as officers, are trained to a higher degree than just at the basic CPR level, we can only do so much.
Our week at sea was enjoyable, productive, yet included some excitement towards the end, which wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. Yet, we are always expecting the worst and training for what should never happen- any occurrence is a challenge which is faced head on by all hands, aboard. We are the Merchant Marines!

-Nadir

Tags: S.S Petersburg, Voyages