MYTH BUSTING THE MERCHANT MARINE

[@BigBoi678]

Having spent time in the navy, I can tell you the sea never gets boring. It always looks different or you see different things out there. One day the waves could be splashing across your bow, the next, it is the most tranquil place on Earth. You can see all sorts of marine life from whales, dolphins, to flying fish that glide across the waves. I want to go back out to sea and i'm am doing that by becoming a merchant marine. They get better paid without the hassle of being in the military. Had I known about this job, I would have chosen this route. But don't get me wrong, the Navy can be great. But I believe being a Merchant Mariner to have more upsides imo.

[@marcmeinzer8859]

On the merchant ships where I was an AB officers seemed more prone to seasickness than the crew members. In the navy I was on nuclear submarines so all we had to do in heavy weather was to descend to a greater depth to stop any rolling. The biggest rolls we took on the John Marshall were 20 degrees at a depth of 180 feet during a typhoon near Guam. So the captain told the OOD to take us down to 600 feet which solved the problem. The roughest seas I went through in the merchants was on a RO/RO the American Falcon during the winter in the North Atlantic bringing back to Bayonne, New Jersey a load of captured enemy tanks of Soviet Russian manufacture from Desert Storm after hostilities had ceased. So it became obvious how important it was to do a good job of securing all of this heavy broken down crap with numerous D rings. We also had lots of US Army armor such as self propelled howitzers and so forth. We also brought back some army troops who stayed in the extra cabins since the crew was so small or only about 21 total.

[@finlayene]

your answer regarding the "it gets boring" myth got me strongly considering a career change

[@InMyBrz]

ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON ! Rumors about some crewmembers or ??? Sailors are like women in the way they gossip about eachother on their ship

[@Chiefengineer1]

Had a captain on my ship who got sea sick and couldn't swim.

[@hmr171]

I was a Mate for 10 years and I never saw any of my shipmates get seasick. That includes years in the Gulf of Alaska in winter.

[@SailorDean4]

Now that’s impressive

[@peted2770]

Is there an age limit for starting in the MM? I am a licensed plumber and did some contract work from 08-2010 in Iraq. I then came back home and started a family. My kid is three years from graduating, and I'm getting stir-crazy from being in one spot for 15 years. Once she graduates, I would like to try out the sailer's life for a bit, but I will be about 47 years old at that time.

[@SailorDean4]

Nope you definitely can become a MM I worked with guys a lot older

[@InMyBrz]

FUNNY ! I have gone through hurricanes (HUGO) where the actual furniture in our rooms broke loose and ended up being battering rams in the rooms Left Valdez Alaska in the middle of winter, we had a draft of like 70 feet fully loaded and we were rolling 45 degrees because of the swell ! I worked on a 120 foot NOAA Oceanographic seismic ship off the coast of California That thing ROLLED like crazy, I could look out my porthole one second I'd see the sky, the next I'd be seeing the ocean, it rolled that much ! Thankfully in 35 years I NEVER got seasick ! Can't even remember any of my shipmates getting seasick either or at least they didn't talk about it Can think of 2 ports where all of us wanted to run ashore but the facility would not let us One was after getting out of the shipyard in Singapore headed for a refinery in Barrow Island Australia. The other was in the tip of Sicily at Malazzo. Were not allowed to go through the refinery and were STUCK on board, pissed all of OFF !

[@InMyBrz]

Can't remember all the SEASICK medications but one is DRAMAMINE, they use it for airplane sickness and scuba diving sickness I think it is similiar to BENADRYL Think having a full stomach helps too

[@drewonu1]

Hey good sir, just starting out learning.

[@shadowcross7248]

With SIU. What things do you have to pay for when going through Piny Point.

[@SailorDean4]

Uniforms and transportation

[@shadowcross7248]

@SailorDean4 About how long the process will take you when you apply to SIU and have your training date? My next step is getting my MMC. How long are you on a ship you get assigned to vs. having home time.?

[@charleyRamos]

How can I get a hat like that?

[@justinserra1372]

My BIGGEST mistake was thinking that Mariners need to be math and physics whizzes.. i was cowed because of that myth!

[@InMyBrz]

MOST work on a ship done by non-officers is regular types of labor ; painting, fixing mechanical things, being a lookout on the bridge, getting the Captain coffee, or whatever

[@Reynaisan_Ganot]

How to apply sir?im a MmC holder and able seaman edorsment

[@samuelhawley332]

Why would you need a pass when your on US soil? Can’t I just show them I’m a US citizen?

[@SailorDean4]

Yes usually but there are certain ports that are crazy strict for no reason wouldn’t even let us go ashore

[@markalan6679]

It all started with the Exon Valdez. That was the tipping point. Things tightened up. Then 9/11 made it worse. If you were sailing in the 70s like I was there is no comparison to today’s merchant marine. We used to just carry our Z card and pass if required. Now it’s mostly just a TWIC.

[@InMyBrz]

The gate in the port needs to match you up to the crew list so they know WHO is headed ashore. That would require some kind of an ID like your Z card or a drivers license AND in order to get back into the port, EVERYONE needs to show their TWIC card - transportation worker ID card We had a guy fly to meet a ship in California and he arrived at the port and they would NOT let him ON port property because he forgot to bring his TWIC card from home, he had to fly back home

[@genemcdonald1769]

Have your ship ever been atacked by pirates?

[@SailorDean4]

Luckily not but I know people that have

[@Fearless444_77]

love your math answer 😂 facts

[@Orionleo]

Hey man, I always wondered what it was like to work on a ship because of the time frames (you guys are out there for months at a time yeah?) I even briefly thought about trying to get into that business out of San Diego ... but nah. But thanks for sharing your story

[@AliciaHart-d9v]

Hi. I've been considering this as a career but my case is a little unique I'm 47 I'm MtF trans. It's not my identity its just a thing. I'm interested in the SIU route. I'm 47. I'm generally a top.performer. That wants to learn everything type. not due to ego I just don't like to suck at my job I'm having issues finding about the living quarters situation while attending SIU as well as your actual thoughts on me being trans in this career? I know the world is full of a holes.

[@SailorDean4]

I would call and ask the administration at the school see what they say about the living situation

[@InMyBrz]

When I started I heard rumors that all guys who worked on ships were GAY ! Turned out that was NOT true BUT I have met gay sailors on my ships These days it means nothing, you are a human being and they can't discriminate against you in ANY WAY. GO FOR IT and make a good living and don't let what you see as a potential problem stop you. The SIU will make accomodations for you to attend school and everything will be fine ! They are dying for new sailors to join shipping Kind of like me, I am 71 retired from going to sea 35 years I got certified as an FAA aircraft mechanic after I retired, have always been interested in doing this. Well, the industry is SO SHORT of mechanics I think they'd hire a 3 legged blind dog if he applied, same goes for pilots

[@markalan6679]

Nonsense !! Not everybody gets seasick.

[@SailorDean4]

That’s true not everyone does but if you do you never get 100% used to it haha

[@markalan6679]

And if you’re standing by the gangway you should at least informed him of a required shore pass and that he had his TWIC card with him….

[@curtisroberts9137]

In the Marines I had about 18 mos sea time in 4 years. I usually loved the storms as I would sleep like a baby. One night near Hawaii they fed us some greasy sloppy joes for dinner. About 70% of the ship was tossing that stuff up in the storm that night. One of two times I got sick. Not everyone got sick but a whole lot of people did. Nasty feeling. LOL

[@dougjones8866]

How often do you get seasick

[@SailorDean4]

For me it has been a rare experience because the ship usually dodges the bad weather when it can sometimes you just get rocked wrong