Merchant Marines?

[skymama 35]

Just what does a Merchant Marine do and how is it different than being in the Navy? I went to the academy website, it didn't really explain what they do. Hell, I didn't even know there was a Merchant Marine Academy!

I'm just asking because the soccer scout is going to be at a tournament my son is going to and he sent a letter to the team coach. It sounds like a great deal, except for the whole "could go to war" thing.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[DJL 232]

They're trained as officers for ships in the maritime trade. The closest they get to war is dropping off supplies, although they can serve their 6 years in any branch of the military. They make good ship drivers compared to Annapolis grads because of their specialized education in ships and shipping.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[prodiver913 0]

I lived on the little island of Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean for 6 months in 2004 and there are merchant marines there. Let me tell you something; these dudes are salty. Like the stereotypical image you get when you think of salty, old sailors doesn't do a justice. Pretty wild!!

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.

[normiss 622]

So you're saying her son would fit right in???

[prodiver913 0]

if he wants to make A LOT of money and travel the world, then hell yeah!!

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Just what does a Merchant Marine do and how is it different than being in the Navy? I went to the academy website, it didn't really explain what they do. Hell, I didn't even know there was a Merchant Marine Academy!

Hmmm considering the time of year... why did the image of a retail strike force to protect in a power shopping scenario come to mind...

[porpoishead 5]

merchant marines are typically

boat skippers (navigate/maneuver the boat)

engineers (fix equipment/change light bulbs)

oilers...(well...oil shit up) LOL

A.B. (deck hands that do the dirty work that all the others above dictate)


merchant marines aren't just boat skippers theres a shit ton of jobs out at sea that require personnel to perform the tasks as well as manage the job scope.

hope this helps

tell him to become a diver we need more divers..LOL

fuck swabbing boats that shit is for the ducks

if you want a friend feed any animal
Perry Farrell

[pirana 0]

He'd better make sure he knows what he is getting in to. Definitely not for everybody.

See the world translates into forget about ever being able to count on being home.

Family, much less kids - -family; forget about it.

I have one friend who is a MM. Works the Great Lakes boats. Has been living out of a trunk his entire adult life.

Very crusty person. Good man, very self reliant. No social life or family outside of the MM though.

They are like the OTR truckers of the seas.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[skymama 35]

Well that's a definitely no-go then. He has to come home to see his Mama!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[simplyputsi 0]

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Well that's a definitely no-go then. He has to come home to see his Mama!

Are you sure that is what HE wants?

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[skymama 35]

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Are you sure that is what HE wants?

It doesn't matter.

He's still interested in being an architectual engineer, so I don't think he'd be interested. The last I heard, there's not a big demand for buildings on ships.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[guppie01 0]

If your son is truly interested in the sea... check out all different Maritime Academies.

Several of my co-workers graduated from Kings Point - it doesn't have a very good reputation for student satisfaction.

It can offer some great opp., but the education and training is not for the faint of heart. (think of it as college boot camp).

Not sure what your son is interested in, but a huge part of the international shipping industry is being forced to focus on clean water programs, and green technology.

Good luck!!!
g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[normiss 622]

I'm sure he can already do his own laundry Andrea.
Who else do you thing moves the laundry soap around to keep you on your toes???

[DJL 232]

Quote

merchant marines are typically

boat skippers (navigate/maneuver the boat)

engineers (fix equipment/change light bulbs)

oilers...(well...oil shit up) LOL

A.B. (deck hands that do the dirty work that all the others above dictate)


merchant marines aren't just boat skippers theres a shit ton of jobs out at sea that require personnel to perform the tasks as well as manage the job scope.

hope this helps

tell him to become a diver we need more divers..LOL

fuck swabbing boats that shit is for the ducks

Merchant Marine Academy grads get their hands dirty but by no means are they swabbies.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[DJL 232]

Quote

Quote

Are you sure that is what HE wants?

It doesn't matter.

He's still interested in being an architectual engineer, so I don't think he'd be interested. The last I heard, there's not a big demand for buildings on ships.

You mean a Naval Architect? Extremely competetive field.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[Icon134 0]

I have a friend that graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy and joined the Air Force... (and is still in) He is a bit of an odd individual especially when he tells people that he "Went to the Academy" then goes on to explain that he's not talking about the Air Force Academy.

He studied Mechanical Engineering (which sensibly had an emphasis on maratime equipment)

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[porpoishead 5]

right on bud..

the point I was trying to convey is. that you don't just graduate from school, any school on this planet for that matter, and you are an instant boat skipper.

you have to put in your time to be skipper. many guys put in a lifetime and don't make skipper.

many guys just achieve the rank of first mate and roll with that because they make just as much as the skipper but don't have all the responsibilities. very common trend these days.

but most of all there are the guys that buy in to the whole academy bullshit thing hook line and sinker. once cut loose these individuals get a good hard dose of life at sea and realize that they aren't jack shit in the whole grand scheme of things, and usually don't last anything more than a few months to year at the upward limit.

life at sea is what it is, life at sea...you gotta put in your time, then it's still the same shit except you get to tell and explain to other fuck-sticks what they gotta do.

I'm a diver and i have nothing but respect for all of the sailors onboard the very diverse range of vessels that we use to do our gig. but from the skippers on down, those boys get paid shit compared to us...i would just as well go flip burgers before I sacrificed myself to a life at sea to do any of that bullshit.

im just saying..

if you want a friend feed any animal
Perry Farrell

[anarki 0]

hi, i was an merchant marine or an u.s merchant mariner is what my z-card says. i was an q-med on my ship, there is alot of money to be made there. I got out, 30 days on and 14 days off sucks trying for aff. some of the guys that was on my ship made over 600 a day.(i was at 295.00 aday) less then 1 yr, the nice thing about it is he can move up as fast as he wants.(after getting the right number of sea time for your next test)

guess what's 250 lbs and flys like a brick? me

[DJL 232]

Actually, you can call me Billy Bud.

I see what you're saying. Yeah, that's probably why the first MM grad I met was on the bridge of a Navy destroyer. Didn't want to grind out his 6 years on a cargo ship.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[stitch 0]

Didn't Saint Joe the skipper of the Valdez graduate Magna Cum Laude from the Merchant Marine Academy. That's hella groovy.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[Trevor 0]

My grandfather worked at Kings Point and my father, brother, and brother-in-law graduated from there. It is one of the better kept secrets in higher education.

You get a four-year full-ride scholarship and your follow-on commitment is to serve the transportation industry for 5-6 years. Some fulfill this commitment by choosing to join the military, but most serve as deck officers on merchant vessels. While you are at the academy, you spend 2 x six month stints at sea, so one quarter of your time is 'seeing the world'.

After graduation the pay for a deck officer can approach six figures (a lot for a 22 year old) and you're at sea a few months at a time so you're not spending it. My dad sailed for his commitment then used the money he saved to pay for Harvard Business School. My brother didn't feel like sailing after leaving the academy, so he got a land-based job working in an importing firm at Norfolk (and did AFF at Skydive Suffolk). My brother in law didn't sail either; he got a great engineering job and lives in CT with my sis. Because they support the transportation industry; it fulfills the commitment.

The academy was founded during WWII when there was a great need for merchant ships for the war effort, but these days the mission is non-military. They do use a military environment at the academy (discipline, honor, leadership) to generate competent officers for civilian ships, but a little structure never hurt anyone

Except for graduates who volunteer to join the military (about 10-15 a year) no one from Kings Point gets remotely close to the whole "could go to war" thing...(unlike the Academy I went to up the Hudson River)

My folks sponsor a senior on the soccer team; PM me if you want to talk to him instead of a coach/scout

PS. FWIW- Captain Hazelwood of Valdez infamy went to SUNY Maritime, the arch-rival of Kings Point across the sound

[skymama 35]

Wow, your post was so informative. I love these forums, you find out so many things! I mentioned the program to Nick at dinner and he said he doesn't think he'd be interested in spending so much time at sea, but it's nice to hear someone can fulfill his commitment in other ways. They have a pretty decent soccer team too, that's really cool that your parents sponser one of the boys!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon