Maritime Academy Graduate: Memoir of a Third Mate by Mark H. Glissmeyer

Author:Mark H. Glissmeyer [Glissmeyer, Mark H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Aviation & Nautical
Publisher: Gradina Books
Published: 2018-03-14T21:00:00+00:00

LATE ENTRY:

2000 to 2315: Loading operations halted when longshoremen claimed unsafe working conditions after a single light bulb burned out on deck. Electrician called.

2315 to 2330: Commenced loading grain after light bulb replaced.

2330 to 2400: All work stopped for union coffee break.

The captain and chief mate were pleased—my new logbook entry showed almost four hours of cargo time wasted over a burned-out light bulb. Another time during loading I was called a scab by one of the longshoremen just because the ship was non-union. When his co-worker heard this, he told him to be quiet, as he knew we were to have a union vote on the ship before we sailed.

Eventually the port side of the ship was finished with loading the grain, so a pilot brought in five tugs to swing her around and place the starboard side against the dock to continue. This was done because the ship was so wide, the conveyor system couldn't reach all the way across her. And as this loading continued, it made maneuvering the ship more difficult due to the enormous weight of the cargo aboard. Just to bring her to the dock took the crew five hours, whereas a normal-sized ship would take two tugs about an hour to complete.

The loading on the starboard side went well, but there was one last maneuver to do before finishing at this dock. We had to move the ship forward and adjust the mooring cables so the last tank could be reached. When the time came, I went up on the bridge with the captain, while the deck gang either slacked out or reeled in the mooring cables with the deck winches. The captain used a walkie-talkie to give them orders and also gave me commands as I stood at the engine controls. It was either dead slow or stop in either direction to get the ship relocated.

It just so happened that a couple of people from a shipping company came by to talk with the captain just after we'd started, and one of them had been to the California Maritime Academy as a cadet. He recognized me up on the bridge and started asking me how I got this job, where did I apply, and whom did I call. He talked so much I couldn't hear the captain way out on the bridge-wing telling me to stop the engines. Fortunately nothing happened when I missed his order, but there wouldn't be another one. I told my new friend we'd talk after our maneuvering was finished, now please don't get me fired.

Then after the last tank was loaded in Tacoma, we shifted to Pier 86 in Seattle to top off with the final 48,000 metric tons of grain. Just as the loading started, we received our official ballots for casting votes on whether the ship should become unionized. I cast my vote and sent it back to the National Labor Relations Board, but we never heard what the final vote tally was, and it didn't matter much anyways as the ship would soon be out to sea.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.