A request for Mr. Cavo's attention at the NMC regarding old sea time records

**studbuzzar** · May 22nd, 2009, 11:02 AM

Good morning mates!

I am in the process of getting back on merchant marine vessels in the 300GT range. Back in the eighties I turned in a bunch of sea time to New Orleans USCG office to get my unlimited AB Ticket. That was the tonnage I was working on back then also (Oil field supply boats out in the Gulf). I had at least 1020 days of sea time back then. I have the coasties in the process of retrieving my records from back then as I have not been in the industry for 20 years. The criteria for listing your sea time qualifications seems to be a bit tougher. I have no real clue what they were for me back then. Has anyone had experience with this situation. I was told by a ex-examiner that they may not count them or even find them. But he thinks the finding part should not be a problem as long as everyone has done there job at archives. As I recall I just turned in letters from both boat companies stating general tonnage and how long I had been working for them. Any experience or tips would make me sleep alot better. Since I just forked over $1600 to go to sea school for 100GT Masters, BST, and Radio Operator Endorsement. The two companies I worked for down in Houma (Pelham Marine Inc) and Morgan City (Bengal Marine) both went out of business in 1980 or so. Any tips or directions on how to get the sea time records if the archives are incomplete or lost or not good enough?

**water** · May 23rd, 2009, 06:28 AM

Studbuzzar - Good luck with this - it will be interesting to see what you find out. I wish to start going for a 500 T ticket, and also need to find out what my USCG records have on file for sea time.

Last October the NMC advised me to send a written request for copies of my sea service time to a fax number at their headquarters. There was no response, so I faxed a second request in January. By the end of March I recevied copies of the service letters for the times I had occasionally gone to sea. But the letters are only since I sat for my Ocean Operator (Near Coastal) in '83. My work has always been in the marine industry, but a lot of it land based since that time, but I have always kept my license current.

I have faxed another request to NMC for my time prior to getting the Ocean Operator license. Still no word.

I am hoping they will credit me 720 days for the Ocean Operator license. If so, I have documentated for sea time for over 1,100 days.

Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

**studbuzzar** · May 23rd, 2009, 06:54 AM

Yeppers, that is where I am at at this point. On May 8th I faxed in my request for sea service records. I sent along basic information that regional office down in New Orleans said I sould send. I also sent a copy front and back of my old AB card which I still have along with print outs of the names of the companies I worked for and when they went out of business. I followed this up with a phone call on the 13th and was told that request had been sent to several places for my records and that it was just going to take some time (8 weeks approx). So that's where I am at.
The other night I was able to find one of the vessels I worked on for over two years. I have the tonnage all the specks and everything. I also was able to get the (ex) vice president of the boat companies name, address, and phone number. That was a bit of luck as he has been elected to a public office down in Houma LA. His resume was online! I am holding off contacting him as it seems to be a bit forward and intrusive. But as a last resort I will call him and see if he can help me.
My hope is that the two sea time letters I turned in back on July 16th 1984 (issue date of my unlimited AB ticket), are somewhere to be found. I would think copies of those two letters would get the job done. They were for well over 1020 12 hr days. Anyway I hate not knowing. If anyone has other ideas feel free to post. I would be much abliged

**jdcavo** · May 25th, 2009, 09:48 PM

I'm not involved with records, so I'll defer to anything you've been advised by NMC or REC. Whether they can be foubnd in federal archives will depend on how well the REC documented what box, etc. they were in, and how they labelled the box. Also, it woill depend on whether the records were even shipped to archives. With the transition of the RECs we've learned some RECs kept records in the REC far longer than they should have. Also, REC New Orleans had a lot of flood damage to their records after Katrina. While most of the records were salvaged and restored, some may not have been recoverable.

**ConsultantG** · May 28th, 2009, 11:35 AM

If you are reinstating or have an expired license, you will have to completely retest at the CG or CG approved school for your license. You would not have to "re-prove" your service time, since you already held a license, however, all other application paperwork applies.

**Capt. Nemo** · May 28th, 2009, 12:25 PM

ConsultantG is, of course, correct. When I had my license reinstated all I had to do is submit the old license and test for the new one. No seatime or recency needed to be documented or demonstrated.

My sea time was documented for a Master's I sat for in 1982. If you still have your old license, you still have the sea time it required. In fact, a copy was all that was necessary.

Nemo

**studbuzzar** · May 28th, 2009, 05:19 PM

I am sitting for the 100GT for the first time. I will need to provide some documentation. I never worked past the unlimited AB back in the day. Nothing is stopping me from getting a 100GT Masters except 90 days recency time and being able to prove old seatime from my AB ticket. I am already studying ahead for sea school next month. Doing physical and drug test right before school starts. I already applied for and recieved my TWIC, MMC is next, followed by masters and BST training, then a spot on a boat somewhere for a few months to get my recency time. Turn it all in and its time to live the dream!
My reason for going this route now was to go as far as I could now (100GT Masters, BST training, Radio cert.) before I get back in the business. It seems to me alot better to do it know rather than have to take time off to do so. I also plan on getting my AB again in a few months, from what I hear I will need it for higher licenses down the road.

**water** · May 29th, 2009, 01:39 PM

Thanks to those who responded. You gave the answer that I needed - and wanted to hear!

**studbuzzar** · February 9th, 2010, 04:50 AM

It has been awhile since I started this topic. FigureI might as well bring it up again to see if anyone has some advice or experience to share I am still stuck in out here on the end of the plank?

I wanted to get a 100GT Master Liecnse last summer. I have never held the license before. This would be a new issue. I currently do hold an AB Unlimited Any Waters that was reissued recently.
I was not required to submit any seatime for the reissue on my AB. But I am being told that I need to provide documentation of seatime for the new issue of a 1OO Masters license. Problem is I don't have records from 19 years ago. I tried to get copies from USCG in NOLA. They cannot find any. Nothing ar NMC except for one two week discharge slip from one of the companies I worked for. Both companies I worked for down in the GOM oil patch are long gone.
Is their some sort of appeals process or way of getting some consideration for seatime served as an AB from the NMC?. They accepted (1080 days) of seatime documentation back then for issue of AB Umlimited, but won't allow me the same grace or consideration on a new issue of 1OOGT (720 days) Masters? Is it because they can't find my old seatime documentation or is it some other reason why?
This is going to set me back years if I am forced to start from square one.