The great pumpkins response to a family death

[mutt]

Think about this before you consider working for a certain " Major " offshore supply company...
While deployed recently on one of the companies ships my mother became very ill and died the next day. My wife notified the operations coordinator
with an emergency message which he neglected to deliver. To make things even worse the company refused to make arrangements to return me at the earliest but instead insinuated that the story of my mothers demise was fabricated. I was forced to stay on the vessel for an additional 3 weeks
before returning home to grieve with my family and lay my mother to rest.
On my return to the states I notified The owner, his son and his daughter of my concern at the coordinators lack of response to this tragic situation but they never even responded with so much as a condolence. It's an even bigger tragedy to see that the family values that this "Major" company uses to sell themselves to mariners is nothing more than a myth.

[anchorman]

Think about this before you consider working for a certain " Major " offshore supply company...
While deployed recently on one of the companies ships my mother became very ill and died the next day. My wife notified the operations coordinator
with an emergency message which he neglected to deliver. To make things even worse the company refused to make arrangements to return me at the earliest but instead insinuated that the story of my mothers demise was fabricated. I was forced to stay on the vessel for an additional 3 weeks
before returning home to grieve with my family and lay my mother to rest.
On my return to the states I notified The owner, his son and his daughter of my concern at the coordinators lack of response to this tragic situation but they never even responded with so much as a condolence. It's an even bigger tragedy to see that the family values that this "Major" company uses to sell themselves to mariners is nothing more than a myth.

The very same company, while I was offshore, and my brother broke his neck from a 20 foot fall, and was paralyzed from the neck down and could not breath on his own (death would have been better, as he lasted 12 months in pain before passing away), not only pulled the boat off of the job to get me to a chopper flight, had a limo service waiting to pick me up, and had me booked on 3 consecutive flights out of Houston to go home. They booked me on all three available flights to make sure I got the earliest one,....and by the time I got to the hospital, there were already flowers at the emergency room from the company. During the wake a year later, the company make a donation to the Christopher Reeve Foundation instead of flowers in my brother's name.

Something similar happened 10 years earlier regarding my mother.

Only a few things regarding this. First, my condolences to you for your loss. Second, mud slinging usually follows being terminated and/or quitting for reasons never conveyed by the complaining party.
Thirdly, being in Antarctica while something like this happens is akin to being on the space shuttle at the space station. There will be some limits, but punching a fellow officer because of it, will only lead to the story above.....and no job.

[Capt Leigh]

I am truly sorry for your loss,and ashamed on behalf of your company for their lack of compassion.God Bless...

[mutt]

You make very valid points Anchorman and thanks for that. I'm glad to hear that the company responded properly when you were in a tough spot. However, I was not on the space shuttle but at a location on the continent that had the capability to get me back had those up the chain made the slightest effort on my behalf during that 3 week period.
Guess they just didn't like me as much as you. As far as the fellow officer was concerned, he had it coming for his cruel comments and I have no remorse. I am glad to pay the price for that.

[EbbTide]

Why are we pussy footing around about the name of the company? Are we afraid of hurting some company mooks feeling's? Or just being politically correct?

[anchorman]

Why are we pussy footing around about the name of the company? Are we afraid of hurting some company mooks feeling's? Or just being politically correct?

Chouest......"Pumpkin" should be a key word here, but company isn't an issue in my eyes.

[Capt. Lee]

Think about this before you consider working for a certain " Major " offshore supply company...
While deployed recently on one of the companies ships my mother became very ill and died the next day. My wife notified the operations coordinator
with an emergency message which he neglected to deliver. To make things even worse the company refused to make arrangements to return me at the earliest but instead insinuated that the story of my mothers demise was fabricated. I was forced to stay on the vessel for an additional 3 weeks
before returning home to grieve with my family and lay my mother to rest.
On my return to the states I notified The owner, his son and his daughter of my concern at the coordinators lack of response to this tragic situation but they never even responded with so much as a condolence. It's an even bigger tragedy to see that the family values that this "Major" company uses to sell themselves to mariners is nothing more than a myth.

I want you to know I am sorry for your loss. It is not easy to lose someone and even harder when you are stuck offshore. What the guy had said to you, was cruel and undeserving. I too have lost my composure in a similar situation, but thankfully it did not escalate to the point of no return.

In the 10 years I worked in pumpkin patch I had 5 incidents that required me to go home.. Three of those happened within 6 months of each other. First one my wife had a ruptured disc in her neck flair up and she needed help dealing with our boy. I made the call to the office. Luckily we were at the dock. I had to leave a message. Before he returned my call he had already contacted the runner to come down to Fourchon to get me.

Before my grandmother passed my wife sent me an e-mail and told me that I needed to go see her. She wasn't doing well and had requested me. We were offshore on the hook doing underwater repair to our rudders. 24/7 Mr. Gary's contender was out there and gave me a lift to the dock.

My grandmother, my grandfather, my father in law. Each instance I was satisfied that they made an effort to get me off the boat. They even let us go about 120 miles round trip to get me off for my grandfather. I got on the rig and was unable to fly in due to weather and they let the boat come back and pick me up before heading to the dock. I Luckily made it to the funeral and came directly back to work. Of course I lost my composure with my coordinator with my grandmother, but in retrospect I honestly think he made an effort to do what he said he was going to do, but I was so emotional to the point of insanity.

The company is very family oriented, but can not always accommodate. There is some history here and the full story is not being told. You were able to convince them once already to take you back. Then you were relieved of your position from the last vessel. And now you punch this idiot in Antartica. You see where I am going with this? You were terminated for getting physical. Contacting the owner, his son and daughter with no response. I don't see the value of them responding. You are no longer an employee. You worked the system once and was able to get back in. This time it didn't work.

[richard8000milesaway]

"There is some history here and the full story is not being told."
I figured as much after reading this one earlier, it didn't sound logical regardless of what company it was.

why do some people feel the need to publicly mislead strangers? what's the point really? OK, I can see the need to lie to your wife or boss or kids or parents, but total strangers??

[Mr 100-ton]

mutt   [muht]
–nounSlang.
1.
a dog, esp. a mongrel.
2.
a stupid or foolish person; simpleton.
Also, mut.

Origin:
1900–05, Americanism; short for muttohead

Now you know why he has a name like MUTT on Gcaptain

[anchorman]

OK, I can see the need to lie to your wife or boss or kids or parents, but total strangers??

I wouldn't say "lie", but that is too damn funny.

[Jeffrox]

I want to hear the part about who got punched and what they said

[richard8000milesaway]

"I want to hear the part about who got punched and what they said" : YES !!!!!

would someone please have the COURTESY to post a truthful account of mutt's adventures.

joking aside: when my landlubber friends ask what a captain's job is like, I tell them that I spend about 1/3 of my time doing "seamanship & navigation", 1/3 of my time doing paperwork and related, and the other 1/3 is spent managing the crew and inter-personal relationships. in that regard mr mutt's tale could be a good learning tool.

[Cal]

My condolences to mutt and his family for their loss.

I don't think I'm necessarily a heartless bastard, but isn't this a potential side effect of the job we do? Are there points in time when you need to get home for a family emergency? Sure. Is it necessarily the companies responsibility to make it happen? I don't think so. They will incur huge expense in providing such when their only logical motivation is the distraction to the crew member and their ability to perform the functions of their job and participation in crew safety.

Does there need to be compassion? Yes. Is there an obligation to put the crew member ashore? I don't think so.

[New3M]

Can't you just call the Red Cross and they'll pay to get you home?

[Diesel]

Can't you just call the Red Cross and they'll pay to get you home?

UMMM.....no.

[skinny stick]

i would kill to get out of the gulf and work for "the pumpkins" . when you sighn up for working that far away from home, you would have to think that the company can do only so much. sorry for your loss. on the other hand, in my eyes there is no reason to ever get physical with another crew member. you could have went to your room and reprted the situation to the office

[Capt. Lee]

I want to hear the part about who got punched and what they said

I was waiting to see if Mutt was going to give us the story. I was not there, so I can only tell you what I heard.

Evidently for what ever reason they did not get mutt off for 3 weeks. This mate comes up on the bridge and asks mutt how many times a hitch his mom dies or how many more times is your mom going to die this hitch. Something like that. I am sure you get the point. I guess shortly after the words left his lips he got a knuckle sandwich force fed to him.

I don't like what the guy said either. I have been faced with situations like this in the past and the only way I dealt with them was to give people the benefit of the doubt and keep my doubts to myself, because Lord knows my instincts have been wrong before.

[anchorman]

I was waiting to see if Mutt was going to give us the story. I was not there, so I can only tell you what I heard.

Evidently for what ever reason they did not get mutt off for 3 weeks. This mate comes up on the bridge and asks mutt how many times a hitch his mom dies or how many more times is your mom going to die this hitch. Something like that. I am sure you get the point.

I don't like what the guy said either. I have been faced with situations like this in the past and the only way I dealt with them was to give people the benefit of the doubt and keep my doubts to myself, because Lord knows my instincts have been wrong before.

I recollect you almost getting knocked out by mutt too..

[Capt. Lee]

I recollect you almost getting knocked out by mutt too..

Well you bring up a good point anchorman and I thank you for that.

Seriously, that thought did cross my mind..how close did I come to a knuckle sandwich? Completely different situation, same person.

[abergeron]

Damn mutt is a bad ass