Whats Tidewater like

[Scruffy]

O.K. First post on gcaptain. I lost my job with my old employer due to the union stabbing us in the back. I am going to be starting with Tidewater Marine as chief engineer and was wondering what people thought of the company, as I have never worked in the OSV field before. I am very thankfull to them for giving me the job, and am just curious what to expect when I start.

Thanks

[Fraqrat]

It will be a soul sucking experience where slashing your wrists may become your only means of escape. They have two "newer" vessels in the gulf. These boats are around 10 years old now. The M/V Damon Bankston and the M/V Pat Tillman. Both of these vessels are well maintained with nice equipment. You probably won't get to be on either of these. This is where all the senior Tidewater Elite crew work. You will more than likely be on one of the handful of other vessels they still have in the GOM. These are all 20+ years old and you will need a tetanus shot to walk up the gangway. You should run! With a license you can work almost anywhere. Try Chouest, Hornbeck or Harvey Gulf. You probably didn't know better but there are way better places to work with more opportunity for advancement and way better equipment to sail on.

[c.captain]

Fraq is correct that they have probably the worse equipment in the Gulf. Nothing is new but everybody elses is new or nearly so. If you do not need to work immediately, I try to talk with the other companies he mentions before making a commitment to Tidewater. If you need to work right away just plan to do it for a few hitches to learn your way around down in the GoM.

[cmakin]

Whoo, boy. Without even commenting on TW and their equipment, I will say, "Welcome to the Oil Patch". I was fortunate enough during my seagoing career to have avoided the same for myself. My exposure to how it operates came when I started with ABS here in the Gulf. This is not to cast aspersions, but you are in for quite a shock, especially for an engineer coming from deep sea. You don't state whether your previous employment was tugs or unlimited HP, but either way it will be a sea change in the way things are done, compared to what you have been doing. My guess is that you are coming from tugs, so the change won't be AS drastic, but you will certainly have to get your head around the new job. No matter what the company, in the oil patch, the engineer's position is quite different from deep sea. Congrats on getting a new job. Lord knows no one wants to be without one. c.captain has it right. Look at the TW assignment as "orientation" and keep that CV up to date and handy. You also didn't state if the work was here or overseas, but they tend to hire non US citizens (via crewing services) for their international fleet.

[Scruffy]

Yeah that is what I thought people would say. I have commited to them and have no regrets as I need to work as soon as possible. The pay is really good and it will get my foot in the door on the gulf. I have worked large freighters all the way down to 110 foot river boats. My last 9 years have been on the great lakes on 1000 foot vessels, that are over 30 years old, so old boats don't bother me. I will just treat the boat as my pet hobby farm and set myself to making it better. I am a loyal person to the company that gives me a chance, so I hope all works out well and they let me learn the job and get settled in. As long as the job is as advertised I will probably stay as long as they let me work for them, if they toss me out, then I have the experience to help me get another job elsewhere. Oh and I have been on some real dogs of boats, if you know the great lakes, just think Presque Isle. The most disliked boat on the lakes, and I have been on it twice. As I mentioned I have been working on boats that were built in the 1970's. On a couple of them we had to have the ship yard down almost every couple of weeks to have cracks in the bulk heads welded up.

Good decision or not, wish me luck as I start what I hope will be a good opertunity for me and my family.

[Fraqrat]

I will cast aspersions as well as a few other things at them all day!!! Not that I'm bitter they kept me employed and put money in my pocket during my 11 year incarceration there. In parting on this matter I would just like to say FUCK those people. \(O,o)/

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Yeah, what Early said!

[ChiefRob]

Dang Fraqrat, you must have emotions for turdwater like Ccaptain does for N/D, I don't feel so bad now, I worked for them back in about 1994, made it 12 whole days before I realized how screwed up it was and walked off the boat.

[Fraqrat]

Goes to show you are way smarter than me sir. Coming from deepsea I thought all the mud boat companies were run like that. After a few years I became aware other companies were doing things a better way. Like building new boats and not promptly sending them overseas. By then I was caught in a downturn and couldn't make a move. Then things picked up and like a sucker I wanted to believe the new build hype. Then they did it again and sent all the new tonnage straight out of the gulf. Planting a steel toed boot firmly across the wind pipe of my hopes and dreams. After that it was waiting for the next upswing and I like most of those left sprinted for the door Katrina had cracked open. The only things good that came from those storms was a boom in the oil patch and a boom in my self esteem and wallet when I changed companies.

[ChiefRob]

Well I don't know bout being smarter, but as a 23 year old kid being the only engineer on a 6000HP tug and I had more sea time than every body on the boat put together, except for the captain. He was only a couple years older than me, and not much more experience, I just knew something was not right there. Glad I only spent 12 days there.

The thing that really gave it away, was someone from the office stoped by the boat, the whloe crew was in the galley, when the guy left I asked the captian who he was. He told me that was the port captian so and so. The mate that was on board looked at me and asked I did not know we had a port captain and a starboard captain. I had to leave soon after, I could not sleep any more knowing he was driving while I was in bed.

[Slowsailor45]

I worked for the original Hornbeck, and the day after they sold out to Tidewater the new "management team" sent some clown "VP of gobbledegook" or whatever to hold orientation for us Hornbeckians. I stood up right in the middle of that meeting and went and packed my bags, was off the boat and long gone before he even finished his presentation.

[Fraqrat]

DAMN!!! Yeah I was talking to a captain once about the Plimsoll mark. He says ya know the A means aft and the B means bow. I said so what about when we are looking at the load line on the port side of the hull. He just stared at me and I explained the entire thing to him. He just said I already know all dat I'm the captain and walked off. From then on I was Mr Smarty Pants and referred to as the Professor behind my back. Like I said I thought all these companies were the same. What the hell do you know when your in your early twenties right?

[jmad]

Lol well I'd love to work on a 20 or 10 year old boat. Must be nice. (pnw tugboater)

[cmakin]

DAMN!!! Yeah I was talking to a captain once about the Plimsoll mark. He says ya know the A means aft and the B means bow. I said so what about when we are looking at the load line on the port side of the hull. He just stared at me and I explained the entire thing to him. He just said I already know all dat I'm the captain and walked off. From then on I was Mr Smarty Pants and referred to as the Professor behind my back. Like I said I thought all these companies were the same. What the hell do you know when your in your early twenties right?

I bet you blew them away with all your fancy cipherin' skills. . . . ."Smarty Pants". . . . "Professor" . . . . .Man, did you start calling any of them "Gilligan" when you heard the latter?

As far as being young and in charge of the plant, at Crowley I was a 23 year old Chief (and only) Engineer with a 7,200 HP plant and no mechanics onboard every couple of days. If I was lucky, I got an extra hand from the shore gang in San Juan if they weren't too busy. Didn't mind it at all. Since I came from ships, I thought that it would be easy. My first trip I had one of the biggest lessons in my life. I learned a ton of things and much more than just engineering and seamanship.

It is just that supply boat operations are very different from seagoing ones, either tug or ship. Do supply boat engineers still spend most of their time pumping mud?

[injunear]

I bet you blew them away with all your fancy cipherin' skills. . . .

While working in Alaska in '77, either the SUN or MOON TIDE arrived in Seward. One evening in the Showcase Lounge, a couple of guys from the Morgan City office were explaining to me the advantages of becoming a Tidex employee. After listening to them through 5 rum and cokes, I reviewed their offer by asking "How am I better off working on a vessel with twice as many engines with a 1/3 less help, longer hitches and half the money?"

[cmakin]

While working in Alaska in '77, either the SUN or MOON TIDE arrived in Seward. One evening in the Showcase Lounge, a couple of guys from the Morgan City office were explaining to me the advantages of becoming a Tidex employee. After listening to them through 5 rum and cokes, I reviewed their offer by asking "How am I better off working on a vessel with twice as many engines with a 1/3 less help, longer hitches and half the money?"

When I was working with Crowley, like anything else and especially when one is young, I was getting a little fed up. I had heard that a supply boat company in Berwick was looking for engineers. I made the drive out to see what they were offering. Needless to say, I stayed put. For the time being, anyway.

[Rebel_Rider1969]

I applied at TW this am, maybe I'm "qualified" to work there.

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Nope, they are full.lol.

Only hiring 500t/1600 masters and CE Utl's right now.

[Scruffy]

Nope, they are full.lol.

Only hiring 500t/1600 masters and CE Utl's right now.

Did you get an automated e-mail back from them or did you call them. I originally applied and got an e-mail that said they were just hiring captains. The next day I got a call from them and now am going to do my physical and drug and alcohol test after the holidays.

[ChiefRob]

I bet you blew them away with all your fancy cipherin' skills. . . . ."Smarty Pants". . . . "Professor" . . . . .Man, did you start calling any of them "Gilligan" when you heard the latter?

As far as being young and in charge of the plant, at Crowley I was a 23 year old Chief (and only) Engineer with a 7,200 HP plant and no mechanics onboard every couple of days. If I was lucky, I got an extra hand from the shore gang in San Juan if they weren't too busy. Didn't mind it at all. Since I came from ships, I thought that it would be easy. My first trip I had one of the biggest lessons in my life. I learned a ton of things and much more than just engineering and seamanship.

It is just that supply boat operations are very different from seagoing ones, either tug or ship. Do supply boat engineers still spend most of their time pumping mud?

I hear ya cmakin, I never sailed deep sea. I came off shrimp boats, then after graduating high school went on the tugs as a unlicensed engineer. My first job was with this rag tag company out of Mobile on a single screw 399 Cat. Like you say there was no help, all the lessons I got was lets try this and see what happens.(Oh Shit don't ever do that again) Got my DDE unlimited at age 21, and kept going up from there. It was a big life experience, but I don't regret any of it. San Juan brings back some good memories of the extra cirricular activites on the beach. Thats is about all I will say about that.

Yes the supply boat guys still spend there whole day dragging hoses and pumping crap. I went to relieve someone a couple years ago while my boat was in the yard. After spending all day on deck taking on 9000 barrels of mud, I remembered how much it sucks. glad I don't work on those huge supply boats. Those things are getting bigger every day. I feel sorry for the guys on those 300 foot mud boats.