OOW qualifications

[Maxi_77]

The exams you do on professional courses are the SCE exams. There is no "exemption", you've passed them already!

However, how that ties in with early FNO, FC or HM courses I've no idea....One to ask the appointer (although mine isn't best pleased with me at the moment, so can some-one else volunteer to do that!!)

Never a good move to upset the appointer, the one person who singlehandedly can make your life a missery for the next few years.

Peter

 

[alfred_the_great]

ah well, i never wanted to amount to much any way and this "shore life" and "relationships" lark doesn't mean a lot to me either......!

 

[safewalrus]

Just a little comment for all you 'Rodneys' out there thinking of transferring to the Mercantile Marine - Just remember that all this OOW stuff where you get help - Watch on deck, lookouts, coffee making, signalman, quartermaster, 2nd OOW, bridge messenger, duty fixer (of most anything) and a lot of ships these days the Engine room shuts down before dinner! so you get to watch the dials too - YOU get to do the whole damn lot except that you may get a lookout at night (he too is doing fire checks etc for the duration of his watch so I'd say you only have him for 80% of the watch). this may explain why the opposition to 'rodney' OOWs who can only take charge but don't actually do anything! Oh and yes as well as the above you actual have to navigate the ship during your watch including collision avoidance (the other watchkeeper on a small ship may actually be the Master (Captain) himself - he won't take to kindly to be woken up to alter a couple of degrees to avoid another ship). Actually the best ex RN to take over as OOW on a Merchant ship is an ex Killick or PO - they still know how to work! I know because I did!

 

[geoffrey]

The exams you do on professional courses are the SCE exams. There is no "exemption", you've passed them already!

However, how that ties in with early FNO, FC or HM courses I've no idea....One to ask the appointer (although mine isn't best pleased with me at the moment, so can some-one else volunteer to do that!!)

I comiserate with your appointer issue - I've managed to fall out with my 1RO, which is potentially much more serious!

Regarding exemptions, Para 1i of the DCI says that "exemptions awarded prior to 1 Apr 04 will remain extant." So it looks like you're OK!

 

[F169]

Safe walrus, sounds like you should get along like a house on fire with Slim.

No doubt before you left the RN you were fully qualified to be an OOW during Flyexs; CASEXs, ADEX 323s, that your blind pilotage skills would safely take a frigate into Guzz etc etc. As much as the RN introduced equivalency for some Merchant Marine quals I doubt many officers would bother joining the merchant navy trogging around from A to B for the rest of eternity. For most they have made the decision when they went to the AIB. You chose the Eddie Stobart, I suspect most warfare officers prefer the Maclaren Mercedes option. You know, 30kts through the Channel as opposed to half that. Its horses for courses.
Besides, dont know when you were last at sea but it doesnt sound as though it was in a type 23 or MCMV.

 

[silverfox]

F169 - That made me smile - I think they must be brothers!! It never ceases to amaze me as to what some people think about Bridge Watchkeepers etc - the only people that I know who do understand are those who actually form part of the team.. and I include the Ops Room team in this.

 

[Maxi_77]

Just a little comment for all you 'Rodneys' out there thinking of transferring to the Mercantile Marine - Just remember that all this OOW stuff where you get help - Watch on deck, lookouts, coffee making, signalman, quartermaster, 2nd OOW, bridge messenger, duty fixer (of most anything) and a lot of ships these days the Engine room shuts down before dinner! so you get to watch the dials too - YOU get to do the whole damn lot except that you may get a lookout at night (he too is doing fire checks etc for the duration of his watch so I'd say you only have him for 80% of the watch). this may explain why the opposition to 'rodney' OOWs who can only take charge but don't actually do anything! Oh and yes as well as the above you actual have to navigate the ship during your watch including collision avoidance (the other watchkeeper on a small ship may actually be the Master (Captain) himself - he won't take to kindly to be woken up to alter a couple of degrees to avoid another ship). Actually the best ex RN to take over as OOW on a Merchant ship is an ex Killick or PO - they still know how to work! I know because I did!

Considering though the ammount of automation particularly on a merchant marine ship bridge the work load isn't that bad, one still has time to make coffee and call the relief.

 

[Maxi_77]

The OOW has to do pretty much everything you've described and does have to make the anti-col decisions - merely waking up to tell the CO what he or she is doing (by the way if you are only altering a couple of degrees to avoid another ship you haven't read Rule 8B :wink: ). However, on board the new OPVs (the River Class) there is no MCR and all the machinery is controlled from the bridge - so the OOW on those ships is doing absolutley everything you've talked about.

In my day the OOW only reported contacts to the CO if they fell within the limits laid down in Standing Orders. If avoiding action was required the captain would be informed of your plans, I only twice called the captain to the bridge once for a fishing boat that altered onto a collision course, and the other occasion was for a ship which started behaving erratically as we approached the Cunbrae gap, NUC lights came on as he got to the bridge, steering gear failure. I do remeber once making the report 'fishing boats from green 30 to red 90, intend feeling my way through' captain mumbled back up the voice pipe OK.

 

[safewalrus]

Sorry chaps, Killick RP2's don't get to be OOW's on may Grey Funnel Line vessels, in my day they were to busy helping out the OOW from a small dark room downstairs! (including the day we called the old man out because the OOW wasn't playing safe - phew that was fun).

Excuse me for an old fart but most of the ships I was doing OOW on were not going from A-B but messing around at B a lot of the time! I spent some 17 years on Oil Rig Support, lot more interesting! (incidentally three of my old ships were taken up by The Gray funnel line after the Falklands as Patrol boats - Pusser immediately doubled the crews and still had problems - I mean of course the Guardian, Sentinal and Protector).

The new River Boats are I believe based on Oil rig Support Vessels - and why not ideal for the job they are intended to do! After all WWII Corvettes were based on Whale Catchers and also worked well

 

[F169]

Safe Walrus: "Oil Rig support, incidentally three of my old ships were taken up by The Gray funnel line after the Falklands as Patrol boats" sorry Walrus, I rest my case, says it all if you'd said you were the skipper of a Brixham beamer I'd have more respect. Incidentally how can you be a killick and still be an RP2?

 

[safewalrus]

In my day most RP2's were killicks (60's & 70's) a very few were 1's but not many! things change, especially in pusser! I believe just after Ileft they discovered something called Seamanship and invented a whole new branch for them based on the old Boom Defense Technician badge, then sacked 'em all and then re-employed 'em. typical pusser lots of 'Rodneys' with no bloody idea of what they were doing (having said that there where some good one - the good officers were very good - but rare - the rest MMMmmm... The RFA had a saying about that - The RN were Gentlemen trying to be Officers, the MN Officers trying to be Gentlemen, and the RFA neither trying to be both! More truth in it than they realised! Put yourself where you want, I've been ashore some 6 years now so it's all a dim memory now anyway - nice to remember occasionally now the bed don't rock at nights! :roll:

 

[Nutty]

Safe Walrus: "Oil Rig support, incidentally three of my old ships were taken up by The Gray funnel line after the Falklands as Patrol boats" sorry Walrus, I rest my case, says it all if you'd said you were the skipper of a Brixham beamer I'd have more respect. Incidentally how can you be a killick and still be an RP2?

F169 or should we call you AAC Too "Aluminum A Class"

I was a L/S RP2 trained in Seamanship then in Radar it went
J/S or O/S RP Basic
O/S or A/B RP3
Senior A/B (Passed for L/S awaiting B13) or L/S RP2
Senior L/S (Passed for PO awaiting B13) or PO RP1
PO or CPO PRI, some who moved in to full time seamanship remained RP1's

So below is the daily winter weather you dealt with on Amazon as OOW was it.

Me think you are acting like a Crab FJ Jockey and being disrespectful to your betters i.e. an ex L/S RP2 now/was OOW on rig support vessels.

Nutty LSRP2SM