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inspiredcreativity — Me in an Engine Room, age 19
Published: 2009-11-21 00:27:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 6434; Favourites: 9; Downloads: 255
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I decided to make you suffer with yet another photo of me. Somehow, there are only two photos of me in an engine-room, ever. So, blurry mess that this is, it is all I have. It is 1975 and I was 19 years old.The boilers were 1000 psi sinuous header. The ambient temperature we worked in was 110°F to 135°F (43.33°C to 57.22°C). It is a steam ship so it is dripping with humidity. This is a small engine room because it is the Academy ship, The Golden Bear, which has now been made into razor blades.
The Academy was a turning point in my life, mostly as an escape from home, and suddenly being accepted by my shipmates.
The Merchant Marine is very different from the Navy. We are civilians and work for private companies making large salaries. I did serve some years in the US Navy Reserves (Lieutenant Commander). I was forced to do it to get my education subsidized with a relatively small grant.
I had very negative feelings about the Navy and refused to do any of my required duties. But they kept promoting me, LOL.
My time around the Navy showed me that it was an inherently abusive system that squashed innovation, incentive, and fostered abuse by officers who had no working knowledge of a ship's systems. I lost all respect for the institution.
Our Academy Training ship used Sinuous Head Boilers and Turbines. The Fireroom was where the Boilers were All of the ships I worked on, except for the Exxon Galveston, were Steam Turbine ships. These two videos shows roughly what our Training Ship Main Engine Room looked like, only ours was larger:
SS American Victory Engine Room
MATSON S.S Lurline
Video Steam turbine ship engine room tour part 1
Video Steam turbine ship engine room tour part 2
Video SS Norway's Engine Room
Video SS Norway Engine Room Adventure
Video Supertanker DIESEL Engine Room Tour
Video Diesel Ship Engine Room MSC Napoli
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Comments: 64
Hi Mark,
I never sailed on the Norway but always thought she was a great looking ship. We used to say, "It's not a job, it's a religion." Did you notice that each time you went hone on vacation that it took longer to get normal again? Going to sea has its own language and culture. As the years go by, it can get harder to fit back into normal society. I went home once and an old friend said he bought a new stereo and that it was really BAD. I suggested he take it back, and he looked at me like I was crazy. The average time for men going to sea as officers was 5 years. We used to joke that if you were married and still going to sea, then your wife obvious opted for the money over you. We figured that if you went to sea over 10 years, then you never get normal again when going home. New guys and women looked at 10-year veterans at sea alike old men of the sea. Exxon had the highest death rate in the world, and goodness knows, I came close to death too many times and came away with permanent lung damage from rescuing a man from a tank.
I diligently saved and invested my salary and reinvested earnings. My plan had been to leave after 10 years, but my last lover was a drug addict, which set me back. I retired on my own savings and investments after 13.5 (plus 6 months accrued paid leave) at Exxon. After that, I did full-time volunteer work (caring for the dying, feeding the hungry), and started a small Graphic Design company on the side.
You are certainly correct about the awful heat and humidity, but you forgot to mention the noise, lol. Even wearing ear plugs and earphones on top, it was still deafening. You talk by putting your mouth near the other person's ear and shouting. The phone would be in something looking like a cocoon, and the mouthpiece had a cup on it that you seal with your lips when not speaking.
The part I hated the most about going to sea was being away from my loved one for 2 to 4 months, and the turmoil that created. It is very hard to maintain a relationship when going to sea. I enjoyed the challenges of the work, but did not enjoy the exploitation of Exxon, who worked us often 12 to 16 hours a day without overtime pay. I worked on ships that were enjoyable, despite incredibly harsh work conditions and a ship falling apart, because i was working with great people. I also served on new ships in good cotillions and light work load, but with stuck-up and unfriendly shipmates. You never knew what you were getting into until after you joined a ship.
I also survived easier by putting a lot of my time into designing control systems and automation, some of which got used on ships around the world. For curious people like me, it is hard to get bored. Watch standing can be exceedingly boring if you let it, but I always end ways to fill the time. We had a 2nd Engineer who would dance with a broomstick… I used the to prepare myself for the next rank above, and then would volunteer to share the duties of the next higher rank, for free, so that I was always ready when i got my next license and could sail on it. ˆt helped me move up the ladder faster.
The Academy was very good for me because I was autistic and hiding it (it was grounds for being kicked out back then). I had been extremely isolated as a child. I was 19 before I even discovered what sex was about, when a cadet smuggled a film and projector on the ship, which still left me pretty fuzzy about details. I had always been rejected by other guys in school, because of my autism. I was always the outsider looking in. Then in the Academy, I was suddenly not only accepted by the other guys, I was actually liked, which came as a shock. My shipmates thus became my family, which made it far easier for an autistic to fit in. I overcame some of my big autistic challenges by being forced to live in very close quarters with 50 other guys to a hold, no privacy, and having to learn to get along with everyone, fit in, and learn to socialize with them. It was traumatic but also beneficial for me.
My other huge secret (besides being autistic), was that I was Gay. They threw people like me over the side of the ship to drown, as I witnessed it happen one time, and heard the guys joking about the tradition. The Navy tends to be more accepting, but not in the Merchant Marine back then. I lived a lie and hyper-masculinized myself. No one ever guessed that I know about. I did comet to my best 3 freinds, and they all urged me to tell no one else if I wanted to stay alive.
On my last ship, I wrote a coming-out and goodby letter, duplicated it and sent it to 54 of my closest shipmates, via company mail. I did the ceremony of gong down the gangway to 14 blowing of the ship's steam whistle, the got down on my knees and kissed the dock. After I got home, letters started coming back from my shipmates. It was far worse than I ever dreamed, with two actual death-threats, people wishing me dead, burning in hell, etc. Abut a quarter of them were very supportive, some were more like how disappointed they were in me, some never answered, and the rest were poisonous. It was a very hard time of my life, since those guys were like family to me.
Anyway, I happy to hear from someone who shared similar experiences at sea. In the same of things, there are not that many of us old salts around. I hope you did very well with your life after sea.
Matthew
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When I worked on my ship I almost never went to the engine room. Twice in four years I was called up to the bridge ... and that was because I was being reprimanded by the Staff Captain! Yikes!
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The engine staff are often thought to be lower in status and rank than the deck crew, but in fact we are on par status-wise and often we are typically paid more than the deck people. The exception is that the Captain has technical command over the chief, but in reality it would be a very rare even for a Captain to interfere with the engine department, and if he does, there are many delicious ways to exact revenge.
I had a chief giving me a hard time, but when he stole my coloring pencils ground then down one by one, leaving one in my state room each day, I knew action was required. I broke apart some old bearings to get the many little steel balls, then snuck them into the space above his ceiling, so every time the ship rolled (constant), all the balls rattled back and forth, torturing him to the point he had to sleep in a crew room. It took some 6 months to finally get them all out. For deck people, we had ways of injecting pressurized air into their toilet water, so when they flushed it exploded mess all over them.
Engineers used to be referred to as Snipes by the deckies, named after a night bird, since we saw so little natural light. We called then glorified lookouts. As you know, a ship is a floating city. We make our own water, electricity and process the sewage. Anything mechanical, electronic, electrical, hydraulic, refrigeration, air-conditioning, deck equipment, floodlights, valves, and even the stoves, are all the responsibility of Engineers.
I was asked to go to the bridge one day to look at the Loran C navigation equipment, so I grabbed my meter and a few tools, but the Chief stopped me and insisted I tons an entire toolbox of stuff, saying it was part of our ‘mystique.’ The first thing I did, since the Loran was completely dead, was to flow the power source back to see if a breaker was tripped. I found that it was unplugged from the wall—eyes rolling. Deck people could not change a light bulb, lol. I killed a lot of time learning more about the Loran system, then went to the Captain and declared it fixed, bucking secret what was wring. This way it maintains the genius mystique…
The QE 2 is Diesel Electric. Most of my experience was on steam ships, but I was qualified for Diesel. The cylinders are big that you can stand in them and spread your arms.
In my first two years I kept getting reprimanded for fraternizing with the crew. I thought the entire separation of crew and officers to be stupid and made freinds in the few. It was a candle that a Captain and First mate were good freinds of mine. In my early years, we were not even allowed to speak at the supper table unless the Captain or Chief gave permission, and we all had to sit in order of rank. Plus deck and engine were not supped to fraternize. It was stifling. So I did it all on the sly, but I did it so much that I got caught 4 times in the two years.
When i was chief I did not throw all traditions out the pothole, but I definitely made big changes, especially around fraternization.
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I got reprimanded for fraternizing too much with the crew, by none other but the Captain - the master of this ship; and also the Staff Captain. It was not an official reprimand, just "friendly advice."
Damn those Brits and their 'Class consciousness'!!! I was not officially an officer, being a shop manager, fire warden, and member of the Captain's social staff ... but I had the status of a "Two and One-Half Stripe Officer" ... had my own private cabin and I ate in the passenger's restaurants not the crew mess.
When I first joined I had no friends onboard, knew no one and was lonely. I started hanging out below decks at the crew bar called "The Pig." I was supposed to join the officer's club called "The Foc's'le Club" but that involved paying something like $250 upfront (although your drinks were subtracted from that amount). Captain Burton-Hall cornered me in a hallway a couple of weeks after I was onboard and said "I say, Mark! I hear you've been socializing down in The Pig, but the other officers are worried if you're snubbing them by not joining them in The Fo'c'sle Club. Why would you want to hang about with deck hands, laundrymen and waiters anyway? You have a university degree! I expect to see you at The Fo'c'sle!" Needless to say I joined the officer's club the very next morning.
On our ship the captain was GOD. Not "like a god" ... GOD. His word was not to be questioned, doubted or taken lightly.
Love, Mark
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I am afraid that I was someone know for my disrespect of authority. In my mind, if my people will not follow me out of earned respect, I don't deserve the job or responsibility. I wanted everyone to quickly figure out that one thing they could count on with me was fairness, a second chance, and help when needed. But you also have to prove your competency and ability to command in emergencies. In engine rooms, small crisis happen on average twice a day and older ships up to 8 a day, with medium casualty events happening every few days or so, and major casualties at random. On my first ship, I was so worried about not knowing how best to respond to various emergencies that I started studying them as they happened and how the senior officers responded. As years went by, I started making my own reasoned ideal response for each casualty, like a fuel pump failure, generator failure, etc. My friend and mentor, a Chief, was willing to take on a lot of risk to actually start performing casualties, for real, like trip out a feed pump, which really could lead to disaster. Only we talked it through with everyone first. We used this data to refine my write-ups and I then finished writing the 'Casualty Control Manual' that Exxon adopted.
I mention this to show how I approach things. My automation design work started by seeing a problem, understanding the problem at a fundamental level, design a fix for it, but then go further, how can I make it better.
Captain and Chiefs had a love-hate relationship with me. I got a away with a lot of stuff because they knew that if they needed something done, I would throw myself completely into it and maybe not sleep for days until it is done. When the Captain or First mate ask for a repair, the standard response is to pull out your workbook from you shirt pocket, jot it down, then say, "I will assign this he appropriate priority number (ha, 256 should do it), or if it is in writing, slide it in the trash can in your office, as they watch. But I did things differently. If they bring me something and say it is a big priority to them, then I made it a priority for me.
My management style revolved around one principle, treat people with dignity and respect, until such time they should lose the right.
Later, M
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I confess that I always showed respect for authority, despite my innermost feelings about them. I suppose I always had a need to be liked by others.
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The trick is not to show respect for authority, and have them like you anyway, lol.
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My problem is that I had a need to be liked and accepted by others. I was too sensitive and I cared too much about other people's opinions. Fortunately, I'm beginning to overcome that weakness.
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Sorry for the delay, I have been swamped.
Well, once you have been rejected for much of your life, it is not an overriding concern. Still, no one like rejection and it feels bad. if you already have low self-worth, it just feeds the notion that you deserve rejection because you are worthless.
The problem with caring too much what other think is that you are always comparing yourself to others, then gauging your VALUE best on other people and the standards of society. You should be valuing yourself best on your character, personality, honor , heart and compassion as a human being. What matters is what YOU believe about your self-worth and value as a human being, not what other people think of that. The vast majority of people who judge your value do not even know you well enough to make such a judgment. then there is the question of their values and if they have a right to judge you.
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Excellent points. I fear you know me too well.
I remember once, a dozen years ago, I had to go into the hospital to have an appendectomy. The in-take nurse asked about my "next of kin" and I didn't want to mention my brother who I was angry with at the time and not talking to nor my elderly aunts or uncle. "Who is your support system?" she asked. I said "Me! Why do you have to list someone anyway?" She said, annoyed, "This is a hospital, and sometimes people in here die. That's why." My reply was "Well, if I die this is what you should do: take my body, put in a Hefty bag, and throw it out in the dumpster. Don't worry, no one will miss me."
Of course throwing a human corpse in a dumpster would be a grave violation of all kinds of laws and regulations. I should have said something like "cremate me and then flush my ashes down a toilet, since I'm a worthless piece of shit anyway."
Happily, I'm on much friendlier terms with Barry today, and we are closer than any other time in the past.
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I am very hopeful that you value yourself now and do not see yourself as, “a worthless piece of shit.”
Am I of value to others, to society, to family to friends, or to myself? If I were of no value to others, what about the value of my life to myself? If I compare myself now to 20 years ago, it would seem to be a precipitous drop in relative value. But again, it is a matter of perspective, because what gives a human life value?
When I helped care for men dying of AIDS, society considered them utterly without value and some men were indeed put in garbage bags and put out with the dumpsters because funeral homes refused to come and take the bodies. But just meeting any one of these men and getting to know then even a little showed me how much value they we were worth, which to me was considerable.
When we touch the lives of others in a positive way, we have value and have contributed. You have value in their eyes. More importantly is how we value ourselves. It seems to me that as long as we can see beauty in things, appreciate things and have some measure of happiness and contentment in life, does that not mean our life has meaning to ourselves?
I want to be cremated and they can do with the ashes whatever they please because it is not me anymore, but my life will have had meaning, even if to just one person or to myself.
If you are worthless, then I am even more worthless, and since I have vale, you must therefore have vale. How do you like that cruller logic, LOL?
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Oh, I sometimes feel sorry for myself and call myself a worthless piece of shit. Just feeling sorry for myself, that's all.
These negative thoughts arise when I feel I've failed in some way. Unfortunately I set myself up for failure, sometimes by setting unrealistic expectations. It's called self sabotage.
Don't worry about me, I'm fine. This winter some work is being done on the house and the paneled oak wainscoting is being professionally refinished in the foyer.
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I'm familiar with the phenomena of self-sabotage and used to do that a lot. I like to set goals that seem almost impossible, then surprise myself by getting close. Even with unrealistic expectations, the trick is to be happy with what you did accomplish or learn along the journey. Think in terms of the old adage : Satisfaction lies in the journey, not in the destination.
I won't worry, I know you are getting along just fine.
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Reminds me of where my step grandpa use to work at.
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Were did he work?
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I knew you would ask that...I might ask him next time I see him but he is 3 hours from me...hmmm, I should call my mema and ask her...for a 77 year old woman she has an amazing memory.
But the honest, simple truth is, I don't know. It just looks similar to one of HIS photos.
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Just did a random search for engine rooms and came across this. I wish I was old enough to have worked in a place like that when they realy were workplaces and not museums, I would have relished in living among all those valves, pipes and gauges. To hell with having a bunk, I'd tie up a hammock down there.
I could always train for going to sea now, but it just wouldn't be the same with all the automation and computerization. No steam engines, no climbing aloft, no traditional seamanship.
Turbine or triple expansion?
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Hi, It is great to find someone interested in Steam plants. I originally entered the Merchant marine Academy as a deck person, but on the very first day we got a tour of the engine a room, and I knew I was home, it was me. I immediately changed to engineering.
After graduating from the Merchant Marine Academy in California, I sailed with EXXON for 13.5 years, then retired for life on my savings and investments. The salaries for going to sea are pretty high. We got 1 day of Paid vacation for each day at sea. We usually sailed 2 months on a ship, then 2 months at home, but often it might run as much as 3 months, then 3 months at home.
Our Academy Training ship used Sinuous Head Boilers and Turbines. All of the ships I worked on, except for the Exxon Galveston, were Steam Turbine ships. This video shows roughly what our Training Ship Main Engine Room looked like, only ours was larger: SS American Victory Engine Room [link] See also the video: MATSON S.S Lurline [link] The Fireroom was where the Boilers were ( see Burners for Boiler [link] ).
Image of High and Low pressure turbines on Training Ship [link]
Ahead and Astern Throttles on Training Ship [link]
Video Steam turbine ship engine room tour part 1 [link]
Video Steam turbine ship engine room tour part 2 [link]
Boilers operate at 900 psi (pounds per square inch). Steam is run back through the hot gases from combustion to superheat the steam. This superheated steam goes to the High Pressure Steam Turbine (High & Low Pressure turbines [link] ) where is expands and transfers its energy motion energy. As it exits the turbine, the steam pressure is much lower. The steam now enters a much larger Low Pressure Turbine, which exhaust the steam into a full vacuum, in the Condenser. the condenser is full of tubes that have cold sea water going through them. This condensed the steam into water. The water (condensate) is then pumped all the way to the top of the engine room for deaeration. It then drops all the way back down into a very high pressure feed pump, which pumps the water into the boiler at over 1,000 psi. See picture of Burners in a boiler [link]
Control room of a modern Cruise ship: [link]
You can go from your personal stateroom at the top of the ship, out your door, across the passageway, and through another door into the engine room. From there you can see down into a massive space that can drop 16 stories to the Main Operating Platform, with 2 more decks below that. I should warn you that Engine Room temperatures can run up to 55°C in the tropics, and 38°C in cold climates. Newer ships will have air conditioned control rooms, but you only spend part of your time there.
Engineers spend at least 4 hours a day doing repairs and maintenance on equipment all over the ship, as well as 8 hours of watch (4 on 8 off). You will become a certified welder, plumber, electrician, machinist, refrigeration engineer, Diesel engineer, electronics, boiler technician, hydraulics, pneumatics, and automation. We even did carpentry work at times. As a machinist, you are called on to make parts sometimes, using a Lathe, milling machines, and other machine shop equipment. Ships have a complete machine shop. We also fabricated many things from metal. Ships are completely stocked with Steel, bronze, aluminum and copper sheeting, bars, rolled stock, and angle stock.
All of that said, it is an extremely hard life to live. You have to leave your family and wife behind, again and again, missing holidays, birth of your child, missing special moments as your children grow up, and at sea life is hard. You sleep in two 3.25 hour slots, there are very few people on a ship, depending on where you are working, the ship is being pounded and rolled by bad weather (I was on Valdez, Alaska run a lot), it is extremely hot and humid, etc. This is why I made a plan to get out in 10 years. It took 13.5 because my family got in financial trouble and my last partner at the time spend money faster than I could make it.
Working in steam plants ashore makes a lot less money.
Yes, ships are highly automated today, but all of the miles of pipes, valves, cables, hydraulics, pneumatics, etc, are all the same. The automation only changes the actual operation. Whenever anything goes wrong, which is frequently, you have to go into manual operation. The only thing I missed from the good old days was handling the turbine throttles. See [link] If you were going full speed ahead and they rung down STOP, then you had to go to the Ahead Turbine throttle valve (1 meter diameter) and swing it closed as fast as possible. but if you stopped there you would blow the boilers. The fires are still raging in the boilers. They will be quickly cut down to one burner on each boiler, but there is still tremendous heat in the firebricks. Steam pressure would still build, pop the safeties, and likely blow-up the boilers.
After closing the Ahead Throttle, you grab the Astern Throttle valve and open it fully until the propeller revolutions reverse to 5 RPM, then you quickly swing shut the Astern valve and then Open the Ahead valve some to make the propeller go 5 RPM Ahead. Then you back the Astern Element, back and forth until the boiler steam pressure stabilizes. This is called, "Rocking the turbine." Now this is done automatically.
But believe me, there are thousands of valves you have to manually open and close. You still have to manually synchronize the generators, and many other things.
There are still a number of steam ships in the world. Even Diesel ships often have a small steam plant, especially for tankers (for heating cargo). You can try to do some research to see if your Country's Merchant fleet has many steam ships.
A senior Chief Engineer on a tanker ship (makes more than cargo ship) can make up to $150,000 on American ships, and new Chiefs start at around $110,000. A brand new Third Engineer can make around $54,000 right out of an Academy.
Video Triple Expansion Steam Ship: [link]
Video SS Norway's Engine Room [link]
Video SS Norway Engine Room Adventure [link]
Video Supertanker Engine Room Tour [link]
Video Diesel Ship Engine Room MSC Napoli [link]
Video Ship Piston steam engine starting [link]
Video Diesel Engine room: [link]
Video Diesel engine room: [link]
Water-tube boiler (the top picture shows a superheater) [link]
EVOLUTION OF THE BABCOCK & WILCOX WATER-TUBE BOILER [link]
Boiler Operator Study Guide (has boiler drawings, including sinuous header boilers) [link]
I wish you best, whatever path you follow,
Matthew
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Thanks for the explanation and vids. Some I already knew, but alot I never even heard about.
I've only been on smaller steamships, with a simple Scotch boiler and compound engine. The fuel is wood and the aux equipment is mostly just circulation pump, with vacuum pump, feed pump and bilge pump put on the crosshead balance arm. But this only as a passenger, not an engineer.
I doubt our merchant navy have any steamers in operation, I think most of our shipping is done by foreign agencies now. But even back in the 50s, Johnson Line was a name to know on the back of your hand for all merchantmen!
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If you have a Merchant Marine Academy or School near you, you can visit and they will give you a tour of the ship and steam plant they usually have on campus. If you live near a sea port, you can write to a shipping company and ask for a tour of a ship when it visits your port. There is much more security now, so you need permission ahead of time. In my time, you could just go to a ship and ask to come aboard and be given a tour.
You never know, steam ships, especially for large tankers, are still common. The larger the ship, them more sense it makes. Smaller ships and even some large passenger ships are now using AZIPODS [link] which can rotate all the way around. The ship's power plant is basically massive generators to make electricity to run the Azipods.
You can go to an academy in another country as well, as long as you speak the language. All of that said, it is not an easy life to go to sea. I did fine it very rewarding. A ship is a floating city. We make our own drinking water, our own electricity, we treat the sewage, we maintain everything mechanical, electric and electronic. You learn many trades and skills, you control tens of thousands of horsepower, and you travel all over the world.
STEAM PLANTS ASHORE: There are large power plants and nuclear power plants that are ALL steam plants of one form or another. Big buildings often have small steam plants. then there are those who build steam plants, like shipyards and manufacturers of boilers, turbines, etc. You could learn to be a steam plant engineer.
Whatever you do with your life, I can tell that you like mechanical things. I suspect that you also are a hands-on kind of guy. You could be an engineer, which is a very wide range of possibilities, from building bridges do designing and building mechanical things. Then you could also be a mechanic. You might also like Aircraft Gas Turbine engines. I hope you have fun exploring all the possibilities.
I wish you the best of luck.
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Thanks.
I'm a voulenteer in a local museum railroad, so I deal with steam engines from time to time. I just begun my training to becoming fireman, which is the most difficult job.
Nuclear power is faschinating, I could very well imagine working at a power plant. But it's alot of safety involved, and if you screw up you're a goner.
I built a working beam engine out of legos: [link] It's functional both mechanically and aestetically. I realy like coming up with mechanical solutions and it's very rewarding to see them at work.
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Your beam engine looks interesting, but why is it all red, it is harder to see the details?
Many engineers are very Left Brain oriented, but i am more Right brained, which makes me more mechanical and creative. You sound similar to me.
I have seen a nuclear plant and reactor, on the USNS Enterprise, and nuclear Aircraft Carrier. It is normally Top Secret, but through a series of mistakes on the ship's side, i was whisked past over 20 security check-points until i had a 45 automatic pistol pointed at my forehead when i actually entered the Engine Room. Then all hell broke loose. I was basically held there fro around 12 hours as the FBI and Military Intelligence cleared me. As long as I was being cleared, the Engineering Officer said I may as well get the full tour. So I got to look into the reactor chamber and walked through the entire plant. Kinda cool, except for having a gun pointed at me.
The Navy did everything they could to force me into service. I had just missed the Draft into Vietnam, but I was forced to joint the US Navy Reserve, where I worked up to Lieutenant Commander, then resigned my commission when my 10 year service was up. I never actually served any active duty.
I did not know you were old enough to be in training for a Firefighter. I am a graduate of the Texas A&M Firefighting School and from two US Navy Firefighting schools. I actually fought a fire on a tanker once. Fire on a tanker is incredibly dangerous. The Exxon Philadelphia had the Second Mate fall asleep on watch while gasoline overflowed up the vents at 20,000 barrels an hour. A tug boat crew woke up, saw it and figured they wanted to get away, so they started their diesels, which caused a massive explosion, disintegrating the tug boat and killing all on board. Fire engulfed the ship, the dock and up toward the refinery. The flames and smoke rose so high that the Houston Airport had to be shut down. a lot of people died, and most of the crew jumped into the ocean, into burning water (not so smart). Engineers in the engine room kept foam coming and kept the water pumps going, while on two men on deck put out the entire fire on the ship. It goes to show how much a few good men can do. The Second Mate went to prison.
Firefighting is an honorable profession. You need to be smart and do not fall prey to HABIT. When you start doing things without thought, out of habit, then you are in great danger. Stay aware, think everything through, keep aware of everything going on around you. Getting over-focused can kill you. Being heroic without thought is stupid and risks your brothers. Carefully weight risks against benefit before acting.
We had a test where we are put in a smoke-filled building, wearing a Scott air pack that was set to run out of air just before getting out. They could clear the smoke quickly in an emergency, but they wanted to see if you could get out, it pitch black, with live electric wires dangling, doorways, etc, without panicking.
We also did fourth floor insertions, up through he stairways. I don't know if you will get any ship fire training, but it was fun doing the LNG fire. It took 6 teams of 12 to put the thing out, with high pressure LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) shooting out of pipes on fire. Then we had a petroleum tank half filled with oil, on fire, that was so hot it started melting the steel bulkheads. Lots of fire.
At least you do not need to do damage control school, where they put you in a steel box full of pipes, with holes in the bulkheads and pipes. then they turned on the water and you had to try to plug all the holes, using your clothes, using wood scraps, etc. They did not turn it off until were had no air at all, justing holding our breath. That was the closest I ever came to panic. Turns out the guy in charge was not paying close attention. One man has to be given CPR, but he lived. Well, you know what they say, you have to separate the boys from the men, LOL. We were 19.
I wish you the best of luck in your Firefighter training. I am sure you will do fine. Sometimes it is the physical stamina, of carrying loads of equipment up and down ladders that can get to you. So hopefully you are in good physical shape.
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No no! I mean locomotive fireman training. I'm apprentice to the fireman while on the line. At sea it's called a stoker or boilerman, on the railroad we say fireman. Gets very confusing.
My father was a firefighter though until he had to quit after getting a pacemaker. Bummed him down some, he loved the job.
To get rid of the red screen on the video, click the annotations button marked in red. It's a result of the constant comments over giving out instructions and building manuals. I have none, I built it all from the top of my head. Kids these days expect everyone to build in legoCAD and keep instructions.
I have a damage on my right brain, it has affected my motor skills quite alot on my left side but I manage.
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Hi, I know this is long, but I hope you read the brain part, since we both have brain problems. 👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think you did an amazing job on the engine. There is a lot of design detail. I have a quick story for you. We all had to enter a design contest for designing a Diesel Fuel Injector. Becasue I was doing a 4 year degree in 3 years, I was in a class with my upperclassmen, who were not happy with me. I was not even supposed to look at them without permission, let alone get better grades. Copies of all the designs were posted (no internet) on a board. Everyone laughed at my design and made crude jokes about it. They had made designed that had many extra design features, and mine was very simple and plain looking.
I won, which enrages some of my classmates. They demanded an explanation from the instructor, who had the judging results. In my design, I specially stated that i designed for the one thing that all customers demand, RELIABILITY, low maintenance, low repair rate. The more design elements you add, the complex it gets, the more can go wrong. In the summer before entering the Academy, I was an Apprentice Machinist. In my drawings, I included all clearances and tolerances, pointing out that my large tolerances meant that machining and production costs would be LOW. The other designs were complicated and required tight clearances, although they were clueless of the fact. I included an estimate of material cost and production cost. The judges stated that no one else came close. They stated that there is beauty of Design in simplicity and functionality of design, something that is less costly to make and very reliable to operate. I got hung out the third floor window of the residence Hall, holding me by my feet, dangling upside down. I shouted, "Oh Wow, great view out here," LOL. I made like I was having a grand time of it, so they quickly got bored and pulled me back in. I offered free tutoring to anyone who asked, so I got accepted by most of them in a couple of months.
Fireman is a term seldom seen now in the sense you used—sorry for missing it. When I first went to sea, all we had and were Wipers, Firemen, and Oilers. Further back, stokers were for shoveling coal. Boilerman was a term used for the supervisor of the Boiler room. Those positions have not existed for a very long time. Wipers were basically slaves, Firemen ran the Firesides part of the Boilers, changing and cleaning burners, doing maintenance in the Boilerroom/Fireroom. This was critical during maneuvering in port. On the Old Exxon ships I first worked on, we had 3 to 4 burners per boiler (2 boilers) and you had to constantly pull out one size burner and replace then with deferent sizes, based on boiler load, like large sizes for full speed Ahead, even larger for sea cruising, and smallest for Stop and slow ahead.
Then the design of the burners improved greatly, and we added electrical igniters, like giant spark plugs (we used torches before), and boiler sizes became larger, giving you more room for flexibility. We then had anywhere from 4 to 8 burners to a boiler, and as you maneuvered, you simply shut-off burners and restarted them as necessary. Those oil ships were then retired and made into razor blades.
This meant that Firemen were are laid-off. Wipers had already been laid-off before I even started work. So now the slave labor was all done by the Oilers and the Engineers themselves. We cleaned burners as needed, looking in on the fires to see if there was carbon build-up on the tips. The solvents are so harsh that all of us lost the ability for our hands to make oils, so our hand dry and crack unless constantly using hand lotion or A & D ointment.
The engine gang is know by tow nicknames. The Black Gang is no longer used. Black came from being covered in Coal Dust all the time, since the first steam ships were coal driven. Otherwise, we are called SNIPES. This is named after a bird called a Snipe
BRAIN PROBLEMS
As you may know, I was born Autistic, as well as two other Brain Disorders. I was beaten daily for 16 years, which resulted in my Hippocampus not being fully developed. The Hippocampus is your memory center for your brain, so i have bad memory problems. When kids are under high stress for long periods, for years, their bodies produce the stress hormone Cortisol, which prevents the Hippocampus from developing fully.
I am aslo unable to see faces, details, textures, or color in my mind. I only see general shapes. I have to dream and fantasize conceptually. Like I can imagine myself looking at a beautiful mountain scene, but I do not actually see it, I just know it is there. I do not see faces or body detail on people. I create entire new universes, times and cultures in my mind and dream about them serially, from night to night, for months, then decide to create a new one or revisit an old one. It is like writing in my head, story-telling. I can manipulate complex geometric shapes in my mind, as long as they do not need textures or fine details. I used to escape into my mind a lot, especially during and after beatings.
Autism is a disorder of the white matter of the brain. The white matter is the connecting wires of the brain. This means that the different areas of my brain to not talk to each other very well. Socializing with people, or talking with people uses more parts of your brain and more brain power than any other human function. You are reading facial and body language, predicting possible outcomes based on what others are saying, planning what to say, analyzing what is being said, predicting interactions, and on and on. This is why Autistics have so much trouble around social events.
What I wanted to tell you about is a bit of my story, because i want you to see how you will overcome most of your difficulty. One of my Disorders is SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTION. This has a major effect on coordination and Motor skills. I was diagnosed as Mentally Retarded in First Grade and taken out of school. Each of my eyes was trying to read independent of the other. The brain was not putting the two eyes together. I kept tripping over my own feet, and I had very slow reaction times. I could not sprint without hurting myself. I was in Speech Therapy up through 6th Grade, becasue I had trouble talking. Autism also trapped me inside of myself, like a prisoner, very alone, unable to connect to others.
My childhood was a living hell. i also was growing up gay in a time when my own mother told me she would rather me be dead than Queer. I was picked on a lot. It all seemed rather hopeless and I tried to kill myself at age 13.
I had to do hours of therapy each day, pacing back on forth on a narrow balance beam that was raised higher and higher each week. That way it hurt more when i fell off. Then I had to read flash cards of letters, then words as I paced the beam.
I PUSHED myself HARD in school, studying a lot everyday and weekends. In High School, 10th grade, they gave us an Intelligence test, then told my parents and I that i was stupid, at the bottom of the scale of Intelligence, and able to go to college. Yet I was an A student in school. I went on to complete a 4 year Engineering Degree in 3 years, and graduated number 1 in my class, from the Maritime Academy. I got a job immediately, went to work, saved, invested and retired for life at age 34, then devoted the rest of my life to helping others, doing volunteer work, which i still do everyday.
MY POINT is that it did not matter what others told me about what I could do and could not do, or how stupid I was. I proved them all wrong.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE: Brain structure is shaped partly by genes, but largely by experience, a process known as NEUROPLASTICITY. Brain functions can actually be moved to other areas of the brain, and new neural connection can be mapped. People with Brain Injuries and Strokes can recover full function, if they focus and work hard on therapy. [link]
After I tried to kill myself, I knew that the only way for me to survive would be to overcome the worst of my Autism. I need to meet people, socialize and learn how to have fun. I found a Dance hall with some really cool people. Unfortunately, dancing is supposed to be impossible for me. I lack the motor skills and coordination. I decided to try anyway. I took dance lessons 6 nights a week, looking like a fool for a long time. Then I started getting better after 6 months, then better yet after a year. After 5 years I did an exhibition dance and started teaching dance. I did Two-step, Tango, West Coast Swing, Foxtrot, Rhumba, Waltz, Bolero, Mambo, Samba, etc.
My Neurologist said that I had literally remapped my brain, formed new Neural pathways to allow me to dance, all from constant repetition and use of those functions in my brain.
As a young boy, I was barely functional, unable to do much of anything. Look at me now. Once I left high School, nobody has ever guessed that I was Autistic. One of my dysfunctions is an inability to express myself in writing. When I became crippled and housebound, I had to write on the internet to keep doing my volunteer counseling, and to socialize. I was awful at first, but just kept trying. I have overcome most of my brain disabilities.
LOST BRAIN FUNCTION: I am telling you that you can overcome most, if not all, of your lost function, due to brain injury. I have seen it myself and I have done it myself. The secret is USE IT OR LOOSE IT. As your brain grows and develops, there is a process called PRUNING, where cognitive gray areas of gray matter are lost if not used. You have already gone through the 2nd big growth spurt of brain gray matter at puberty. The next big one is around age 19 to 25, when the Frontal Cortex (executive functions of your brain, reasoning, impulse control, time interpolation...). Your brain is still developing up to about age 30 (latest research). Even after that, for the rest of your life, you brain can keep adapting.
If you keep challenging yourself in the areas of your lost function, you will regain function. If you give-up on it, you will not regain function. Whatever area are affected by your brain injury, challenge yourself on it to improve, do physical therapy, push yourself mentally...
My right brain developed more becasue I escaped pain through my imagination, in fantasy, in reading science fiction, in drawing, painting, and creating mechanical inventions.
RIGHT BRAIN LEFT BRAIN:
You may know this already, but if you are right handed, your Left brain is your Logical Brain and your right brain is your creative and intuitive side.
When I first started taking Diesel Class in the Academy, I thought I was going to fail. I read and read the chapters over and over again, but I would not know a crankshaft if I tripped over it. My father excluded me from all sports and working on cars, etc, and basically just erased me from his life. I desperation, I went to the instructor and explained my problem. He took me to the Diesel lab building where there was a large Diesel engine cut in half, lengthwise. You could see all of the parts inside. He pointed to each part, named it, then had me touch it and say the name. Then he turned the drive shaft and showed me the sequence of the valves, compression, exhaust, etc. It all made complete instant sense to me. I got an easy A in the class.
If you learn better by placing seeing and touching, rather than reading it in a book, then this is an example of RIGHT BRAIN Dominance.
Here is a chart of Left Brain Right Brain Traits. You are likely to have some of both, especially since we are trained in school to use only the Left Brain. Sorry about the horizontal lines, but DA does not accept multiple spaces or tabs for formatting.
Left Brain ___________________________Right Brain
Verbal, focusing on words, symbols, numbers. ____ Visual, focusing on images, patterns.
Analytical, led by logic. ______________________Intuitive, led by feelings.
Process ideas sequentially, step by step. _________Process ideas simultaneously.
Words used to remember things, ______________Mind photos' used to remember
remember names rather than faces. ___________ things, writing things down or
_______________________________________ illustrating them helps you remember.
Make logical deductions from information. _______ Make lateral connections from
_______________________________________ information.
Work up to the whole step by step, focusing ______See the whole first, then the details.
on details, information organized.
Highly organized. __________________________Organization tends to be lacking.
Like making lists and planning. _______________ Free association.
Likely to follow rules without questioning them. ___Like to know why you're doing
_______________________________________ something or why the rules exist
_______________________________________ (reasons).
Good at keeping track of time. ________________No sense of time.
Spelling and mathematical formula ____________ May have trouble with spelling and
easily memorized. _________________________ finding words to express yourself.
Enjoy observing. __________________________Enjoy touching and feeling actual
_______________________________________ objects (sensory input).
Plan ahead. ______________________________Trouble prioritizing. So, often late,
_______________________________________ impulsive.
Likely to read instruction manual before trying. ___ Unlikely to read instruction manual
_______________________________________ before trying.
Listen to what is being said. __________________Listen to how something is being said.
Rarely use gestures when talking. _____________Talk with your hands.
Likely to believe you're not creative, ____________Likely to think you're naturally
need to be willing to try and take risks __________ creative, but need to apply yourself
to develop your potential. ____________________to develop your potential.
CONCLUSION
Keep Challenging yourself in all areas that your brain damage has been negatively affected. It will pay off later. I am now fully functional, although I have some challenges still. But if I had not pushed myself, I would not have been a productive person who has offered a lot to this world. If you had seen me as a boy, you would never believe I was the same person.
I developed arthritis at age 12, which has now crippled me and is killing me. But I still push myself and can find some small things in life to find enjoyment in. Helping others gives me purpose. I used to ask, "WHY ME?" Now I realize it is just the randomness of life. We are dealt a hand of cards, then it is up to us to make the very best of what we do have. Sometimes life throws things at us, like a car accident, an earthquake, or something else that drastically changes our life and shuffles our hand of cards. Once we grieve our loss, then it is time to get back to making the best of what we now have.
NO ONE ELSE CAN MAKE OUR LIFE HAPPIER, IT IS UP TO EACH OF US TO THAT. I can tell you that you will find love and someone to share your life with, and that will be fantastic. As bade as life has gotten at times, Greg is always there for me, and me for him.
All the best.
wow nice.. I thought u are a Chief Engineer.
PS: Be a Chief Engineer its my goal.
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Hola,
Yo no hablo español. He usado Google Translate.
En esta foto que era un cadete en la Academia Marítima.
Tengo un trabajo con Exxon como Ingeniero Auxiliar Tercero, vapor y de motor, Unlimited caballos de fuerza.
Luego me convertí en un asistente de ingeniero segundo lugar, a continuación, un ingeniero de primer ayudante.
Luego me convertí en un Ingeniero Jefe, vapor y de motor, Caballos de fuerza ilimitada, a los 28 años.
Me retiré a los 34 años.
¿Está usted de vela en los barcos ahora? Usted es el ingeniero de navegación marítima primero que he conocido aquí. Yo sobre todo navegó en superpetroleros. También he trabajado en los astilleros de todo el mundo. He diseñado para la automatización de motor y generador de Habitaciones cuadros de distribución. También diseñado para Gears Hyde Directivo.
Lo mejor de la suerte,
Matthew
Hi,
I do not speak Spanish. I used Google Translate.
In this photo I was a Cadet in the Maritime Academy.
I got a job with Exxon as a Third Assistant Engineer, Steam & Motor, Unlimited Horsepower.
Then I became a Second Assistant Engineer, then a First Assistant Engineer.
Then I became a Chief Engineer, Steam & Motor, Unlimited Horsepower, at age 28.
I retired at age 34.
Are you sailing on ships now? You are the first seagoing engineer I have met here. I mostly sailed on Supertankers. I also worked in Shipyards around the world. I designed automation for Engine Rooms and for Generator Switchboards. Also designed for Hyde Steering Gears.
The best of luck,
Matthew
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I am a Cadet right now, my speciality its Enginering. But only 1 1/2 years left for be an Engineer Officer. But I remember that you said that you are a Deck Officer, How can you be an Chief Engineer?. Its that posible?.
PDT: sorry for english
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No hay necesidad de pena por tu Inglés. Es especial que lo haga bien.
Cuando entré en la Academia, fue como cadete de cubierta. Nos llevaron en un recorrido por la sala de máquinas de nuestro Buque Escuela, que era un barco de transporte de tropas la Segunda Guerra Mundial con turbinas de vapor y sinuoso encabezado Calderas (no se hacen más).
Tan pronto como vi el Engine Room sabía que era para mí. Fui al Decano de la Academia y pidió un cambio de motor. Éstos eran a corto estudiantes de ingeniería y con mucho gusto me cambió.
En las dos primeras semanas de novatadas y acoso, un tercio (33%) de la caída de la clase entrante a cabo y regresar a casa. En 1977, yo era el único ingeniero para graduarse y obtener mi licencia para navegar. Todos los demás fracasaron o fueron expulsados. Exxon me contrató incluso antes de que se graduó. He ganado BE Licenciatura en Ingeniería. Se trata de 4 años en nuestras Academias. Ahora hay muchos ingenieros para poder graduarse. ¿Te ganar un título en ingeniería también?
No need to be sorry for your English. It is special that you do this well.
When I entered the Academy, it was as a Deck Cadet. We were taken on a tour of the Engine Room of our Training Ship, which was a WWII Troop Transport ship with steam turbines and Sinuous Header Boilers (they are not made anymore).
As soon as I saw the Engine Room I knew it was for me. I went to the Academy Dean and requested a change to Engine. They were short Engineering students and gladly switched me.
In the first two weeks of hazing and harassment, one-third (33%) of the incoming class drop out and go home. In 1977, I was the only Engineer to graduate and get my license to sail. Everyone else failed or were thrown out. Exxon hired me before I even graduated. I earned a BE Degree in Engineering. It is 4 years in our Academies. Now there are many engineers to graduate. Do you earn a degree in engineering too?
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earn a degree?? I dont know how to traduce it but. But I am a cadet third year. 1 1/2 years more and I am going to be a Third Engineer.
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I hope you enjoy the work. I mostly did the Alaskan run, from Valdez, Alaska down to PTP Panama, and back to Valdez. It was very rough and hard in the North Pacific.
I visited in Lima. I think it was 1976. We had to be escorted by soldiers everywhere we went, because of danger. Lima was very nice. We ate in a restaurant with the entire cow over the fire. We were supposed to go to Machu Picchu (Machu Pikchu), but there was rebel activity and we could not go. I was very disappointed, as it was a dream of mine to go. It is amazing how very advanced they were, so long ago.
A degree in Engineering is for designing ships, Automation, controls, etc. I designed a Fuel governor for a diesel engine once. I designed engine room electronic automation, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and Generator Distribution Switchboard controllers.
Will you be a Third Assistant Engineer MOTOR (Diesel) or STEAM or both?
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assitant? no.. I don't think so. I dont know how to say in English: Oficial Tercer ingeniero (I think its Third Engineer Officer), but I can be a Chief Engineer too.
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Good Luck!
Happy Sailing.
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Wow, the pipes look very cool... kind of artistically inspiring.
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I went into the Academy as a deck Officer, but they gave us a tour of the Engine Room, where we had to dodge the dripping oil, water, slime. the spaces soured, opening into a hyge gavern of steel, filled miles miles of pipe, cables, tubing, pumps, Boiler…
I am standing in the Fire-room, between two boilers. On either side of me are six barrel burners with fire shooting out 20 feet and roaring up into the uptakes. This is a very old ship build before Wold War II as a Banana carrier, then converted as a troop carrier, then our training ship. We slept 50 to a hold, side by side and on top of each other in hanging racks.
Behind me is a high-pressure Fuel Oil pump that took Bunker C fuel (like tar), heated to 250°F just to make it flow. On the right, the silver plating is the face of the fire-box.
As we maneuvered, men on each side of me would be ramming out burners and sliding in new one of different tip sizing, with fire blowing out the glory holes. Of the many thousands of valves hanging from above, coming up from below, standing before you at every angle, we had to know what every one did and how it would affect everything else.
The next day I would be at the Throttles instead, swinging open the giant ahead and astern steam element on the turbines to maneuver the ship. It feels great to have such massive horsepower at your hands. Hearing the turbines scream and decks shudder.
We worked in temperature averaging 11o °f in the North and 130°F in the tropics, dripping wet humidity in a stem room. Still it could be exhilarating. But then there are the disasters, when every eye is on you, waiting for orders...
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Have you written a book about this? If not, you should. :]
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Slowly but surely, I am trying to write things down. But time is severely limited. Pain limits sitting time and typing time, narcotics slow productivity, I have counseling to give, DA writing, DA correspondence, a business that still has some work, helping my partner with his business accounting, cat care, house chores, socializing, etc. You know how it is, only I am crippled, LOL.
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Heh, I understand.
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Nice, ur pics are just so cute! I seldom see this happy pics
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I used to think I was uglier than ever when I smiled, so I tried to never smile. But sometimes i got caught in moment of happiness, lol. It was extremely hot and dripping humidity in the engine room, but the guys were great to work with and they were like areal family to me. These were some of the best years of my life.
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Ur even cuter when u smile
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Thank you for saying so.
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Thanks, flattery will get you far, lol. Notice the smile. Smiling was rare for me, but this reflects a good time in my life.
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Wow, you looked much older than 19. I only look about 16 or 17 and I'm almost 19.
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I always looked older and Greg always looked younger. I would rather be like you and look younger. My candle will burn out before yours does, LOL. Wow, I just checked and you actually have an ID photo now. Actually, from the picture, you look about the right age. I had a facial hair, which ages a person.
Besides, in the Academy, then made mens out of boyz, LOL
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Thanks. You can see the big smile. They were some of my best years. a place where I fit in, at least to some degree.
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