#siu #lifeatsea # merchantmariner #roomtour #sailor A tour of a sailor's room on a 20 year old bulk carrier. JOE FRANTA'S SLOP CHEST (my store) slopchestsailorstore.com/ INSTAGRAM: / franta.joe MY RV CHANNEL / @joefrantarv
I’ve become addicted to your videos. I’m a 73 year old geezer from Nebraska who has never been on a ship. Very interesting and extremely well done videos! Gods best my friend.
Heh, 58, UNL grad, done dozens of fun cruises, but I too find these videos very entertaining and engaging. I highly recommend going out to sea at least once in your life. There's something to be said for looking all around and not seeing anything but water. Humbling experience that never gets old.
I have to smile when I watched your video. My late father was a Merchant Marine before, during and after World War II. When he first went to sea he sailed on a fishing schooner out of Galveston Texas. He learned to sew sail and tie knots. He always had a bucket. I asked him why. When he first went to sea you always needed a bucket. You washed in it. You cleaned with it. And you used it as your toilet. When my father got on a merchant ship, the 1st mate told him he need to wash his clothes. He smelled like fish. The ship he was on that got sunk in May 1942, you had a bunk in an open area. You might have an electric fan, if you were lucky. The Third mate slept there too. In his day, they room you have would have been on a new ship and for an officer. The ship he was sunk on had been build prior to World War I. It didn't even have a radio room. It had a shack. Before the war was over, he'd gone from being an Ordinary Seamen, to an AB in Feb 1942 to getting his Master's License in April 1945. He was 24 at the time. Back then they only had one AB per ship. That changed. And would change again. A friend of his who was also a Master, was sailing with the Naval Sealift Command as a Third Mate. He said his stateroom as a Third Mate was larger than any he had as a Master. He'd been ashore for a few years and had taught. My father would get a big kick out of your video.
Sailed third engineer on a old steam tanker. I was chasing an electrical ground down and it led to a stateroom shared by two ABs. The ground was from a 5000 btu AC unit that was mounted to the base of one ABs bed, which was tented over in a sheet of clear plastic. I asked why the odd setup and he told me the other AB was a cheap bastard and wouldnt go in when he asked to share the cost of the air conditioner. Stick around and you will see it all eventually.
c@@Irishandtiredthis was back in the early 80's, a lot of the ships didnt have airconditioning systems. Now, if ships ac isnt working by 4pm.,crew would receive subsistance pay. As for not tolerating something not working, deep sea Engineers had to fix it themselves. Nobody to call in the middle of the Ocean.
There's definitely something to be said about having your own private space to decompress after a long day's labor. You can just veg out and get yourself centered before the next shift begins.
I lived over a year in a modified 20 foot shipping container with a couple roommates in Afghanistan. The latrine and showers were 100m away, in a tent. You are lucky to have so much private space!! Thank you for the tour!
I found your channel a month or so ago. Really enjoy seeing the ships and working and living conditions. I am little surprised a company won't update the cabins enough to make conditions a bit more accomadating. Since its employees are stuck out there for days on end. Ripped and stained bedding, no air conditioning taped strip to the bottom of the entry door, they could do a little better. I do agree its nice to have your own space. Great videos.
Joe, I'm watching this on 26th December 2022..I've been following your channel for about 1 year now. I'm in Scotland. I just love the fact you give us a fantastic insight into life on the open seas. Respect to you and a very happy Christmas 🎄 😊 ❤️
The bathrooom was better than I was expecting. It's old , but functional . That blanket is where I draw the line. OMG , I've seen nicer blankets at Goodwill for $5 ...splurge and live a little ! LOL! I've known a couple guys who did this line of work. They always had really interesting stories !!
That's a better state room than the Captain of a Navy amphibious ship get's. As Marines, we slept 50 to a cramped berthing area stacked four high and used the same head.
Hi Joe, I happened on a video of yours via a YT suggestion. Strange as i know nothing of ships and have rarely even been on any. However, your lifestyle is fascinating mainly because it is so far from my life here in the UK. It's fair to say I am addicted to your videos and some of the views towards the bow of the ships whilst under way are awesome. Eddie.
Great vlog as always! Until after WW 2 the ABs had buy your own matress and bed linnen. On Norwegian ships anyway… Also the steward had an on board shop. You could by shirts, pants, cigarettes, beer and candy. I would have bought my own pillow and sheets. Lol! Be safe!
You give a great room tour! I was really cool how you had a wide shot from your drone until you zoomed up to your window and pulled the shot inside at your face! It reminded me of the original Hawaii Five O, where they zoomed in on McGarrett on a balcony. Those days everything was filmed from real helicopters because drones did not exist. You had more socks an underwear 🩲 than anything else. Is that because you worked two four hour shifts plus overtime? I would take two showers per day after getting really dirty from hard physical labor.
Great work! So what your saying is youve got your own qhuotahs but one might have to make tidy after the last occiupahnt and br no, take your own comforter because accomodations are provided, but ahiyayayyyyy!
Have you ever had problems with flying drones? I'm a deck cadet and on my last contract the chief mate would've killed for a drone for all those draft surveys. I've read that all the metal around you makes the GPS signals go wack. Have you ever had problems? Have you flown your drone while underway and doesn't it get confused by the fact that you're moving so fast? How tricky would it be to land while underway? Thank you in advance!
Looxury, we used to sleep six of us in a shoebox..no seriously, I've just remembered my worst cabin in a supply boat in the Caspian beside the bow thrusters. I used to sleep with earplugs in and ear-defenders on. I was contract personnel: the marine crew refused to use that cabin so we vermin got it...six weeks...aaaargh!!!!
Well. I know you have to live in there for a couple months, but I'll relate this...... The English Channel or La Manche, depending if you are English or French! The stretch of water between the two countries, has dozens of ferries a day between them. However there are a few that go the distance down to Spain via the Bay of Biscay. This is a 24 to 30 hour crossing and you have to as a passenger pay for cabins. Now unless you book a family cabin or stateroom, the option is a 'twin' bunk beds in a room the size of yours and about the same condition, well worn! These room are all inboard so you don't even get a porthole to look out of and should you wish to have one it will cost you around $1100 for the night yep thats correct! or a family room will be around $1400, this of course includes the price of your car - not motorhome, RV or anything else. Oh yes, no meals included either.
I’d bring my own comforter and pillow on every ship if I were allowed. It’s tough for me to sleep on different pillows and blankets anyway so it’d be better regardless
Air conditioner used to be excellent. Super cold actually. Your cabin is on the starboard side by the lifeboat deck.. Cabin is better than cruise ship. Free toilet paper anyway.
21 or more days on a 210' Coast Guard cutter with 2 -3 high racks, shared showers, sinks and mess gets a little close after a while. You're place looks like a suite on a Cruise ship to me. But I surley do miss being a sea.
It may be small but at least it’s your private space, I worked on one of the older oil platforms in the North Sea twenty or so years back and there were four of us living in a cabin not much larger than that, one set of bunk beds on each side of the room with a small table in between, with a toilet/washroom shared with the cabin next door, privacy was non-existent for the duration of your time on the platform.
Do you have internet access out in the ocean figure the ships might have sat, internet service or something or do you downlaod a bunch of movies and shows to watch
Don't know about the states but if it'd happen to me a new set would be sourced been on bulkies doing the triangle Kembla, Newy than off to all the big industrial ports throughout Asia yer great memories enjoy your journey
Omg you are handsome 😍 I’m just a nerd that works on Wall Street surrounded by computer monitors and numbers Luv your videos I’ve always wondered what goes on inside those cargo ships 🚢 I’ve always been fascinated by big things ..machinery and equipment Great videos keep up the great work!
@@JoeFranta hello handsome 😍 We WS people are completely useless beans… we have absolutely no real life vocational trades…it is men like you that built, create and transport that make the world go round 🗺 if your ship 🚢 excursions are in need of a pencil pusher, with useless technical experience that aren’t useful for real word situations ..and or just need a ship mate, lol to travel along and start a new life 🏔 In the meantime I’ll binge on your videos 🙃
Still better than a hut in Chalna or Khulna, Bangladesh. Yep, that is my go-to place when I get depressed . Enjoy your stay at the Hilton, by comparison.
At least you dont have to share your head. I was happy if I got a sink in my berthing. 20 years ain't too bad. The last ship I sailed on was 50 years old and I sailed on a couple 30 year old containers. Those things were getting tired but they run those old Jones act ships into the ground.
Your cabin is to the standard of a "Japanese built after 1980" Crew Cabin. I went to sea as a Radio Officer in 1974 and did my last trip in 2017. As an Officer I usually had a cabin fitted out to a better standard than yours, however this was with British companies who had a higher standard. I did join one horrid old Japanese built container ship where EVERYTHING bar the bunk, shower, toilet and washbasin had been "acquired" by the rest of the crew. The Chief Officer & I went round every cabin and "stole" it all back. Your bulker looks to be an "el-cheapo" standard design, where the first owners didn't want to spend any money. Safe sailing.
I am planning (I m contemplating on it) to reengage merchant navy (oil/chem tankers specifically) this year. I quit it twice , now I have about 6 years off duty since my last contract. Do you think it is not too late to return as I am 32 .. it is kind of silly to come onboard as an OS at 32 years of age... but then again, why not especially since on tankers with frequent port calls the job revolves around cargo operations only, I had a contract once we did only cargoes exclusively and entries were so often our mooring lines were all lying on the deck all the time and rarely secured for long passages, if passages happened to take place we would clean tanks during voyages or just navigate and chill between hectic discharge/loadings or sometimes both at the same time ;D I went off on a tangent.... have you ever seen an OS who is 30+ ???!! Would it be way too weird by maritime standards (I know that majority of sailors would say you are crazy and rightfully so actually, but crewing company will hire anyways as there is always shortage for seamen and maritime administration will let me repass all the proficiency exams without problems...), I am a little on the fence about this endeavour. What do you think sir?
I can answer your question so what happens on these bull ships is they will desalinize all the gray water and then they will put it in Port vessels so that the water can be filtered in ports and then they get it back from the poor control and then it is basically stored outside of the boat and cisterns floating cisterns
Theres nothing wrong with that room , plenty of room in there . Next time buy the largest double sleeping bag and comfortable pillow for the trip . Sleeping in someone else's stink and goo isn't cool at all . Stay safe out there 👍👍🇺🇸
