John is my brother, he stayed on tugs and I went deep sea for 40 years. I was Captain on big tankers and Columbia River Bar Pilot, as well as a Prince William Sound pilot, our dad said "go to sea", he was a career army officer and frustrated sailor, so both his boys went to sea.
Outstanding. I've been to Belfast a couple times and always wondered. Now I know! What a wonderful speaker and educator. I'd love to listen to sea stories from this man!
Wow. That was an amazing video. I have seen plenty of ships and tugs at the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors but to be on board a working tug with someone like Captain John who is able to explain everything is truly a treat. I don't know when I've enjoyed a video more.
Growing up on the Florida intracoastal , no AC windows down, some pulled some pushed it was cool to watch the Skipper swinging that huge wheel,walk out of wheelhouse in all kinds of weather, and compute wind drift, current,tide and adjust barge attitude and navigate the very narrow bridge that was placed in the middle of a dogleg channel without touching it, One engine one screw ,no GPS or radar Amazing 😍
Thank you Capital I live at Sarnia Ontario Canada. They have a grid system/ operate on the St Clair River. Also with camera and chat so we the public have an opportunity to observe the traffic all over the great lakes. I live 15 miles from this world and had know idea. But the apps on my phone and tablet has given me a new world to look at. Lol thank you again for sharing.
that was very interesting. thanks for the tour. I visited Maine when I was younger and I loved ur state. but to cold for me as a Texan. thanks for the video.
What really nice guy, a real seaman. My Dad was the same in so much as a desk job was not for him. He went to sea at 14 in 1926 and served in the Royal Norwegian Navy as Chief petty officer, on subs, convoys to Canada etc. When I was born he worked for Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in the Floating plant dept., ie he worked on dredgers floating cranes etc. Great vid, thanks.
As a MARAD lawyer, I worked on the lawsuit involved in the contract dispute with the State of Maine. I also represented Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy (federal academy like Annapolis but for U.S. flag officers) , a wonderful campus on the East River looking at the Chrysler Building because it was his estate before it was bought for the Maritime Administration (Joseph Kennedy was the first Administrator). 15 years, but my favorite was sea trials.
This is an excellent interview and learning experience. I'm surprised it hasn't seen more views since you put it up. I'll post it in a forum or two to get it out there.
Vertical helicopter type blades for hydraulic maneuvering and tractoring... awesome tug! Voith Schneider propulsion. Check out the video for how it works: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmsT-_QdMEc.html
So do people at those maritime schools all become a captain or pilot on a container ship or cruise ship or something? Forgive my total ignorance on the subject but I can't think of any other reasons to go to them. What other maritime careers are common for graduates of these schools? I've always figured most of the jobs on large ships are pretty much laborious and don't require degrees unless you're a Captain or pilot or something but, like I said, I have no knowledge of the subject.
Maine maritime has an amazing job placement rate. I know that one of the more lucrative fields is in marine engineering. The engines and all the associated systems are complicated and Maine maritime graduates get hired for these positions among others.
No they don't... Some start out as deckhands even holding a lic. Some go into shoreside management. Most places you don't become Captain till you have years of ojt
I worked on the British Columbian tugs for years. the Jones act protects the home companies from foreign flags taking our business. why should an american ship come to Canada load and offload in Canadian waters and vice versa a Canadian ship going to america and taking there business
+hughvane The video was produced by a local cable channel that wanted to let thei rviewers know about the local tugs and shipping. It was not intended to be a training video . It was a very foggy day, but the locals seem to enjoy it and sorry it was a bit long winded. ·
Capt. it was a great video, people troll through videos, pretending to be experts on anything they see. Then they will comment some unintelligent garbage, on a subject that they couldn't know less about. If someone truly has love and interest in boating, shipping, and tugging, they wouldn't leave a negative comment. Never apologize to little informed idiots who think they could run a boat from their computer-desk chair, with less sea-time than a common Maple Tree.My son & I found your video interesting, fun, and informative. It was clearly not a "this is how a tug helps dock a ship" video, and it was still great.
my father and grandfather were skipper. my dad was a ship pilot during ww2. he was rated unlimited pilot. because of a disability i have, i never entered the business
+friendshipsloop I was in the Schooner business back in the eighties. The video was produced by a local cable channel that wanted to let their readers know about the local tugs and shipping.
The U.S. flag is protected by the Jones Act, otherwise we would have no U.S. flag "bottoms" or crew. All countries have this type of laws to protect the industries on U.S. waters. Foreign flag has taken over all other "blue water" trades including all cruise ships. American customers, foreign crews and ships. After WWII the slow extinction began for the next 50 years. I've been retired now for 10 years, so I wonder if this Captain is one of the last U.S. flag captain (he's protected by the Jones Act).