Job Application as a Licensed

Job Application

As a licensed mate, I have 337 sea days worth of experience. I have worked on four different ships as an Officer in Training. These ships included container, break-bulk and passenger vessels, both diesel and diesel-electric. Each of these vessels was commercial in nature; however I feel that the transition to government/research vessels will be relatively seamless.

In my time at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, I have attained a license as a USCG Third Mate for any tonnage and any ocean. I was able to gain experience with the four commercial vessels over the course of the past four years, while completing my education. I served on the M/V Sealand Pride for Maersk in 2006. My next vessel was of the M/V Liberty Star for Liberty in 2007. I worked on the M/V Pride of America for NCLA, Inc. from 2007-2008. Lastly, I worked on the M/V Harry L. Martin for Keystone in 2008.

With these four vessels, I was able to gain significant experience in all aspects of shipboard operations. I worked on safety, on fire and lifeboat drills and I was able to assist with maneuvering and cargo offloading. I believe that my experiences on these vessels is sufficient to meet the expectations that NOAA will have of me. I am able to handle the navigation and vessel management duties expected of a Third Officer and NOAA Civilian Mariner as the direct result of my officer training aboard these four vessels.

In addition, these vessels each provided me valuable insight into the different ways in which vessels are managed. All four were run with different techniques and systems, such that I feel I gained a rich variety of experience in the short time I have worked on the sea.

2. On board the four vessels on which I have served, I was able to gain experience in a variety of areas beyond navigation. For example, on the container ships (M/V Sealand Pride and M/V Harry L. Martin) I was able to assist the other officers in the maneuvering and offloading functions. I helped them to guide ships into port and then gained experience in assisting the offloading function as well. It was critical to learn these functions, because they form the basis of the container ship's role.

I was fortunate enough to expand on my container experience with the break bulk ship M/V Liberty Star. This gave me insight into the deck operations of a different type of cargo vessel. With my passenger experience I was able to see the differences between deck and engineering operations with three different types of vessels. The differences between these two types of vessel were striking, but even more so was the experience I gained on the passenger vessel M/V Pride of America. Deck operations take on a much different tone when you are given the responsibility over the lives and safety of hundreds of passengers. Since my role included a significant portion of safety initiatives the passenger vessel was a particular challenge and brought out the best in my on-deck organizational and leadership skills.

Moreover, I built upon this experience with my work on the safety side of the ship's operations. This included my work supporting the fire and lifeboat drills, something that was assigned to me on all four of my previous vessels. The experiences I had with cargo and safety made up a substantial portion of my experiences on the four vessels, so I feel that I am competent in each of these areas, in addition to my competency and experience in navigation.

3. In each working situation, as well as in school, I have worked with individuals with a wide range of backgrounds. As a Platoon Commander Petty Officer in 2007, I was responsible for 26 midshipmen, of which several were from varied ethic backgrounds. Furthermore, some come from vastly different backgrounds from my own.

This experience was enhanced during my work as Company Honor Board Chairman Petty Office in 2007. I was responsible in that role for instilling values of honor for over 150 midshipmen. In this group were represented not only a wide range of ethnic groups but socioeconomic groups as well. Given that my role involved instilling a common set of values in such a disparate group, I gained extensive experience in handling individuals with different backgrounds and therefore different philosophies with regards to the concept of honor. Many individuals required one-on-one training because their backgrounds were so different from the concept of honor that I was trying to instill. This gave me an amazing amount of direct experience dealing with some of the specific issues that come into play when working with people from different backgrounds. We each need to work towards a common goal on a ship, and therefore we must overcome our differences. To do this requires substantial leadership and communication skills, which I feel that I developed as a result of this experience.

In addition to this direct experience, I worked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The workers there come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including Cuban, Haitian, African-American and a range of Latin American groups. Some of these workers have difficulty with English, which was a significant challenge in that role. However, it did not take long for me to adjust to the diversity of that workforce and I came to enjoy the dynamics of working in such a multicultural setting. If one is to work on board ships in today's world, it is essential that working in a multicultural environment be embraced. After my experiences at Port Everglades and as a leader trying to work with 150 midshipmen of a variety of backgrounds, I feel that I am fully capable of operating in a rich, diverse environment.

4. My Officer training aboard the four vessels on which I have served provided me with experience in all aspects of the ship's operations. As Third Officer, I will bring experience in ship's operations.