First Trip - What to expect!

[CharlieDelta]

This one's squarely aimed at Randomist!

Cruise ships, first trip. What will poor little CharlieDelta be doing?

[Randomist]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

LOL!
(For Deck Cadets)As a first trip expect to spend alot of time on deck, you'll be working the the Seamen, the Deck Coxswains and the like to gain experience on the ship's equipment.

Remember as a Deck officer you'll be responsible for the life saving equipment, fire fighting equipment and a vast amount of appliances relating to the safety of the ship, stuff you'll also be asked about in Orals, so the first trip work, even though it's not on the bridge, is important. Saying that you may get a week or so Bridge time to introduce you to the job.

First trips will vary, depending on the Officers you're sailing with. You'll be under the direction of the Safety Officer and he'll play a huge part in your training.

I wouldn't be surprised if they send you to the different departments to gain some experience. For example, you may spend some time with the hotel department to understand how their system works and what they do. There will also be some tasks in your book that you'll need to talk to the engineers about, so don't be surpirsed if you get sent to work in the engine room for a week or so.

Your first trip will be great, it'll mostly be daywork and it's all about gaining knowlege about the ship as a whole. You'll know much more about your first ship than others, because you get around it so much.

Don't be scared, it's great fun really.

[alistairuk]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

In no particular order: Cleaning, varnishing, replacing broken low level lighting, oiling hinges on millions of fire doors! Testing the hundreds of sprinkler sections and millions of fire alarms, painting, chipping (but only when there's nonpax around - we don't want to disturb them). completing arrival and departure checklists and filling in the log book, helping out at mooring stations - then eventually in charge of stations. Checking fire extinguishers and presure testing hoses...

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[Randomist]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

^^^ all good
Although I think they'll save "taking charge of mooring stations" to one of your last trips. You'll be expected to handle the lines with the sailors before you take charge.

The deck department are responsible for fire extinguishers and equipment all over the ship, so expect alot of time in the fire lockers

[CharlieDelta]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

It's a funny mix of nervousness and excitement. Not fussed about bridge time - would be nice to get the steering done but apart from that we haven't done a huge amount of bridge-y stuff in college so I'd feel a bit of a spare part!

Just daunting looking at the TRB, so many things to do! I'm a bit concerned about filling in the ship particulars - they want the number, type and details of all the fire extinguishers?!?!

Time with the hotel lot would be fun I imagine, particularly since a lot of hotel types seem to come from an airline background (woo go ex-flyers). Oooooh I wonder if they'll let me make up cabins - I'm a mean hoovererer! Engine room could be fun too...

[alistairuk]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Just daunting looking at the TRB, so many things to do! I'm a bit concerned about filling in the ship particulars - they want the number, type and details of all the fire extinguishers?!?!

Time with the hotel lot would be fun I imagine, particularly since a lot of hotel types seem to come from an airline background (woo go ex-flyers). Oooooh I wonder if they'll let me make up cabins - I'm a mean hoovererer! Engine room could be fun too...

Lol rem "5x50kg, 230x12kg, 8x???" good luck fitting everything in those ridiculously small boxes :-) the good news is you can just get all the information off the bridges copy of the "ships particulars" and most of the safety stuff is on your fire plans.

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[CharlieDelta]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Yes, the boxes are tiny! Bah!

We were told last-minute that we need to keep an operational/navigation workbook. What do/did you guys do there? From what I gather it's a case of "do something relevant/interesting, write a report about it".

[alistairuk]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Basically HND students have set reports to write as part of their TRB - the ops workbook essentially replaces this on the FdDg by letting you pick your own topics that you find relevant.

Think this has changed, they haven't given us any set reports on the HND. Something to do with now using the same TRB so we have to do a workbook as well.

[Randomist]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

I wouldn't worry about the ships particulars. The fire extinguishers are all on record, so it's a case of looking in the right folders or asking the safety officer as to where they all are

[GuinnessMan]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

All ships are required to keep copies of their particulars in certain places (e.g. LOA, Breadth, Draft, etc) so that is easy. It's even easier on tankers, all you have to look at is the ship's SIRE report and everything is there!

[alistairuk]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Basically HND students have set reports to write as part of their TRB - the ops workbook essentially replaces this on the FdDg by letting you pick your own topics that you find relevant.

Think this has changed, they haven't given us any set reports on the HND. Something to do with now using the same TRB so we have to do a workbook as well.

Me thinks someone accidentally hit edit instead of reply :-)

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[CharlieDelta]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Oooops!

[minchmermaid]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

Before you do your ships particulars, photocopy the page and fill everything on the photocopy, get it checked and when it's all correct then you should fill in page in your record book. I learnt that the hard way! Every ship in the class had a copy of the same deck ops manual which had all the particulars you needed for the record book, unfortunatly every ship was ever so slightly different and the manual didn't actually correspond 100% with a single ship! So be warned and actually go and look things up and count things and ask the 3/O for a look at the maintenance files.

[CharlieDelta]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

As a first trip expect to spend alot of time on deck, you'll be working the the Seamen, the Deck Coxswains and the like to gain experience on the ship's equipment.

I knew there was something I meant to ask!

On our ship visit, we passed a coxswain and he seemed like a very nice guy, British too. I'm just a bit perplexed about what they do! We had various terms thrown at us including SG1A, coxswain and seaman. Seaman I can understand, SG1A seems to be AB but the coxswains have me a bit baffled - I always thought a coxswain was the steery-type-person e.g. lifeboat coxswain.

[Randomist]

Re: First Trip - What to expect!

The deck coxswains on P&O are responsible for various things. One is responsible for fire gear, two will be responsible for boats and one will be general maintenance. This is not the same as the work the sailors do (chipping/painting) but you will be expected to do some of that aswel.
Fire coxswains recharge BA bottles, check equipment in the fire lockers. Recharge and check fire extinguishers and lots of other things. Boat coxswains look after the tenders and lifeboats and check their equipment in support of the 3rd officers. General coxswains speak for themselves.
Some are british and some are pakistani depending on the ship.

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