Work weekends and who is doing them???

[Darrin]

Folks,

while being really bored here at work and I was checking the links to some of the boats out and one that I stopped on was the USS Batfish's site and I am pleased to see that they are doing a work WEEK. While on Torsk we are able to only support a work weekend also in October however ours is the 3rd through the 5th so it will be a fun experience to be had by both crews. Glad to see that you are able to pull a week off there Rick, give em hell and get as much out of them as you can before they go home... Make sure that you have PLENTY of beer onboard because I know of a few vets on Torsk whom have been known to drink two or three sailors worth in one night... but I have no idea who they are, honest you can trust me I work for the government and I am here to help.... honest....

Darrin

[Paul Farace]

Beer?

Not a drop on COD.

Back in 1995, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in Cleveland (about 1,000 feet east of COD's dock), the Steamship Wm. G. Mather Museum was closed due to the traffic and hupla surrounding the Rock Hall (which for them, was 200 feet away)... in any case a private party was booked for the Mather deck (this is a Lake Ore Carrier, 618 feet long and 60 feet wide, with lots of deck space).  Well, there was beer and wine being served and a few of the guests were intoxicated. Like in the hosts of the party!  They were two world-renown AIDs doctors who also owned the catering company sponsoring the bash on the ore boat, as well as a high-fashion dress designing company. Well to make long story short, one of the AIDS docs fell overboard and died. I happened to stop by the Mather at just the moment the doctor fell overboard and hit his head on the concrete dock before falling into the 4-foot wide strip of water between the dock and the side of the boat (I was totally sober)... the living hell that ensued for my good friends on the Mather was horrific. They had nothing to do with the event and were utimately cleared of any liability. But not in the Cleveland Gay community (as if Americans would hold Dallas to blame for Kennedy's assination?), and the city safety inspectors, reacting to the political pressure from the various segments of the community (Gays included, but not solely) ran the Mather staff into the dirt with stupid inspections and required them to spend $200,000 on higher deck rails, etc. Those same inspectors stoped at COD the same damn day and never pinged on us for our virtually non-existant deck rails (that's fine with me, but it illustrates the vendetta they were on with regards to Mather).

So, as much as I like to host a good party, we have never, ever allowed a single drop of beer anywhere near COD.  All it takes is one empty bottle or can at te scene of an accident, and guess who is to blame?  The host site (in this case, one of our subs)... the cost is just too dear.   

I'd hate to see any of us go through the living hell that Mather endured, just because someone can't hold off embibing for a night.

-- The Church Lady has spoken! 

PF

[Rick]

Paul,
You have a lot of good advice.  Allow me to play devils advocate and temper your words a little.   We live in a litigation socioty,  and everyone thinks that we museums and organizations live like Bill Gates and own enough money to throw away like water.  We also live in a sociaty that thinks they are responsible for nothing and should be babysate 24 hours a day.   Gone are the days that people stand up and accept responsiblility for their own actins.   However,  we cannot allow this fact to stop us from preforming our tasts and helping our own interests.  If we do we just as well go find a rock to hide under and live off Welfare for the rest of our lives.   We have to take chances and accept the consequenses.   

My point is, we do not have to live in fear of these people and take do what we do best.  suppoprt and promote these boats. Take a few risks and enjoy the rewards that come with it.  Show these wimpy little SOB's what living is really about then feel sorry for them because they do not have the intestonal fortitude to live it themselves.   

OK,  I am off my soap box now..... 

[emeacho]

Good for you Paul!  Now if you'll excuse me, I have to retire to the after battery well for a beer.

[AVGWarhawk]

Just got know were to stow the beer

[Mark Sarsfield]

.. and where to hide the dumb ass's body that falls overboard or sticks his finger into an electrical panel.   

[Fred Tannenbaum]

Gotta agree with Paul, not only from the potential for crippling litigation but because of how a drunken individual or party on your museum boat can ruin its reputation. The director of the Silversides in the early 1980s used to throw parties for city police on the boat. While I'm all for keeping the city's Finest happy, I decided never to do anything that would reflect poorly on the boat.

And unless your museum boat is the USS Barb, which took cases of beer on war patrol, it's not historically accurate to have suds on board! How's that, Martha??

[Darrin]

I agree with you Paul and I understand completely why you will not have it onboard, Hey Chief pass me one of those cold ones please....

[Paul Farace]

OK, one other story... this occured about two months before the fatal accident on Mather...  during another party!

One of the party staffers (as in not a guest, but someone who was helping the caterer, but not needed too badly) was drinking a lot of wine. I saw she was seen to be barely negotiating the uneven steel plaes of the deck before she opened a door and entered the catwalk above the engine room...  
Well by the time I followed her into the engine room catwalk, I discovered her doubled over the single railing above the Mather's turbines -- only about 25 feet above them! And only a single brass rail holding her from falling onto the turbines (if not fatal, then at least a broken back!)... She has all but passed out! Luckily she didn't fall over the railing and off the catwalk! I pretty much picked her up and carried her to an unused stateroom and locked the door so she wouldn't wander out. I then notified her co-workers and the Mather staff...  needless to say she was carried off to a car on the dock and taken home. It turned out she was working so hard to help set up the dinner she only had time to drink some wine and had no food all day (or that was how it was explained to us)...  again, not a problem, but might have been.

I am all for bending rules when necessary, but I have seen what happens when the odds play against you...  and even if the family doesn't sue, you still are now "one the radar" of every inspector, bad press will hurt you one way or another, and a thousand other things I can't begin to imagine.
Right now I am planning on hosting my church picnic on COD for the Monday following July 4th. Some of the attendees will sneak beers in and I have to get mideval on their ass. As much as I like them, I love COD more and my skipper has issued an order: NO ALCOHOL.

I am not telling you guys not to drink, I just want you to know what we do, what I have seen with my own eyes -- BTW --the story of the AIDS docs was even strnager than I mentioned. It even included Yoko Ono, Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine, and one of the gay doctors dropping to his knees and singing "Ave Maria" when he learned his partner was under the water!  It makes your weirdest nightmare seem like a children's TV show!

Remember, Murphy's Law is the underlying force in the universe!

Paul  (at least I got to say hello to Yoko Ono)...  

[Lance Dean]

...Right now I am planning on hosting my church picnic on COD for the Monday following July 4th. Some of the attendees will sneak beers in and I have to get mideval on their ass. As much as I like them, I love COD more and my skipper has issued an order: NO ALCOHOL....

Paul, are you Catholic?  Not a jab, just an observation...

 

[Paul Farace]

Yes...   catholic.. and an Eye-Tallian too...    should I be slowly backing towards the door with my car keys ready?   Just kidding...

As far as reliqiosity goes, when I croak, there better be a whole bunch of USS COD vets hanging around the Pearly Gates to put a good word in for me or I am gonna be in one hellava mess! 

PF

[Lance Dean]

Not by any means Paul.  Catholicism is amazing to me.

Me being Southern Baptist, it struck me when you mentioned a church picnic and then sneaking in beers in the next sentence. 

Of course, down here the rednecks would just drink their beer on the way to the picnic!   

[Rick]

I am going to clairify some more.   My last post was written under some diress due to illness and over exhaustion.   (that is not to say this post is not the same).   We are dry ourselves.  I agree that we have to do everything that we can to protect our patrons,  short of hitting them with cattleprods as they go throught the boat.   (Hmmm wonder if electric dog collars would work?)........
I do become upset with the entire litigation process especially when some ingnorante yahoo makes millions off of being plane stupid.  That is the very reason that we have so much trouble getting the spare parts that we need,  the new displays that will help our museums grow, and have to put ups stupid little signs on every thing.   I have seen enough situations like the ones that Paul is talking about to know just how big a problem this is.   

Again, it torkes me off everytime I see someone become an instant millionare and good things ruined because of plane stupidity. 

[JohnG]

Ok, now I get to put my .02 in.

When it comes to patrons, you can have all the cameras, rails, signs, warnings, guard dogs, etc and they will still be where they aren't supposed to be. Get hurt. Or break something. Now most of it is innocent enough with a few trouble makers. But here is an example. Since the old decking on the Batfish is so old, we have a path made on it with a chain guide on each side  to keep patrons off the old fragile decking. I seen some people on the decking one day when I was up there and a board of old decking broke ant their sons foot fell through. He got a little spooked and we helped him up but they had stepped over the chain guard. I told them this is why we had this and they got off the decking.

Now how much common sense does it take to see a barricade, and stay on the path. This is just lack of common sense and stupidity being mixed. Someone is always going to get their booze on a ship, walk on the decking, get on the bridge, or end up in the captains quarters. Thats where subs should amost have a waiver or disclaimer for themselves so when a stupid person hurts them selves the sub is protected.

I guess it shows common sense isn't so common.

[Paul Farace]

Signs? We took ours down years ago!


You can fill the boat with signs and it won't make a bit of difference. Stupidity is stupidity... and it doesn't read!

And the most interesting thing:  our lawyers tell us that if you put up a warning sign, it is an admission that you have a problem and increases your liability!
How stupid is that?

Falling through the deck?  You don't know the half of it, Charlie!   We have had two folks break through COD's decking (open tour area too!)... both the Mothers or Wives of important VIPs!!!  Murphy's Law, Murphy's Law!!!

PF