I took the same course it is very imformative. Just remember to take your time and read the questions carefully, remember that its a Coast Guard test so they like to trick ya. Especially the words (may, might,shall and must) they will fool ya if you dont pay attention. Also the rules of the road this is were they require thorough reading. Good Luck..
Study, study, study. Who is your instructor? If you have Bob Volbreit your in excellent hands. He is an absolute blast. He makes it very understandable. Good luck to you and study hard.
Get the " Rules of the Road " handbook and memorize the whole thing. You will need to know everything in that book. Also, take Her Money's advice, there are a lot of trick questions. Read the questions out a couple of times before answering. Good Luck
Don't mean to hijack the post, but does anybody know how or if they take into account time spent on watch as either Conning Officer and or OOD on Navy ships? Thanks.
Not sure if this has changed since I did it back in the last century....
You need a Transcript of Sea Service. I got mine from BUPERS back in 1989. It will list on an official form all the periods you were assigned to sea duty. You submit that with an explanation of what your duties were on each vessel (I submitted copies of redacted Fitness Reports), as part of your application for a Merchant Marine License. It will be reviewed at the Regional Examination Center and you will be notified how many days they will credit you with (it is a percentage of time assigned to the vessel), and what license(s) you are eligible to sit for.
Again, not sure how the rules may have changed. If you graduated from either the Merchant Marine Academy, or the Naval Academy, you are eligible to sit for a License as Third Mate - simply based on graduation. If you went to a real school (as I did - North Carolina State University), then you need THREE YEARS (1080 days) to sit for Third Mate. Each subsequent upgrade requires an additional 360 days credit.
I never had an OUPV - started with an Inspected License as Operator of Small Passenger Vessels, Auxiliary Sail, in 1985. I needed 540 days credit to get that license, based on my own vessel experience. In 1989, I submitted my Transcript of Sea Service and all the supporting paperwork. I was given credit for 2,080 days watchstanding on U.S. Navy ships (yes, I spent a LOT of time at sea) - just 80 days short of an original Unlimited Master's License. I sat for Chief Mate, Oceans, Unlimited (four days of exams), and a month later sat for Master, Oceans, 1600-Tons.
Good luck to you, and to cbdaddy as he starts his OUPV studies.
Brian
Master, Oceans, Steam, Motor or Sail, 1600-Tons
Chief Mate, Oceans, Unlimited Tonnage.
Radar Observer
I agree with UnReel - Most all the instrcutors there are great and Bob Volbreicht is excellent. My advice is start your paperwork as soon as you can so that you have it ready in soon after completing the course. I took the course 2 years ago and found it useful investment of time and $$$. Good Luck and Tight Lines!
OCNSLR,
My background may be a little diffrent then yours. I am an Engineering LDO, enlisted in 1984 and commissioned in 1999. My sea ticker is a month shy of 14 years. I only have 3 years topside watchstanding time, the rest is propulsion plant or auxilaries related. I guess I'll have to put together a package of my sea duty assignments, fitreps and evals and see what they say.
Email me so we can set up a phoncon. I had extensive engineering tours (Auxiliary Machinery Officer, MPA, CHENG, PEB) and, in addition to the Deck licenses I sat for, I could have sat for First or Second Assistant Engineer. Your sea service and watchstanding will be evaluated based on what watches you were standing during the sea days they give you credit for, and the REC reviewing officer will let you know what you can sit for. Same sort of days on engineering side, i.e. 1080 for Third, then another 360 for Second Assistant, First Assistant, and Chief Engineer. Issue will be whether you are steam, rock-crusher, or suck&blow... (steam, diesel, or gas turbine).
as has been said,Study RULES,you can only miss 3 questions.If you are not too familiar with Nav. and Plot,work on that as well.it is not that the Questions are "trick"It is reading the questions for what it is asking.The rest is downhill....until the paperwork.
Are you going to have to go to Baltimore to submit your fingerprints or will you be submiting all of your paperwork fom here? Mine is due next month and the word is that you will have to make a trip to MD in person.
they always said you could just send it in, but everyone i talked to strongly recommended to go in person.....I went to Balt in person and it was quite easy other than driving up/back.....go to local police to get fingerprints, much easier if you ask me.....
Where can I renew my U.S. mariner credential(s)?
You may apply for renewal at any of the 17 Coast Guard Regional Examination Centers (RECs). You must satisfy requirements for renewal including the completion of an application form and payment of user fees. All of these requirements are described in this guide. To see a list of RECs and their locations, click here.
Can I renew my credential by mail?
You may renew by mail by submitting all of the required paperwork and fees to one of the RECs listed above. Please ensure that all supporting paperwork is original documents or certified copies (certified by the agency that issued the original credential.) However, you will have to appear at an REC for ID verification and fingerprinting. http://www.uscg.mil/stcw/downloads.htm
A day is considered at least 4 hrs in a 24 hr period.
I have already filled out the supporting documents logging my hrs, scheduled the physical and waiting on a letter from my Commanding Officer for my urinalysis. Reference leteers are on thier way and once the paperwork is all there I am headed to Baltimore.
Just have to get through the class, but like all say Bob is an outstanding instructor and I should make it through. Just finished a solid 3 hrs of studying (Hell I didn't study that hard in High school)! Not to worried about the plotting and chart work, did that while in the CG years ago and still mess with it once and a while to maintain the skill. COLREG/NAV RULES, Wow thats gonna require work (3hrs a night)!
Thanks for all the tips.
Kevin how did you make out chasin the tuna this fall? I will look for you out there!
alright. so if i wanted to get my 6 pack license in the future, how would i need to keep track of days. (how would i fill out the info on the sheets as far as the 360 days, w/ 90 in the ocean) do i just need to record the day, how many hours and the location? thanks for your help guys.
I have a electonic copy of the required form b-mail me and I can shoot it to you. Otherwise you keep a log and transcribe it to the CG form. Its a pretty simple form (self explanitory).
I took the "Not more than 100 ton" class and sat for the exam with Stan Gold at TCC. The classes were at night 2 nights a week 3 hours a night for like 6 weeks. That gives you a day or a weekend to take in everything that was covered in the class get all your homework done (let it sink in) and study the "rules of the road".
Unless you have a job on the water already and only need to brush up for the exam I would not recomend the one week course. IMHO
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