What is your occupation, employment, job or profession?

[VonHoldinghausen]

A bit of an introduction from a newbie

I have studied Computer Science and Cognitive Sciences, been DJ:ing for bout 25 years.

Yes I started with vinyls of course I quit when time come to use a laptop for the music.. CD was ok though.

Managing a bookstore for about 15 years. These different stuff intermingled

 

Cheers!

[wmowitt]

Hi all-

 

I'm on active duty with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s commissioned officer corps.  NOAA operates a fleet of research ships and aircraft in the US to do nautical charting, oceanography, fisheries research as well as weather and climate research.  They have a small corps of uniformed officers to drive the ships and fly the planes.  I'm currently the XO (Executive Officer aka Chief Mate aka Assistant Principal) of the NOAA Ship Pisces, which is works in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic.  Building ships on a ship is going to be a bit of a challenge (not much space to work and no running off to the shop when you are out of something!) but it should be a fun challenge.

 

Cheers

Bill

 

P.S.--If anyone wants a unique scratchbuilding challenge (or commission job!) , my current ride would make a great project and I have unlimited access to detailed pictures!)

[hornet]

I have taught primary school for 35 years. This means that I spend most days trying to establish who really owns the red pencil!!!

[achuck49]

Going backwards

 

I am now retired.

 

I was a federal employee and tested field artillery munitions and delivery systems.

 

Military contractor.

 

18 years Army Field artillery.

 

2 years Marine Corps

 

Bachelor's Degree in Technology 

[divarty]

Achuck nice to meet a fellow redleg in the hobby.

 

As for me I spent my formative years in the US Army field artillery as a forward observer, graduated from that to managing Dominos Pizza resturants in the ski towns of Colorado and finally moved on to the tech field in California where I am currently employed as a Senior Network Engineer.

[captainbob]

Bill, the Pisces would make a fine model, but 209 feet at 1:48 is more than I have room for. 

On the other hand are lines of the hull available?

 

Bob

[Pete Jaquith]

I am a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer (Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, founded by William Webb designer/builder of the "Young America", etc.). My career included shipyard operations, planning & production control, production engineering, and ship design.

 

Although retired, I provide consulting assistance to shipyards, design firms, and government agencies in areas of ship design and construction processes and industry best practice. I am currently serving of Manager of Production Engineering at Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver, BC Canada. We are currently planning the design and construction of (17) Federal Fleet Renewal vessels including (3) Fisheries Research Vessels, (1) Oceanographic Research Vessel, (2) Naval Underway Replenishment Vessels, (1) Polar Icebreaker, (5) Medium Endurance Multi Service Vessels, and (5) Offshore Patrol Vessels.

 

When not planning/designing full size vessels, I can be found modeling mid 1800's American Merchant Sail.

 

Pete Jaquith

Shipbuilder

Edited June 22, 2014 by Pete Jaquith

[James H]

Moved topic to Shore Leave...

[twintrow]

I retired 7 yesrs ago for the 3rd time.  Have been an off-on Consultant in the Health Care Industry since. Started building ships after the retirement 7 years ago, and as of next week will start another consultant gig which looks to run a couple years.

 

After 4 years as a Navy Corpsman, I became a draftsman at the Cape, then a Senior Designer and finally a EE.  After 8 years of that and after Nixon elected the aerospace industry took quite a hit and 32,000 of us were laid off at the Cape one Friday afternoon.  Houses selling for $50 and take over payments!! Left Fla. went to home town Troy, Oho where I became the first Physicians Assistant in Ohio (1968).  Doubled as an Administrator and PA in Family Practice for 10 years, then moved to Phoenix, took over as Administrator of an Occupational Medicine Clinic.  Later sold the Clinic and set up several companies (Occupational Medical Centers of America; Vision Surgery Centers doing Radial Keratotomy, and South Carolina Physicians Network developing Rural Health Care Clinics). Then back to Phoenix and took the job as Director of Practice Development for a large Not-for-Profit Hospital.  Where I retired again.

Now only work max. about half time as Consultant and the other building.   And the most important job of babysitting our 4 year old grand daughter 3 days a week.

She has been with us since she was 2 weeks old and the joy of watching her grow up is the greatest thrill of my life....one I missed because I was spending too much time working to enjoy my own 6 kids.  That all changes for the better when you retire!!

Tom

[Justin P.]

Rare book and medieval manuscripts conservator...

[Desert Sails]

Joined the U. S. Navy right out of high school at 17. Was trained as a jet engine mechanic and requested orders overseas. I grew up in Southern California so for some reason my first orders were to an aggressor squadron at Miramar in San Diego. Worked 4 years on the flight line at Navy Fighter Weapons School then came up for re-enlistment and orders. Volunteered for flight duty. Spent a year training as a helicopter crew chief and rescue swimmer. Did that for 13 years with operations in the South China Sea picking up Vietnamese refugees and chasing Thai pirates. Quick turnaround and back to sea and into the gulf for a hostage situation. Then worked the KAL 007 salvage operations up off the Sakhalin islands. Decided I'd had enough of enlisted life so put together a boat load of papers and put in a request... Somebody messed up and gave me a Commission... Did a cruise on a super carrier up in the gulf during Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a Maintenance Control officer for 6 helicopters during the war. Came back stateside transferred to a different Carrier Air Group (CAG) and a much smaller carrier, another quick turnaround and deployed up into the Adriatic for some issues in Kosovo. One thing about the U.S. Navy you do a lot of things... Came home and the Admiral of the House decided that I had been chasing bad guys to long and she needed help with 3 teenage girls so I retired after 23 years of naval service. We moved to Arizona and I took a sales and marketing job with a fortune 100 company. Been doing that for almost 20 years now and I'm about ready to retire. I started fly fishing to relieve stress. I learned to tie flies and make split cane fly rods. A model shipwright friend at work got me interested in wooden ship models so I started building the Armed Virginia Sloop. I am very much enjoying the build... Well most parts... I keep telling myself how much I loooooove planking...

Mike

[shihawk]

makes my life sound doubly boring!!!!

[flying_dutchman2]

Rare book and medieval manuscripts conservator...

This has got to be interesting.

I am assuming this is on parchment paper.

At a museum? Book store? Can you read any of the text?

Are some of the rare books available at actions or they are stored in vaults or digitized as a university in Florida does with there naval charts.

Marc

[Desert Sails]

makes my life sound doubly boring!!!!

Oh I don't know Shihawk I can think of a few folks, myself included that wouldn't mind working the family farm especially in a country like Northern Ireland. It all has it's good and bad points. While I did get to see a lot of the world and was fortunate enough to be involved with a lot things. There are other ways to look at it that aren't so exciting and glamorous. While I was part of the worlds largest and most advanced navy my kids all qualified for low income free meals while in school. I also received tax credits for low income households every year. From 1979 to 1981 I was deployed 18 out of those 24 months. You come home expecting to step back into a husband and daddy role and it just ain't happening... The home admiral is not so quick to give up the head of household spot and the kids run to their rooms crying because there's a stranger in the house... Nope I think you've been very fortunate and I'm envious of your peaceful life. Look on the bright side... At least you didn't have to worry about glowing golf balls headed towards you as someone tried to shoot you out the sky (or off the tractor in your case). It's all relative and we all do what we can to contribute in some way.

Mike

 

Edited note: Tracers look like glowing golf balls when seen coming towards you for those who didn't know...

Edited July 6, 2014 by Desert Sails

[Justin P.]

This has got to be interesting.

I am assuming this is on parchment paper.

At a museum? Book store? Can you read any of the text?

Are some of the rare books available at actions or they are stored in vaults or digitized as a university in Florida does with there naval charts.

Marc

 

Its a bit of all of that really.   Some of the work of a particular age and origin is on parchment, yes.   The term "parchment paper" is actually a bit of a misnomer and refers specifically to paper which has been treated to resemble parchment.   Parchment itself is a type of vellum (skin) treated specifically for the purpose of writing on.   Vellum is more often attributed to those skins used in covering processes.   They are very, very similar and some do not agree that they are in fact two different things.   Most of my work is with printed or manuscript on paper and leather bound books and special collections ranging from the 13th-21st centuries.   

 

I have worked in regional centers, private institutions and currently at a major university in the US.  I trained in the UK and had the opportunity to work with the Royal Admiralty (right across from HMS Victory), the Guildhall Library of London and Chichester Cathedral Library.   All three of which do not really classify easily.   

 

Much of the work I do is on collections held and open to the public.   A fair amount of work I have done in the past has been from private markets and collectors which occasionally make it to auction.   Everything is housed in secure vaults and is accessed under very close supervision.  Some things are digitized but that work depends on a large number of factors.   I have been lucky in that most of the collections and particularly the one I work closely with now have a large maritime component so I get to work with and see a ton of primary source material both from shipbuilders and explorers.   My favorite to date have been the dozen or so ordinary seamens diaries Ive treated which range in dates from 1675-1860.   Their drawings and anecdotes of regular life really are special...   

[flying_dutchman2]

Maturin;

The Discovery magazine has a very interesting article which is right up your alley.

 

One of the most remarkable and mysterious technical advances in the history of the world is written on the hide of a 13th-century calf. Inked into the vellum is a chart of the Mediterranean so accurate that ships today could navigate with it. Most earlier maps that included the region were not intended for navigation and were so imprecise that they are virtually unrecognizable to the modern eye. With this map, it’s as if some medieval mapmaker flew to the heavens and sketched what he saw &...

 

I'll see if I can get the complete article for you.

Marc

[robnbill]

I worked in the US Government for a number of years before joining the private workforce in Project Management. There I have been everything from a Task Lead to Director. The last few years, I was director of IT development for several small to mid-size companies doing business with the US Federal Government.

 

My last project ended last November and I believe I am going to retire now. Ships are SOOO much more inviting than client meetings.

 

I have been a woodworker pretty much all of my life. Starting with my father doing contraction projects around the house. Then as an adult moving into fine woodworking and furniture. I also made a couple of acoustic guitars. I have found over the years my interests are becoming more details and smaller. The ship models seem to fit the bill very nicely - with the occasional foray into other woodworking projects.

[wdretired]

I've been retired since 2000.  I took early retirement because I wanted to do some things that I didn't have time to do working. 

To be honest about it, I'm not exactly sure what my job title was.   I don't think my boss knew either.  He was always asking me

"Wayne!, exactly what are you suppose to be doing"? . .  We never did come up with an answer to that question .  One day when

someone asked me if I was busy, I replied "Yep!, I'm chasing electrons all over this lab!". . . that was the last time I got asked that

question but I sort of liked the answer,  so I've stuck with it. . .  I'm an "Electron Chaser". . . sounds rather unique don't  it?

     I keep thinking one of these days I'll figure out a fancy name for what I use to do but the more I think about it, the less important

it really seems. .  "Plum Crazy" would probably fit better than anything else. . .

 

 

[Perls]

Hi All,

 

I put the Almonds on Almond Joys....let me tell you, it's not always easy to get the pointy ends going in the same direction! :)

 

Actually I've spent 30 years on Wall Street in Institutional Client Relationship Management with some of the largest investment banks (some now deceased). In the first 25 years or so I worked with interest rate derivatives and most recently in secondary private equity. Actually is was mostly very interesting and I worked with some very very bright, and for the most case highly ethical people.

 

Best,

Steve

Edited August 24, 2014 by Perls

[OzSatyr]

I'm a somewhat "involuntary" early retiree.  I went straight from high school into I.T.  I remember a couple of weeks after school finished going for an interview where after getting a traineeship, they let me punch a few supplied instructions onto cards and showed me my program "running" on the computer.  A room full of huges box like machines with flashing likes, whirling tapes and operators scurrying around doing what (I thought) my program decreed. Hooked!  I felt like someone had given me the biggest, best and coolest toy ever.  As time passed I moved from programming to managing multiple projects, mentoring new project managers, developing project manager quality systems and auditing projects.  After work I basically ran off work-stress with a mix of football (soccer to non-believers) and playing in pub bands till all hours.  Thirty seven years passed while I was busy enjoying myself before heart disease made me take an extended break.  Stress being the main culprit, and sleep apnoea providing the assist, I have atrial fib. due to enlargement and my heart does the tango, samba or cha-cha most of the time.  I prefer rock and roll, but eh, as long as it runs, good enough

 

Anyway that break became permanent when the aftermath of the of the 2011 floods in Brisbane revealed that regular back soreness was actually four lumbar discs in a row, eroded to the point where there is now constant pressure on the nerves that branch out down there.  I'd had surgery in that area at 40 to remove tumors growing on the nerve lining inside the spinal column, so it was expected to deteriorate over time.  Being indestructible, I thought it would take longer.

 

These days I still muck around on my computer, entertain the neighborhood with my guitar (whether they like it or not), take care of my wife and serve as benign patriarch to my daughter and two sons all in their 20s.  Model shipbuilding will, I'm sure, renew my love of attention to detail, exactness and add that element of frustration thats been missing since I had to quit I.T.

[captainbob]

“Model shipbuilding will, I'm sure, renew my love of attention to detail, exactness and add that element of frustration that’s been missing. . .”

 

That’s for sure.  Glad you could join us.

 

Bob

[flying_dutchman2]

P.S.--If anyone wants a unique scratchbuilding challenge (or commission job!) , my current ride would make a great project and I have unlimited access to detailed pictures!)

I built a R/C coast guard cutter kit for my local hobby shop so this would be just bigger and better.

I went here http://www.moc.noaa.gov/pc/specs/general.html and saw her specs. Looks very interesting. Any plans of her? Usually ships have there design plans hanging in a stateroom or captain's quarters. I would be interested in making an R/C from scratch.

Marc

[John Kendziorski]

It was fun going through these posts. One can tell that this madness of ours draws detail-oriented guys and gals.

 

Credit must go to my dad and brother for my itch for hands-on adventures. Dad seemed to be able to make or fix anything, anything with wood and metal scraps, and my big brother introduced me to model planes. It was [sigh] another time....

 

After dropping out of law school, I became a commercial lithographer. My area was called "stripping," a term that often invites amusing comments. My wife enjoyed telling friends that her husband was a stripper. I enjoyed my craft for 35 years until the world went digital and I went for early retirement. A second career opened when I became a tutor, doing well enough to earn a modest living and discovering an unrealized aspect about myself -- I'm a natural teacher. Today I work a few hours a month at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, assisting post-doctoral researchers from many countries with their papers. I feel pretty lucky.

[Omega1234]

I'm a Human Resource Manager for a government agency. I've been interested in model boats since I was a little kid and spent many years building RC scale yachts. That stopped about 10 years ago after I started running out of room in the house; hence why I build miniature scale models now. They take up hardly any room!

 

All the best and happy modelling, everyone.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Omega1234

[Canute]

Retired now, doing some volunteer work with my church and the Sheriff's office. Raising money to feed the hungry in my little county is rewarding . The sheriff's job (courthouse security) makes for interesting people watching.

 

Used to be a military aviator (F-4/KC135) for 28 years, then a state level emergency manager dealing with local governments and FEMA.

Phantoms were the most fun , the tanker sent me to interesting flying locations and the state job was one long hassle, dealing with federal red tape .

[GuntherMT]

I'm a software QA analyst.  It's a perfect job for me since I find fault with everything even if I'm not being paid for it!  That natural tendency of mine does cause some issues with ship building, as I tend to find all the 'bad' things in builds and have to force myself to look for good things, and not be too hypercritical when I'm commenting on others work, and just keep that over the top critique to my own ship building.

[CDR_Ret]

Graduated from University of Vermont 1972 with BA in Zoology; minor in Geology. Undergraduate thesis in sub-bottom profiling and marine foraminifera in Lake Champlain/Champlain Sea sediments.

 

Joined US Navy in 1973 to avoid draft. Served initially as Naval Air Intelligence Officer with VA-66 Waldos A-7E squadron embarked in USS Independence (CV-62). Changed branch to nuclear submarines in 1975. Served in USS Parche (SSN 683), USS Bremerton (SSN 698), USS Hawkbill (SSN 666), USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN 619-XO), and concurrently in USS George Bancroft (SSBN 643 Gold-XO).

 

Qualified as naval nuclear engineer; qualified for command in nuclear submarines.

 

Retired in 1993 as USN commander (O5) when the Navy had no subs left for me to command one. 

 

Taught high school science and math at Trinity Baptist School, Williston, VT, USA. 1994-2000

 

Principal high school physical and earth sciences textbook author for BJU Press, Greenville, SC, USA 2000 to present.

[7 Provinces]

I am M.Sc. in Industrial Design Engineering from the Delft University of Technology (very close to where you live Anja). This is my learned profession, hence my need to design, build and create things, where "design" is meant in a technical as well as an aestetical way.

 

But to pay the bills I currently work in IT outsourcing. I lead a team of presales specialists in the area of the transition/implementation of (ITIL) processes and process supporting tools. Before this, I was a project manager in the same area. As a project manager I travelled a lot (and liked it too). In my current function I travel not so much which means I can spend more time with my family and, if all goes well, this hobby. Which I also like .

[schoeffi99]

I retired after 38 years working in hospital as orthopedic surgeon; now I spent my time with my wife in Thailand, building ship models and be happy about sun and my nice time

Edited February 7, 2015 by schoeffi99

[SgtSki in MI]

While I am currently on disability due to an ongoing fight with cancer, I am employed as a Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) Technician with Alcoa Power & Propulsion- Howmet Castings in Whitehall, MI. My company's main business is the production of aerospace turbine and structural components. I also served 13 years on active duty in the US Marine Corps and 12 years in the Michigan Army National Guard. I am a veteran of Desert Storm as well as two deployments to Iraq.

Edited February 7, 2015 by SgtSki in MI