My job with Dyn Marine Services

I found out about Dyn Marine Services a few years back when I was working a Lockheed Martin contract at the Naval Support Activity on Crete, Greece. One day a couple of guys came by the communications center, where I worked, needing to send out a message or two. I was happy to help out. During our conversation I learned that they worked for Dyn Marine Services and what kind of work they did. Their job is shipboard communications but for the next few months they were ashore and operating a "communications van". They had just started up the van and was having some minor difficulties with the gear. During the months that followed we would see each other on and off base and occasionally, I would send an outgoing message for them.

I eventually left Greece and returned to Florida. For a short while I lived with my daughter Natalie in her house in Panama City, Florida. That was really nice. It was great spending time together. With her in the Air Force and me doing contract jobs overseas, we hadn't seen much of each other. After about eight months I landed a one year contract job with ITT Industries working in Iraq. That's when I started my BLOG. And if my memory serves me right, in my first Blog I mentioned that I had two job offers and I was having to choose between the two of them. One with Dyn Marine and the other with ITT Industries. I took the ITT job in Iraq and now a year and a half later... I'm working the other one.... Dyn Marine Services.

Dyn Marine Services has a contract with Military Sealift Command (MSC) to provide shipboard communications on three ships. These three ships are the "Flag ships" of three preposition squadrons. The "flag ships" and their squadron of vessels are located at Saipan, Diego Garcia and the Mediterranean. Each flag ship has a military detachment which includes a Commodore and his staff. These ships are cargo vessels carrying military equipment and supplies and are prepositions around the globe in order to facilitate rapid supplying of any force that is called into action.

There are five of us Dyn Marine guys onboard each of the three flag ships. You have the Detachment manager, a Lan manager and 3 operators. I am one of the three operators. Because of my prior communications experience I have been told that the boss back at HQ in Virginia wants me to be groomed to be a Detachment manager. That is fine for the future but for right now, I want to concentrate on the job at hand. There have been some changes since I last worked in a radio room. Need to bring myself up to date. And besides, I really enjoy the hands-on with the equipment again.

The Dyn Marine work schedule is 4 months on ship and 2 months off. The company pays to get you from ship to home and back. Thank goodness. ha As you know, I am in Saipan now. When I finish my four months here and go home, my next ship assignment can be anyone of the three ships. It all depends on where the need is.

More later.

Happy New Year everyone !!!

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and celebrated the end of 2005 and the new beginning of 2006 on New Years Eve. Anyone with a hangover the next morning? As for me, I slept through it. I was asked at the breakfast table the next morning if I had seen the fireworks going off all over Saipan last night. I missed it. The ship is at anchor off the island and I am sure the view would have been something to see. There is always next year.

Well, it is 6 January now and the ship is at Guam. At anchor. It's a rare thing to be pierside I guess. Well, at least the "water taxi" ride is only 15 minutes to shore. So far I have been ashore twice. Both times staying on the Naval base. Did some shopping at the base exchange and had myself a few cold ones. Before we leave here to head back to our home anchorage at Saipan, I'll try to make a trip off base. I was here about 3 or so years ago when I was on the USNS Kiska (an ammo ship) employed by Military Sealift Command (MSC). I am sure things haven't changed a whole lot.

Saipan is about 100 miles North of Guam. It only takes a day to get here. If I had my preference, I would rather stay here at Guam instead of Saipan. At Guam there is the Naval base and an Air Force base as well as the tourist spots. Saipan just has the tourist spots which are good places if your want to go broke. The prices are very high. Geared for the heavy Japanese tourist. A single room at the Hyatt costs $320.00 for one night. Now sure there are some places which are not as expensive. There is a coffee shop that I enjoy going to. They have wireless internet there for free. I usually bring my laptop and have a couple of cafe lattes while I surf the net and send emails.