My birthday and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Well folks, today, November 27th is my birthday. I am now a whopping 24 years old. I would like to thank my mother YEARS ago for not aborting me and allowing me to live (bad joke), and for her putting up with 24 years of my shit (literally and figuratively!). I'm still on the USNS Mount Baker as a watch 3rd Assisstant Engineer, and will be here for Christmas, too.

I would also like to pass out a Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this, and to all who are too busy/lazy/don't care enough to read this as well!

Please leave me a message in the comments section, or email me at
Henry DOT W DOT Scharf DOT CIV @ msc DOT Navy DOT mil

Alive and kickin'

Well folks, I figure it's time to send another update. We're somewhere in the area, I don't exacty know where either IN Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, or that little sea between, whatever that is (I don't quite have a map). What I do know is that we won't go into port for quite some time, so I can expect to be surrounded by water for a good while.

I just got a switcharound on my watch team. My junior engineer and one of my engine utilities had a screaming fight over a 60 cent soda, so long story short, I have a new junior engineer (they got switched). I much prefer this one due to his work ethic, willingness to learn, and respect for my authoritah! Yesterday we just switched out motor pump units underneath one of the evaporators (mm overtime). The opportunities to earn overtime on this ship are boundless. Being on watch, I am pretty much garunteed at least 16 hours of overtime each weekend (all watches on Saturdays and Sundays are considered overtime, even while at sea), and every other day, I stand meal relief for the 1600-2000 watch (an hour of overtime), so that's at least 33 hours of overtime every single pay period garunteed. I'm completely in charge of running the evaporators, and making our water so I better not screw up, hah.

It's still a little weird being someone who is literally in charge of the entire engine room for the 4 hours that is my watch. I'm not only in charge of the engine room, I'm the watch supervisor, so I'm in charge of the other people who are on watch, doing the little things like checking levels, taking readings, watching the fires, etc...

Meanwhile, I should probably get going. I just got off of the 0800-1200 watch and am pretty freakin' starving.
                                                        
Henry Scharf
3 A/E (watch)
USNS Mount Baker (T-AE 34)
                                                        

On the Baker

Hello everyone from onboard the USNS Mount Baker (T-AE 34). Yes, I'm on board an ammunition supply ship working for MSC as a 3rd Assistant Engineer on watch. We're moving around somewhere in the Persian Gulf, ready to supply other ships, but I don't really care about that, I just care about the engine plant downstairs. Luckily, we get some television (The AFN or Armed forces network), so we can watch SOME television, but only programs "approved" by the military. I suppose it's better than nothing (there is an overwhelming amount of news programs and sports programs being shown). Oddly enough, there is limited internet access (I say limited, I mean speed, we DO share satellite bandwidth with the other communications devices), and we also have our shipboard email by which I am sending this post.

Before you ask, I am NOT in the Navy, I am a civilian working FOR the navy, hence my current email address is
HENRY-dot-W-dot-SCHARF-dot-CIV-at-MSC-dot-NAVY-dot-MIL.  (I wrote it in this format to avoid spammers, the lowercase are the periods and @ symbols). If you wish to contact me, go ahead, I relish daily contact with the outside world. Plus, since the internet access is so slow, there is very little chance I will be checking my blog for comments or my other email (gmail, yahoo) for messages, but my ship's email I'll be checking at least twice daily.

I'm sorry for being away, but I'll try to update by emailing to my blog every now and then.
Thanks for your patience my fellow friends.
-Henry Scharf, Civilian
3rd Assistant Engineer (watch)
USNS Mount Baker (T-AE 34)