Admiral Pics 3/20/11

Hello Mike, Thanks for the pictures of our great old boat! Boy, we could tell some stories about the 70s on her, couldn't we? Like one winter lay up, the starboard engine room caught fire, we were fighting the fire the smoke was so bad someone had to half drag you off the boat where you were carted of to the hospital, but we put the fire out...

Hello, could you please tell me your last name Sir.

I'm new to this forum and hope I didn't break any rule by asking for your last name. I'm pretty sure I know who you are but my memories of that incident are somewhat hazy due to the smoke inhalation. I believe that was the winter of 73-74 when we were dieselizing the boat and a welder caught on fire.

Capt. Mike Williams

That Mike is Capt. Mike Williams, who started his river career on the ADMIRAL. Don't be afraid to post on here - this is a very informal and informative group. With only a rare exception, we don't hesitate to share info and pictures on here. And your ADMIRAL pix are certainly interesting, thanks for posting them.

Of course, thats who I thought it was. Mike, if possible, Id like a sidebar conversation to discuss the "old days" and catch up. Ms. Patsch may I say that it is an honor and a pleasure to communicate with you. After learning of this site several years ago, and reading most all of the archived stuff, I feel like I've known you for years. Yourself, Mr. Norrington, Capt. Mike, Shipyard Sam, R. Dale Flick, Lexie Palmore, etc. ( too many personalities to name them all ) are all like celebrities to me. I consider it a privilege to be allowed in the conversation. Here are some more pics taken yesterday from East St. Louis, an excellent vantage point for photos. Unfortunately I only got 2 due to a policeman telling me I was in an area that was off limits to pedestrians.

Capt. Mike, since you mentioned that fire aboard the Admiral, I've been thinking a lot about vessel fire fighting in general. Back then we didn't think twice about attempting to put the blaze out. We really had very little training and all we really had to do was simply walk off the boat and not worry about it. But it was "our" boat and our crewmates were in harms way, so we just did it with no second thoughts about our own safety. But that was then and this is now. With insurance regulations and restrictions much stricter than they were then, would we as crew fight a fire now? Or would we be required to let more qualified personnel do the fighting? And what if we were inept at firefighting. Would we then be held liable for failing to douse the flames and potentially endangering lives. Having been off the river ( although my heart is still there ) for over 25 years, I was wondering how firefighting fits into today's regulated environment.

I've been away from the rules and regs a while, too, but from what I've heard, if anything, safety training has been ramped up. If you're in the middle of a body of water, who else is going to put out a fire? It may be a different scenario when dock side, but early intervention is key to protecting life and property. But what do I know.

All officers are required by Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW) to have taken basic and advanced firefighting along with a slew of other safety/environmental courses known as BST (basic safety training). All of which are renewed every 5 years, it doesn't apply for under 200gt officers I believe though. I believe this is still right, but I'm just going off what I remember being told freshmen year.