Day 10 - The Stimson

Bow marking and badge on the Patrol Vessel Stimson
Two fishing vessels waiting their turn outside the dry dock facility in Seward

Dutch Harbor is the number one port in the nation for seafood volume and value.




The engine room of the Stimson

Chatting electrical and mechanical stuff with my new buddy, Jim Stangline, Chief Engineer of the Stimson
Ventilation ducts for the workers doing the renovation

Inside it looked just like a fire station, except it floats!
Things were in disarray due to the construction.
At 156 feet in length and 443 tons the Stimson is the largest Patrol Vessel the State of Alaska has.
A view inside the dry dock facility.

Checking out the work from the catwalk.
Natalie overcame her fear of heights in order to walk across the catwalk to the ship, a drop of four stories.

Touring the facility

New "screws" being installed as part of the renovation.

Crab pots sitting in a staging area near the dry dock.

A view of the ship's "hangar"

One of my favorite TV shows is "The Deadliest Catch" on The Discovery Channel http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/deadliestcatch.html

Back on "Day One" Natalie mentioned I struck up a conversation with someone in the hotel lobby that proved beneficial (for me). The guy's name was Jim Stangline and he is the Chief Engineer on the Alaska State Troopers Patrol Vessel Stimson.

He mentioned he lived in Dutch Harbor which piqued my interest because that is the home port for all the ships on the Deadliest Catch. Jim was on his way home after taking his son to college in Colorado. He wasn't actually going home because his ship was in dry dock for renovation down in Seward.

When he heard our itinerary included going to Seward the following week, he invited us to look him up at the dry dock facility and he would give me a tour of the ship. I asked him how I would find him he said "It's the only blue boat with a gold badge sitting inside a tent" He was right, it was easy to find.
I enjoyed the tour immensely, we were limited in what areas we could see. I was most disappointed that we could not go onto the bridge, because they had just refinished the hardwood floors.
The Stimson provides law enforcement, wildlife regulation enforcement, firefighting and search and rescue operations for the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. It is at sea about 240 days a year and is responsible for an area of about 1 million square miles. It also has the ability to provide emergency power and communications for remote seaside villages.

Except for the seasickness and never being at home, I think I would have loved a job like that.

Jim has been a widower for 10 years. His son stayed with a local minister and his wife when Jim was at sea, until his son reached high school age, then he just stayed by himself.

Jim was typical of most everyone we met there, open, friendly, helpful and a little eccentric.

If you want to read more about the Stimson, check out this link: http://www.dps.state.ak.us/AWT/stimson.aspx