East Mississippi Community College Golden Triangle Campus - Yearbook (Mayhew, MS)

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History of A s Riverboat Pilot 8: A GLC . X Crew Training at GTVTC X ' ln 1975, the area Chambers of Commerce toured the developments onthe Arkansas Riuer to get an idea of what the future holds for the Tenn Tom Waterway On that trip, some ofthe community leaders were made aware that a shortage of nuerboat pilots existed andfor the Tenn-Tom River to be utilized to its fullest, pilots must be trained to operate on the Waterway Shortly after that trip, Aaron Langston, Jess Moore, Bill Hood, T E Vietch and John Albritton made a trip to the National River Academy in Helena, Arkansas, to see what was being done to reduce that shortage. They found that only a few pilots were being produced annually Subsequently, a study was conducted by the G TVTC of the Inland waterways and it was determined that a shortage of approxmately 1000 pilots existed and that with the opening of the Tenn-Tom ,that shortage would increase to approximately 2000. Also, the attrition to retirement far exceeds the number being produced. The GTVTC organized an advisory committee of river users to determine the course of action that should be taken. lt was determined that the need for trained deckhands would never be met The operation on the Tenn'Tom Waterway will be uery differentfrom that on the Mississippi Riuer, One of the recommendations that was seriously dealt with is to train with live equipment, that is as near that being used by the existing towing operations. In 1979, the G TVTC committed to the program and acquired a salvage boatfrom the U.S. Air Force. This boat was renovated but sank in January of 1982. lt was raised by the Center's staff and is currently undergoing renovation. In 1980, the GTVTC acquired two barges from the U.S. Corps of Engineers. While these barges were tied up in Mobile awaiting riuer development so they could be brought to Columbus, Hurricane Fredrick tore one of the barges out of the fleet and blew it up on dry land, teanng a large hole in the barge. The center sold the barge to a salvage company to relieue of liability The center then acquired 4 crew boats, In 1981, the U.S. Corps of Engineers retired the Mateur - the last steam-operated tug boat on the Mississippi River ' at Vicksburg, Mississippi The GTVTC immediately requested the boat to use as dormitory and dining facilities for the Riverboat program. Much to the Center's pleasure the tug was awarded to them. lt sleeps 50 people and has a modern galley and two dining rooms. The galley is equipped with walk-in refrigerator and freezer, ice machine, reachein refrigerator and freezer, and electric ranges and griddles. The center plans to keep the boat at its existing condition without modifications, since it is the last boat ofits era lt was built in St. Louis for the Defense Department in 1943 and was one of 13 of these boats. In 1982, the center acquired two additional barges, bringing the fleet to 3 barges, 4 crew boats, a salvage boat and the Mateur. Also in 1982, the GTVTC purchased a towboat to use in the training program. The boat was constructed in 1981 by OMNI ship builders of Corpus Christi, Texas and was purchased for S680,000. lt is 1200 hp powered by 2 General Motors dieselengines lt is equipped with two radios, radar, and all other navagational equipment. The boat carries a crew of 6 and is equipped with air conditioning, two full baths, and an all-electnc galley Warrior Gulf Navigation Co. loaned its Port Captain,Bedford Slaughter, to the Center to help develop the curriculum and advise in equipment search and purchases Presently directing the Riverboat Pilot and Crew Training Program is Captain MD. lDeanJ White Captain White will begin to extend his knowledge of crew training to deckhand students in January, 1984. Klfk Bvlins Mack Harris Rick Herndon Ron lourdon lack Phelps Libby Roberts Butch Robertson

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Riverboat Pilot Kr Crew raining 'QV 3 E ' 'if,,...,N,-ff.. 5 ' A 5 '14, 1 Dean White Instructor

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