"artfulbodger" wrote in message
...
SteveB wrote:

I don't believe I've ever heard of that cert.

Shrug. I don't know enough about subs to give specifics. Here's
what I do know: this guy was the thirteenth person ever certified to
do whateverthehell he does on nuclear subs. So far, there hasn't
been a fourteenth. So says his teacher (who trained a couple of AWS
Open Weld Trials gold medalists, and a few top-three finishers in the
World Skills Competition, so I believe him).

It is far easier to teach a welder how to dive than a diver how to weld.

Yes. As a new diver, this guy had an edge over his fellow newbies
because he could weld. That got him a lot of work right off the
bat.

But he's very, very
well paid, works when he feels like it and doesn't when he doesn't.

That's odd. When I worked, if you "didn't feel like working" when a
company
called you, they just didn't call you again.

For the first few years, sure. At the start, this guy never, ever
turned anything down. But it's like any other trade: you get
established. If you're good, and you have a rep, and you have skills
the other guys don't, you can take the work you want. No need to
take every junk job that comes along. Why would a cabinet maker
refloor a chicken coop? Why would an ace deep-sea welder inspect
water towers in Hoboken?

Burnout is high. Most divers don't last five years due to burnout or
injury(ies). Your friend, at fifteen years is either very lucky, or very
talented, or very burned.

Whatever. Maybe he wasn't burned out because he hadn't taken every
sh!t job tossed his way. When I knew him, he was back at the school,
doing additional work in some crazy kind of heavy plate welding.
Then it was off to the Pacific Rim for some project or other.

Sorry, Steve, if this guy's career sticks in your craw.

--
Artful Bodger


I'm sorry, where did I say that? I just mentioned some things relative to
what you said he said about his work that were contradictory to my own
experience in the same field.

If your friend actually exists, I salute him. I know what a Spartan life it
is, and what living high adventure 24/7 is like. His career does not stick
in my craw. A few of your inaccurate statements do, but that is just your
perception from what he has told you, and that, by your own admission, is
something that you don't understand a lot about anyway. Please refer to
YOUR words:

I don't know enough about subs to give specifics.
do whateverthehell he does on nuclear subs.
doing additional work in some crazy kind of heavy plate welding.
Then it was off to the Pacific Rim for some project or other.

Personally, I like to speak directly to people's faces, and hear things
directly from their mouths. This thing of "I have a friend who......" is a
bit on the fictional side, and gives no opportunity for clarification.

I still stand on my statements on "underwater welding." A choice of fixing
things that is so poor technically that it is rarely used. If you know
anything about welding, you know that seawater is not conducive to any
welding. Now, if you are habitat welding, or SPAR welding using an argon
flooded containment environment, that's different. But, then, you didn't
get specific about such things, because you said you didn't understand such
things.

There is much mention of "underwater welding" during conversations. But
there is very little mention of how little is done, or how ineffective the
process really is. Most engineers won't even consider it. Almost
everything that really needs to be critically welded is welded before being
sent down, or raised to the surface, welded, and reinstalled. I believe
that if a nuclear sub were to have a hull problem, it would be drydocked,
repaired, and all other welds tested to see if there were more bad welds.

Most references to "underwater welding" are from people who see underwater
cutting, which is done with a hollow electrode and pure oxygen. To the
layman, it looks like welding.

You did not mention how inspection is performed for such welds. Almost all
NDT would be impossible because of the water.

It is amazing to me listen to discussions about welding or diving. I avoid
joining in when I hear it in conversation. Most people who know the most
about the subjects are quiet until they establish the experience levels of
the conversants. Everyone you meet seems to know all about welding or
diving. Or have a "friend" who does, and who has told them everything in
the world about it. So, many people, myself included, stay silent rather
then enter a discussion with unqualified inexperienced people. It is far
more amusing to listen to urban legends, outrageous claims, third hand
adventure stories, and outright false statements than it is to correct
everyone with truthful information.

So, carry on.

Steve, Ex-hard hat, AWS certified welder, Offshore Petroleum Institute
Certified Crane Operator, Offshore Petroleum Institute Certified Rigger,
Certified 10,000# fork lift operator