Need advice from shipyard workers

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I am trying to start a career on a shipyard. I am in East Texas and I was building oilfield equipment. The plant shut down because of the slow oilfield. The job Market here is very bad. I am waiting to go to work at a Trane air conditioning plant doing brazing. It's a seasonal job though and they lay off part of the year. That's the only job I can find though.I want to go to work on a shipyard somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico. I saw one at Pascagoula Mississippi. It is Ingals shipbuilding. They have a training center and have 11000 workers. I have a welding certificate and welded some buiding railcars and oilfield heater treaters. I would do any job if it got me in the door. I saw a school in Jacksonville Florida that last four months school for shipyard welding, but i can't pay the $15,000 now because i went through a divorce from a longterm marriage and the layoff drew down my savings. I got a job working as an oilfield welders helper but got laid off again.I can't pass the welding test at this time. I wasn't working in the high end welding to get the experience I need. I welded and fit the jackets and welded the fenders on the railcars. I built and welded the skids and bracers on the oilfield skids. I then moved to pressure testing the vessels and fireboxes. I rewelded the welds that didn't pass. I didn't weld the high end xray welds though. I practiced for the welding test during my lunches and passed it. I never got to go to full time welding because the orders slowed and they were getting rid of welders left and right. I was able to stay at my job until they closed the plant.I want to go to the shipyards and try to get a job in one when they do the seasonal layoff. I don't care if it's shipfitter, laborer or welders trainey. I saw a shipfitter bootcamp in Mississippi but it was for mississippi residents. I saw a school in Alabama but it was for Alabama residents. I have been able to pass 1" overhead and vertical flux core test in the past but i currently don't have a place to practice. I repaired the welds with stick and that didn't help me keep my flux core fresh. If someone knows how i could get in at a shipyard i would apreciate it.
Reply:If you're willing to re-locate to RI, Electric Boat is looking to hire over 2000 people in the next few years. Many of them will be welders.Rich
Reply:Originally Posted by steelsurgeonIf you're willing to re-locate to RI, Electric Boat is looking to hire over 2000 people in the next few years. Many of them will be welders.Rich
Reply:Originally Posted by steelsurgeonIf you're willing to re-locate to RI, Electric Boat is looking to hire over 2000 people in the next few years. Many of them will be welders.Rich
Reply:Originally Posted by Mark's WeldingDifferent world thou as long as you can take the cold. I went with a friend in 1980 to Grotten CT electric boat we both passed he got hire paid $2-3000 to pack up and move there, no funding for me but if I wanted the job it was mine. We both needed to attend a 3 week school thou upon arrival. My BIG MISTAKE, I'd just gotten married to my x-wife that year and things weren't very good to begin with and I turned the job down and we stayed put.. Maybe our marriage would have worked if I'd gone but to late now, my friend Charlie told me they taught him all kinds of stuff his big enjoyment was welding with mirrors on something that may have been forgotten and their was no way to get in and do it but they get it done. Steel surgeon, do you know what they're doing? It was nuclear submarines when we went up.. One of the greatest chances in my time and I left it go. Damn!
Reply:Look here and click on Quonset Point Rhode Island.Now...just because they might not show the particular job that you are looking for, check back every week, or even daily. The job postings are always changing.Rich
Reply:Originally Posted by steelsurgeonLook here and click on Quonset Point Rhode Island.Now...just because they might not show the particular job that you are looking for, check back every week, or even daily. The job postings are always changing.Rich
Reply:Here's some enlightenment...Rich
Reply:Originally Posted by justin1098Just a bit of advice, When you submit your resume for government and big government contractor jobs you need to tweak it to match the wording for the job requirements because a lot of times they use a computer to sort through the mass of applications and if it doesn't hit on yours, they will never see it. General dynamics is one of the biggest contractors.
Reply:Hey man, I saw your post about Ingalls ship building group. There is a structural/steel plate and pipe school in Kennesaw, GA. It is 8 grand. They also very connected with Ingalls 20% of there students go there. I chose to weld in an Aluminum shop. 3 month course based on 500 hours of so of welding time. Also 6 month course part time. They are very great people over there and know what they are doing. Georgia Trade School is the name. You should look them up.
Reply:Electric Boat is the real deal. This is where they complete final stage assemblies of the USS Virginia Class Submarine.  I worked on the project for 3 years getting a radar system approved and installed moving forward from 2008.  This submarine is amazing in its capabilities and performance.  The whole groton area is full of sub-contractors one way or the other who do work for the Navy and other projects.  Groton can be a rough neighborhood but you can also live in Rhode Island or drive 20 minutes and get a nice house and some land.  The conn river is deep.  really deep.  The coolest part of the USS Virginia Class Submarine work is that all the welding of the stages are still done by the hands of man.  I asked one of the senior yard managers of the yard one day about the welding and assembly process. He told me that he cant tell me any performance specs or physical specifications of the vessel but he did tell me that the welders HAND weld the stages on and the conn.   NO robotic welding!!! Men still hand build our most advanced warship!   The conn tower itself is also hand welded and what was even cooler is he said that the welders working on the conn "walk the conn" as much as 3 to 4 inches  into the specified tolerances as the weld joint progress's during a given shift.  Slow and steady.  I would go to to work for Electric Boat if they are in fact hiring.  I know they just were awarded another ton of money for the sub projects and the yard is well managed.   No brainer but i would not live in groton so negotiate yourself some more money to commute 20 minutes.  Hope this helps.   The other major builder/shipyard near there is Director Shipyard which is south closer to New York.  I dont think I would work for them over Electric Boat if I had a choice.  Ingals is also very good opportunity as the previous poster mentioned as well. John.
Reply:Actually, most of the sub is built in Rhode Island, at Quonset Point.  We will be hiring about 300 welders this year alone.We ship the hull assemblies to Groton where they do the final assembly.Rich
Reply:Sorry if what i said was confusing in that the "they complete the final stages assemblies in Groton"  My meaning was that the finished stages were assembled in Groton.  Thank you for clarifying this steelsurgeon.    I think if I recall it right I believe some of the stages are also fabricated and shipped up to groton via barges from down south in Hampton Rhodes Va as well.   Amazing project to be part of. I worked will Koll Morgan and Northrop and another supplier of marine collision avoidance radar systems.  Is the hull material titanium or steel surgeon?
Reply:No need to apologize...I was merely stating that fact for those who may be looking to relocate, and looking for a job.As far as answering boat-specific questions...I hate to sound like a d!ck, but for security reasons,I'm not supposed to say....Rich
Reply:i work at newport news shipbuilding, any place you want to go they are going to train you and qualify you for their procedures. There are a lot of dirty dark and tight holes in shipbuilding, especially with submarines. benefits are good/ok but its a dependable guaranteed 40 hours every week.
Reply:I would think "steel is real" Steelsurgeon...but I do appreciate and understand your position...As they say "loose lips sink ships"....lol... I think personally that that sub is the most amazing vessel in the entire world!!! And having worked on that job in my career for 2 or 3 years it tops anything for me that I can remember as wicked cool, fun certainly something to be proud of as I get old and in the way.  The truth is..while I was on that job I never asked anyone question  when All good no dikness taken.   Spraytransferis best of luck to you.   Every yard I ever worked in will help you with training and what is and what is not practical in terms of job availability, project backlog capacity and when would  be a good time pretty much straight forward to contact them again if they have noting .  I would just tell them your a hardworking, quality and safety conscious professional white metal and steel welder.  Your looking looking for at least 40 hours within shipbuilding.   Your have references. Just call the yards up , visit, and ask them straight up if they are hiring, do they have any projects coming over the next 30 to 90 days or further out worth discussing etc, and or is it possible to come up[ for a meeting with the appropriate person or persons who handle hiring future welders and pipefitters.  Ask them is you can come for a yard visit and is there any set day or days per month that they do this.    I'm sure you will find 40 hours work in the shipbuilding business wherever you choose to relocate to....  The cost of living in the northeast US is very high compared to the cost of th epacific northwest and personally I like the northwest better than northeast.   it gets cold in new England. the building and refitting markets have and will continue to be strong and busy as more and more companies are building new ships not becasue they are out of capacity but because new designs and efficiencies breakthroughs in commercial ship building continue to come to market with innovations for pure fuel economy and operational cost efficiency's.  The military work has been great to date like the subs were talking about at groton and as steelsurgeon told us at Quonset Point plus may other military build but I would think that eventually will cool somewhat vs the public sector.  Never go away but it sucks when if or not getting a budget approval  makes or kills a project in the pipe.  I know the pacific northwest is also on quite a good run over the last 10 years and will continue with new builds and refits moving forward.  Here is a great video overview of the company making all this happen. https://www.youtube.com/user/VigorIndustrial There has been a huge amount of shipyard consolidation there over the past 6 years and the new company buying the yards up is well funded, managed and very understanding of the industry in the big picture.  Being well managed and truly embracing the employees for whole life again does exist.  The company in the pacific northwest that has been buying up a storm is Vigor Industrial.  Pretty impressive and logical business moves.  Outside the military budget spends the people I see making the most money and having the most work are the light to heavy commercial yards who do new construction when the jobs are right and also perform service work on a regular basis.    So good luck and let us know how you make out.  feel free to ask more if..  I have a ton of Ship Building trade books and links I get that I would be glad to forward to any one interested.   Thanks J
Reply:what a great opportunity for a young guy looking to drag up and be part of something big. put that on your resume if you were ever crazy enough to leave and you could work anyplace.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:About 50 decent sized offshore rig/shipyards between Brownsville and Panama City.  Seems like at least one of them would be hiring.Experience is something you get right after you need it
Reply:Ramblings of an old guy here.I worked at Todds (now vigor)in Seattle  starting in 1973 after getting out of the Air Force.We had strong representation here with senior senators Magnasen and Jackson and seemed like continual Navy or Coast Guard contracts at Toods and Lockhead.It can be hard dirty work but satisfying and there are a lot of skills you learn in shipbuilding that can be with you all your life if you move into other type careers.I ended up somewhat specializing in aluminum fab and welding and mostly enjoyed climate controlled conditions.Noisy though.But January on a dry dock can be brutal.Good Luck!Miller 211 with Spool GunHypertherm xp30