Dive and Discover : Expedition 5 : Interviews

As Bosun on the RV Roger Revelle Victor Barnhart supervises the seamen. Here he works with Ordinary Seaman Lorna Allison to make sure she is familiar with operating the science work boat.

Vic:
I carry out the wishes of the Captain and the Chief Mate. I’m responsible for ensuring all deck maintenance is taken care of, including prepping surfaces for painting the ship inside and out. You start on the bow and do a perfect job working your way to the stern and by the time you’re done the bow is ready for you to start over again. It can take as long as six months depending on weather and the science projects going on. Preventative maintenance includes greasing equipment such as cranes, the anchor windlass or system, and boat launching devices. If it moves or has a wire it needs grease. I’m also responsible for the sanitation on board. The able seamen are assigned different decks to care for and I supervise their work.

Question:
How did you become a Bosun?

Vic:
I retired from the Navy in 1996 after 23 years. I’m 47 now. I didn’t want to sail anymore, but the type of job I was looking for, hazardous waste management, wasn’t available. I considered working as a police officer for the San Diego sheriff’s department, but I decided I didn’t have the psychology for it. My skills lay in going out to sea, but, as a gunner mate in the Navy, I didn’t have a whole lot of deck experience. Before I retired, I took classes for two months, one hour a night, to get the training and by coincidence my wife, Donna, knew the facilitator. He recommended I take a look at Scripps. I started as a seaman and two years ago advanced to Bosun.

Question:
How did you meet your wife?

Vic:
Thirteen years ago I was getting my associate degree and she was in Oceanography class with me. She owns a small business selling her own candles and incense.

Question:
Why did you choose to go into the Navy?

Vic:
It may sound like a cliché, but I wanted to travel. The military can be a great tool for getting started in life. It’s a beautiful world out there.

Question:
Where haven’t you traveled?

Vic:
Believe it or not, my mother’s home country: Guatemala. She’s part Mayan Indian and part indigenous Guatemalan. She’s knocking on 80 now. When she was 21, she crossed legally into Texas where she worked on a ranch. She eventually made her way to Pennsylvania where she met my father and I was born. We lived in Georgia when I was growing up. I’m the second eldest of five in my family.

Question:
What do you do at sea when you’re not working?

Vic:
I exercise every other day and read many books on ancient history. I also have stacks and stacks of Preview magazines about upcoming comic books. I have a collection of comic books that go back to 1963: Marvel Spiderman and DC Superman and Batman comics. I’m also collecting the newer Top Cow Image books. Some very clever people out there create comics - young writers and artists with a good story to tell.