Current Mariner Success Stories
Mr. Kevin Giffin Chief Mate, Surface Rescue Swimmer
Mr. Kevin Giffin is a dedicated member of the CIVMAR workforce. As chief mate, Mr. Giffin currently works in a shore-side billet with the Military Sealift Fleet Support Command (MSFSC) as a marine placement officer.
His past with MSC, however, has been mostly offshore, and his sea time and experience has allowed him to move steadily through the ranks from able seaman, the position in which he joined MSC as in 1993. Mr. Giffin joined MSC after both serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and working in the commercial maritime industry on tugs and supply vessels. Mr. Giffin has sailed 14 tours on different MSC ships, which includes each type of ship that MSC operates. He says the best part about his job is “working as part of a team and seeing the successful results.”
However, Mr. Giffin’s job doesn’t end at chief mate. Mr. Giffin is a part of the MSC Surface Rescue Swimmer team. He graduated from the U.S. Navy Surface Rescue Swimmer School in San Diego in 1997. Mr. Giffin’s brother nearly drowned at an early age. The experience motivated Mr. Giffin to become an avid swimmer. After high school he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was extensively involved in search and rescue. He then worked for a salvage company continuing his involvement with search and rescue, and is now a master SCUBA diver. Being a master SCUBA diver also includes being a rescue diver. “Once search and rescue is in your blood, it’s hard to get it out,” says Mr. Giffin.
During the tough physical training for the SRS position, Mr. Giffin said the Navy had a 25-50% success rate, while MSC CIVMARs were running at near 100% success rate. Mr. Giffin says, “It was one of the toughest but most rewarding undertakings I have completed in my life. I joined a brotherhood that only a few have had the privilege to say they belong.”
Mr. Giffin keeps in shape aboard ship in the well-equipped gyms on MSC ships. He also works with the crew during Man Overboard drills. However, Mr. Giffin believes it takes a personal commitment to a healthy lifestyle and hours of training to be in the peak shape necessary for a survival situation. Mr. Giffin runs and swims while ashore and competes in triathlons and marathons to stay fit.
For Mr. Giffin, MSC is the best place he could be in the maritime industry. “MSC has the best parts of the military without actually having to be in the military. Not to mention the pay is a little bit better here,” he says. The best part of being a CIVMAR is getting “a broad view of the world that you don’t get working and living in one spot. It also gives you great respect for the sacrifices of all our men and women in uniform, including merchant mariners, who help keep our country safe and prosperous.”