I'm trying to find the photographers on board the Bates over the years - not necessarily the ship's photographers, though I did my time there, but anybody that has accumulated the hundreds of photos that would have been taken by someone pursuing a love of photography.

I estimate that I have somewhere around 5 or 6 thousand photos - most of which I'm still scanning from the original transparencies, but all of those where taken between 1981 and 1985. That gives the website a decidedly early 80's look, which isn't really an accurate portrayal of the nearly 30 years of service the Bates put in.

I need your images - electronically, of course. You can keep the originals. All of the photos throughout the site with the exception of the Crew's Gallery, Archives, and Misc. Photos, came through my camera. We have plenty of room for all thirty years worth. Each of those slide shows at the top of the page take 10 images, and many are still duplicates because I'm leaving room for all the other years.

So if you have some good photos - even if it's only a few, that would be worthy of showcasing in the slide shows, or creating photo articles about like the ones in the photos section, contact me through the Contact Us link. You can email images to me, or if you don't have a scanner, call and I'll arrange to have them shipped out so I can scan them.

So quit hogging all the good shots, and start sending them to me, so we can share them with all the former crew.