Document 0mBJY2xaJ9z3YOJqy96yKzDO

Vol. 5, No. 3 PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DIVISION, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY February 7, 1963 A Talent + An Interest = A Business Have you ever known a man who was so "wrapped up" in his work that he didn't want to take time but to eat or sleep? If so, you have most likely known a person who was really happy. Lincoln W. Swift is a man like that. A Ma chinist in the fleet for the past 15 years, he took a voluntary early retirement Feb. 1 to go into business for himself. He is now the proprietor of Swift's Gem Shop on Missouri St. in Baytown. He can do just about everything connected with jew'elry-making--cast a gold ring, engrave it; cut, facet and polish a rough stone and set it in the ring or other form of jewelry. There is little doubt that Mr. Swift will be S5F 3 ITsj ROfKIIOLl 1^5 mr- M Lincoln W. Swift, retired Machinist, and one of his displays of rough gems (opals in the jars), petrified wood (on second shelf) and fossilized dinosaur bone (bottom). mm . .; LSfc 'M ` 7 '-`it: .. . i*. Mr. Swift clamps a piece of stone on the automatic feed carriage of a 10" diamond- blade trim saw in one of his work areas. To his left is a miniature pre cision lathe and portable polisher- mi grinder set. In another work and display area he has, left to right, finished jewelry for sale, a gem faceting machine, leather belt polisher, "hot" and "cold" (rough and smooth) sanders and a grinding wheel. . ,r n TT. < _ " successful in his new venture, in which he will specialize in custom-made pieces. He has varieties of opal, amethyst, garnet, topaz, jade, ruby and sapphire, plus many others you've probably never heard of--morganite, aventurine, black chloromelanite, Burma jadite, psilomolene, obsidian--to name a few' of the 130 to 140 gem materials from apatite to zoicite. Line is a "natural" for the jewelry business. He used to excavate for and collect Indian relics and still has hundreds of arrow and spear heads, in cluding one estimated to be 8,000 years old. From this interest, it was only a short step to becoming ' _"i1 i " * -i '- -.(--- i ---- trwr^i 'sv * Cl .- q 13 CJ v .* , . j-j tlC] u - 3^/13? US.-, -^.amnrs7a3 EXX-MOR-007400 THE UNIVERSITY OFTPVac a t a iic t iw a "rock hound". He has prospected in New York, New England. Arkansas and Mexico. One of the reasons he moved from Duxbury, Mass, to Bay town two years ago was to be closer to the mineral deposits nearby. "Petrified wood, dinosaur bone and blue topaz are found as close as 30 miles from Baytown." he said. Through native ability and training. Line is a superb craftsman. He was a machinist on pre cision work with the Norton Co. for over 20 years and during, the War worked on delicate mechan isms for bomb sights. Mr. Swift has further prepared for his new career by taking courses in gem design, cutting and setting; "haunting" a Boston jewelry supply house for ideas and knowledge; joining the Gem Cutters Guild of America; buying and studying books on gems, and subscribing to the Lapidary Journal. The secret of Mr. Swift's happiness is first, his absorbing interest in his work (which is not really "work" to him) and second, he is spending most of his time doing what he most likes to do. Esso Gloucester on Transatlantic Voyage A heating oil shortage in Europe, caused by one of the coldest winters on record, is partly respon sible for the charter of the Esso Gloucester for a voyage to northern Europe. The ship loaded at Good Hope and Baton Rouge, La. on Feb. 3-4 and is to discharge at a port in the Antwerp-Hamburg range about Feb. 19. Captain Roland E. Parkhurst is Master; William L. Kelly, Chief Engineer and Manuel J. Lopez, Chief Steward. Humble announced Jan. 29 that it was increas ing its crude runs to help meet the heating oil shortage in Europe. The increase will be about 100,000 bbls. a dajr above that for the same month of 1962 and about 75,000 b/d over the January average. The Gloucester's trip to northern Europe will be the first for a Company tanker since the AmuayHamburg voyage of the Esso Havana (now Mi ami) in Feb. 1960. The Man on Watch Note: The following is a penetrating little essay on the thoughts and actions of a man standing watch on deck. It was written by Robert L. Haller, formerly- Ordinary Seaman in the Esso Newark.'-- Ed. Do you know the feeling when you stand in the bow? You know the Mate is watching from the bridge but you are alone. This is your -ship. It rolls, it rocks, it pitches. The soft tropical breezes Operation Bottom Warming We see here two coke-burning braziers and part of a propane burner (right) warming the bottom of the Esso New York on drydock in Baltimore. The purpose was to heat the plates and help warm the tank in teriors so that coating work could be done during cold Project Engineer Walter H. Raduf weather (got as low as 4). Rust-Ban 191, as with most all coatings, cannot be applied in freezing weather and normally is not attempted during winter months up north. But since the Esso New York was in drydock for bow damage repairs, it was decided to do the coating at the same time. During the phase of the work shown here, canvas was hung from the bilge keels to the bottom of the dock and plywood bulkheads built athwartships. The heaters, plus warm air blown info the tanks, raised the steel and inside air temperatures to well above the freezing mark. Fifteen tanks, Nos. 3 to 7 across, were coated in this manner. Credit for suggesting the warm-up system goes to Third Mate Gerald F. Smith, who is a coating inspector for the Esso New York, along with Second Asst. En gineers Sebastian L. Koep and Anthony Petryk. The latter two men saw a similar arrangement in use on a coating job in Germany, where they were recently coating inspectors. EXX-MOR-007401 blow gently across your face. The air is clean and sweet. Sometimes wild and cold sleet hits you in the face as if shot from guns. You ply the coast you know without asking what direction you are going. There is the Big Dipper. There is the North Star. Oh, there is a light three points off starboard. It is Ambrose. Soon there is a small wake. The pilot boards. "Good evening Sir. What's new around town?" We're headed for Bayway. Staten Island. Bay onne. Red Hook, or any of a dozen other places. Get the lines out. Steam on deck. Warm the winches. Get the crew up. Rise and shine. Coffee is black and hot and plenty for all. "Cookie" put out rolls. Can't a man get any sleep? It's time to go on watch. Tired? Well, you didn't need to drink the town dry in six hours. Hit the deck. Then, after discharging part cargo, it's let go fore and aft. We are turning. All lines are in and secured. Scupper plugs put away. She is sea worthy. There is the "pen" (Sing Sing prison). Danger ous men live there. I'm glad I am looking in in stead of out. There is West Point. There the Army turns out future generals. One time a man, no a traitor, tried to give it to the British. And now' we dock at Albany. Then a trip down the river, drop the pilot and out to sea again. Radiobeacon Changes In order to improve the effectiveness of the radiobeacon system on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the U. S. Coast Guard plans to start a time-sharing system. Six or less beacons will oper ate as a group. Each station will be sequenced with the others and each will transmit for one minute in rotation without any' off-air time. The order of rotation will be according to the assigned sequence number--I through VI. Beacon I will operate the first minute of the hour and every sixth minute thereafter. Beacon II will transmit the second minute of the hour and every' sixth minute thereafter, and so on. The characteristic signal used to identify' a beacon will be a series of dot and dash combina tions for 50 sec. followed by a 10-sec. dash. The ESSO FLEET NEWS is published for the seagoing em ployees of the Marine Division, Humble Oil & Refining Co.: Joseph Andreae. General Manager; Sydney Wire. Assistant General Manager. W. E. Gardner. Editor. Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to The Editor, Esso Fleet News. Humble Oil & Refining Co.. P. O. Box 1512. Houston 1. Texas. Improved Gangway This is the Esso Lima's gang way on which ship's personnel have bolted new cleats over the old. The new ones were designed by Port Engineer T. J. McTaggart and made from Vs" aluminum plate. They are covered with two coats of epoxy paint impregnated with aluminum oxide to give a non skid surface. The new cleats are an in verted trough shape, A" high, 4" wide at base and sloped to a 2 % " width at top. in ad dition, there is a %" flange along each side for bolting. The object of the cleats is to provide safer footing dur ing all positions of the vessel at a dock. When the gangway is at a low angle, as in this view, one would step on the tops of the cleats. At a steep angle, the tread would be on the sloping sides of the cleats. Either end of the gangway may be put over the side. A slightly modified sef of cleats (3 V2" high instead of 4") is being made for the Esso Jamestown and other vessels will get them as time and budgets permit. long dash will be useful for obtaining maximum bearing accuracy with the direction finder re ceiver. Also, all radiobeacons are being converted to continuous carrier tone-keyed modulation to improve reception. The changes are expected to become effective in June, 1963 along the Atlantic coast and in July in the Gulf. Revised radiobeacon charts will be sent to vessels when available. mmsmm RECENT RETIREMENTS mmmmm Captain Arthur H. Lankford retired Jan. 1 to his home in Portsmouth, Va., where his interests will include keeping his (?) rose garden in "tip-top" shape, caring for the trees, shrubs and flowers on his property, and church and civic activities. There is also a fireplace to enjoy on cold winter evenings and auto trips with his wife, Grace, come springtime. r" . . Captain Lankford's sea career spans almost 40 years --from deckhand in a Norfolk Dredging Co. tug to Master of the Esso Lexington. He sailed with Old Dominion and Red "D" lines before joining the Com pany's Standard as AB in Feb. 1928. He advanced to Third Mate two months later and to Master in June, 1943, commanding the Elisha Walker and W.E.T. Inc.'s Beecher Island during two wartime years. Since the end of 1947, Captain Lankford's ships have been the Esso Linden (nearly 10 years), Esso EXX-MOR-007402 New York and, for the past 2 to years, the Esso Lexington. Chief Engineer Raymond W. Wilson. The Esso Chattanooga was Mr. Wilson's ship for better than 10 of his 32 years' service in the fleet. He was her First Asst, or Chief from Oct. 1951 to June 1962. His last ship before retiring Jan. 1 was the Esso Dallas. Going to sea in 1927, Mr. Wil son was oiler with Waterman and Cities Service, then started his Company career on Sept. 16, 1929 as Fireman in the H. M. Flagler. He was Second Asst, in the E. J. Sadler in June 1942, when she was sunk by gunfire on a voyage from Aruba to New York, and sailed as First Asst, for the last two years of the War. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson live in Pensacola, Fla. They have five children, aged 11 to 27. Third Asst. Engineer Jesse W. Baldwin retired Jan. 1 with 15 years' service, of which the past 1212 have been as Third and Sec ond Asst. He most recently served in these ranks in the Esso Chester. Prior to joining the Company, he sailed with United Fruit, Isthmian, Grace and other shipping lines. Mr. Baldwin owns a house with two converted garage apartments in Baytown. He is thinking about going into a small business in that area or moving to a drier climate, or perhaps both. Radio Officer Herman A. Dahlke. About IV2 years ago Mr. Dahlke moved from his home state of Minnesota to Tampa, Fla. and now is looking for a small place to buy in that vicinity. He is single, likes reading, stereo hifi, gardening and fishing. Mr. Dahlke has been in radio since 1927, when he worked for American Bosch Co. in Chicago. He made a few trips with the Grace and Bull lines in 1929 and has been sailing with Esso since he joined the W. H. Libby on Feb. 7, 1930. He served through out World War II in the Esso Baytown, Dartmouth and Esso Nashville. His last ship before retiring Jan. 1 was the Esso Tampa. (Will the wives in our audience kindly skip the next item?) Bos'n Maurice C. Baucom writes that he has been doing a lot of housework -- cooking, dishwash ing, furniture polishing, floor mopping, etc. -- since he retired and (of all things) he enjoys it. Not only that, he says "I enjoy painting when I have a good brush and plenty of cigars to smoke. I guess that is my hobby." He has been painting out a neigh bor's kitchen and has been asked to paint several neighbors' houses in the spring. Mr. Baucom lives in Norfolk, Va. with his sister, Mabel (his wife passed away four years ago). They plan to do some traveling in the near future -- rela tives in N. C., S. C. and Ga. and overseas, especially the Mediterranean countries Maurice saw in 1942. "Boats" has 23 years of Company service to his credit, running from Oct. 1939 to his retirement, Jan. 1. He sailed as OS and AB throughout the War and was Bos'n since April, 1947, most recently in the Esso Newark. Able Seaman Harold A. Simp son. With 33 years of sea time behind him, Mr. Simpson is going back to the land--to farming in N. C. He lives in Evergreen, a small town 63 miles west of Wilmington. After a four-year hitch in the Navy (1930-34), Mr. Simpson sailed as AB with the U. S. Lines, Grace, U. S. Army Transport Service and several others. He joined the Company's R. W. Gallagher on Nov. 6, 1941, shipped out in seven more vessels during the War and, prior to his retire ment on Jan. 1, was in the Esso Jamestown and Esso Lima. All of his 18 years of credited Company service were as AB. The MIS-Adventures of j.sW<b\Epsone mc fracture What a break! J. Stumbleprone slipped and fell in a passageway (with a handrail on both sides) while going aft -- for coffee break. Got a deep cut on left arm. Not only that, but the cut later became infected and he had to go ashore for treatment. We would like to be able to cite a safety rule or two to help prevent accidents like this but what can we say? Don't be a Stumbleprone-- even on your own time? u< uUJ ?<< xui [ri 1 Sj i 1 fb 1c I .. 1 EXX-MOR-007403