Document EqRK9wD51QgDRRGZwQ1mGx7BN

COHFD FliOM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICANTiTSTOK THE UNIVERSITY OF T P V a c a t a iic t im PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT - EXXON COMPANY. U.S.A. Volume 15, Number 8 April 23, 1973 Inland Vessels Make Deliveries In Spite Of Flood The flood-swollen Mississippi River caused some delays in de liveries by vessels operating out of the Baton Rouge Branch and on the upper Mississippi wtand waterways system. Deliveries to upstream termi nals along the raging river were slowed somewhat as tows battled their way against the swift water. The four towboats involved were the Exxon Tennessee and the Exxon Pennsylvania, which op erate from Baton Rouge to Pitts burgh, Pennsylvania; the Exxon West Virginia, which operates be tween Baton Rouge and Boomer, West Virginia; and the Exxon Ken tucky, operating from Baton Rouge to Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Due to extremely high water at Memphis, only eight of the Ken Six feet of water covers part of ramp to landing barge at Baton Rouge. tucky's 11 barges could be safely moored at one time at the Exxon Terminal there. This meant that three of the barges had to be tied up at President's Island, just below Memphis, from where the remaining eight were taken on to the terminal for discharge. The empty barges were then returned to the island and tied up while the three full ones were taken to the terminal to discharge their prod ucts. At the end of this operation, the 11-barge tow was assembled at President's Island for return to Baton Rouge. This time-taking op eration resulted in about a 10hour increase in turnaround at Memphis during each of the Ken tucky's two deliveries there. Tugs using the Intracoastal Canal between Baton Rouge and Baytown had to double trip at several bridge locations in order to take barges through swift cur rents caused by tributaries feed ing into the canal. (See FLOODWATERS, page 5) Exxon Boston' Uses Homemade Unit To Clean Boiler Tubes A homemade hydroblasting unit to remove scale or slag from external surfaces of boiler tubes was used for the first time re cently in the Exxon Boston. The unit was designed by Albert T. Fellows, assistant Port Engineer, who developed a similar unit that was used for the first time over a year ago in an Exxon Argentina vessel, the 38,000-dwt Petromar Mendoza. It worked so well that it was decided to construct one (See HYDROBLASTING, page 5) THE EXXON MIAMI arrived in Freeport, Bahamas, on April 13 where she was open for inspection to prospective buyers. She is shown above loading grain in Houston several years ago for delivery to India. The 28,000-dwt vessel, built in 1950, is now back in fleet service where she will remain until sold. The disposal of the Miami will leave the com pany with 17 ships. No layoffs are anticipated as the result of the sale. EXX-MOR-007263 HOIS') TAFFRAIL TALK AB GAYLORD J. GAY shows some of the paintings and other handiwork that he engages in dur ing leisure time on long voyages and while on paid leave. And he gives them all away. He and Mrs. Gay are original sponsors of the New England Aquarium, now one of Boston's main tourist attrac tions. Mr. Gay paints mostly ma rine life and seascapes which he gives to the aquarium to sell in its gift shop. The money goes to the aquarium which depends mostly upon membership dues, admission fees, and volunteer ef forts for its support. In addition to his paintings, Mr. Gay makes colorful boat bags (right center in top photo), lamps, lobster buoys, key chains and duck de coys (right photo), all of which are sold at the aquarium. Mr. Gay is also extremely in terested in youngsters. "Adults often complain about young peo ple, yet they don't do anything to help them," he said. He backs up his words with actions. For example, he spent most of his last paid leave in the basement work shop at his home in Waban, Massachusetts, just outside Bos ton, making some small tables needed by an elementary school where his wife is principal. He also made eight benches for a woodworking class in the school, and equipped them with vises at his own expense. During one paid leave he cleaned out an old bomb shelter at the school and built shelves to convert it into a neat, orderly storage room for supplies. He also volunteered his services to fill special teaching assign ments in woodworking and knot tying. And his efforts are recog nized by heads of the school sys tem who send him letters of ap preciation. Mr. Gay pointed out that some times a community needs the help of people, rather than money, to carry out projects. "I don't have a lot of money to give away, but I do have certain soul-satisfying talents that I can use to make my community a better place in which to live," he said. "HAULING DIRT is a lot harder than working on engines in ships," said Fred Lewis, retired Chief Engineer, who moved across the state from Jackson ville, Florida, to Pine Island, near Ft. Myers, to "get away from the cold weather in Jacksonville." He is shown dumping another wheel barrow full of dirt on the yard of his new home, which he hopes to make one of the beauty spots among Pine Island homes. CAPTAIN MILTON BREECE, for merly New York Branch Manager who has been a company pollu tion control representative in Flor ida since his retirement in 1963, is taking a six-month tour of the United States and the Orient. He and Mrs. Breece packed their bags and left their home in Ft. Lauderdale on April 4, driving across country to Los Angeles where they have reservations on a ship leaving for the Orient on April 24. "This trip will cost me quite a bit more now that the dollar has been devalued, but my wife and I figured that things might get even more expensive in the future, so we decided to go ahead and enjoy ourselves now," Captain Breece said. The couple plans to see more of the U.S. when they return. B. E. SOOY, Transportation Allo cator in the Baytown Branch, and his family recently visited Captain Harold Griffiths who lives in Deer field Beach, Florida. Mr. Sooy, who flies his own airplane, reports that the retired Master's beauti- (See TAFFRAIL, next page) Page 2 Exxon Fleet News COPIFO FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTOK THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS a t A u s t in TAFFRAIL TALK................... ful home is surrounded by grape fruit, lemon, and orange trees, and his flowers are about the biggest and brightest in the neigh borhood. Captain Griffiths has a flag pole in front of his house and he holds a flag raising ceremony every morning. The idea has caught on because six of his .......... Continued from page 2 neighbors now have flag poles in their yards. In addition to his yard work, Captain Griffiths putters around his home workshop and one of his latest projects was building more closets in his house because "women never seem to have enough closet space,'' he said. SERVICE AWARDS 30 Years DANIEL G. FERNANDES, left, Steward, was presented a 30 year watch and service emblem in Bos ton recently. Ellis B. Bessels, Transportation Allocator, made the presentation on behalf of the company. 20 YEARS l. WHEN EDWARD M. FLYNN completes this hooked rug, he will have used some 27,000 pieces of yarn, each 2Vz inches long. Mr. Flynn, 2nd Assistant Engineer in the Exxon Baltimore, has been working on the colorful rug for about a month. "It is the first one that I've ever made so I'm a little slow," he said. "I saw kits containing the necessary needles and various colors of yarn in a hobby shop so I decided to try my hand at making a rug during my spare time at sea." There are 360 strands of yarn in each package. The pattern that Mr. Flynn chose is a huge spread-winged American eagle. When he completes the rug, it will have taken about 75 packages. The rug will be 32 inches wide and 60 inches long. "I plan to use it as a throw rug at home, although it feels so luxurious that I don't know if I'll do this or not," he said. "There's one thing for sure, it takes a lot of patience to do something like this, but I find it very relaxing and a lot of the men here on the ship have stopped by to admire it, although it's only about half finished." CLEMENT J. DEGROOD, right, 3rd Assistant Engineer, was presented a 20-year service emblem recently when he visited the Marine Depart ment Houston Office. Operations Manager F. Ames Smith made the presentation. Another Luxury Liner Sold; 2 Left Under U.S. Flag When the luxury liner, Presi dent Wilson, docked in San Fran cisco on April 9, at the end of a 95-day round-the-world cruise, her 300 passengers bid her a sad farewell. The huge liner has been sold to a Hong Kong businessman who also purchased the President Cleveland recently. The sale of the two ships brings closer to an end the era of Ameri can Flag ocean liners. The only two passenger ships left sailing under the stars and stripes are the Monterey and Mariposa, operated by Pacific Far West Lines. They may discontinue service when their subsidies expire in 1977. Baltazar Contreras Robert H. Boteler Baker AB March 29, 1973 February 2, 1973 April 23, 1973 Page 3 EXX-MOR-007265 Marine Department Representatives, Masters, Chief Engineers At 2nd Conference 2) Curtis W. Keech, Jr. 3) Edward P. Dolloff 4) Oscar H. Dorbacker 5) Boieslaw I. Roman 8) William Motta 9) Sebastian L. Koep 10) Tom C. Hall 24 Deck, Engine Officers Attend From Fleet Twenty-five deck and engine of ficers from the fleet attended the second in a series of three-day Shipboard Managers Conferences held at Clear Lake City, near Houston, on April 16, 17, and 18. A total of three conferences will be held to afford all Masters and Chief Engineers an opportunity to attend. The last of the series will be on April 25, 26, and 27. The conferences are being held to provide senior officers with the information they need to help them accomplish their responsi bilities more effectively. They also give officers an opportunity to spend some time with members of the Marine Department man agement staff. Subjects discussed during each session include op erating problems and costs, ad ministration, pollution control, safety, labor relations, communi cations, and planning, scheduling, and manning assignments. 11) Bertram O. Christensen 12) Sydney Wire 13) Nello Leavins 14) George Beck, Jr. 15) Louis H. Staar 16) Emmett A. Humble 17) Walter Brelsford 18) Bjorn I. Gunnlaugsson 19) Matthew L. Tingle, Jr. 20) Clifford E. Lindsey 21) E. W. McNeil, Jr. 22) F. Ames Smith 23) James G. Moffitt 24) Edwin J. Fellows 25) Robert J. Boxwell 26) Keith E. Frutiger 27) William J. Falvo 28) Bobby M. Pouncey 29) William F. Steuart 30) Thedore C. Woodard Two Annuitants Die THOMAS F. CADETT, 70, died on April 1. He lived in Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Cadett spent his 39-year career in the Baltimore Branch where he served primarily in the engine rooms of various motor vessels which delivered products to terminals on the Chesapeake Bay and its tribu taries. He is survived by a niece. PERCY C. NEAL, 85, died on February 27 at Mineola, New York. He retired in 1953 as steward in the fleet with 19 years service. He is survived by a brother. Page 4 Exxon Fleet News Drawing shows layout of piping, valves, and fittings for hydroblaster used in the Exxon Boston. Length of pipe and other dimensions may vary, according to the particular vessel. Personnel should wear hard hats, goggles, gloves, and rolled down sleeves, and exercise caution when operating the unit. Stay away from the water jet. HYDROBLASTING Continued from pagel for a boiler cleaning job in the Exxon Boston. Chief Engineer Roy T. Pearson reported that the valves, pipes, and fittings necessary to make up the unit were quickly assembled while the Boston was at sea. The port boiler was cut out, No. 1 burner register was removed later for access to the furnace, and the tubes were soaked with water. They were then hydroblasted. "Scale deposits were especially heavy in the upper half of the superheater tube bank, and in the bend of the tubes," he said. "The 1500-psi stream furnished by the cold boiler starting pump loosen ed the heavy scale from the superheater effectively and we were able to do a very thorough boiler cleaning job," he said. He commended the ship's forces who took part in this work, especially Arnie C. Haug, and Edmund H. Smith, the First and Second As sistant Engineers, respectively. The construction and use of such a unit has several advan tages over commercial cleaning units. For one thing, it can be as sembled from pipe, valves, and fittings usually carried in every vessel. The 3/sth-inch 3,000-poundtest hose may have to be ordered, but that can be easily obtained by requisition through regular stores. Also, the unit can be set up and used at sea, thus saving port time and money. -The accompanying diagram shows the type of hydroblasting unit used in the Exxon Boston. Equity Portfolio The Thrift Fund Trustee re ports the value of each unit in the Equity Portfolio as of the last business day in March 1973 was $13.23. FLOODWATERS Continued from page 1 Some chartered equipment op erating on the upper Mississippi and in the Illinois waterway to Chicago was stopped in the St. Louis area due to flood conditions that closed the locks. These tows were unable to resume operations for about a week. At Baton Rouge, the ramp to the landing barge and the parking lot adjacent to the barge are cur rently under six feet of water and will probably remain so for about two more weeks, depending upon the weather. Motor boats and row boats are being used to take men to and from various tows tied up to the barge. "When you look at the extreme flood conditions on the Missis sippi River this year, delays and inconveniences to Exxon equip ment in the Western Rivers Sys tem have been rather minor, thanks in great part to personnel in our equipment who made every effort to deliver products safely and with a minimum of delay," said Captain Sam V. Gardner, Baton Rouge Branch Manager. Lawton M. Williams Retires; Has 32 Years Of Service In Fleet Lawton M. Williams, chief engi neer, retired April 1 with nearly 32 years of service. Officers and crew in the Exxon Baltimore, his last ship before retiring, presented him with a combination ship's bell clock and barometer. Actually, the gift did not arrive at the ship in time for the presentation, but it was later given to him on behalf of the crew when he visited the Houston office. However, 2nd Cook Lonnie W. Jones did come through on time by baking a tasty two-layer cake which the entire crew enjoyed. Apparently, Mr. Williams, nick named "Tennessee," was destined and determined to be a seaman. (See WILLIAMS, page 6) April 23, 1973 Page 5 WILLIAMS (Continued from page 5) Coming out of the mountains of Tennessee, he joined his first vessel, the Frederic R. Kellogg, on June 12, 1940, where he re mained until August 10, 1941, and might still be there except that he had to take disability leave. While aboard the Kellogg he went from utilityman to messman to wiper to fireman to oiler. Determination to serve is again apparent when we look at his rapid strides in obtaining licenses: May 13, 1943--3rd assistant engi neer; January 25, 1944--2nd as sistant; April 21, 1945--1st assis tant; and August 13, 1947--chief engineer. He served in his first engineer assignment in the Esso Dover, starting on May 22, 1943. He be came 2nd assistant in the Beacon in May, 1944; acting 1st assistant in the A. C. Bedford from January to March, 1945; and joined the Paul H. Harwood as regular 1st assistant in July, that same year. On June 17, 1948, he was pro moted to chief engineer in the Esso Rochester. "Tennessee" Williams was oiler in the E. M. Clark when she was struck by two torpedoes and sunk off the North Carolina coast on March 18, 1942. One crew mem ber was lost and three were severely injured. Mr. Williams later accepted an assignment with War Emergency Tankers, Inc. Since 1969, he has had regular assignments to the Exxon Balti more where he did an outstanding job of reducing operating costs. Mr. Williams, who lives in Surgoinsville, Tennessee, says that he has no immediate plans during retirement. Captain R. E. Parkhurst and crew in Exxon Baltimore congratulate Chief Engi neer Lawton M. Williams upon retirement after nearly 32 years of service. Exxon Corporation Earnings Up About 1 Percent Over 1971 Consolidated earnings of Exxon Corporation in 1972 rose to $1,532 million, or $6.83 per share. In 1971, net income was $1,517 mil lion, or $6.77 per share before an extraordinary charge of $55 mil lion. Total revenues for 1972 were $22,438 million versus $20,694 million for 1971. These figures are part of the Exxon Corporation an nual report mailed recently to shareholders. The one per cent growth in earnings was not commensurate with the 8.4 per cent increase in revenues principally because of a 13 per cent increase in taxes, the report said. In their letter to shareholders, J. K. Jamieson, chairman, and C. C. Garvin, Jr., president, said the Corporation had faced many changing circumstances during 1972, and two of these deserved special attention. These were: 1) The U.S. energy situation; 2) The new partnership arrangements with certain oil producing coun tries in the Middle East. Noting that localized fuel short ages had developed in the U.S. during the 1972-73 heating season, they said that any inade quacy of domestic energy sup plies resulted from "a combina tion of factors which have affected all energy industries over a period of time." Among them, they said, are the demands for natural gas which had increased while low, regu lated prices had failed to provide incentives for exploration. Ad ditionally, they added, were recent environmental restrictions on the use of coal, and the slower-thananticipated development of nu clear power. Chief Engineer Williams, left, proudly accepts gift, purchased by ship's officers and crew, when he visited the Houston Office recently. General Manager Emmett A. Humble and Port Engineer T. J. McTaggart made the presentation. EXXON FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired em ployees of the Marine Department, Exxon Company, U.S.A. (a division of Exxon Cor poration); Emmett A. Humble, general manager; Sydney Wire, assistant general manager. GENE LEGLER............................................. Editor Page 6 Exxon Fleet News