Document MGw8q6m9Xb0Gzrv72b1MXqxJL

COPIED !' tOM THE CCJl.LErnONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTOU THE UNIVERSITY O F T P Y a c a t m i c t i m Sets Record on Maiden Voyage New Esso San Francisco Lifts Biggest Petroleum Cargo From U.S. Gulf Port The Esso San Francisco -- Santa's Christmas gift to the Esso Fleet -- is bound to Bos ton on her maiden voyage with the largest petroleum cargo ever shipped from a Gulf of Mexico port. The new 75,600 deadweight ton tanker set sail last week from the company's Baytown refinery with a record 540,000 barrels of refined products in her cavernous hull. But she was still shy by 110,000 barrels of her whop ping 650,000-barrel capacity. The shallow Houston ship channel prevented the shiny new tanker from taking a full load. The ship's first cargo was made up of four grades of gas olines, diesel fuel, and heating oil. It was greater in both bar rels and tonnage than any pe troleum shipment ever lifted from a Gulf of Mexico port. Even the 115,000 deadweight ton S. S. Manhattan never picked up that much cargo on the Gulf. Foreign tankers, many of them bigger than the San Francisco, seldom lift large quantities of U. S. petro leum. Santa, represented by Avon dale Shipyards, Inc., turned the Christmas ship over to Captain Henry F. Wichman and his 25- man crew. They docked her in Baytown last Tuesday after a weekend test run from Avon dale, Louisiana, where the 125- foot-wide tanker was launched last July. (Continued on Page 3) Ifitltliag OSmtittgB Jilt the spirit of the qreat Christmas trahition, it is one pi-thtlepe to extent* Jtfolibay (Sreetiuqs anil llrst IHishes for the 2Cefu TsTear to all Jlfariuc department employees, annuitants nub their families. JHau the inspiration anb lipht of the tShar of tUcthlchem, luhich quibeb the lUise Jifen of olti, hrinq you peace anti qooh A GENERAL MANAGER HE CAME EARLY. Because of the huge size and the massive weight involved, Santa Claus came a few days early to deliver his gift, a shiny new ship, to the Esso Fleet. He left the Esso San Francisco down at Avondale, Louisiana, and then made off in his special amphibious sleigh. His voice could be heard for miles up and down the Mississippi River: "Swim on Dancer, Prancer, and Rudolph get your shiny nose out of that muddy water!" The gift was not wrapped but the crew found a Christmas card attached to the San Francisco's bow that said: "Merry Christmas and Happy 1970 to Ye Gentlemen of the Sea. May Good Sailing and Calm Seas Be Yours in the New Year." He added this postscript: "Please remit 516 million to my deep sea helpers. Avondale Shipyards, lnc." The crew took the ship and sent the card C.O.D. to the Humble Building in Houston. I I i t-. EXX-MOR-007633 KO.LS'IH N'VDJHHIAIV^Od V3.LN30 3HJ. Ml S'NOU.J3TiaT3H.L WO)IJ ( I d I M j 26 Men Take New Tanker on Her Maiden Voyage The Esso San Francisco -- pregnant with her first cargo -- is sailing to Boston on a maiden voyage that will intro duce her to the sea on which she must earn her keep. And she will leam the ways of the sea in the hands of a seasoned, 26-man Humble crew. Captain Henry F. Wichman, the San Francisco's first mas ter, went to sea as ordinary seaman 37 years ago. He has been sailing as deck officer since 1934 and as master since 1947. Chief Engineer Keith V. Wintenburg, in charge of the ship's power plant, has been sailing with the company some 30 years. The Esso Fleet crew took charge of the San Francisco at noon Friday, December 12, at Avondale, Louisiana, where she was launched last July 12. They set sail at noon Saturday, December 13, on a short test run before going to Baytown, Texas, where the ship was loaded with a record cargo -- the largest petroleum shipment ever lifted from a port on the Gulf of Mexico. Taking a ship on a maiden voyage is one of those events in a seaman's life that he sel dom forgets when recounting his adventures on the bound- ESSO FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired employees of the Marine De partment, Humble Oil & Refining Co.: T. J. Fuson, General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. Jim Pitts, 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, Texas 77001. Poge 2 The Esso San Francisco at Sea ing main. It's something akin to introducing a young debu tante to society. And while most of the news is properly centered around the ship herself, the men who took her to sea are not to be overlooked. The officers and men who sailed the Esso San Francisco on her first voyage are: Captain Henry F. Wichman, Chief Mate Robert F. Stotts, Chief Mate Roy Ewell, Second Mate John McShane, Third Mate Joseph Hazelwood, Chief Engineer Keith V. Wintenburg, First Assistant Engineer Rich ard L. Argenbright, Second Assistant Archie Griffith, Third Assistant Kenneth R. Pagano and Radio Officer Rob ert Y. Endres. Able Seaman Wayne W. Birdsong, Able Seaman An tonio Ferrari, Able Seaman Jesse E. Campbell, Able Sea man William E. Stanley, Able Seaman Ralph V. Giove, Able Seaman Sherman D. Allen, Or dinary Seaman Ronald E. Gib son, Ordinary Seaman Henry J. Evans, Ordinary Seaman Kenneth M. Tarpey. Pumpman Adolphe G. Koppel, Oiler Raul G. Villarreal, Oiler Raymon Barajas, Oiler Leonard Dickerson, Steward Edward Wilson, Chef Cleve land A. Jones, Messman-Utilityman Romaldo Isberto, Messman-Utilityman Izora Green. Mr. Ewell sailed on the maiden voyage as an extra chief mate. Normally, there will be only one chief mate. ESSO FLEET HEWS EXX-MOR-007634 COHIPD FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN Hi.STOK THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS a t A u s t in ! Design Features Seen in Esso San Frandscc (Continued from Page 1) The ship, sailing at a top speed of 17 knots, is expected to dock in Boston Christmas week. The San Francisco is the biggest ship in the Humble fleet. The Manhattan, which joined the fleet early in 1969, is a chartered vessel. The tanker will not only lift bigger payloads than other Humble-owned ships but she also will make life at sea easier and more comfortable for the men who sail her. Private apartment-like liv ing quarters feature wall-towall carpeting, paneled walls, fluorescent lighting and air conditioning. The carpeting is a first in the fleet. Moreover, for the first time every crew member will have a telephone in his room for communicating aboard ship. Materials used in the rooms were selected for easv-to-clean features and economical main tenance. One major design innovation is the separation of quarters from work areas. Instead of be ing stacked in five layers under the bridge, crew quarters are on two decks well aft of the wheelhouse. The two-deck arrangement will help elimi nate noise from stairway traf fic. And noises from areas well forward will not disturb crew members off watch in their rooms. The wheelhouse is atop bow legged beams that hold it high above the deck, providing a direct view over the bow. "The unique shape of the wheelhouse structure is functional in nature and reduces the ship's weight," said Robert X. Cald well, Marine Department tech nical superintendent, who de signed the San Francisco. There is an open area be tween the raised wheelhouse and the deck below. Another change in appear ance from other Humble ships is the San Francisco's transom shaped stern. It is not rounded off but tapers back in a Vshape. A 27-foot propeller, four feet larger than those on the Esso Houston and Esso New Or leans. was installed on the ship to improve propulsion effi ciency. The jumbo-sized pro peller is designed to turn at 80 revolutions per minute. The propellers on the Houston and her sister, the New Orleans, turn at 102 revolutions per minute. They were launched in late 1964 and early 1965 and, until the San Francisco entered service, were the newest ships in Humble's tanker fleet. The 19,000 shaft horsepower steam plant is controlled from either the wheelhouse or the engine room below. It repre sents a new design in Humble ships but is nothing new in other American vessels. . A central operating system in the engine room is also a new feature in the company's tanker fleet. Using the system, an engineer on watch can mon itor engine room operations from one small area by watch ing a maze of gauges, lights, and other indicators that keep tab on the power plant. Another convenience is an elevator that operates between (Continued on Page 4} December 22, 1969 Page 3 EXX-MOR-007635 There's a man in New York who wants to give you a Christ mas present. And if he catches your ship docked there, you'll get one even if you never see him. His name is Ray Kenney, and he likes tankers. Likes them so well, in fact, that he is not visiting any other kind of ship this year. Other men like Ray are taking care of the freight and passenger ships. Ray Kenney, like the others, is called a ship's visitor. He represents the Seamen's Church Institute in New York. The packages he leaves aboard ships are part of the institute's Christmas program for sea men. Some 4,000 or more Christmas packages will be left aboard ships for crew mem bers this year. Ray was in Bayonne last week meeting Esso Fleet tank ers. He goes aboard the ships, turns the colorfully boxed Christmas gifts over to the masters, and leaves. There are no strings attached, no solici tation of funds, no fanfare about the non-profit organiza tion which Ray Kenney rep resents. The masters are asked to distribute the gifts Christmas day. Each package contains candy, {Continued from Page 3) the engine room and the wheelhouse. The traditional fo'c'sle is no ticeably absent. As a result, the deck lies flat without the ele vation at the bow where the fo'c'sle would be. It's called a "flush deck." More significant, however, is the central cargo control room. It permits one man to super vise the loading or discharging of cargo or ballast. From the control room, he can gauge car go levels in the ship's 21 tanks if Esso Ships Docking in Hew Yorf nail clipper, plastic folder for personal papers, shoe laces, a hand knitted garment, and a Christmas card from the insti tute. The knitted item may be a sweater, or a watch cap and scarf, or a pair of socks. Sev eral hundred women who make up the Women's Council of the Seamen's Church Institute work all year knitting the gar ments. They do it free. Asked why the institute gives the presents away, Ray replied matter-of-factly, "It's Christ mas." Sea Gulls to lough It Holiday Menus Aboard Esso Ships All But Destroy Best Dietary Plan "The sea gulls follow our ships." is an old saying in the fleet that means those far fly ing birds that soar over the oceans know Esso ships for the good food tossed over the side from time to time. But the sea gulls and other scavengers will be wise to look elsewhere for leftovers come Christmas and New Years. There isn't likely to be a mor sel of bread on the waters for our feathered friends as the most resolute diets are are sure to be scrapped and stored away by crews aboard Humble ships. Dewitt Hodges, port steward, his assistant, Arthur Baldwin, and the entire steward's depart ment have been conspiring for months to put together holiday menus calculated to overpower the best laid diet plans. Get a whiff of the New Year's day feast to be seiwed aboard Humble ships: smoked oysters, smoked turkey, beef stroganoff. sauteed rainbow trout with brown butter, but tered cauliflower, rissole pota toes, assorted cheeses, assorted fresh fruits, egg nog pie, pep permint stick ice cream, salted mixed nuts, plum pudding, fruit cake, butternut toasties, candy, and fine beverages--in cluding Paul Masson Burgandy Wine. It's only a sample of what's coming. And there isn't likely to be much left for sea gulls until 1969's dietary resolutions are renewed for 1970. Mean time, diets are for the birds. and determine the tanker's draft. A computing device called a Lodicator permits him to set up a loading plan and calculate the ship's trim and stress. "It reduces work, saves time and improves accuracy," Mr. Caldwell noted. Two cranes on the deck make it easier to load stores and provisions. The five-ton cranes, one starboard and one port, also are used to handle hoses. Use of the cranes made it possible to eliminate king posts, booms and winches seen on other vessels. One man can operate either crane. The mooring winches used in docking and undocking can be operated from either the port or starboard side by one man, another innovation in Humble ships. There are other important features in the ship, too. But one inescapable feature of the long, sleek, sti'eamlined-looking Esso San Francisco is her bulk beauty. Did You Know? Humble Oil & Refining Com pany's net income in 1968 was S608.799.000. The same year the company paid SI,028,093.000 in taxes to government agencies. Page 4 ESSO FLEET NEWS RECENT RETIREMENTS After 46 years aboard ships and boats, Captain John John son went ashore in November to retire and take a rest before 4-ra: L. .! going to Europe on vacation. He spent the last 21 years of ' 4 s| his life in New York Harbor A* m on son Esso first tug boats. Mr. Johnshipped out in 1923 as deckhand in the Monitor, owned by James Sheavan & Sons. He was on various boats of the Socony Oil Company from 1925 to 1937. "In September, 1935, I was working on Socony Tug No. 9, tow ing five barges behind us, from Albany to New York Harbor," Captain Johnson recalls his most unforgettable experience. "The tug went on the rocks of Blue Point in the Hudson River. It sank in seven minutes, but I was saved from drowning when two men grabbed me by the arm and the hair of the head." In 1937, he sailed as able seaman and wheelsman in the S. 5. Re solute. owned by Merrit Chapman & Scott. He also worked as deckhand for McAllister Broth ers until late 1942 when he began sailing as chief mate and captain for the Dalzell Tow Company. Captain Johnson joined Esso in 1948. He was master of the Esso Fuel Oil from 1967 to 1968 when he took command of the Esso Massachusetts, from which he retired in No vember. Besides resting and going to Europe, Captain Johnson plans to work around his Staten Island home and his summer place in Olive Bridge, New York. He has two grown children, a son, Clark Matthew,- and a daughter, Carol Ann. * IS Carroll W. Saunders' 40 years jj at sea began and ended with jj sweetness. He set sail as radio ij operator in 1929 aboard the #, S. S. Amolco. a tanker that J lifted sweet cargoes of molasses j( between the U. S. and Cuba. It jj ended with a big cake at a || farewell party given him by * the officers and men in the Esso Washington on the final voyage before his retirement December 1. He had 22 years' serv ice in Humble tankers. Mr. Saunders went to sea after his gradua tion from the Massachusetts Radio School. He had sailed with seven different companies from 1929 to 1931 when he joined the Eastern S. S. Company. In 1941, Mr. Saunders took to the skies to fly as radio operator for the Air Trans port Command. He returned to Eastern in 1944 and remained with the company until he joined the Esso Fleet in 1947. December 22, 1969 "I shall never forget the wonderful send-off, the dinner, and the big cake given to me by Captain Roy Merritt, Chief Engineer Pouncey and the crew," Mr. Saunders said. They also gave him a clock and brometer set and a wallet before he left the ship for the last time. "I shall certainly miss the many fine friends I made during my stay with the company," he said. "Very best wishes to you all for the years ahead, and many thanks for making my stay with Esso a very pleasant one." Mr. Saunders plans to travel before settling down in New Hampshire, where he expects to find time for photography, music, amateur radio * Messman Juan Videla is goc., ing home to his native Chile j.. during his first year of retire :-r ment. He made his last voyage >;,, ' with Humble in the Esso Get- tyshurg after almost 18 years' \ service. Mr. Videla, who re tired December 1, first sailed under the Esso oval a utilityi man aboard the Queenston Heights in September, 1951. He went to sea in 1924 as a coal passer for United State Lines in the Finland and also sailed as coal passer and fireman in the Man churia and the All America until 1926. Mr. Videla also worked as a building superintendent. "Working for Esso and meeting such wonder ful people is an experience I'll never forget," he said. Living in Huntington Station, Long Island, New York, Mr. Videla plans to spend his new-found leisure time reading and playing soccer. He was born in Vina del More, Chile. (Continued on Page 6) 40 YEARS UNDER THE ESSO OVAL CONGRATULATIONS. Capt. W. S. Cannon of the tug Esso New Jersey receives a 40 year service emblem marking his long career with the company from T. J. Fuson, Marine Dept, general manager, at recent cere monies in Baltimore, Maryland. Page 5 RETIREMENTS (Continued from Page 5) Able Seaman John Wehman retired December 1 with more than 17 years' service. He began his career with the company when he joined the Esso Ashe ville as able seaman in August 1952. Mr. Wehman previously sailed as bos'n mate and able seaman in the Military Sea ' 'iTransport Service in the Gen K-, eral Hodges. General E. T. Collins, General Sul tan and the George Washington Carver. A na tive of Latvia, he lives in Bay du Vin, Mira- michi, New Brunswick, Canada. Steward Marcelino Tirado -- who survived the torpedoing of two ships in World War II -- recently left the Esso Seattle and 35 years at sea in Humble tankers behind him when he retired December 1. He first sailed in the A. C. Bedford in 1933, briefly as messman, and then as second cook. Mr. Tirado signed on as chief cook aboard the Fredric R. Kellogg in 1935 and was promoted to steward in the W. L. Steed in 1939. He was steward in the J. A. Moffett, Jr., on July 14. 1942, when that ship took two torpe does in her hull in the Florida Straits and came under heavy shelling from the enemy U-boat that had sent the underwater rockets crashing into her steel skin. The master was killed. Two years later on July 6, 1944, Marcelino was in the Esso Harrisburg off the coast of Venezuela when a submarine unleashed three torpedoes that sent the ship to the bottom of the ocean. Eight men, including the master, died in the attack. His remaining 25 vears in the fleet were to be more peaceful. He boarded the Esso New Haven in 1945, took a fancy to her, and stayed for six years. In 1962, Marcelino sailed in the Esso Washington and was her steward for bet ter than two years. Again, in 1964, he found still another "favorite girl," the Esso Hunting ton. and stayed with her for five years. His last shin was the Esso Seattle, and Marcelino couldn't help but include her too in an armada of ships he savs he "will never forget." Some body said that Marcelino Tirado fell for ships and the sea the way some men fall for women and wine. Before Marcelino took leave of the Esso Seattle, shipmates gave him a surprise going away party as the tanker steamed back to Texas from a voyage to England. Chief Cook Charles Hudspeth, assisted by Utilityman Al fred Concalves, worked from midnight to 5 a.m. baking and decorating a giant-sized cake for the occasion. The crew also gave him a Spanish wallet stuffed full of greenbacks. Page 6 Captain Edward Crawford presented the re tiring steward with a farewell letter signed by all officers and men of the Seattle. It said, in part, "To us you have been an excellent stew ard, a good shipmate and a real nice guy. The very best to you and your family and don't forget to write occasionally to the good ship 5. S. Esso Seattle where we all spent many happy months together." (Marcelino has written a letter to the Esso Fleet, which -- in view of his long service -- will be published in the next edition of this newspaper.) He lives in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, his na tive country, with his wife. "I am going places and see most of the world with my wife," Mar celino said of his retirement plans. ADIOS, AMIGO. Esso Seattle men admiring the big gest cake that Captain Edward Crawford has ever seen on a ship wish farewell to beach-bound Mar celino Tirado. They are (from left) Messman Frank Drahos, Messman Jose Lopez, Second Cook Baltazar Contreras, Marcelino himself, Utilityman Napleao Vicenfs, Utilityman Alfred Goncalves and Steward Charles Hudspeth. Ordinary Seaman Thadeus S. Sokolowski had sailed for more than 20 years with the company when he retired December 1. He began his service with Humble in the Peter Hull as wiper in August, 1948. During his early years in the Esso Fleet, he sailed variously as wiper and ordinary seaman. Mr. Sokolowski lives in Bay onne, New Jersey. Last lost time injury in the Esso Fleet reportable to the National Safety Council occurred December i ESSO FLEET NEWS Esso Tugs Rescue Burned Man, Bring Medical Help Captain Joe Summer was standing quietly in the dimly lit pilot's house of the Esso Garden State at 10:40 p.m. when, suddenly, he felt the dull thud of an explosion. Peering into the darkness, he watched a patch of fire cut a path through the coal-black night and disappear into the inky waters of Arthur Kill be tween Bergen Point, New Jer sey, and Staten Island. What he had seen was a barge master, whose clothes had caught fire, go into the water after an explosion occur red during tank cleaning ope rations at a dock. Captain Sumner called his crew, radioed the Marine Branch Office at Bayonne for an ambulance, and started ma neuvering his tug to the area where the fire had disappeared in the water. He flipped a switch and a big shaft of light shot from the tug and scanned the water. The light stopped when it found a hand reaching skyward. Struggling in. Water Deckhand Kjell Pettersen pitched a life jacket to the hand. But the man under the water was unable to help him self. Mr. Pettersen kicked off his shoes and jumped off the bow. Mate Charles White threw him a line when he reached the struggling body in the water. The deckhand pulled the in jured man along the side of ESSO FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired employees of the Marine De partment, Humble Oil & Refining Co.; T. J. Fuson, General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. Jim Pitts, 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, Texas 77001. Page 2 RESCUERS. The crew of the Esso Garden State who pulled a severely burned man from the waters of Arthur Kill are (from left) Mate Charles White, Captain Joseph Sumner, Deckhand Kjell Pettersen, Steward Raymond Ta vares and Deckhand Arvid Ryerson. the tug to the stem where a ladder had been put over the side. Mr. White climbed down the ladder up to his waist in the cold water and began lift ing the man toward the deck. Steward Raymond Tavares, Deckhand Arvid Ryerson and an unidentified deckhand from a passing tug pulled him up and laid him on the deck. "Except for the sleeves, the heavy winter coat he wore was burned off him," Mr. White said. "We cut the sleeves away, removed his glasses, covered him with a blanket, and made him as comfortable as we could. He was in a state of shock." Meanwhile, Captain Sumner was piloting the Esso Garden State at a good clip toward St. George, Staten Island, where an ambulance was already waiting. But medical help came sooner than anybody had thought possible. Medical Help Captain Russell McVay, mas ter of the Esso Massachusetts, had been listening on his radio to the messages between the Garden State and Bayonne. And he headed his tug into Arthur Kill to intercept the Garden State. Captain McVay had a quarantine doctor aboard. He was taking the phy sician out to examine the crew of an incoming ship. He made the interception. Without stopping, the two tugs came gently together, and the doctor boarded the Garden State. "The doc took care of the burned man until we reached St. George," Mr. White re ported. "We put the man in an ambulance and went back to work." It happened the night of November 16. The rescued man, Mr. Ed ward Hewlett, was reported to be recovering in a Staten Island hospital. It's Called "Filler" Ever wonder what a guy does when he runs out of copy to fill a newspaper like this one? Probably not. But it's something akin to being the skipper of a ship and running out of ocean. Or it's more like run ning aground on a sandbar. A skipper calls for a tug boat. An editor scampers about for "filler" material. It's hoped, however, that tug boats are easier to find when you're on a sandbar than it was to locate some filler for this small space. This is what's called filler in the true sense of the word. ESSO FLEET NEWS