Document On09Yyp1gEpGMwv2oGeEpBLX

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT. ESSO STANDARD OIL COMPANY Vol. 1, No. 14 November 6, 1959 Company Additional Contribution to Employees Thrift Plan The Esso Standard Board of Directors announced October 29 that the Company's additional contribu tion to the Thrift Fund and Alternate Thrift Fund will be on the following basis: 1. $25 to each employee participating in the Thrift Plan for the entire year (October 1, 1958 to September 30, 1959) or a propor tionate amount for less than a full year of participation, plus 2. 50 cents for each dollar of employee and em ployer contribution made under the Plan dur ing the same period. If a seagoing employee contributed to the Thrift Plan at the 10% maximum rate, the Company's regular contribution of 3% and the additional con tribution works out as follows for representative ratings: Base Rate and Cont. Company Contributions Yrs. of Service for the year 1959 Rating Service Pay Regular Additional Total Bos'n 10 $583 $209.88 $479.74 $689.62 Able Seaman 5 466 167.76 388.48 556.24 Pumpman 10 642 231.12 525.76 756.88 Oiler 10 479 172.44 398.62 571.06 Wiper 5 383 137.88 323.74 461.62 2nd Cook 10 506 182.16 419.68 601.84 Messman 3 361 129.96 306.58 436.54 It should be remembered that these are sample figures for men employed at a single pay rate for the year ended September 30, 1959. Also, due to paid leaves and the nature of seagoing payoffs, it often happens that more or less than an exact year's time is used as the basis for calculating the additional con tributions. For instance, if a man went on 30 days paid leave on September 15, the total amount of his earned leave would be included in figuring this year's additional contribution. It is expected that the additional contributions will be available for Thrift Plan transactions after Novem ber 15. Statements showing the amount credited to each employee's account will be sent out shortly after that date. Esso Bridgeport Out of Mothballs Workmen at the Gibbs Corp. shipyard, Jacksonville, Fla., roll hull paint on the Esso Bridgeport in preparation for her return to service on or about November 6. The following are among the men who have been as signed to the ship: Captain Vincent F. Lucas, Master; Harold Martin, First Mate; Lewis G. Davis, Second Mate; William A. Dundon, Chief Engineer; William Motta, First Asst.; David A. Dolan, Second Asst.; Robert T. Spetz, Third Asst.; Herve E. Gautier, Bos'n; Pieter G. DeVaal, Steward; Leopold Oliveira, Jr., Chief Cook; Maurice Wishnoff, Second Cook; George W. Henry, Pumpman, and Joe E. Peterson, MM/2nd Pumpman. EXX-MOR-006812 ETMU-S1U Files New Charge The Esso Tanker Men's Union, Seafarers Interna tional Union of North America, AFL-CIO, in a com plaint signed by Edward Derry, Port Representative, has filed another unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, Second Region. This time the ETMU-SIU claims that the Com pany violated Section 8 (a) (1) and (3) of the Taft Hartley Act. Specifically, it is asserted that em ployment was denied to George Sullivan, a Utilityman, because of membership in the ETMU-SIU. The Company has made a categorical denial of the accusation. The new complaint will be investi gated by the NLRB. Until completion of its probe of unfair labor practice charges made by ETMUSIU, the Government labor agency cannot proceed to act on petitions calling for election of a collective bargaining agency to represent Esso seamen. Esso Lima Men Give Blood Another of the many instances where Esso sea men have unselfishly come to the aid of a stricken shipmate was reported by Captain William Mello, Agent at Jacksonville. When Leif C. Eriksen, Radio Officer ex Esso Lima, was hospitalized in Jackson ville and required blood transfusions on October 21, the following men from the Lima were donors: W. L. Straley, F. L. Harris, Second Mate MM/2nd Pump. E. J. Schlarb, J. E. Campbell, Jr., Radio Officer Able Seaman D. J. Hedgepeth, Wiper In a telephone converation with Mr. Eriksen on October 30 at his home in Union, N. J., he said that he still feels weak but is "coming along" and is very grateful for the assist by the blood donors. More on State Income Taxes The Fleet News for October 9 mentioned that the states of Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware and Maryland have personal income taxes. This is true but many other states also have enacted tax laws which require certain residents to file re turns. The laws of the states named have withhold ing provisions which, as the item noted, do not apply to merchant seamen. However, seamen residents of those states are required to file returns and pay the taxes due just as they are in other states with income tax laws. Scared of Lightning? The California Shipping Company's Safety Bul letin for October has an interesting item about the Rock Landing being struck by lightning on a passage down the Mississippi River. There was a severe ESSO FLEET NEWS is published for the seagoing employees of Esso Standard Oil Company, Marine De partment: J. D. Rogers, General Manager; James E. Stoveken, Assistant General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. W. E. Gardner, Editor; R. K. Bruce, R. M. Sheridan, Editorial Assistants. Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to The Editor, ESSO FLEET NEWS, Room 934, 15 West 51st Street, New York 19, N. Y. thunderstorm and, when the bolt hit the ship, the third mate and others on deck were somewhat "shook up". However, the only damage was the shattered wooden staff for the house flag located at the main truck. "This is as might be expected," the Bulletin continued. "The steel topmasts act as lightning rods and harmlessly ground out any discharge. A non conductor or a poor conductor sticking above the mast may be damaged. The point in bringing this up is to lay at rest any fears you may have about your ship being struck by lightning. Irrespective of the cargo or whether the vessel is empty or loaded, the lightning will ground out and will not ignite the cargo or cause an explosion." Safety Contest Standing The following is the January-August standing of the fleets participating in the safety contest for ocean and coastwise tankers conducted by the Marine Sec tion, National Safety Council. The accident fre quency rate figures represent the number of report able accidents per million man hours worked. Accident Freq. Rate 1. Tidewater Oil Co. 2. The Atlantic Refining Co. 3. Texaco Inc. (ocean fleet) 4. Sun Oil Co. 5. Esso Standard Oil Co., Marine Dept. 6. Socony-Mobil Oil Co., Inc. .66 1.02 1.23 1.88 2.10 (ocean & coastwise) 3.77 7. Pure Oil Co. 3.99 8. General Petroleum Corp. 4.20 9. Sinclair Refining Co., Marine Dept. 4.66 10. Creole Petroleum Corp. 4.84 11. American Oil Co. & Sub. Co's. 5.22 Scientific Storm Spotters At the recent meeting of the International Oceano graphic Congress held in New York, Professor Walter H. Munk, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at La Jolla, California, described a long range storm detection system. The first indica} tion of a distant storm, said the professor, is the arrival of very small waves, only 1/20 of an inch high and a mile long. These waves increase and de crease in length over a period of days, like the full blast of a siren whistle which gets higher in pitch and louder as more power is applied. By calibrating small waves with underwater pres sure devices, it is possible to detect these changes now. A combination of two shore stations with spe cial measuring equipment makes it possible to de termine both direction and distance of a storm. The system has already been used to detect storms south of Australia by scientists stationed in California. First Butane Discharged at Bayway Esso Puerto Rico, the 32,300 dwt. combination LPG and bulk oil supertanker, discharged the first cargo of butane at Bayway on October 19. The vessel loaded the butane and fuel oil at La Salina and Amuay, Venezuela. Her next port of call was Baton Rouge, where she took on butadiene for discharge at Fawley, England, and ultimate delivery to a syn thetic rubber manufacturer. Enroute she called at Amuay for a balance cargo of fuel oil. Jersey Dividend The Board of Directors of Standard Oil Company (N. J.) declared a cash dividend of 60 cents per share on the capital stock, payable December 10 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 9. This will bring dividend payments for 1959 to a total of $2.25 per share, the same as for last year. Esso Research Studies Mooring Strains ' A 60-in. wooden model of a 73,000 dwt. tanker is shown above under test at Stevens Institute of Tech nology, Hoboken, N. J., for Esso Research and Engineer ing Co. The model was moored by a single line to an electronic device which relayed stresses to recording instruments. Waves up to 27 ft. high and 615 ft. long were simulated in the Stevens' testing tank. In wind tunnel tests at Princeton University (below), also made for Esso Research, a 39-in. model of a 37,800 dwt. tanker was subjected to head on to broadside winds as high as 110 mph. The object of the tests is to obtain more ac curate data on the effects of wind and wave forces on tankers moored at piers and in open water. The infor mation is expected to be useful to designers of future docks and ofF-shore moorings. TafFrail Talk Fred Lewis, who was Chief Engineer in the Esso Manhattan for many years prior to his retirement January 1, 1958, is again in charge of that vessel's engineroom. But now she is the Martha Mac, a self unloading bulk dry cargo carrier owned by the Gulf Transit Co. The ship was extensively remodeled to carry coal from New Orleans to Tampa and phos phates on the return trip. . . . ON OCTOBER 22 the Esso Bangor became the Company's first 27,300 dwt. tanker to discharge at Consolidated Edison's Hudson Ave. Station, East River, N. Y. . . . BILL MC KINLEY, formerly a Radio Officer in the fleet and now Sr. Port Dispatcher in the Port Operations Sec tion at 156 William St., was a $56,000 winner in the Irish Sweepstakes. After sharing generously with Uncle Sam, Bill figures the bonanza will see his three children through college, pay off the mortgage on his ' 42-acre farm in Jamesburg, N. J., and buy an emer gency electric generator. EXX-MOR-006814 Spare Time Skipper Oiler Richard P. Cooper is liable to be poring over navigation charts in his off-watch hours aboard the Esso Florence these days, but it doesn't mean he's getting ready to desert the Engine Department. Chances are that Dick's looking ahead to his next paid leave, when he can again take command of the Maintex, a custom-built outboard cruiser for which he has some pretty ambitious plans. Dick recently completed a 500-mi. solo shakedown cruise aboard the Maintex from Boothbay Harbor, Me., where the boat was built, to New York and back to Point Judith, R. I., where it is berthed awaiting his next leave. During the next two years, Dick will sail the inland waterways to Florida, cruise the Gulf of Mexico and tour the Mississippi River, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. His original inten tion to take the Maintex as far south as Florida's St. Oiler Richard P. Cooper checks the h.p. turbine steam temperature gage aboard the Esso Florence. During future paid leaves, Dick hopes to tour many of the Nation's major waterways aboard his custom-built cruiser Mainfex. Johns River on her first cruise was thwarted when a companion was unable to make the trip. The Maintex is the realization of a dream Dick has had for several years. Raised in Rhode Island, he has always "kicked about" in small boats and first sailed professionally aboard fishing boats during summer vacations from high school. He joined Esso on No vember 3, 1952 as Wiper in the Esso Asheville. About the middle of 1958 he began looking for someone who would build a boat "the way one should be built". He found his man six months later in Boothbay Harbor and the Maintex was christened last July. (Her name, incidentally, stands for "Maine and Texas", the points between which she will gener ally--but not exclusively--operate.) Powered by two 18 hp. outboards that give her a cruising speed of 16 knots, the Maintex is 19 ft. long, 6 Vi ft. at the beam and draws 6 in. She has sleeping accommodations for two, a head and a fully equipped galley. The boat's ribs are white oak and the keel is fashioned from a single piece of wood, which Dick combed New England to find. The transom is also a single piece of wood, 2 in. thick and 28 in. high. The maiden voyage of the Maintex was a leisurely cruise, taking 13 days from Maine to New York. Much of that time was spent visiting friends and rela tives along the way and exploring points of interest ashore. Dick kept within 3 Vi mi. of the coast during his voyage and put into port for the nights. His course took him through the Gloucester Cut and across Boston Harbor to Plymouth, Mass.; the Cape Cod Canal; into New Bedford, Mass.; and Providence, R. I.; to Fishers Island in Long Island Sound; across the Sound to Port Jefferson and Port Washington, N. Y., and finally into Flushing, N. Y., for four days at the New York City docks before heading back to Point Judith. Only two minor mishaps marred the trip. At Biddeford, Me., the first night, Dick was unceremoniously dumped overboard while picking up a mooring buoy. The next day, when he headed into Plymouth for gasoline, the boat grounded just inside the break water, but soon floated free. Dick is enthusiastic about the Maintex' perfor mance during her initial voyage and is already mak ing plans for his next paid leave, when he'll try again for the St. Johns River. ! [ EXX-MOR-006815