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PUBLISHED BY THE MAR1NE.DIVISI0N, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY Vol. 7, No. 21 November 11, 1965 SIGHTS AND SOUNDINGS MIND STRETCHER. Perhaps some of you early morning Deck Dept, watchstanders have seen the comet Ikeya-Seki. The comet was recently dis covered and named for 2 amateur Japanese star gazers, Kaoru Ikeya, 21, a piano key polisher and Tsutomu Seki, 34, a guitar instructor, both using homemade equipment and working independently. The head of the comet is said to be 10 times the size of Earth, the tail is 40 million miles long and its speed across the sky is 1 million mph. efficiency in cargo handling and while we can't give credit to everyone involved, special mention belongs to Chief Mates George Beck, Jr. (Esso Houston) Robert J. Boxwell (Esso New Orleans) Robert G. Kirby (Esso Washington) Bertram 0. Christensen (Esso Jamestown) and Torrance In man (Esso Dallas). Also deserving of mention is the Allocation and Dispatch Section of the Traffic Dept., headed by L. B. Bade, which arranges the details of cargo orders with Chief Mates. PACKING IN THE PRODUCT. The Esso Houston and Esso New Orleans had their best Baytown loadings, barrel-wise, last month, both ships getting pretty close to the half-million mark. On Oct. 18 the Houston lifted 4 grades of clean products total ing 491,618 bbls. wdiich she discharged at Bayway, N. J., Oct. 24-25. It was the first time one of our 67,800-tonners had docked in the Port of New York. The Esso New Orleans' largest volume was 495.022 bbls., loaded Oct. 21 for Paulsboro. While these figures on the new ships are im pressive. even more impressive performances -- in relation to the best possible -- were recently made by the Esso Washington, Jamestown and Dallas. All 3 ships loaded at Corpus Christi between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1, the Washington and Jamestown each taking cargo at 2 terminals. The volumes and tonnages, compared with theoretical maximums, were as follows: Esso Washington Esso Jamestown Esso Dallas Cargo Loaded Metered Tons Bbls. 36,603 36,427 25,754 319,076 323,097 223,450 Maximums DWT 39,893 39,870 28,198 Bbls. 321,362 321,362 225,023 Don't be alarmed that the Jamestown appears to have loaded more cargo than she has room for. The maximum volume is figured at 98% of ca pacity. allowing 2% for expansion, which in this case, the Jamestown did not require. This all adds up to something close to top EXOTIC PORT-ER. The Esso Scranton is on her way home, having discharged her cargo at Bombay, Oct. 14-19 and Calcutta, Oct. 26-30. She was due at Kharg Island (Jazireh-ye Khark), which is in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran, about Nov. 9 to load for Yorktown, Va., due Dec. 6. The Scranton left Baytown on Sept. 11 and followed the usual Atlantic-Mediterranean-Red Sea route to India, except that she bunkered at Djibouti, French Somaliland, across the Gulf of Aden from Aden. So that (Kharg and Djibouti) adds 2 more "exotic" ports to the Scranton's list of post-war firsts for the Esso fleet. Others include Marsa al Brega, Libya (Dec. 1964); Sfax and La Goulette, Tunisia (Apr. 1963); Bombay and Calcutta (MayJune 1962); Guam (March 1961), and Massena, N. Y. (Sept. 1959) via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Esso Scranton discharging lube oil into trucks at Bom bay. It took 3 days, loading 12 trucks at a time, to discharge fhe Bombay cargo. OS Sidney Schmidt in. 3&..S Vi EXX-MOR-006904 2-OCEAN SHIP. Last month we had the Esso Seattle "transiting" the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Panama a few days behind the Esso Miami and now she is crossing the Atlantic 3 days behind the Esso Gloucester. The latter vessel left Carta gena, Spain on Oct. 30 and is due at a Carribbean port about Nov. 10 to load an MSTS cargo for the U. S. East Coast. The Seattle left Piriac, France, Nov. 2 for Newport News (due about the 11th) for periodic repairs. When the Seattle docks at the Newport News shipyard, almost everyone aboard will go on paid leave. For some--those who have been assigned to the ship for 9 months or so --- the leave will be the full 4^2 months. The others will have 10 days leave and then rejoin the ship. After asking for the preferences of each crewmember, and fol lowing them as nearly as possible, it is interesting to note that only 2 of the men eligible did not wish to return to the ship. --* -- . GROW UP AND BE HAPPY. "He is happy who knows his good fortune" is an old saying that seems obvious at first thought. And it is, if you are referring to drawing a straight flush, melding 1,000 aces, picking a winning long-shot or inherit ing $1 million. OS Antone M. Gomes tends a line passed from the Esso Jamestown to the disabled cabin cruiser WhichA-Way, which had been helpless for 2 days and nights with engine trouble. The cruiser and her 4 men had put out from Ft. Lauderdale to pick up refugees in Cuba. They were 8 miles off Pacific Reef when the Jamestown's lookout sighted them at 1453, Oct. 22. Captain Einar Skolem, Master of the tanker, notified the Coast Guard, took the boat in tow for Miami and turned her over to a cutter off the sea buoy at 1804. The Jamestown was enroute from Baytown to Freeport. There was some swell on the sea, gusty winds and rain squalls. On the day before (Oct. 21) the Esso Houston, Cap tain F. G. Smith, answered a distress call from the yacht Golden Eagle, which ran out of fuel 17 miles off Alligator Reef on a trip from Miami to Cuba. The Houston transferred about 100 gal. of gasoline to the yacht and no further assistance was required. Of course, they gave the best--Esso Extra. Oiler Frank Gross _" But the saying implies that many of us are not happy because we do not know or appreciate our good fortune. This is true, too, and the best way to realize it is to look at things in reverse. For example: no one appreciates fresh air like a drown ing man, no one appreciates a good job like a man who is unemployed and no one understands the value of money like one who doesn't have any. While the saying, in the positive and the nega tive, applies to things, it is perhaps even more applicable to people. How easy it is to take a good friend or member of your family for granted! And how quickly we realize our good fortune in knowing that person when he or she is lost or in peril of being lost. Maybe being happy by knowing our good for tune should be part of the process of growing up. A child will fuss and fret for a toy he can't get and be disinterested in the ones he can reach. The habit stays with some people a long time -- they don't appreciate the good things that have become commonplace and they're unhappy about what they don't have. This is not to mean that we should all be con tent with our lot and never hope for something better. The trick is not to let the wishing or striv ing for better things prevent us from enjoying the blessings, beauty and benefits at hand. Humble's Chairman Urges Expansion Of Educational Goals Because engineers in 1975 will be working on many problems which do not now exist, we cannot hope to solve those problems by using today's technology, Carl E. Reistle, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Humble, told a 75th anniversary meeting at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla., Oct. 29. Speaking at the dedication of a new engineering center on the Norman campus, Mr. Reistle said: "Engineers have always been makers of history and today's engineers are busily engaged in shap ing the world of tomorrow. (No offense intended. Mates -- Ed.) The new engineering disciplines of tomorrow will emerge as a result of the inter action of the new needs of society and new techni cal resources. This is what is back of the great surge forward in education. This is what spurs us on to higher levels of performance and achieve ment." ESSO FLEET NEWS is published lor 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, Texas 71001. :'U.. EXX-MOR-006905 Mr. Reistle, an alumnus of 0. U., commented on 3 facets of education in a world where know ledge is expanding at an explosive rate. "First, I am' convinced that an increase in the general educational level of our people is an absolute necessity. Merely to exist in today's world calls for rising levels of education. If we want to make progress, we've got to raise those levels still higher." His second point: "Raising our educational levels does not mean that everyone in this country must have a college degree. This is virtually impossible. Some young people can develop themselves in other ways and make real contributions to our society and our economy without going to college." "The third point I want to make on education," he said, "is that a disciplined mind should stay disciplined. One of my firmest convictions is that an obligation rests on every one of us to go on educating ourselves for the rest of our lives." Fireman-Wateitender No. 1 Back in the early days of World War II, March 10, 1942 to be exact, Howard Heales was re-rated from Storekeeper to Fireman in the R. G. Stewart. By virtue of that assignment and others like it throughout the ensuing 23 years, Mr. Hea les has the distinction of topping our list of FWTs. Howard A, Heales Mr. Heales served 10 months in the Stewart during and immediately prior to the War, had a wartime year in the Esso Baltimore, another in the Esso Utica and altogether shipped out in 7 Company vessels during the hostilities. He was regularly assigned to the Esso Scranton from June 1945 to Oct. 1954 -- over 9 years. Bom and raised in Baltimore, Howard started out to be a sign painter, working for his father. When the Depression killed the demand for signs (except ones like "For Sale--Sacrifice") Howard went to sea. "I sailed with the Isthmian Line as crew messman at $35 per month," he said. "There were 3 messrooms, 2 amidships and 1 aft. I carried food aft in pails and served it `family style'. And we washed in salt water, the company furnishing salt water soap." The Baltimore Mail Line was next to enjoy the benefit of Mr. Heales' services, then the Export Line, then Esso. He joined the E. M. Clark as OM on April 24, 1939, became Wiper the follow ing month and after a year as OS. returned to the Engine Dept., where he has been ever since. Howard is a likeable shipmate, quick with a quip, good to his mother and, for a little fellow, has a big heart. A Home South of the Border Paid leave is many things to many people and to Clyde E. Sargent, AB in the Esso Lima, it's a ranch in Mexico. Sarge has been going down to Mexico on leaves for about 8 years and some time ago bought 300 acres in the State of Michoacan. His place is in an area about 7,000 ft. above sea level and is rough- Clyde E. Sargent ly 60 miles SE of Guadalajara, which is 370 miles west of Mexico City. He and his wife have an adobe brick house said to be 100 years old, a couple of horses and 6 milk cows. A brother-in law, who lives on adjoining property, takes care of the place when Sarge is at sea. Naturally, Sarge has picked up considerable of the lore, legend and language of the region. Mic hoacan (land of lakes) has a strange similarity in name to Michigan, where Clyde was born. The citizens are mostly Purepecha (the first ones) In dians who had their own civilization and were never conquered by the Aztecs. When they were conquered by the Spaniards, they hid their stone and gold idols in caves, many of which have never been found. Clyde likes to look for them and has found some stone idols about 18" high and 7" dia. but he hasn't discovered any gold ones. Other points of interest nearby are 50-mile-long Lago de Chapala, and Paricutin, a volcano that's marked "inactive" on the Enco map but Sarge says it smokes and there are frequent tremors. It erupted in 1943. Mr. Sargent, a World War II veteran, started in the Esso fleet in March 1948 and has over 15 (4 years of credited service. These are masked and plumed Mexican children cele brating the Festival of the Patron Santiago (patron saint of warriors) in Sahuayo, a town near Clyde Sar gent's ranch. The festival is an all-day affair in con trast to our Halloween on the Eve of All Saint s' Day. (Egad, do they have ``tricks or treats" all day long?) EXX-MOR-006906 Hospital-Surgical-Medical Ins. Rates No, they're not going up. Health Service, Inc., which provides the basic hospital-surgical-medical insurance for seagoing personnel, annuitants and their families, has offered to continue the present group contract through 1966 with no increase in rates. Said rates (monthly) are as follows: .-------------- Basic Benefits----------------, Employee Company Share Share Total Individual Indiv. & dependent Family Each sponsored child (age 19-23) $5.97 10.18 1 1.39 5.97 ____ $4.20 5 41 -- $ 5.97 14.38 16.80 5.97 Major Medical $1.46 3.24 3.86 .95 The Company pays half of the difference between the total cost and the individual cost where coverage is for family, or individual and dependent. Employee pays all the Major Medical cost. Employees make their payments through Thrift Fund allotments. Annuitants have premiums de ducted from annuity checks. . You may apply in May and November for hospital-surgical-medical coverage to commence the following July 1 or Jan. 1, or you may apply when you join the Thrift Fund. TAFFRAIL TALK Stanley B. Haas, formerly Manager of the Traffic Dept., was appointed Asst. Operations Manager on Nov. 1. He recently attended a 6-week Program for Business Administration course at Columbia University. Mr. Haas has 16 years' serv ice with Esso Standard, Jersey and Humble and is an Air Force veteran of World War II. *** The Seagoing Personnel Section had the plea sure of relaying to John S. Downey, Oiler in the Esso Seattle, the vital statistics (odd phrase, isn't it?) that his wife Dolores gave birth to a daughter on Oct. 26. The Downey's new income tax deduc tion is Dana Ann, who checked in at a husky 8 lbs. 15 oz. Both mother and daughter are reported doing fine. *** James L. Burke, Third Mate in the Esso Hunt ington,. has obtained his Master's license and washes to express his gratitude to the Company and the JSTOA for making it possible for him to accumulate enough time as Special Second Mate to sit for the license. "My shipmates in the Esso Huntington and my family also deserve a lot of credit for their help and encouragement while I was studying for this license," he said. Andrew Bozicevic, Third Mate in the Esso Baltimore, stands beside a 7-ft. 1-in., 40-lb. sailfish and several lesser piscatorial prizes which he caught on opening day of the annual Fort Lauderdale Fishing Festival, Oct. 1. The sailfish was the heaviest caught during the day and won Andy a nice trophy and citation. Two years ago he won second prize in the Festival with a 296-lb. blue marlin. Mr. Bozicevic was also pleased to report another prize -- 7-lb. 10-oz. daughter, Tina, born Aug. 24. Charles R. Hahn (Radio Officer, ret. April 1964) writes that he is enjoying his retirement in Savannah, Ga. very much. He has been taking color photographs of flowers, principally roses and camellias. "This is called the `Hostess City'," Mr. Hahn said, "but I think a better name would be `Flower City' ". Harald Ronhave. former Third Mate who has been on loan to Enjav Chemical Co., transferred to that company's payroll on Nov. 1. OBITUARY Elbert Leary. 57. retired Chief Mate, died of a heart attack Oct. 29 in Saugus, Mass., where he lived with his wife, Jean. Mr. Leary retired July 1. 1963 under a special early re tirement program. In addition to his 22 years of credited Com pany service, he was on active duty with the Lb S. Coast Guard from July 1942 to July 1946. participating in several Pacific island invasions. He started his seagoing career in 1930, sailing in coastwise vessels.