Document gE30RVkQkr5KVxObExjE8gGo3

Mail On The Way Johnny Adams in the Humble mailroom in Houston, Texas, stuffs letters and packages into a mailbag, one of several which he will forward to Capetown, South Africa. Plans are to deliver the ship's mail via helicopter to the Esso Houston when she passes near Capetown on her return to the United States. The ship has been on a grain voyage to Karachi, West Pakistan, and then loaded a cargo of crude in the port of Jabel Dhanna in the Arabian Gulf for delivery to Phila delphia. The mail drop will be made about April 17 or 18, de pending on the vessel's schedule and the weather. If she should arrive off Capetown at night, the mail delivery will be made by launch. As the pouch will contain letters from wives, sweethearts, and others, as well as company mail, it's a safe bet that personnel in the Esso Houston will all be on deck, regardless of how or what time it's delivered. ,Russell H. Venn Director In Charge Of Marine Department, To Retire On May 1 The Humble director in charge of the Marine Department, Russell H. Venn, has announced plans to retire from the company on May I. He has more than 37 years of company service. Mr. Venn is also director in charge of the Em ployee Relations, General Ser vices, and Aviation departments. He became director in charge of the Marine Department in No vember, 1965. A native of Pentwater, Michi gan, Mr. Venn was graduated from Wayne State University in 1933 with a BS degree in chemical engineering. He received his MS in chemical engineering the next year from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduation, he joined Humble as a chemical engineer at Baytown Refinery. In the years which followed, he held positions of increasing responsibility and became manager of the Refining Department in 1955. Three years later, he was named manager of the Marketing Department. In 1959, following the merger, Mr. Venn was appointed a mem ber of the board of management (See VENN, page 3) Look At Opportunities Available in All Types of Vessels/ Says Richard N. Gardner "As I see it, the way shipping is now a young man who wants a career at sea should take a look at the opportunities available in all types of vessels because he doesn't always know what will be open to him when it comes time to get a job," said Richard N. Gardner, 2nd mate in the tug Enco Sunshine State. "1 started reading about the various types of jobs that make up the marine industry about a year before I got my third mate's li cense from the Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston. I decided that although most of my buddies were aiming at careers in the big oceangoing ships, there were other opportunities that looked promising--like maybe the tug and barge end of the business. "When I graduated from the academy in May, 1971, I took a job with Jackson Marine Corpora tion which assigned me to their supply boat, the Arctic Moon. The only thing was, this boat was in volved in hauling pipe to barges laying a gas pipeline in the North Sea--a long way from the type of inland waterway operations that I envisioned in the U.S. "However, I took the job and it was a tough one, and a little frightening, especially during bad weather which seemed to be most of the time. I spent 198 days in the North Sea with very little shore leave. But the job had its advantages. For one thing, I got a lot of experience quick. For an other, I advanced fast. I became chief mate in the Arctic Moon very soon after being assigned to her and I served in that position for only about three months before (See GARDNER, page 4) H2 H3 UJ UX U! H t^ EXX-MOR-008005 Two Officers Prom Fleet On Temporary Assignments Ashore Two seagoing licensed officers, Thomas J. Donovan and Alton Burns, Jr., are now serving in tem porary shore assignments in the Marine Department headquarters in Houston. Mr. Donovan is cur rently in Operations-Tecbnical where he is working on various engineering projects. Mr. Burns is assisting in cargo layout in Logis tics and Planning. The assignments are part of an overall Marine Department pro gram designed to provide young fleet officers the opportunity to serve in shore positions on a rota tional basis, and to help qualify them as candidates for possible advancement as opportunities arise. Mr. Donovan joined the fleet as third assistant engineer in June, 1969, following graduation from the New York State Maritime Acad emy. His first ship was the Esso New York. Mr. Burns joined the fleet as oiler in the Esso Houston in 1967. He obtained his third as sistant engineer's license about a year later. After completing their assign ments in June, the officers will re turn to the fleet. "Nearly everyone has questions on various phases of Marine De partment operations, and since I've been ashore, 1 have gained an insight to many of the problems that are involved in operating a fleet such as our's--especially concerning Logistics and Plan ning," said Mr. Burns. "With this knowledge, I can now better un derstand why close cooperation between shoreside and fleet per sonnel is so necessary in order to operate efficiently in both loca tions." In reviewing his assignment in Operations-Technical, Mr. Dono van said: "I find this a distinct op portunity in that I am taking part in each project from beginning to final draft. I also have a better understanding of all that takes place with respect to new ideas and improvements within the fleet." Esso Gettysburg' In Shipyard For Modifications The Esso Gettysburg is now at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company where her for ward deep tanks are being modi fied for lube oil service and her No. 1 and No. 2 wing tanks are being modified for solvents. The changes include the installation of heating coils and dehumidification equipment. Her No. 8 tanks across are be ing changed to carry paraxylene. For this service, a new 3,000-barrel-per-hour deepwell pump is be ing installed, along with additional heating coils, a new suction sys tem, and a new piping system for the tanks. The vessel is being modified to meet the increased demand for lube oils and solvents by indus tries in the Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, areas and to meet the new demand by DuPont for para xylene at its Wilmington, North Carolina plant. In addition to these cargoes, the Esso Gettysburg will continue in clean service from Baytown and Baton Rouge to East Coast ports. `Esso Washington' Discharges At Wilmington For First Time On March 27, the Esso Wash ington became the first 41,000dwt vessel to discharge cargo at the Humble Terminal in Wil mington, North Carolina. The vessel was able to make de livery of a part cargo of 170, 000 barrels of clean product because the channel leading to the terminal was recently deep ened to 38 feet. The deepened channel makes it possible for the Esso Gettysburg to supply this port when she returns to service. Thomas J. Donovan, left, and Alton Burns discuss cargo layout problem. Last Lost-Time injury In FSeet-February 20 Page 2 Esso Fleet News COPIED Fit DM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HlSTOit THE UNIVF.RSITY nFTrVAQ a t a iic t im VENN, continued from page 1 of the Humble Division and the next year was named vice presi dent in charge of the Southeast Esso Region with headquarters in New Orleans. Shortly thereafter, he was detached from the duties of that office to plan and execute a market development program for Humble in five Southeastern States where there had been no direct company marketing opera tions. Humble's representation in those states today is the out growth of the aggressive expan sion program launched under his leadership. Returning to Houston in 1962, he was elected to the Humble board of directors and became a vice president and director the following year. "I have enjoyed my role as di rector in charge of the Marine De partment. I believe that our sea Mr. Venn, left, pays tribute to the Marine Department and its employees during informal chat with Sydney Wire, assistant general manager, and Emmett A. Hum ble, general manager, Marine Department. going and inland waterways ves sels make up one of the most fascinating forms of transporta tion in Humble. Our Marine De partment employees, both ashore and afloat, are outstanding com pany representatives and their ex ceptional skills keep our ocean going and inland waterways fleets in a position of leadership in the marine transportation industry," Mr. Venn said. TAFFRAIL TALK ALTHOUGH THIS piece of redwood looks pretty big, it will end up as a statue after about two months of persistent whittling by David G. Fer nandes, steward in the Esso Bangor. Mr. Fernandes has been carving whales, statues, and puppets out of wood for 15 or 20 years. He began his carving career while a mere lad when he carved his own tops for spinning at school. The largest thing he has carved in recent years is an 18-inch-long whale. The smallest is a 3-inch porpoise. "Carving is a good pastime, especially at night when I'm alone in my cabin," he said. IT'S NICE to be able to do what one wants, when he wants to do it," says Ralph W. Wilkinson who retired last April as A/O. Mr. Wil kinson, who lives in Carrollton, Georgia, wrote that although it took a bit of getting used to, re tirement is now enjoyable and gives him time to pursue a couple of hobbies. He has a big fishing trip planned for later this summer. "Give my best regards to my ship mates and tell them that I hope they have smooth sailing and happy shore leaves," he wrote. --o-- WILDER J. "BO" ROBBINS, who retired as pumpman in April, 1966, and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, has finally "Arrived." He writes that after all these years, he has made captain. "My church started a bus ministry and I am captain of a bus. A bus is a long way from an oil tanker, but I love it. My best wishes to the seagoing gang," writes Mr. Robbins. April 10, 1972 Page 3 A I EXX-MOR-008007 GARDNER becoming her master. She was a 2250 hp boat with a bow thruster and an 8-man English, German, and Spanish crew. I was the only American aboard. Although we got along very well, when the oppor tunity came in November for me to fly back to the states on leave, I grabbed it." During his vacation, Mr. Gardner read that the Enco Sunshine State and the Enco Port Everglades were being used in ocean service, a relatively new type of operation for a tug-barge combination. He contacted the Humble Marine De partment, indicating his desire to be a part of this venture and in February, 1972, he was hired as second mate. Mr. Gardner finds that the ex perience gained in the Arctic Moon is serving him well in the Enco Sunshine State. "I know how . .continued from page 1 j to do my job and how it relates to other duties that make up an op eration of this type," he said. Then there's another big plus: "Although the Gulf gets a little rough at times, the run from Baytown to Florida ports is much more enjoy able and the weather is almost 100 per cent better than that in the North Sea." Also, Mr. Gardner is married and he is now a lot closer to his home in Mississippi than he has been before. "There's still another reason that I'm glad to be in the tug and barge fleet--I think that as new industries locate along inland waterways, and as cities grow, the demand for petroleum products will become greater. This, I be lieve, will mean more business for Humble's inland waterways fleet and I want to have a part in this growth." New Booklet Is Available To Marine Employees The company has a new book let that may be of interest to Ma rine Department employees. The 32-page booklet, entitled "Humble Today," briefly describes the many activities of Humble that make it America's Leading Energy Com pany. It also describes each func tion involved in the exploration, production, transportation, refin ing, and marketing of petroleum and petroleum products and tells how Humble participates in each of these functions. The booklet is illustrated with full color photos and it's free. You can obtain a copy by writing to Esso Fleet News, Humble Oil & Refining Com pany, P.O. Box 2180, Room 4193, Houston, Texas 77001. A postcard will do. j Obituary | DUSON E. HOOVER, JR., died of cancer at age 45 in Hammond, Louisiana. He had more than 6 years of service in the fleet. Mr. Hoover sailed as OS in the Esso Buffalo for a short time in 1946, then he sailed as OS and AB in a number of ships from September, 1947, to July, 1950, and as AB in 1951-52. After a period of broken service, he was rehired as Main tenance Mechanic/2nd Pumpman in the Esso Lexington in February, 1969, and sailed in that rating until June, 1970, when he became AB in the Esso Baton Rouge. His last ship was the Esso Bangor. He is survived by his wife and two chil dren. Richard N. Gardner uses mirror to reflect light to bottom of cargo tank during stripping operations in Enco Port Everglades. ESSO FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired em ployees of the Marine Department, Humble Oil & Refining Co.; Emmett A. Humble, General Manager; Sydney Wire, Assistant General Manager. GENE LEGLER..............................................Editor Contributions and suggestions are invited and should be addressed to the Editor, ESSO FLEET NEWS, Humble Oil & Refin ing Co., P. O. Box 2180, Room 4193, Houston, Texas 77001. Page 4 Esso Fleet News