Document gYNYjKnm5Md5VBgYedY8GQdN

COFIFD FROM THE CCJELECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICA.Th ISTOK' THE UNIVERSITY OF TFYa s a t a iis t im PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, HUMBLE OIL & REFiHIHS COMPAHY Vo!. 9, No. 1 January 5, 1967 Where WeVe Been, Where WeVe Going By Joseph Andreae, General Manager, Marine Department As we move into the new year it might be well to scan the wake astern and the outlook ahead to see where we have been and where we are heading. 1966 was a good year. All of the vessels were fully and profitably employed; the 68,000-tonners set new records in efficiency and cargo sizes, among which were 15 loadings of a half million bbls. or more. The biggest cargo was the Esso Houston's 534.983 bbls. out of Baton Rouge on December 24. We had quite a number of offshore voyages, the Esso Miami's two grain cargoes to India, with a Persian Gulf/Far East oil cargo sandwiched be tween. being the most notable. This was a brand new venture for us and the seagoing personnel and shore staff are to be complimented for the enthusiasm with which they tackled the job -- and they did it well. The Esso Chester also did an excellent job in the asphalt trade again last year, transporting more products in less time than they did in 1965. As for the rest of the Fleet, they loaded, they sailed, they docked, discharged and sailed again -- without undue incident. A great deal can be said about these "routine" voyages. I am thinking of the Master who stays glued to the radar set for hours in bad weather; the Chief Mate who is on the job 24 hours coming into port and loading cargo; the First Assistant whose care and mainte nance prevents a delay for repairs; and the Oiler who catches a bearing running hot. Yes. and the Steward's Department men who are so important to good morale, and the Deck gang who handle the tank cleaning chores. All in a day's work, you might say. but never theless it fills one with pride and admiration for the skill and loyalty that characterizes so many of the men in the Fleet. The fact that this skill and devotion to duty is so commonplace that it doesn't make headlines is all the more cause for commendation. As great as the satisfaction of work well done may be. the seagoing men do not labor entirely for love. Deck. Engine and Radio Officers and Chief Stewards all negotiated higher wage rates during the year and unlicensed men received SI60. and $200. increases in Special Supplement pay and will receive the same increases again next June. We believe that safety and living conditions on our ships continue to be second to none. After 10 years the program of internal and external coating of ships was essentially completed in 1966. This has been an expensive undertaking. However, the advantages and savings are obvious to everyone. Ten vessels have been equipped with bulbous bows and this program will be completed in 1967 when the Esso Jamestown is done in June. We nearly completed the bowthruster and boiler automation programs in 1966 by adding to the number of vessels so equipped. These programs illustrate our desire to take advantage of oppor tunities to make the Fleet more efficient. If the day ever comes when our tankers are NOT the most economical means of transporting oil from the Gulf to the U. S. East Coast, there will be little security in any of our jobs. While it is part of my job to assure that our Fleet keeps ahead of competition. I also realize we have an obligation to our employees. Among other ways, we have tried to meet that obligation by urging Firemen to sail as Oilers (where there is no lack of jobs), giving six months' notice, generous severance pay or a lower rating where that alternative is chosen. No firemen have been involuntarily laid off for lack of a job. EXX-MOR-007139 Additions of new owned inland waterway equip ment to our modern fleet were made in 1966, thereby increasing the amount of business handled in owned units. Now, as for 1967, the first thing we are faced with is the representation election being conducted by the NLRB. It is unfortunate that we have to go through the election again, but that is beyond our control. We are confident that a satisfactory outcome will be repeated and that Esso seamen will not be "taken in" by empty promises. One development planned for 1967 is the start of construction of two tanker docks for the Com pany's new refinery being built at Benicia, Cali fornia. One dock will be for crude, capable of accommodating tankers up to 190,000 DWT., and the other will be for vessels up to 30,000 DWT loading refined products. We expect to be in the marine business in that area when the new refin ery starts up in 1969. We will continue to give close attention to the CHRISTMAS DINNER, with trimmings on the trimmings, was observed aboard ships of the Esso Fleet last week in the sumptuous fashion that has become a tradition. However, we hardly think the catering was carried to the point where oilers sat at the Master's place and were plied with goodies by 3 men in spotless starched coats -- as this photo aboard the Esso Lima suggests. That's Oiler Ralph Maupin with knife and fork "at the ready" and UM Hector Marrero and MM Larry Armendariz and John Morrison pushing fruit, pie and fresh rolls. "Although the service afforded me in the gag shot might be slightly exaggerated," Ralph said, "the men did an excellent job. The crew sure did eat and low calorie diets were disregarded for the day. It was in deed a beautiful, well-prepared and well-served feast." Others in the Steward's Dept, of the Lima were: Chief Steward Jose A. Plaza, Chief Cook Joao DeBarros, Second Cook Edmund J. Reimer and UM Edward C. Fitzgerald. Oiler Ralph Maupin capabilities of the Fleet to do its job. In the light of harbor improvements, increased product sales and average age of the Fleet, we are constantly reviewing the opportunities for improvement of existing ships and construction of new' vessels. If the JSTOA accepts the proposed Special Sea Service Retirement Annuity Supplement, there will be an undetermined number of officer pro motions to replace those who elect to accept early retirement with the improved annuities. In 1967 we are confident that with the coopera tion of everyone we will have another year of safe and mutually profitable operations. All of us should be proud that we are the leaders in our industry and no one is going to take that away from us. The American Merchant Marine may be a strife-torn political football, but that is definitely not the situation in our portion of it. Continuation of uninterrupted, efficient and competitive opera tions will assure our future. Gilbarco Employees Reject Teamsters A NLRB-supervised election among employees of the Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Co. at Greensboro, N. C., Dec. 23, showed the following results: No Union Teamsters Union Communication Workers of America Challenged 124 98 10 4 Total ~236 Gilbert & Barker is a Standard Oil Co. (N. J.) affiliate which makes oil burners and service sta tion equipment. NOTE: While a no union vote may be a wise choice in a shore plant, it would seem to be a foolish choice in the case of Esso seamen since they have chosen independent bargaining repre sentatives for nearly 30 years. WORDS OF THE WISE There are none so blind as those who will not see. * ** The chief secret of comfort lies in not suffering trifles to vex us, and in prudently cultivating our undergrowth of small pleasures, since very few great ones, alas! are let on long leases. --Sharp ESSO FLEET NEWS is published for the seagoing em ployees of the Marine Department, 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 77001. "Brad" Retires With exactly 39 years and 22 days' accredited service chalked up, Harold W. Bradbury, Asst. Port Engineer, decided that Jan. 1 was the time to become an annuitant. He and his wife Virginia took off from Baytown, Dec. 29, for Florida, which will be their new headquarters. "I have a couple months' work to do on the house" (1519 Tenth St., Jacksonville Beach, Fla. 32050) Brad said, "then we are going to Puerto Rico and the West Indies in February. After that we plan to do considerable traveling (they have relatives from Maine to Calif.), maybe in a land cruiser." Bom in Maine, where his parents and brother still live, Brad graduated from the Massachusetts Nautical School and got his Third Asst's license in March 1925. He sailed with Luckenbach and United Fruit, worked in GE's turbine shops in Lynn, Mass., then on Dec. 9, 1927, started at Everett Refinery of Beacon Oil Co., working as a mechanic for Port Engineer T. J. McTaggart's father. Brad went to sea again in July 1929 as Third Asst, in the Beaconlight. In 1930 the Beacon fleet became part of Esso and he continued as Second and First Asst, for 4 more years. Coming ashore in the spring of 1934, he held various positions in the Supply Section at Bayonne and was successively Chief of Materials Control, Performance Control Engineer, Safety Engineer and Supervisor of the tied up fleet at Pralls Island and Jacksonville. He has been Asst. Port Engineer since April 1961. -------------TAFFRAIL talk --- -p Captain R. W. Gwaltney, of Panama City, Fla., who retired Nov. 1, 1960, gives this impres sion of retirement: "The last 6 years have been real living, continuous paid leave, only one day in the hospital since retiring. I can't run as fast, jump as high, dive as deep, swim as far or do as much of several other things as in the past but that old rocking chair hasn't got me yet." ** * Llewellyn L. Buck (Ch. Steward, ret. 4/66) who was reported on the sick list last October, writes "I am doing pretty good now. . . Would you please put a little article in the Fleet News thanking all those who sent me cards. I received quite a few. Pete Goetz (2nd Mate, Esso Miami) sent me a card from India and Captain Isefjer Ethel Keiiahan JOSEPH L. KELLAHAN, Chief Engineer in the Esso Gloucester, couldn't be home with the folks this Christ mas, so the home folks came to him. His daughter Ethel wrote: "My sister Joyce and I decided to sur prise Dad when his ship arrived at Bayway on Dec. 18. We went aboard and decorated his office as you see in the picture. Mother, our friends and Dad had `Christmas away from home'." In the photo are: Chief Keiiahan (center) his daugh ter Joyce (right) and friends Elvira Esteveg (left) and Billy Young (foreground). (Anders Isefjer, ret. 8/57) sent me a card from Norway. So will close now and go shopping with my Mrs." * ** AB Francis A. Antonio and his wife Maud left Houston Dec. 22 for Glasgow, Scotland to visit Mrs. Antonio's relatives there. Frank was in the Esso Scranton on her last India voyage. * ** Esso Scranton, incidentally, has been chartered ("fixed" is the term of the trade) for another voyage to India, loading in the Gulf toward the end of this month. * ** Next cruise of the Esso Miami, wdiich is due at a U. S. Gulf port from Bombay about the time this paper hits the .street deck, will be to the West Coast. ** * If you tried to match noses in the photo on page 1 of the Dec. 22 issue with the left-to-right names, you found one less name than nose. The missing name was J. H. Jorgensen, Jacksonville Branch Manager, and it belonged to the spectacled gent just right of center. (Sorry about that, Jorgey.) at * * On the subject of things missing, Robert H. Simpson. AB in the Esso Florence, tells us he lost his black-framed, tri-focal glasses on the Esso Miami last June. Finder please notify Ye Ed or somebody. w I? ^< ce s< 7 u~. UUJ ?<< -s u_ !y~, fc-- !2 3_ Iu EXX-MOR-007141 What to Do About Too Much Federal Income Tax Withholding If it develops that you had too much Federal income tax withheld from your earnings in 1966 because you have large itemized deductions on your 1966 tax return, and -- If you expect to have large itemized deduc tions for 1967, then -- You may claim one or more "withholding allowances" in 1967. Each additional withholding allowance claimed will be treated as a withholding exemption by the Company and will reduce the amount of Federal income tax withheld. However, you must file your 1966 tax return before you can become eligible for an additional withholding allowance. Seagoing employees who think they qualify for an additional withholding allowance for 1967 may use the Schedule A "Determination of With holding Allowances for Itemized Deductions" be- SIRV9CE EMBLEM AWARDS 30 YEARS -ur'-F* Henrique O. Ferreira Chief Steward December 22, 1966 20 YEARS >. . .k !, V -*\ James J. Spring Third Mate December 13, 1966 Francis A. Antonio Able Seaman April 10, 1965 -* >. -1 ing sent to employees' W-4 addresses by the Ships' Payroll Section. If an employee finds, after completing Schedule A, that he is entitled to one or more withholding allowances and desires to have his Federal withholding tax reduced, he should obtain a new W-4 Form from the Sea going Personnel Section. Houston; a Branch Office or aboard ship. The new (green) W-4 with Sched ule A attached should then be sent to the Seagoing Personnel Section. A new Schedule A must be sent to the Payroll Section each year in which you wish to claim a withholding allowance. OBITUARY Captain Gunnar Gjertsen. 79, died Dec. 18 at his home in Brooklyn. He had been retired for 16Yo years. A native of Norway and a graduate of the Naval Academy of Norway. Captain Gjertsen joined the Fleet as Third Mate in June 1925. He w'as promoted to Master before World W'ar II and sailed throughout that conflict, surviving 2 torpedoings, the Arriago, on June 23, 1941, and the John Worthington, on May 27, 1943. He retired in June 1950 with 24 years of Company service. Captain Johann P. Nagel. 62, died Dec. 21 after an illness of several months. He is survived by his wife, Hildegard. / ' .-.fjfetei BHBfc st, IB In a 44-year seagoing career starting at the age of 15 in German schooners, Captain Nagel sailed with a half-dozen American companies before he signed on as AB in Esso's Geo. H. Jones in Nov. 1932. He was Chief Mate during most of World War II and Master from Aug. 1951 to his retire ment in March 1963. Captain Andrew W. Ray, 69, an annuitant since Dec. 1957, died Dec. 16. A native of Mary land and resident of Baltimore, Captain Ray began his sea going career in 1912 in coastal towboats. He sailed in a Navy collier and Army transport in World War I, joined the Mun son Line in 1919 and Pan Am in 1923. Advanc ing to Master in Nov. 1930, he continued in that rank (27 years) until his retirement. u< U4 - $ 2 IS 5 P CU2J] 2< xm &^ -- > O as ZZ L>U 3^ uj UX \U In Glenn E. Miller Able Seaman Odober 25. 1966 Joao P. Moura Able Seaman September 24, 1966 Robert M. Clements Oiler November 20, 1966 EXX-MOR-007142