Document oM9q7EX8zLryYEax3NQ2Kvnpr

CORFU FltOM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HlSTOlf THE UNI VERS1TY OF TEXAS a t a iiq t iw Humble Tow Goes To Aid Of Ship The Enco Sunshine State and her barge, the Enco Port Ever glades, were proceeding about 65 miles off the Dry Tortugas on March 14 when at 2040 a distress signal was sighted off the star board bow. After notifying the Coast Guard, the tow(enroute from Baytown Re finery to Port Everglades, Florida) changed course and headed to ward the distress signal. Upon ar rival, the crew discovered that a Panamanian ship, Theja, had blown several piston heads in her engines. The Sunshine State ran a line to the vessel to take her in tow if necessary. However, the Coast Guard radioed that a cutter was on the way and would arrive within three hours. The tug crew stood by until the Coast Guard ar rived and took the stricken vessel in tow. After a "Well Done" from (See SUNSHINE STATE, page 6) Boston To Load Grain The Esso Boston is scheduled to load about 48,000 tons of grain at Houston the first week in April for discharge at Chittagong, East Pakistan. The Boston was in grain service last year when she left Houston on May 4 loaded with 48,000 tons of wheat for Istanbul. Three other Humble vessels also made overseas grain deliv eries to East Pakistan in 1970. The Esso Houston delivered 64,000 tons in April, the Enco Gloucester delivered 28,000 tons in July, and the Esso Jamestown went into anchorage at Pondichery, India, and lightered cargo to East Pakis tan in August. V "Imagine, receiving a birth announcement from a satellite way up there," says Peter Kessler as he and Captain Walter Brelsford look to the skies from the bridge of the Esso Baltimore. The satel lite, right, is 56 inches around, 70 inches tall. Kessler Learns "It's A Boy" Via Satellite Peter Kessler, chief engineer in the Esso Baltimore, is without doubt the first employee and the first grandfather in the fleet to re ceive a message bounced off a satellite 20,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The message: JAMES TODD KAUFMAN, ROBUST EIGHT POUND THREE OUNCE BOY ARRIVED SATURDAY AT 11:57 A.M. PICTURE OF HEALTH. MARTHA TO COME HOME FROM HOSPITAL ON WEDNESDAY. Chief Kessler received the mes sage during the testing of ex perimental equipment which was installed temporarily in the Balti more to determine the feasibility of two-way automatic data com munications between a ship and a landbased master station via satellite. While two factory repre sentatives were making the tests, Mr. Kessler mentioned that he was (See SATELLITE, page 6) Esso Lima Taking Jet Fuel To England The Esso Lima, on outward charter to the Military Sealift Command (formerly Military Sea Transportation Service), loaded jet fuel at Punta Cardon, Vene zuela, on March 25 and 26. The vessel will discharge the cargo at two U. S. Air Force installations in England. EXX-MOR-008172 COPIED FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN THE IIN IV P IJ>;iT Y n c T C V iC A-r a iic t im Seamen In Gloucester Encounter Quake, Ice, Below Zero Weather What may be the first time that a Humble ship was involved in an earthquake occurred shortly after 0600 on February 9 when the Enco Gloucester was discharging fuel oil at El Segundo, California. Captain Edward Crawford writes: "While discharging nor mally through the submarine pipeline offshore El Segundo, the Gloucester vi brated severely and started to C,,apt,. C_ raw,ford. roll. All hands on deck began looking around for something un usual, but could find nothing. The vibration lasted only a minute or two. Then things settled down. We learned later that morning, via TV, that a severe earthquake had hit in the vicinity of the San Fer nando Valley about 50 miles to the northeast of our vessel." February was a rather unusual month for Captain Crawford. In addition to experiencing the earth quake, he was in the Esso Boston at anchor outside New Haven Har bor on February 2 during severe ice conditions and a temperature of 3 above zero. He was relieved later that day by Captain Phil Bab cock and flew to El Segundo to take over as master of the Glou cester on February 9, the same day as the quake. Right after the quake, the temperature soared to 85 degrees, a new heat record for this area. "Inside of eight days, I experienced temperatures from 3 to 85 degrees," Captain Crawford said. Oh yes, as Captain Crawford was typing this information in a letter to Fleet News on February 25, he was doing so in 15 below zero weather as the Gloucester was loading crude at Drift River, Alaska. "This is rough country up here," Captain Crawford wrote. "From San Francisco to the approaches of Cook Inlet is about 5 days run under normal weather conditions, but during winter the trip some times takes much longer because of heavy weather. The last time the vessel was here (Captain Se bastian Masuzzo in command), they had severe ice conditions and had to use the engines at all times, often at full speed and/or full astern at the dock to keep her alongside. This, of course, was due to large floes of ice which local people call ice pans. Some ioc X \ i. . Page 2 Esso Fleet News were larger than the ship." In further describing the area, Captain .Crawford wrote: "On this current trip, we ap proached Kennedy Straits, en trance to Cook Inlet, in severe NW gales with winds in excess of 50 knots with high, rough, mountainous seas and swells, heavy snow, visibility zero. Here, the radars must be in A-1 shape. We tried to get through Kennedy Straits and were in more or less a ticklish situation with plenty of reefs on both sides. We had to use hard rudder to hold the vessel with engines full ahead at times. We were forced to turn back and get in the lee of Kenai Peninsula to await moderate weather. Need less to say, the ship was really rolling. In fact, the ship rolled worse than 1 have ever experi enced since World War II in dead winter in the North Atlantic. "On the second try, the vessel made it through the straits and into Cook Inlet. From this point, it is about 50 miles to the pilot station at Homer. Once the ves sel `rounded the comer' here, things leveled off and we arrived o.k. We proceeded directly to Drift River (about 60 miles from Homer) to the loading platform about a mile offshore. They can really pour the oil in (up to 50,000 barrels per hour if you can take it). Oil from shore tanks comes from drilling rigs up the line in the bay towards Anchorage. The ship must be moored to the plat form with all cables and lines be cause heavy ice floes, riding the tides, smash against the bow and stern and tend to drag the ship off. The loading platform contains quick-release clamps and the lines can be tripped to let the vessel get away quickly when necessary. The engines must be used at all times to hold the ship. Tides range at this time of year up to 30 feet and the current 6 to 7 knots. "After you leave here, the pilot takes you to Homer, gets off, then it's 50 to 60 miles to open waters. I should add that you dock only on slack water (because of the current) day or night. March 29, 1971 Former Third Mate Leads Adventuresome Life As MSC Diver John W. Arens' middle initial should have been A for Action-- or maybe it could stand for Ad venture. His life is full of both. Mr. Arens, a former third mate in the Humble Fleet, went to sea at 17 as a seaman in tankers making North Atlantic convoy runs in 1944-45. Later, he joined the Army, qualified as a paratrooper trained in demolition, survived dangerous missions in Korea, and then returned to civilian status. Mr. Arens joined Humble's Esso Fleet in 1953 as a third mate. After several years with the com pany, he decided to leave the fleet to work ashore where he also learned to drive race cars and became an experienced sky diver. But the call of the sea was strong, so he returned, this time to the Military Sealift Command, a branch of the Navy. He served more or less routinely in several MSC ships until 1965 when he was assigned to an MSC tanker, the USNS Redbud. He became first officer and was named the ship's diving officer. THEN the action picked up. The ship operates in Arctic waters and each year it becomes the "home base" from which he and other divers operate to in spect fuel lines extending from tanker deepwater off-loading points to the shore in ports such as Goose Bay, Thule, and Sondestrom. Mr. Arens and his divers also check mooring buoys, in spect and repair ice-damaged hulls, and perform other under water work required in Arctic ma rine operations. As diving officer, who also trains new divers to perform these duties, John Arens encounters many dangers while underwater. He has had to dodge icebergs and growlers (large chunks of floating ice). He has to guard con stantly against the cold that numbs a diver in a wetsuit and Diving Officer John W. Arens surfaces after completing a dive in Arctic waters. saps his strength almost before he is aware of it. There's always the danger of getting caught in an unseen current which could knock a man unconscious, if he didn't handle himself properly. And in some deep water, visibility is practically zero and a diver has to feel his way around. "The job is tough and it re quires constant alertness if one is to survive, but the challenge is great and that's what I like," said the trim 43-year-old bachelor. As evidence that Mr. Arens does his job well, he was recently pre sented two awards for his con tributions and exceptional perfor mance as first officer and diving officer in the USNS Redbud. Page 3 u< a t a iic t im COPIFU FltOM THE COLLECTIONS INnTHEr r c CENTERv i c FOR AMERICAN HISTOK THF. 1INIVF.HtITY r--TAFFRAIL TALK pare a surface right, that is, brush away all loose material and make sure that the surface to be painted is clean, there's nothing that will stick like Humble Rust-Ban," Mr. Fernandes said. Each year, thousands of gallons of Humble Rust-Ban are used to keep ships in the fleet in shipshape condition. This makes the Marine Department one of the Enjay Chemical Company's best pro tective coating customers. ALTHOUGH COLD WEATHER and snow make for increased heating oil sales, which is good business for Humble, they can cause a lot of inconvenience for people trying to get to work. Radio Officer Gerald Hargett is shown here call ing his ship, the Esso Houston, in Portland, Maine, recently. "I'm almost snowbound, but I'm on my way," he told the chief mate in the Houston. Jack Bennett, Boston Branch manager, took the picture of Mr. Hargett in the phone booth surrounded by nearly 40 inches of snow. EVERY SO OFTEN, men in the crew's quarters in the Esso Baltimore hear sweet guitar music coming from one of the cabins. When they follow it to its source, they come upon a tall, slender, personable young man by the name of Charles Jones. Charles, a messman, has a natural talent for music, having taught himself the guitar. Al though he plans to take lessons soon, the tunes he plays now sound mighty sweet. He also plays the harmonica and the piano. "If I can just put 'em all together, I can really strike up the band," he says. jP iI i I t. WHEN A TAFFRAIL REPORTER visited the Esso Lima at Baytown, recently, he saw Francisco J. Fernandes, shown here, vigorously wire brushing rust areas on an overhead. "If a person will pre Page 4 (See TAFFRAIL TALK, page 5) Esso Fleet News EXX-MOR-008175 COPIFJJ FROM THE COLLECTIONS IN THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTOK' THE UNIVERSITY OFTPVAC a t a iic t iw -(TAFFRAIL TALK, continued from page 4)~ WHEN IT COMES TIME for Captain Bernard Nelson to go on leave, he heads for the farm-- his farm at Dunbarton, New Hampshire. Captain Nelson runs a herd of about 25 Black Angus and Hereford cattle, some registered, on a 200acre spread which he purchased in 1940. He raises and sells calves for beef. He also butchers one nearly every year to keep his freezer well stocked with choice meat. "I have a large barn which is attached to a 175-year-old house that I've remodeled over the years so that it now has electricity and other modern conveniences," Captain Nelson said. He also owns many pieces of farm equipment, including three tractors, a hay baler, plows, harrows, potato and corn planters which he and a caretaker use in run- \*f ning the farm. The ac- " * companying pictures, taken in the Esso Ban gor, show Captain Nel son examining some photographs, including one of his barn (right), which he took recently. Students Write To Thank Marine For Teagle Scholarship Aid A- total of about 20 sons and daughters of Marine employees are currently attending colleges and nursing schools on Teagle Scholarships. About a hundred have benefitted from these schol arships in the past five years. Occasionally, students write to the Marine Department to express their appreciation for the financial aid made possible by the Teagle Foundation and to let us know how they are doing in school. Re cent examples are the following letters written to R. C. Curtis, ma rine general manager, by two brothers who are attending col leges in two different sections of the country. The brothers, Richard and John Kelly, are the sons of John F. Kelly, 1st assistant engi neer in the Esso Bangor: Richard writes: "I wish to express my thanks to you and the entire Marine Depart- Last Lost-Time Injury In Esso Fleet February 12 ment for making possible my Teagle Foundation scholarship. "I am currently enrolled in my second semester at Cornell Uni versity, majoring in pre-veterinary medicine. Playing on the freshman hockey team, in addition to my studies, has kept me quite busy. Fortunately, I was able to main tain a 3.0 average over my first semester's work and I hope to do as well this term. Just recently I took the pledge of the Alpha Phi Chapter of Sigma Chi. "Thus far, college has been an enjoyable and meaningful experi ence for me and it is through the effort and approval of the Marine Department that all of this has been made possible. "Again, many thanks and please extend my sincere grati tude to the Teagle Foundation." John, in his letter from Tulane University in New Orleans, said: "I am a junior this year in the Pre-Medical program and plan to graduate in June 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. It is my hope then to enter medical school and eventu ally become a physician. "The purpose of this letter is to express my appreciation to you, Humble Oil, and the Teagle Foun dation for the financial assistance you have given me over the past three years. As you can well im agine, this aid has been a great relief to my parents, who must also help finance my brother's education at Cornell. "As years go by, I shall always remember who helped make my education a reality. Thank you very much." SERVICE AWARD 10 YEARS Stanley Czerwinski AB March 17, 1971 ESSO FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired employees of the Marine Department, Humble Oil & Refining Co.; Russell C. Curtis, 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 &. Refining Co., P. 0. Box 2180, Room 4193, Houston, Texas 77001. March 29, 1971 Page 5 P i EXX-MOR-008176 (SUNSHINE STATE, from page 1) the Coast Guard, the crew of the Sunshine State cast off and re sumed the passage to Florida. Officers and crew in the Sun shine State are: Captain Dave Rabren, Fred Thomas, chief mate; Donald Clark, 2nd mate; Bruno Moretto, engineer; Joe McCary, James Rawlins, Michael Hemphill, Donald Pendleton, and Harry LaBarr, all AB/tankermen; Benny Hard, OS/tankerman; and Valry Kinchen, cook. Messages to and from 750-pound satellite were sent and received via transmit ting/receiving equipment (left) in Esso Baltimore. Antenna (right) on deck of ship had to be precisely aimed for messages to "hit" antenna of rotating satellite. (SATELLITE, continued from page 1) about to become a grandfather, but wasn't sure if the baby had arrived. "We'll find out for you," said one of the representatives who typed out a message on a teletype connected to a receiver/ transmitter. The message, contain ing the home phone number of Mr. Kessler's daughter in Butler, Maryland, was bounced off the satellite to the Mojave Desert receiving station near Barstow, California. Operators there tele phoned the daughter's house, re ceived the good news, and sent it back via satellite to Mr. Kessler Discharge Record Set The Esso San Francisco dis charged a total of 541,910 barrels of nine different products in the record time of 16 hours, 15 min utes recently. The record, set at the Paulsboro Terminal, shaved about five hours off the average discharge time for multigrade products in ships of this size. The record was attributed to the cooperative efforts of both ship and shoreside crews and to the fact that no vapor locks or other delaying problems were en countered. "This was one of the smoothest, troublefree pumping operations I've ever seen," said Chief Mate Marshall Price. aboard ship at sea. Although it took nearly ten minutes to get the information via landbased tele phone communications, it flashed from the Mojave station to the satellite to the Baltimore in about two seconds. The satellite varies in altitude from 20,000 to 23,000 miles above the equator at a point in the Pacific about 1,500 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The tests were sponsored by the Maritime Commission. Humble provided office space in the Balti more for the equipment and deck space for the special antenna. The tests were made during a round trip between New York and Baytown. Messages were sent and re ceived during a two-hour test period assigned by NASA each day. Although the satellite re mains in a fixed position above the Pacific, it suffered a stabiliza tion system failure during launch ing by a Saturn Rocket in August, 1969, causing it to spin at the rate of 76 revolutions per minute. Equipment in the ship was being adjusted to transmit messages, in segments, so that they reached the satellite at the exact split second that its antenna was fac ing the earth. Messages from Mojave to the Esso Baltimore were sent in the same manner. RETIREMENTS Four employees in the tanker fleet retired March 1. They are Lester H. Robinett, Frederick F. Drake, Herbert E. Curry, and Gerald C. Jones. Mr. Robinett joined the fleet in 1948 as AB in the Esso Nashville, was promoted to 3rd mate in 1948, and advanced to 2nd mate in 1951. He also sailed as chief mate at various times and was sailing in this capacity when he retired from the Esso Seattle. Frederick Drake worked briefly as a messman in several Esso ves sels early in 1942. He terminated his employment with the company later that year, but rejoined the fleet in 1951, this time as AB. He was serving in this rating in the Esso Lima at the time of his retire ment. Herbert Curry also retired on March 1 as an AB. He joined the fleet as a deck/maintenance man in the Esso Cumberland in Janu ary, 1949. Except for two short breaks in service, he spent his en tire career as an unlicensed sea man in the Deck Department where he served as OS, deck/ maintenance man, and AB. His last ship was the Esso Washing ton. Gerald Jones was employed as a chief cook in the tanker I. C. White in 1939. After serving in this rating in various vessels, he re signed in 1941, but rejoined the fleet as chief cook in 1946, ad vancing to chief steward a year later. He held this rating at the time he retired from the Esso New York. Page 6 Esso Fleet News