Document qkzRKYO919KabR1wq4BORQ1mj

PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, HUMBLE OIL & REFINING COMPANY Vol. 8, No. 4 February 17, 1966 Stand By in a Hatteras Hurricane The Esso Houston stood by the Seatrain New Jersey for 12*4 hrs., Jan. 27-28, while the north bound freight car carrier battled to secure her cargo, which had broken loose in hurricane winds and raging seas. The Esso Houston (Captain Fred G. Smith and Chief Engr. Clyde C. O'Neal) was also north bound, having sailed from Baytown for Boston on Jan. 22. On the 25th, off the coasts of Florida and Georgia, seas building up and wind out of the SE. force 7 or 8, with rain squalls, gave a hint of bad weather ahead. By 0800, Jan. 26, wind and seas had worsened so that Captain Smith reduced speed and changed course to prevent damage. Course was changed 3 more times during the day as the wind shifted to S of E and then SW. "By 0100, Jan. 27, on my watch," Second Mate Edwin J. Fellows wrote, "the wind had shifted again -- to NNW, force 12, or 95 mph. on the wind gage. Others saw it go to 100 mph. Some swells were up to 50' high." Those were the conditions an hour later when R.O. Stephen Verbonich brought up the following message: SS Seatrain New Jersey 35 35N 73 05W Cargo breaking loose in very heavy seas request vessel vicinity to stand by may need assistance Three ships answered the call, the Esso Miami and Hess Voyager in addition to the Houston. The Houston's log entry (in part) was: 0200 in lat. 36 10N, long. 73 30W pursuant to re quest from Seatrain New Jersey, vessel deviated (right) Esso Houston rolls to the force of wind and wave, (below) The Sea train New Jersey about 1 mi. off. I' ism .'v: from voyage to proceed to stand by in case of need of assistance. According to Captain Smith. "Weather condi tions at the time -- winds at and above hurricane force with mountainous northerly seas -- made a turn and course toward the Seatrain New Jersey most hazardous. Vessel eventually attained posi tion permitting a safe course toward scene." "We were in constant touch with the Seatrain by radiotelephone and radiotelegraph," Second Mate Fellows continued. "Due to faulty Loran positions from the Seatrain, the southbound Esso Miami passed her on the way to the position given. When a corrected position was received, the Miami was unable to turn and come back. By 1125 we were in sight of the Seatrain and at 1211 were standing by. Wind was now NW, force 11, with mountainous seas, barometer 29.70 and rising fast. The Seatrain was lying dead in the water, pitching heavily at times but no roll ing. With her engines stopped, she had found her most comfortable riding position. "At 1352 the Seatrain radioed that a railroad car was breaking loose and requested us to stand by as pre-arranged. An added comment was `This may be it.' We moved in to one mile off, as did the Hess Voyager. At 1405 the Seatrain reported that the railroad car was secured and damage was not severe. "We stood by through the rest of the day. Wind reduced to force 8 but seas remained high. At 0030, Jan. 28. in lat. 35 13N, long. 72 23W (about 155 miles due east of Cape Hatteras) we Second Mote Edwin J. Fellows i->v= - K EXX-MOR-007030 7S m 'mhwmv m . ~``9 ..SC - ,u d^jriiL - -. *>.-.= i rm~:z Ice on deck after the temperature dropped to 20. were released from stand by duties by the USCG cutter Conifer and the Seatrain. "At 0200 I heard the New Jersey tell the Conifer that they would try to get underway. Thirty minutes later she reported underway at 50 rpm. and `OK so far'. During the day the seas made up again so that the Houston had to change course to ease ship. We all wondered how the Seatrain made out. "A telephone call to their terminal at Edgewater, N. J. after I got off the Houston cleared up that question. The New Jersey had left for Puerto Rico again with another cargo. All came out fine -- no one hurt and the ship undamaged. "A word of praise here," Mr. Fellows con cluded. "Captain Smith spent about 36 hours on the bridge during all this, with the ship pitching and rolling. Quite a job, to be sure. Of course Radio Officer Verbonich was on the job. too. At times he was needed to raise the Seatrain on the radiotelegraph when we couldn't contact him by 'phone. I think the Seatrain crew must have done quite a job of securing their cargo. The pitching of their ship was something to see." Esso Houston Rescues 2 Men on Feb. 4 There was a little excitement on the Houston's return trip to the Gulf, too. Early on Feb. 4, 2 men were taken off the dismasted and drifting sail yacht After Five, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., about 38 miles east of Lake Worth. Captain Smith said that the Lake Worth Coast Guard Station advised they would be unable to put a boat across the Gulf Stream in existing weather and requested the men be brought to westward of the Stream for transfer. As the After Five was drifting toward Little Bahama Bank, the men (L. Carol Avant and David M. Smith) were taken aboard and transfered to a Coast Guard boat off Lake Worth at 0836. Officers and Company Sign New Agreement Terms of Amendment No. 6 to the contract between the JSTOA and the Company were agreed upon Feb. 14. The amendment, which extends the agreement to Nov. 1, 1966, provides wage increases of $53 per month for Masters and Chief Engineers and $37, $32. and $29 monthly for Chief Mates and First Assts.. Second Mates and Second Assts.. and Third Mates and Third Assts., respectively. The overtime rate is raised to $3.75 per hr. (from $3.58) and certain improvements in work ing conditions are provided. The amendment is subject to ratification by JSTOA members. A Little Ship with Big Ideas We think we are doing pretty well in the way of electronic-mechanical advancements in this country but we have company in the parade of progress, amongst which is little Finland (pop. 4.603.000). ' A shipyard in Abo (95 miles WrNW of Hel sinki) recently completed the bulk cement carrier Malarvik for Skanska Cementaktiebolaget and she is quite some ship. She's only a little thing -- 296'10" x 42'8" x 24'11". 2,950 dwt. and pro pelled by a 2.475 bhp. diesel. But what equipment! She loads and unloads her cargo through a system of longitudinal, transverse and vertical screw conveyors and a chain conveyor, loading about 400 tons per hr. and discharging at half that rate. The most outstanding features, though, are on the bridge -- or a better name would be opera tions center. There are 4 consoles. One starts and controls the main engine and its principal aux iliaries; another handles ballasting, de-ballasting and the diesel alternators; the third operates the cargo handling system, and the fourth is a data logger which has 100 check points, taking some readings every hour and others only when an alarm occurs. There are also 3 control stands for the variable pitch propeller. The machinery control system is designed to leave the engineroom unmanned at night. 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 7/001. EXX-MOR-007031 Labor Board Reports on Election The 22nd Region of the National Labor Re lations Board, Newark. N. J.. has concluded its investigation of the recent election in the Fleet and sent its report to the Washington office of the Boai'd. The report recommends that the Team sters' objections to the election be overruled in their entirety and that ESA be certified as bar gaining representative. Boston Loads to Cubic--and Then Some Esso Boston (Captain Einar Skolem and Chief Engr. Aubrey G. Allen) sailed from Baton Rouge, Feb. 6 with a full full load (as in "low low price" radio and TV talk). She packed in 410,170 bbls., 686 bbls. more than her 98% full cubic capacity of 409,484 bbls. Tonnagewise, she had 49,275.21 tons out of a possible 50,403 on the new summer marks. The cargo consisted of 11 grades of gasoline plus kerosene, diesel and heating oils. Draft at the dock (fresh water) was 38'11" forward and 39T" aft. Alphonsus Gregaitis was the busy Chief Mate. Do We Have Your Zip Code Number? It seems to be getting more and more important to use zip code numbers in mail addresses and the time may not be far off when anything without a zip number may be subject to slow delivery or worse. Therefore friends, "twould be well to notify the Company, especially the Ships' Payroll Sec tion. of your zip code if you want your Company mail (checks included) delivered in "zippity" time. Raises in Licenses William Motta -- to Chief Engineer. 2/3/66* Carleton A. Rankin--to 1st Asst. Engr., 1/24/66 Antonio S. Rose -- to 2nd Asst. Engr.. 2/2/66 'Dates reported to Company. These are views of and from the Esso Seattle, which is now enroute from Guam to Los Angeles (and then prob ably 'Frisco and Japan). On the outbound voyage (Lake Charles Jan. 3 to Yo kosuka Jan. 30) there were 8 "unpacific" days -- Jan. 21-28 -- when conditions were more or less like those shown at left. Chief Mate Patrick J. O'Donnell is on the port kingpost ladder, escap ing the wash of a sea and AB William B. Page, on the after bridge deck, is observ ing the technique. Photos by UM Clifford R. (Bob) McClellan USNS Yukon being eased alongside the Seattle to re ceive part of her cargo at Yokosuka. The Seattle then loaded another cargo at Sasebo for Guam. P EXX-MOR-007032 TAFFRAIL TALK - One of our constant readers has suggested that we print the 2 lines of Robert Bums' poem "To a Louse" which follow the 2 lines that were printed in the last issue, to wit: O wad some power the gift t'gie us To see oursel's as others see us. We are happy to comply with this suggestion -- and we're not saying that just because the reader happens to be our Asst. General Manager. The 2 following lines are: It wad frae monie a blunder free us. An' foolish notion. ** * If Robert Garcia, OS in the Esso Dallas, seems anxious for more overtime it's probably because he has a new incentive -- Roland Jay Garcia, his second son, born Jan. 8. Officers and crew men in the Dallas took up a collection for the "wee un" which left Bob speechless with apprecia tion. He and his wife Edna live in Baytown. ** * Steve M. English, Repair Superintendent, is making good progress in recovering from a mild heart attack. It's refreshing to talk to some of the new men in the Fleet, especially those who have sailed with other outfits. They are often very appreciative of the caliber of men we have, the good food, living accommodations and working Conditions, in contrast to what they had -- things like 4 men in a room, different type personnel and 2 weeks' vacation after a year of service. By saying it's refreshing we don't mean that we hear a lot of complaints from older employees. There are some, of course, but it's human nature to tend to keep to ourselves things we are satisfied or pleased with and sound off about those that strike us otherwise. SERVICE EMBLEM AWARDS it 20 YEARS if William W. McKay Chief Engineer August 21, 1964 . "IT . 'T .4. - Thomas E. Buchanan Bos'n November 18, 1963 'll Ms John R. McNeil Messman August 29, 1962 Robert S. Massenburg Able Seaman December 2, 1965 10 YEARS Paul L Wood Able Seaman November 8, 1965 Karl B. Trickel Ordinary Seaman December 19, 1965 WORDS OF THE WISE It is part of the cure to wish to be cured. Seneca The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them. -- Goethe Humility leads to strength and not to weakness. It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them. -- John J. McCloy He who slings mud loses ground.--Anon. : RECENT RETIREMENTS t Chief Mate' Luman A. Poole. Starting his seagoing career with Cities Service in 1932, Mr. Poole sailed in unlicensed rat ings for 14 years and, after becoming a licensed officer, joined the Esso Scranton as Third Mate in June 1947. He advanced to Second Mate in Feb. 1950 and continued in that rank and as Chief Mate until his retirement. Feb. 1. He has 18 years of credited service. Mr. Poole and his wife Helen have been resi dents of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. for 24 years. They have 2 children. James and Julie Anne. Luman's hobby is horses -- the racing kind -- and he has thought about buying one, or half of one. He favors the back half because he won't have to feed it. Ordinary Seaman James A. Norton's first ship in the Fleet was the Esso Philadelphia, which he joined as Crew' Messman in Nov. 1946. He alter nated between Deck and Steward's Depts. until June 1934 and since then has been OS. He retired Feb. 1 with 18 years' service. Mr. Norton was born in Elizabeth. N. J. and lives in Houston.