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PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT - EXXON COMPANY. U.S.A Volume 16, Number 14 July 29, 1974 Crew In Exxon Connecticut' Comes To Coast Guard requested that Cap tain Christenson and his crew Rescue Of Boat In Long Island Sound The alert crew in the Exxon Connecticut, a seif propelled barge, helped rescue a small boat in trouble recently. Captain Stan ley 0. Christenson who relieved Mate Robert G. Tracy at 0600 on 17 July, underway from Providence to Bayway, noticed an 18- to 20foot inboard power boat in an apparently distressed situation. "Two men were waving fran tically so I sent Deckhands Alfred wiring system had caught fire the night before." They told Captain Christenson that ten vessels had passed nearby, but their crews failed to see the small boat. Captain Christenson contacted the Eatons Neck Coast Guard, giving them the boat's position which was then bearing 40 degrees, three miles from Matinicock Point. The stand by, during which time Cook John E. Ferreira made some fried egg sandwiches and a pitcher of coffee, which was greatly appre ciated by the men. "At 0630, we were relieved by the Coast Guard vessel Old Oak and we proceeded on route to Bayway, the men waving and shouting their thanks. We were glad to give aid to this kind of Happy Hooker," Captain Christen son said. G. Donaghy and John Bleich down on deck as I maneuvered along side the stricken boat, Happy Abernathy Completes Ship Handling Course Hooker," Captain Christenson ex plained. studies, discussions and examina tions, officers further test their "The men said that their boat's navigational know-how by using a computer-controlled simulator to San Francisco' Aids solve actual problems just as if they were at sea. The simulator Fishing Boat Crew consists of a chartroom and wheelhouse mockup with a visual Personnel in the Exxon San Francisco, who have participated in several boat rescues this year, helped out in yet another one-- this time as a message "relay station" between the stricken fish ing boat Mary Helen G and the display. The wheelhouse is equipped with all controls and navigation equipment normally found on a ship. The vessel's re sponse to propeller, rudder, wind, and current forces can be repro duced and these forces can be varied during a maneuver. Rud U.S. Coast Guard stations at May- der, engine, and instrument fail port and Charleston. As explained by Captain Jean Brower: "At 2300, 19 July, in posi tion 3218 N., 7752 W., on course 193 degrees, Third Mate W. J. Deppe heard a call from a fishing boat on VHF Channel 16. In answering the call, Mr. Deppe learned that the Mary Helen G had a broken down engine. The vessel's radio was too weak for the Coast Guard to hear directly. "Mr. Deppe, acting as a mes sage relayer, notified the Coast Guard of the Mary Helen G's posi- CAPTAIN D. L. ABERNATHY is shown here working out a naviga tion problem as part of a training program that he participated in at TNO Technical Institute in Delft, Holland. Captain Abernathy com pleted the five-day course on June 21 and is now on the Exxon Philadelphia. He is the 14th officer in the ocean fleet to take the ship handling course as part of the Marine Department's policy of pro viding its navigation officers with the best up-to-date training avail able. ures can also be introduced--all posing problems that navigating officers must be thoroughly ac quainted with and know how to solve as part of their duties in volving the safety of their ships. Other officers, all chief mates and relieving masters, who have completed the TNO course are: Louis H. Staar, Jean S. Brower, John B. Sappington, Roy H. Ewell, Olav Haugevik, Patrick J. O'Don nell, William J. Falvo, Edwin J. Fellows, William L. Straley, George Beck, Jr., Bertram O, Christensen, and Keith E. Frutiger. Chief Mate Dale M. Silcox, (See MESSAGE RELAY, page 2) In addition to classroom also took the course. Sunshine State Taken On Her Longest Voyage The Exxon Sunshine State and her accompanying barge, the Exxon Port Everglades, are normally used in round-trip ser vice between Baytown and Florida ports. However, during the latter part of July, the crew took the big tug-barge combination on its longest voyage since it was put into service in November, 1970. The voyage started at Baytown where crew members loaded the barge to capacity (gasoline and diesel fuel). They proceded to Tampa and Port Everglades where they discharged part cargoes, filling storage tanks at these two locations to capacity. They then made the special voyage up the coast to Wilmington, North Carolina, where they discharged the balance of the cargo. The three-port discharge was made in order to utilize full capacity of the 270,000-barrel barge. "IT HAS BEEN over a year since I retired from the Exxon Fleet, but I've been real busy as public relations officer for V.F.W. Post 4715 at Point Pleasant, New Jer sey," writes Danny Rizzolo who retired as AB in 1973. He recently gained much favor able publicity for the local area's drug abuse program and now he has been teaching knots to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Brownies--that is, when he's not working with youngsters in a Voice of Democracy contest spon sored by V.F.W. Post 4715, pub licizing a Miss Sweetheart con test, or working with the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Rizzolo is shown at the left in the photo be low, presenting a V.F.W. Citation to CWO Roy Olson, commanding officer of the Manasquan Inlet Coast Guard Station, Point Pleas ant Beach. "The men at this sta tion provided the Post with a Coast Guard cutter on Veteran's Day and Memorial Day so that we could conduct services at sea in memory of men who have gone down with their ships," Mr. Riz zolo said. MESSAGE RELAY Continued from page 1 tion which was plotted by us by means of Loran bearings which the Mary Helen G sent to us via VHF," Captain Brower explained. "The 65-foot, two-masted boat had two people on board. They had flares and life jackets and the seas were moderate so they were in no real danger at the time and we did not have to divert our course. We continued to relay messages until 0500 on 20 July when the Coast Guard at Mayport released us and thanked the ship and Mr. Deppe who han dled all the relay on VHF." I A 'Fracturing' Trip | The saga of one day in the life of a 3rd assistant engineer who departed his ship at Bayway too late to catch a flight to his home at Norfolk, Virginia, is worth re counting, fracture by fracture. He checked into a hotel near the air port to catch the early morning flight, but the hotel operator for got to give him a wakeup call. While hurriedly packing to catch his plane, with no time for break fast, he ripped the leg of an ex pensive pair of trousers when it caught on a hanger. Then, the limo driver was 30 minutes late arriving for the drive to the air port, and once there his bag was placed near the curb and a car ran over it. Next scene: The plane lands at Norfolk and our 3rd assistant pulls his coat from the overhead rack, dragging an oxygen bottle along with it. Bottle cracks his nose. And then, he waits an hour for a limo to take him to his home-- his wife had forgotten to drive to the airport to pick him up. "I was pretty disgusted about the whole series of events and I'd just as soon you didn't use my name," he told a Fleet News reporter. "Just tell everybody to be careful when traveling on paid leave." "MANY SAILORS have heard or read about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but I bet that few have ever seen a built up one like Tom has at his home in Ridgeland, South Carolina," said Cap tain James D. Lawton who sent in the photo of himself, left, and brother Thomas K. Lawton who is retired. "The blocks used to build this oddity were paid for by me," Captain Jim said. "Tom won them from me in a rummy game. He gave me the two tomatoes I'm holding, but he took them back after the picture was made." The retired sea captain also grows peppers and radishes in his raised garden. "A little inventive ness contributes to a much easier retirement life," Captain Tom said. "It's mighty convenient just to walk along and pick tomatoes or pull radishes without having to bend way over to do the job." Page 2 Exxon Fleet News New Casualty Reporting Manual Being Sent To Ships, Branches A new Casualty Reporting Pro cedures manual is being sent to ships and branches for use in investigating and reporting all types of casualties, such as per sonnel disabling injuries or deaths aboard vessels; pollution; ground ing or stranding; collision; fire or explosion; equipment damage or premature equipment failure cost ing over $1,500 to repair; cargo contamination; and so forth. The manual has five sections, one each for the ocean fleet, in land waterways fleet, and shorebased personnel with reporting procedures listed for each group. In addition, it has a section on Casualty Administration which contains procedures and in formation for handling casualty information within the Marine De partment Headquarters, such as dissemination of information within the department, public re lations and release of news items, disposition of claims, and so forth. A final section includes an ex ample of each Casualty Reporting Form which might be used in re porting accidents to headquarters and various agencies and groups. To learn more about the need for this manual and its intended use, Fleet News interviewed F. Ames Smith, Marine Department Operations Manager. Q. & A. Interview Mr. Smith, it's obvious that a lot of study . . . and effort went into the develop ment of the new Casualty Report ing Procedures manual now being sent to ships and inland waterways branches. What prompted the writing of such a manual? A) We've got to do all that we can to eliminate or at least reduce accidents, whether they concern people or ships. To do this, we are making more in depth studies and developing more information on casualties that occur in both the ocean and inland fleets so that the actual cause or causes of the casualty can be pin pointed, and the proper corrective measures taken to reduce chances of similar acci dents happening in the future. And there's also some legal requirements to be met sometimes. Q) Why the "tightening up?" A) it's just good business to operate at the highest efficiency level possible. Casualties are costly and in many cases involve the welfare and health of people, both our employees and those outside the company. Also, the company's image and other aspects of public interest are frequently involved and can have significant impact on Marine Department operations and costs, in addition, we anticipate that future activities, public and industry, will require even closer attention to casualties with greater effort toward prevention. Q) How does the new Casualty Re porting Procedures manual fit into all this? A) A key element in reducing future casualties is prompt, accurate, and complete reporting of information on those that occur. The manual contains step-by-step procedures which mas ters in the ocean fleet, captains and other personn'el in the inland fleet, and shore-based people can follow in mak ing reports. Q) Who notifies whom first when an accident occurs? A) In the ocean fleet, the master is responsible for notifying the Opera tions Manager or a member of his staff in the Houston Office. In the inland fleet, the captain of the vessel or the person in charge on manned barges immediately notifies the branch man ager or his designate. The branch manager communicates the informa tion to Headquarters management. Q) The manual points out that a shore staff investigating committee will be appointed if circumstances warrant such action. Does this committee in any way relieve the master or others of their investigating and reporting responsibilities? A) Absolutely not. Some accidents re quire a more complete investigation than one person is able to make. The investigating committee can assist in obtaining additional facts and should be considered as a supplement to the initial investigation of the facts. Q) You use the word "casualty" and the manual even bears this word in its title. This would indicate that the manual deals with the reporting of deaths. What about this? A) The reporting of deaths and how they happened is covered in the man ual, along with the reporting of dis abling injuries. But we use the word in the sense of any accident which might occur, either to people or equip ment. In a way, most all accidents in volve the welfare and health of people, the image of the company, and the operation of the Marine Department and therefore are classified as casual ties. We use the word broadly to de note these situations. Q) Do you have anything else that you would like to say about the new manual? A) Only that this is a highly important and necessary manual and officers and others should study it to become thoroughly familiar with its contents. The first use of the Marine Depart ment Casualty Reporting Procedures manual came recently when Captain Bjorn I. Gunnlaugsson was called on to write a report of an oil spill that occurred when his ship, the Exxon Houston, was discharging crude at Bayway on July 7. Remember If you have a question on Benefits, the number to call is 713-221-6511 July 29, 1974 Page 3 Teagle Scholarship For Nurses Raised The Teagle Foundation has raised its annual nursing scholar ship award from $1,000 to a maxi mum of $1,500. The nursing scholarships help cover tuition, fees, and incidental expenses, in cluding room and board and uni forms. This increased allowance toward required school expenses will apply to scholarships granted initially for the 1974-1975 school year, as well as to renewals of current nursing scholarships. The scholarships are available at any school of nursing approved by a state board of nursing offer ing a diploma either as a practical nurse or qualifying the graduate to sit for an examination leading to certification as an R.N. Service Awards TWO BROTHERS in the inland water ways fleet were recently presented service awards. R. H. Boyce, center, operations supervisor in the Norfolk Office, presented a 10-year award on behalf of the company to John E. Chapman, left, who is employed aboard Bayway, New Jersey, floating equipment. Mr. Boyce also presented a 20-year award to Claude H. Chap man, right, tug captain in the Exxon West Virginia operating out of Norfolk. Obituary: Seven Deaths Report MANUEL PIREZ who retired in 1966 as AB, died on May 24 at Tampa, Florida. He was 71. Mr. Pirez began his seagoing career as AB in the Esso Charleston. He sailed in various Deck Depart ment ratings during his 17V2 years of service. His last assignment before retiring was AB in the Esso Scranton. He is survived by his widow. EDWARD PHILPHOT, 62, died on May 24 at Bay Minette, Alabama. He retired as AB in 1968 with nearly 17V2 years of service. Mr. Phiiphot joined the company in September, 1950, as AB in the SS Dartmouth. He sailed in various ratings in the Deck Department during his career with the com pany. His last assignment prior to retiring was as AB in the Esso New York. He is survived by his widow. ROBERT S. ROGERS 71, died at Victoria, Texas, on June 11. Mr. Rogers, who retired as chief mate in July, 1958, joined the fleet in 1936 as AB in the S. B. Hunt advanced to 2nd mate in this same vessel in 1941. He ad vanced to chief mate in 1944 aboard the Esso Raleigh. He was a resident of Alvin, Texas, and had nearly 21 years' service when he retired. He is survived by a son. ALBERT V. TROTMAN, 46, died on July 4 at Norfolk. He was em ployed in February, 1952, as a sea man on inland barges at Norfolk and worked in that capacity on motor vessels and barges until he resigned in 1955. He was reem ployed in March, 1970, as barge man and was relief barge captain on Exxon Barge No. 9 at Norfolk at the time of his death. He is survived by his mother, widow, three daughters, and two sons. FRANCISCO DA SALLA, 70, died on July 7 at Baltimore. He is sur vived by his widow, son, and daughter. Mr. Da Salla, who re tired on July 1, 1963, with 16 years' service, sailed as fireman and oiler aboard the E. J. Sadler from April 1939 to September 1941. He left the fleet and re turned in December 1949 as FWT, the rating he held on the Exxon Bangor when he came ashore on his last paid leave before retiring. BERNARD J. BEINERT died on June 27 at age 66. He was chief engineer when he retired on Dec ember 1, 1969. Mr. Beinert began his career in December 1946 as a licensed oiler aboard inland waterways vessels. In 1949, he was promoted to assistant engineer and sailed both as assistant and relieving chief until 1951 when he became permanent chief engineer. He sailed for many years aboard the Esso New Jersey and was chief on the Esso Massachusetts when he retired. Mr. Beinert, who lived on Staten Island, is survived by his widow. ALICE C. MOSIER, 50, died at Virginia Beach (Virginia) General Hospital on June 25. Miss Mosier was employed as secretary in the inland waterways branch, Norfolk Office, in 1949. She transferred to the Baltimore Office in 1959 and returned to Norfolk on April 27, 1974. In addition to her secretarial duties, she has for the past sev eral years maintained personnel records for the Paulsboro, Balti more, and Norfolk offices, and helped arrange work schedules and vacations for vessel employ ees at these three locations. She is survived by her father, three brothers, and four sisters. EXXON FLEET NEWS is published every other Monday for active and retired em ployees of the Marine Department. Exxon Company, U.S.A. (a division of Exxon Cor poration); O. R. Menton, General Manager. GENE LEGLER..............................................Editor Page 4 Exxon Fleet News EXX- M O R-006613