SIUMakesStrongShowing … eligibility, and documen-tation (such as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and merchant mariner credential) on file with the union. Most

Overseas Tampa DeliveredPage 3

SHBP Scholarships AwardedPage 7

June 2011Volume 73, Number 6

Runaway-Flag Pitfalls UnderscoredPages 4, 5

SIU Makes Strong ShowingDuring Maritime Day Events

D.C. Ceremonies Honor U.S. Mariners

Gen. Duncan McNabb (left in photo at left, with SIU President Michael Sacco) was the fea-tured speaker at two of the three National Maritime Day events May 19 in Washington, D.C.The yearly gatherings paid tribute to the U.S. Merchant Marine’s historic sacrifice and impor-tance while also stressing the continued need for a strong American-flag fleet. In photo above,General McNabb and President Sacco are shown at the Washington Navy Yard with other SIUofficials, VIPs and apprentices from the union-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Trainingand Education. In photo below, Unlicensed Apprentices Jason Allen (right) and Leo Onofrio(center) stand with Navy personnel during MSC’s ceremony. Pages 2, 12, 13.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:35 PM Page 1

2 Seafarers LOG June 2011

The Seafarers LOG (ISSN 1086-4636) is published monthly by the SeafarersInternational Union;Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters District/NMU,AFL-CIO; 5201 Auth Way; Camp Springs, MD 20746. Telephone (301) 899-0675.Periodicals postage paid at Southern Maryland 20790-9998. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to the Seafarers LOG, 5201AuthWay, CampSprings,MD20746.

Communications Director, Jordan Biscardo; ManagingEditor/Production, Jim Guthrie; Assistant Editor, PaddyLehane; Photographer,Mike Hickey;Administrative Support,Misty Dobry.

Copyright © 2011 Seafarers International Union, AGLIWD. All RightsReserved.

Volume 73, Number 6 June 2011

The SIU online: www.seafarers.org

President’s ReportSIU-NMU Merger a Winner

The Seafarers International Unionengaged an environmentally friendlyprinter for the production of thisnewspaper.

Can you believe a decade has passed since the National MaritimeUnion merged into the SIU? It indeed has been 10 years since thathistoric occasion, which itself was decades in the making.

I’m very pleased – and not the least bit surprised – to point outthat the results of the merger have been every bit as good as expect-

ed. The nearly unanimous support of both mem-berships for the merger signified that the time wasright. The leadership of both unions knew it, andthat’s why we finally culminated an agreementwhich in earlier times seemed unachievable.

Anyone who knows SIU and NMU historyunderstands that we didn’t exactly operate in per-fect harmony after our respective beginnings in1938 (SIU) and 1937 (NMU). But, both when theNMU affiliated with the Seafarers InternationalUnion of North America in 1998 and then againwhen the merger took place in 2001, I firmly main-

tained that men and women on a ship don’t care where you comefrom – they just care if you can do your job. And that’s exactly howthe interaction between our memberships played out as we becameone. Members didn’t ask if you were NMU or SIU, or if they did, itwas an afterthought. They were focused on professionalism anddelivering the goods, wherever and whenever needed.

Rene Lioanjie, retired former president of the NMU and a keyarchitect of the merger, recently told me that both in 2001 and todayin 2011, he believes the move “is the best thing that could have hap-pened to our members and to the U.S. Merchant Marine as a whole.For many years, I had been telling our members that a merger likethis one was the only way to save our merchant marine. I got a lot ofheat, but eventually, the members thanked me. Though we used tofight on the waterfront many years ago, I always respected the SIU,and I think it has turned out great for everyone.”

I agree. The merger, just as we expected, has given a more power-ful voice to mariners while creating a stronger manpower pool fornational defense. I’m still shaking my head a little at the notion that10 years have flown past, but this certainly is a happy anniversary.

Honoring U.S. MarinersThis year’s National Maritime Day ceremonies in the nation’s

capital were truly first-class tributes to the American MerchantMarine. Both the U.S. Transportation Department’s MaritimeAdministration and the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command “didit right” for the annual observances, which took place May 19. So didthe Propeller Club, which featured one of the greatest military advo-cates our industry has ever known in Gen. Duncan McNabb, com-mander of the U.S. Transportation Command. (General McNabb alsogave the keynote address at the MSC ceremony, as reported else-where in this edition.)

We in the SIU do not take it for granted when individuals likeGeneral McNabb, MSC Commander Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, U.S.Senator Frank Lautenberg (featured at the MarAd ceremony) andTransportation Secretary Ray LaHood enthusiastically acknowledgethe proud history of the U.S. Merchant Marine as well as the ongoingneed to maintain a strong American-flag fleet. In that same vein, Iappreciated this year’s National Maritime Day proclamation fromPresident Obama, who cited not only the sacrifices of mariners pastand present but also the critical role our seafarers play in U.S. nation-al and economic security. Similar sentiments were expressed acrossthe country in related ceremonies in Texas, California, Virginia andelsewhere where the SIU participated.

On behalf of our entire union, I thank everyone who helped planand host those events, and I join in saluting the patriotism and pro-fessionalism of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

Michael Sacco

Members-Only Section HighlightsNewest Version of SIU Web Site

Mariners ‘More Critical Than Ever’ for U.S.

The union is on schedule tolaunch an upgraded, expandedversion of its web site by mid-June. The newest adaptation ofwww.seafarers.org will have amore modern look and will inte-grate the SIU’s social mediapages, but the biggest change isthe addition of a members-onlysection.

Active Seafarers will be ableto register for individual accessto the member portal by enteringtheir date of birth and SocialSecurity number. The memberthen will be asked to enter his orher email address and create apassword.

The portal itself initially isexpected to include at least ahandful of sections. Thosescreens feature a member pro-file, one listing dependents/ben-eficiaries, and another detailingvarious training that has beencompleted by the Seafarer.Other sections contain informa-tion on work history, medicalbenefit eligibility, and documen-tation (such as theTransportation WorkerIdentification Credential andmerchant mariner credential) onfile with the union.

Most of the information inthe member section is “readonly,” but members will be ableto edit and update certain fields,such as their home address,home and cell phone numbers.Once the new site has beenlaunched, questions about theportal should be directed to theSIU’s membership assistance

program at 1-800-252-4674.Additionally, authorized per-

sonnel from SIU-contractedcompanies will have access to aseparate new section of the website utilized for manpower func-tions.

One of the most significantchanges to the main site (firstlaunched in 1997) is the addi-tion of a gallery featuringlifeboat class photos and otherimages along with a few videos.The rest of the site will continueoffering much of the same con-tent as before, though inredesigned and more user-friendly fashion. That contentincludes articles from theSeafarers LOG as well as a com-plete PDF version of the current

edition; course descriptions anddates for training available atthe union-affiliated Paul HallCenter; a news section featuringsome of the latest maritime andlabor happenings; a schedule ofupcoming membership meet-ings and a complete list of SIUhalls; benefits plans bookletsand notifications; various formsand more.

“We are excited aboutlaunching the new site and thinkthe membership will find themember-only portal useful,”said Secretary-Treasurer DavidHeindel. He added, “Additionalmember features will be addedin the near future to better serveour membership and their fami-lies.”

A skilled U.S. Merchant Marine and strong U.S.shipbuilding industry are critical to America’snational and economic security, declared the NavyLeague of the United States in its recently released2011-12 policy statement. The 32-page documentcredited the Jones Act and other U.S. maritimelaws with playing a crucial role in today’s “irregu-lar warfare environment.”

Released in late April and titled “InternationallyEngaged: Ensuring Freedom of the Seas,” the pol-icy statement said of the U.S. Merchant Marine,“Skilled mariners are more critical than ever toensuring our ability to sustain U.S. national andglobal security interests. Ninety-five percent of theequipment and supplies required to deploy the U.S.armed forces is moved by sea…. The shippingcapabilities of the Maritime Administration’sReady Reserve Force and the DoD’s MilitarySealift Command are sized to support routine andsome surge logistics and specialized missionrequirements. This critical capability must bemaintained by ensuring an active commercialU.S.-flag Merchant Marine to support efficient andcost-effective movement of DoD cargo.”

The report added that America’s ability toaccess a “maritime capability of ships and seafar-ers is essential to our national and economic secu-rity…. Without these commercial capabilities, theU.S. government would be required to provide sig-nificantly more funds to build a replacement fleetand infrastructure while losing the pool of highlyqualified mariners needed to sail these vessels.”

The Navy League also emphasized the criticalimportance of a strong American shipyard capaci-ty. Citing the benefits of Navy, Coast Guard andcommercial shipbuilding, the League said, “It isessential that this nation have a policy at the high-est levels of government to support and sustain anadequate industrial base capable of providing andsupporting a strong Navy and maritime com-merce.”

The report said the Jones Act and other U.S.maritime laws boost security by adding a sealiftcapacity as well as an expanded pool of trained andexperienced mariners to crew U.S. government-owned sealift assets. These laws also help to sus-tain the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industrial

base that is vital to the U.S. Navy.An industry spokesman commended the report

and added that America’s domestic fleet providedhalf of the mariners needed to crew U.S. govern-ment-owned sealift vessels activated from reservestatus to support military efforts in Iraq andAfghanistan “and we need to be certain the UnitedStates can continue to sustain this essential capac-ity.”

The Navy League of the United States wasfounded in 1902 with the encouragement ofPresident Theodore Roosevelt and has grown tobecome the foremost citizens’ organization toserve, support and stand with all the U.S. sea ser-vices – the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard andU.S.-flag Merchant Marine. More than 50,000members focus on two main initiatives. First, theNavy League’s public education efforts aredesigned to inform the nation, and its politicalleaders, of the vital importance to the country ofcomprehensive and fully prepared sea services.Second, the Navy League, primarily through itscouncils, provides support for active duty sea ser-vice personnel and their families.

The newest version of the SIU web site still was being refined whenthis screen grab was taken, but the image reflects the basic layout,including member and company log-ins at the top.

In this Navy photo from early last year, humanitari-an supplies are unloaded from the Seafarers-con-tracted Cornhusker State in Haiti. The NavyLeague cited this operation as just one exampleamong many of how the nation relies on a strongU.S. Merchant Marine. (U.S. Navy Photo by MassCommunication Specialist 2nd Class Kim Williams)

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:57 PM Page 2

June 2011 Seafarers LOG 3

Aker PhiladelphiaDelivers TankerOverseas TampaSeafarers are sailing aboard the new tanker Overseas

Tampa, which was delivered in late April by Aker PhiladelphiaShipyard. Scheduled to operate in the Jones Act trades forOSG, the Overseas Tampa is the twelfth Veteran Class producttanker built by Aker Philadelphia, a union-contracted ship-yard.According to the yard, the on-schedule delivery of the

Overseas Tampa marked the successful conclusion of an his-toric shipbuilding program that started in 2005.“The 12-ship program was one of the largest commercial

ship construction efforts since World War II and has con-tributed towards making the U.S. fleet more environmentallyfriendly with the vessel’s double hull design and cleanerengines,” Aker Philadelphia said in a news release.The yard is building two additional tankers. The first vessel

is under construction and production activities for the secondtanker are scheduled to begin this summer. Both vessels arescheduled to be completed by first quarter of 2013.Each of the Veteran Class ships is 600 feet long and 46,000

DWT. Each of the tankers can carry 332,000 barrels of prod-uct and can sail at speeds greater than 14 knots.Those vessels are the Overseas Tampa, Overseas Chinook,

Overseas Anacortes, Overseas Houston, Overseas LongBeach, Overseas Los Angeles, Overseas New York, OverseasTexas City, Overseas Boston, Overseas Nikiski, OverseasMartinez and Overseas Cascade.

The Overseas Tampa readies for sea trials. (Photo by John Curdy)

The U.S. Department of Defense onMay 5 announced that the departmentsof the Navy and Army signed anagreement earlier in the month trans-ferring all five of the Army’s jointhigh-speed vessels (JHSV) to theNavy.The Navy’s Military Sealift

Command (MSC) will own and oper-ate all 10 of the government’s JHSVs,which will be designated as USNS andcrewed by civil service and contractmariners. The first of the ships isscheduled for deliver in December.According to MSC, initial plans for

the JHSV program called for the Armyto operate five of the vessels while theremainder would be assigned to theNavy. However, during meetings latelast year, both services agreed totransfer the Army’s five JHSVs upon

signing of the aforementioned memo-randum.MSC has been slated to operate the

Navy JHSVs since August 2008. InMay 2010, MSC announced that thevessels would each have a core crewof 21 mariners – civil service marinerson the first JHSVs and civilian con-tract mariners on the remaining ones.In keeping with that decision, the firstfour JHSVs will be crewed by CIV-MARS and the following six by civil-ian contract mariners, the agencyreported.“This agreement with the Army

demonstrates our commitment toreducing redundancies and savingmoney for the taxpayer,” saidSecretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.“This is a responsible step that willensure our military remains the mostformidable fighting force the worldhas ever known.”The aluminum-hulled, catamaran-

style ships will be 103 feet long andwill be able to sail at 35 knots fullyloaded.

During an April 7 hearing conduct-ed by the Senate Armed ServicesCommittee, Gen. Duncan McNabb,commander, U.S. TransportationCommand, reiterated the vital need fora strong U.S. sealift capability, and healso praised the efforts of theAmerican commercial maritime indus-try.During a question-and-answer ses-

sion at the hearing, Gen. McNabb saidTRANSCOM’s “commercial partners… stepped up superbly to both bring-ing this stuff out of Iraq and the stuffinto Afghanistan….” He alsodescribed cargo preference laws andthe U.S. Maritime Security Program as“really valuable so that we keep avery, very strong U.S.-flag fleet, whichis in the interests ofthe taxpayer and inthe interest of thewar-fighter.”Following is an

excerpt from Gen.McNabb’s state-ment:“Sealift is the

primary means fordelivering groundforces and sustain-ment during majorcombat operations,and has beenresponsible fordelivering over 90percent of all cargoto Afghanistan andIraq. Because of thesuperb volunteerparticipation ofcommercial U.S.-Flagged vessels inthe Maritime Security Program (MSP),we did not have to activate a singleship in the Surge Fleet or the ReadyReserve Force (RRF) to meet thePresident’s aggressive timeline for thesurge and drawdown of forces inAfghanistan and Iraq—a remarkableachievement.“The large, medium speed, roll-on,

roll-off ships (LMSRs) in the Surge

Fleet, the vessels of the RRF and thecommercial U.S. Flag Fleet in theMSP and Voluntary IntermodalSupport Agreement (VISA) are allrequired to meet the Nation’s strategicsealift requirements. While cargo pref-erence laws and national defensesealift policies ensure the viability ofthe U.S. flag commercial fleet, wemust also continue to keep the SurgeFleet and Ready Reserve Force vesselsat an equal state of readiness as well asour citizen mariners who man thesevessels during operations in USCENT-COM and around the world…. “USTRANSCOM’s partnership

with the U.S. commercial sealiftindustry and the Department ofTransportation has been vitally impor-

tant in developingnew routes for con-veying cargoaround the globe –particularly toregions with unde-veloped infrastruc-ture. Through pro-grams like theMaritime SecurityProgram (MSP),the VoluntaryIntermodal SealiftAgreement and theVoluntary TankerAgreement, theDepartment ofDefense gainsaccess to U.S.commercial capa-bilities and trans-portation networkswhile ensuring thecontinued viability

of both the U.S. flag fleet and the poolof citizen mariners who man thosevessels. Last year, Congress ensuredthe continuation of the MSP byextending it an additional 10 years to2025. We look forward to workingwith Congress and this committee torefine this program between now andthe MSP implementation date in2015.”

Gen. McNabb Cites ‘Superb’ Efforts of Commercial Fleet

Gen. Duncan McNabbCommander,

U.S. Transportation Command

The vessels closely will resemble the one shown in this rendition provided by shipbuilderAustal.

U.S. Navy Takes Over OperationOf Army’s High Speed VesselsCivilian-Crewed Ships Will Further AdvanceU.S. Sealift Capabilities

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:35 PM Page 3


MTD, ITF Back Coast Guard Report on Deepwater Horizon

The Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO recently applauded a U.S. Coast Guardreport on the Deepwater Horizon tragedythat cites flag-of-convenience (FOC) or run-away-flag shipping as a detriment to safety.

Around the same time in mid-May, theInternational Transport Workers’ Federation(ITF) also backed the Coast Guard reportand expanded on some of the problemsrelated to FOCs.

The SIU is affiliated both with the MTDand the ITF.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Rep. FrankLoBiondo (R-N.Y.), chairman of the HouseTransportation and InfrastructureCommittee’s Coast Guard and MaritimeTransportation Subcommittee, MTDPresident Michael Sacco (who also servesas president of the SIU) said that the CoastGuard report (released in April) “casts avery critical eye specifically at the lax safe-ty and emergency response culture aboardthe Deepwater Horizon. It does not stopthere. The Coast Guard notes many of theseproblems are found within the flag-of-con-venience shipping industry.

“The report questions the safety of ves-

sels documented in open registry countriesand specifically criticizes the Republic ofthe Marshall Islands (whose flag flew overthe Deepwater Horizon),” the MTD lettercontinued. “It stated the country ‘effective-ly abdicated its vessel inspection responsi-bilities.’ It showed concern for a flag stateto rely on classification societies to do itsinspections, and said ‘these failings alsoraise questions with regard to the level ofsafety provided by the open registries.’”

Sacco also commended the Coast Guardfor taking a critical look at itself and for rec-ommending possible steps the agency maytake to boost safety and responsiveness.

Identical copies of the letter wereaddressed to Coast Guard and MaritimeTransportation Subcommittee RankingMember Rick Larsen; Senate Oceans,Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast GuardSubcommittee Chair Mark Begich andRanking Member Olympia Snowe; andSenate Surface Transportation andMerchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety andSecurity Subcommittee Chair FrankLautenberg and Ranking Member JohnThune.

The MTD is composed of 23 nationaland international unions representing fivemillion workers.

The ITF, consisting of hundreds of affil-

iates and several million workers fromacross the globe, stated that the CoastGuard report “reinforces the InternationalTransport Workers’ Federation’s long-heldposition that so-called flag-of-convenienceor runaway-flag vessels often facilitate andeven encourage unsafe business practices.The ITF recognizes that there are conscien-tious FOC operators and many have welltrained crews (regardless of their nationali-ty), but many FOC operators have noregard for the mariners, their competencyand other victims who suffer as a result ofthe runaway-flag system. Putting swiftprofits ahead of safety, runaway-flag enti-ties also risk catastrophic environmentaldamage like that which occurred last yearwhen the rig exploded.”

ITF Seafarers’ Section Chair DavidHeindel (who also serves as secretary-trea-surer of the SIU) added, “The ITF applaudsthe Coast Guard’s focus on what happenswhen a flag state fails to oversee that itsvessels comply with ISM and other interna-tional minimum standards. When rules andregulations are or become lax, conditionscan deteriorate into confusion and chaos.This was seen aboard the DeepwaterHorizon when it was off the Gulf Coast ofthe United States last year. It was not regis-tered in the United States, which has a rich

maritime history, but instead with theMarshall Islands, which lacks a strong reg-ulatory regime.”

He concluded, “In addition, internation-al maritime organizations such as the ITFsee such dangerous examples daily off thecoast of Somalia, the Gulf of Oman where40 percent of the world’s oil supply origi-nates and in the Indian Ocean, as piratescount on such poor conditions to raid andcapture under-crewed, under-prepared ves-sels and crews and poorly maintained ves-sels sailing under runaway flags. Piracyobviously pre-dates runaway-flag shipping,but the very same FOC system thatarguably led to the Deepwater Horizontragedy also is hampering internationalefforts to fight back against the modernversion of at-sea terrorism. Without run-away flags, the vital task of ending piracywould be immeasurably easier as tradition-al maritime States would seek to protecttheir nations’ respective assets.”

The full title of the Coast Guard reportis: Report of Investigation into theCircumstances Surrounding the Explosion,Fire, Sinking and Loss of Eleven CrewMembers Aboard the Deepwater Horizon inthe Gulf of Mexico April 20-22, 2010(Volume 1), MISLE Activity Number:3721503.

Agency Questions SafetyOf Runaway Flags

SIU President Urges Grassroots ActionIn 2012 to Novelty Workers Union

Telling the more than 100 delegatesto the 21st convention of theInternational Union of Allied, Noveltyand Production Workers thatAmericans got what they voted for –or didn’t vote for by staying home –SIU President Michael Sacco saidunion members could not be compla-cent in the upcoming 2012 nationalelections.

“We need to elect those who under-stand the needs of working people,”Sacco stated when he addressed theconvention on May 11. “We need toparticipate and we need to make sureour members and our families areinvolved.”

The Novelty Workers, who areaffiliated with the SIU both throughthe AFL-CIO and the Maritime TradesDepartment, met in St. Pete Beach,Fla., for their weeklong gathering.Members of the union come from 15states and represent 20 nationalities,all of which were represented by smallflags on a table in front of the dais. Theunion represents workers in manyfields including manufacturing, nurs-ing homes, retail and more, accordingto President Mark Spano. Among themost visible items Novelty Workersproduce are American-made Webergrills.

Sacco noted a longtime sloganwithin the SIU that “Politics is porkchops. And what that means is that ourability to put food on the table and tokeep a roof over our heads depends onhaving pro-worker representatives atevery level of government and in theWhite House.”

He added we may not agree witheverything that has been done by theObama Administration, but it beatswhat has taken place in states likeWisconsin, Ohio and Florida whereworkers stayed home on Election Day2010. He said he was like everyoneelse in labor, hoping for more forworkers from Washington after the2008 elections. But, as he remindedthe audience, look what PresidentObama was up against in terms of theworst economic crisis since the GreatDepression.

The MTD president provided thedelegates with updates on what is hap-pening within the U.S.-flag maritimeindustry as well as the global battleagainst piracy. To give the audience abetter appreciation for seafarers, he

reminded the delegates that unionAmerican mariners delivered humani-tarian aid to Haiti immediately thedevastating earthquake, rescued thepassengers and crew of theairliner that ditched in the HudsonRiver and kept control of theMaersk Alabama when pirates

attacked it and took the captain.The convention also heard fromRichard Kline, president of the UnionLabel and Service Trades Department,AFL-CIO; and representatives fromthe Florida AFL-CIO as well as theFederal Mediation and ConciliationService.

Recent Congressional hearings and a governmentreport have pointed out some potentially serious securityproblems with the Transportation Worker IdentificationCredential (TWIC). The Government AccountabilityOffice (GAO) launched an investigation into the effec-tiveness of the TWIC program and found some troublingresults.

According to a report released last month by the GAO,investigators were able to access secure areas of largeU.S. ports using fake or fraudulently obtained TWICcards. In one instance, the GAO investigators drove a“simulated explosive device” into a secure area of a port.

“This investigation raises a disturbing question,” saidSen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). “Are America’s portsactually safer now than they were a decade ago?”

TWIC cards were created as a part of the MaritimeTransportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA). TheMTSAwas enacted following the attacks on 9/11 in orderto secure our ports from potential terrorist threats. TheTWIC program was designed to ensure that mariners,truck drivers, longshoremen and other port workers haveunescorted access to secure areas of the nation’s ports.

In theory, the cards are an important tool in makingsure that workers are allowed to perform their jobs withlimited interference and that only people who have legiti-mate business in secure areas have access to them. Theproblems uncovered by GAO investigators dealt withlapses and oversights in security considerations. Forexample, U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of theHouse Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure(and one of the individuals who requested the GAOreport), testified at a Senate hearing that because of thelack of approved biometric card readers, “TWICs are atbest no more useful than library cards.”

Investigators found other problems, including opportu-nities to obtain a TWIC using false information and cre-dentials.

The federal government has already spent more than$400 million on the program and maritime workers arerequired to spend $135 every five years to obtain the nec-essary card.

“I want the TWIC program to live up to its mandate,”said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.). “I want it tokeep our nation’s ports more secure. But as this reportreveals, things need to change.”

Rockefeller announced that he plans to introduce leg-islation that will address these and other shortcomings inport security this year.

In spite of the GAO findings, the TWIC program isseen by some as an essential and necessary tool for secur-ing our ports.

“The TWIC program strengthens the security of ournation’s ports while facilitating trade through provision ofa tamper-resistant biometric credential to all port workersrequiring unescorted access,” said TransportationSecurity Administration (TSA) Administrator John S.Pistole. “The national implementation of the TWIC as thecommon credential verifying the identity and backgroundsuitability significantly enhances national maritime secu-rity….”

Times Are ToughFor TWIC Program

Convention delegates pose with SIU President Michael Sacco (front, secondfrom left).

SIU President Michael Sacco addresses the convention. Novelty WorkersPresident Mark Spano (left) and the delegates recently met in Florida.

64746_LOG_X2 5/26/2011 7:05 PM Page 4


New York Times Op-EdSlams Runaway FlagsA recent opinion piece in The New

York Times takes aim at so-called flagsof convenience, also known as run-away flags.The Times on April 24 published an

op-ed by British author Rose George,who is writing a book about merchantshipping. Headlined “Flying the Flag,Fleeing the State,” George’s articlestrongly and justifiably criticizes theFOC system – a decades-old sham thatoften facilitates human suffering andenvironmental damage.The complete article is available

online at:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/2

5/opinion/25george.htmlGeorge points out that while piracy

is a life-and-death matter plaguing themaritime industry, “maritime lawless-ness isn’t confined to pirates. Thanksto a system of ship registration called‘flags of convenience,’ it is all too easyfor unscrupulous shipowners to getaway with criminalbehavior. Theyhave evaded prose-cution for environ-mental damagelike oil spills, aswell as poor laborconditions, forcingcrews to work likeslaves without ade-quate pay or rest.”She goes on to explain the evolution

of the runaway-flag system – a setup inwhich a vessel’s flag differs from thatof its owner’s home state. FOCshipowners also often use manningagents from still another differentnation to hire multinational crews.“Under the flags of convenience

system, registries have been divorcedfrom government oversight,” Georgewrites. “North Korea has a thrivingregistry, as does landlocked Mongolia.Liberia’s registry, the second-largest inthe world, flourished even during adozen years of civil war. (LOG editor’snote: The Liberian registry is based inVirginia.) Some registries allow shipowners to change the flags they’re reg-istered under within 48 hours; somerequire little more than a signature oran online form from an owner. Manydon’t require owners to disclose theiridentities at all. Such easy anonymityis dangerous.”George concedes that there are

“plenty of ships run by decent owners,but delinquency is too easy with openregistries, when owners can slip away,

unpunished an unaccountable.”For instance, the International

Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF, towhich the SIU is affiliated) recovered$30 million in unpaid wages formariners last year – money that other-wise almost certainly would not havebeen secured.“Globalization is no reason that

states can’t take responsibility for theships they register,” George adds.SIU Secretary-Treasurer David

Heindel serves as chair of the ITF’sSeafarers’ Section. In a follow-up com-munication to the Times, he congratu-lates George “on her wide-rangingresearch and fact-checking. Sadly,she’s right. The industry ranges fromexcellent employers and flag states tomiserable crooks and hand-washingflags. The latter’s ability to run rust-buckets and abandon crews at whim,thousands of miles from home, is facil-itated by the FOC system, whose mem-

bers are currentlyso conspicuouslyfailing to interceptor prosecute a sin-gle person respon-sible for that othercurrent scourge ormariners’ lives:the piracy that issweeping the

Indian Ocean.”On its web site, the ITF describes

runaway flags as providing “a meansof avoiding labor regulation in thecountry of ownership.” The federationsays FOCs have “become a vehicle forpaying low wages and forcing longhours of work and unsafe working con-ditions. Since FOC ships have no realnationality, they are beyond the reachof any single national seafarers’ tradeunion.“The ITF has therefore been obliged

to take on internationally the role tra-ditionally exercised by national tradeunions – to organize and negotiate onbehalf of FOC crews. For 50 years theITF, through its affiliated seafarers anddockers unions, has been waging a vig-orous campaign against shipownerswho abandon the flag of their owncountry in search of the cheapest pos-sible crews and the lowest possibletraining and safety standards for theirships.”An entire section of the ITF web

site is devoted to the FOC campaign.See www.itfglobal.org for more infor-mation.

“Globalization is no reasonthat states can’t take responsi-bility for the ships they regis-ter.” -- Author Rose George

System Promotes Human Suffering, Harms Environment

U.S. Rep. Hoyer Brings Back‘Make it in America’ PlanHouse Minority Whip

Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hasreintroduced an endeavor toreinvigorate America’s man-ufacturing base in an effort toadd jobs and boost the fragileeconomy. The plan, dubbed“Make it in America,” is amajor campaign that includesmore than 30 pieces of legis-lation, all of which are gearedtowards strengthening andexpanding America’s domes-tic workforce.“We commend

Democratic Whip StenyHoyer for refocusing atten-tion on job creation by onceagain introducing the biparti-san ‘Make it in America’agenda,” said AFL-CIO President RichardTrumka in a statement released by the feder-ation. “It’s time for Congress to focus onwhat Americans want and need most – jobs.We need to create them, retain them andmake sure that they are safe and family-sup-porting jobs.”Between the late 1940s and the 1970s, the

United States had one of the largest andmostvibrant manufacturing bases in the world.American workers were creating high-quali-ty products that were bought and sold acrossthe globe. In addition, many of these manu-facturing jobs were family-sustaining, unionpositions, the federation pointed out.American workers still efficiently pro-

duce quality goods equal or superior to thoseavailable anywhere else around the world,but the nation has lost much of its manufac-turing capabilities – and the good jobs thatgo with it – due in part to flawed trade agree-ments, injurious tax laws and corporateexploitation of impoverished foreign work-ers.Focusing on creating jobs in the manu-

facturing sector is part of what made thiscountry’s middle class the largest andstrongest in the world, according to Hoyer,whose district includes the SIU-affiliatedPaul Hall Center for Maritime Training andEducation, located in Piney Point, Md.Reviving that base can help us secure ourmiddle class families for generations tocome, he said.“The reason you focus on manufacturing,

of course, is becauseAmericans believe cor-rectly that if America is manufacturing

goods and selling them abroad, we’ll contin-ue to be a very successful country and createthe kinds of jobs that are good-paying jobswith good benefits,” said Hoyer. “We knowthat manufacturing, according to our ownstatistics, but also (according to) theNationalAssociation of Manufacturers, that whenyou create a job in manufacturing, it has amultiplier effect in the jobmarket generally.”Several components of the “Make it in

America” agenda have already become law.Funds have been set aside for small busi-nesses who hire American workers. Taxloopholes for businesses that outsource jobsto foreign countries have been closed, creat-ing an incentive for companies to hireAmericans. Not only that, but taxes havealso been cut for small businesses and otherswho work and create goods and services athome.Proponents of the plan emphasize that

more must be done in order to revitalize themiddle class.In the face of a catastrophic economic

collapse, massive job loss and hardships puton America’s working families, the biparti-san “Make it in America” plan has the abili-ty to turn things around for the country,according to Hoyer and Trumka.“The nation can no longer live on lega-

cy,” said Trumka. “We need to invest in thecoming decades to build a 21st century infra-structure and we must ensure that we actual-ly make the technology and materials for thethings we are building and installing. The‘Make it in America’ agenda is a big step inthe right direction to resolve our manufac-turing crisis.”

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer(D-Md.)

AFL-CIO PresidentRich Trumka

The commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center and theagency’s regional examination center branch chief on April 14 toured the Seafarers-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education. Capt. Anthony Lloyd(second from right) and Ken Skuches (second from left) were joined by Paul HallCenter Admissions Director Priscilla Labanowski (center) as well as John Mason (farleft) and Mike Mason (far right) from American Service Technology, Inc. The guestsobserved how training is conducted on the Piney Point, Md., campus and also dis-cussed with school officials various training requirements and NMC functions.

NMC Commander, REC Branch Chief Tour School

AFL-CIO President Says Bipartisan Agenda Would Create Jobs

‘Flags of Convenience’ CountriesThe following countries have been

declared FOCs by the InternationalTransport Workers’ Federation’s FairPractices Committee, a joint committeeof the federation’s mariner and dock-worker unions which runs the ITF cam-paign against runaway flags. The list iscurrent as of May 2011, according to theITF web site.

Antigua and BarbudaBahamasBarbadosBelize

Bermuda (UK)BoliviaBurmaCambodia

Cayman IslandsComorosCyprus

Equatorial GuineaFrench International Ship RegisterGerman International Ship Register

GeorgiaGibraltar (UK)HondurasJamaicaLebanonLiberiaMalta

Marshall IslandsMauritiusMongolia

Netherlands AntillesNorth KoreaPanama

Sao Tome and PríncipeSt VincentSri LankaTongaVanuatu

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An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter (above) moves in to retrieve a pallet ofsupplies from the deck USNS Matthew Perry. Once hooked up to its pay-load (photo below) the aircraft prepares lift off en route to the forward-deployed USS Essex, not pictured. (U.S. Navy photo by MassCommunication Specialist 3rd Class Adam M. Bennett)

The SIU recently teamed up with other U.S. maritime unions in donatingrelief funds to the All Japan Seamen’s Union (AJSU). The joint donation wassent in early May, via a fund established by the International TransportWorkers’ Federation (ITF).The SIU and the AJSU are affiliated through the ITF.In a letter to AJSU President Yoji Fujisawa, SIU Secretary-Treasurer David

Heindel, writing on behalf of U.S. seagoing labor, wrote, “We realize the enor-mous challenges you and your countrymen face in the wake of the devastationcaused by the recent earthquake and tsunami. We salute your courage in theface of those challenges. While the financial toll of the disaster is incalculable,our unions have teamed up to donate a combined $25,000 to the AJSU. Wehope this donation will help in your rebuilding efforts…. More importantly,please know that you can count on us to assist whenever and wherever need-ed.”Heindel also chairs the ITF’s Seafarers’ Section.

U.S. Maritime Unions Donate to AJSU

The USNS Carl Brashear (vessel at right above) pulls alongside the USS Curtis Wilbur during areplenishment at sea as part of Operation Tomodachi. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass CommunicationSpecialist 2nd Class William Pittman)

CIVMARS Remain True to Form, AnswerCall to Duty During Operation TomodachiJust as they have done numerous times in the past,

Civil Service Mariners (CIVMARS) from the SIU’sGovernment Services Division once again haveanswered the call to duty.The latest iteration came in early March during

Operation Tomodachi, a U.S. Navy relief effort to pro-vide humanitarian assistance to survivors of the March11 tsunamis that devastated northern Japan. The colos-sal sea waves, triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earth-quake that rocked the far eastern nation earlier thesame day, killed more the 12,000 people and displacedan estimated 164,000 more from their homes.Authorities declared some 15,000 individuals missing. In responding to the disaster, the Navy deployed 20

ships, 140 aircraft and 19,000 people. Ships in themission included those in the USS Ronald ReaganStrike Group and USS Essex Amphibious ReadyGroup. At the center of this support, however wereseven Seafarers-crewed MSC Naval Fleet AuxiliaryForce ships. According to published reports, the more than 700

CIVMARS aboard the seven MSC vessels (USNSBridge, USNS Pecos, USNS Carl Brashear, USNSMatthew Perry, USNS Richrd E. Byrd, USNSRappahannock, and USNS Safeguard) gave unselfish-ly of themselves to benefit those affected by this hor-rible tragedy. In order to successfully complete theirmissions, many worked extended hours in the face ofaustere weather conditions such as heavy rain, hail andsnow.The actual relief effort got underway March 13

when the Reagan arrived at a designated locationsome 190 miles north of Tokyo. Helicopters from theReagan immediately started delivering relief suppliesashore. Pilots and air crews also conducted a numberof aerial reconnaissance missions. The fast combatsupport ship USNS Bridge was the first MSC ship onlocation. Within days, the group was joined by Perry,

Pecos, Rappahannock, Brashear, Byrd and Safeguard.Collectively the vessels, officers and crews did a

masterful job providing relief supplies to those in needwhile operating in a virtual non-stop, fast-paced envi-ronment. According to MSC, the contributions madeby the officers and CIVMAR crews of each vesselduring the relief operations are as follows:

� USNS Bridge – Conducted 25 underway replen-ishment missions (unreps) and delivered more than 1.8million gallons of fuel.

� USNS Pecos – Delivered 96 pallets of humani-tarian assistance and disaster relief material to theEssex Amphibious Group and the Ronald ReaganCarrier Strike Group. Pecos also completed nineunreps and delivered more than 2.3 million gallons offuel to other supporting ships.

� USNS Carl Brashear – Delivered more than 80pallets of humanitarian cargo to northern Japan.Brashear also and completed 17 unreps, deliveringmore than 1 million gallons of fuel to ships supportingthe relief effort.

� USNS Matthew Perry – Spent 21 days support-ing Operation Tomodachi, completing 17 separatereplenishment events and delivering more than 1.5gallons of fuel.

� USNS Richard E. Byrd – Completed 16 unrepsand in the process delivered 210,000 gallons of fuel toTomodachi-support ships.

� USNS Rappahannock – Delivered 289 pallets ofbottled water to Yokosuka, Japan for the relief effort.Rappahannock also completed 10 unreps deliveringmore than 2.4 gallons of fuel.

� USNS Safeguard – Surveyed more than 4.5 mil-lion square yards of harbor and removed five tons ofwreckage thereby clearing a channel for a commercialliquid natural gas tanker to safely dock. The tankerdelivered heating fuel to the area for the first timesince the earthquake.

Sailors aboard the USS Shiloh (left in photo above) receive cargo from the USNS Matthew Perry offthe northeastern coast of Japan during Operation Tomodachi. (U.S. Navy photo by MassCommunication Specialist 3rd Class Charles Oki)

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Three active Seafarers and five dependentsnow may pursue their respective higher edu-cational objectives thanks to grants totaling$132,000 that recently were bestowed uponthem by the Seafarers Health and BenefitsPlan.Convening May 13 in Philadelphia, mem-

bers of the SHBP scholarship committeeselected Seafarers Cleveland Foy, TimothySquires Jr., and Judith Merwin; along withdependents Randi Isenhart, NermineAbdelwahab, Hailey Grubbs, Allison Matiasand Gabrielle Camacho as recipients of thecalendar year 2011 Charlie LoganScholarships. Foy is the recipient of a $20,000endowment while Squires and Merwin eachwere named to garner $6,000 to further theireducational goals in two-year courses ofstudy. Each of the dependents landed scholar-ships of $20,000 to pursue their aspirations atfour-year colleges or universities.Following are brief biographical sketches

of each of the scholarship recipients andrecaps of their respective educational aspira-tions.

Cleveland FoyAB Cleveland Foy was a member of

Unlicensed Apprentice Class 686 at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for MaritimeTraining and Education in Piney Point, Md.After completing the school’s Phase III of theprogram, Foy returned to the SouthernMaryland-based maritimeinstitution on two occa-sions to enhance hisskills. He currently worksaboard the CrowleyMaritime-operated tugMaster.A native of Ocala,

Fla., Brother Foy receivedhis Georgia GeneralEducational Development Diploma in 2000.He joined the SIU in 2007 after serving fiveyears in the U.S. Navy.Brother Foy has done volunteer work

monitoring troubled young men and encour-aging them to continue their education andstay positive. He will pursue his bachelor’sdegree in Managerial Sciences with anemphasis on supply chain management; hope-fully at Florida State College of Jacksonville.He said the reason for choosing this field ofstudy is “because it directly corresponds tomy daily activities in shipping.“Working as a merchant seaman and deliv-

ering goods around the globe directly corre-lates with logistics,” he said. “Obtaining abachelor’s degree in this field will allow meto excel administratively … and make me abetter seaman and help me understand bothsides of the industry.”

Timothy Squire Jr.AB Timothy Squire Jr., hails from

Norfolk, Va., and was the 1999 recipient of anadvanced studies diploma from Bayside HighSchool in Virginia Beach, Va.He joined the union in 2001 and complet-

ed the apprentice program at the Paul HallCenter. Since then, he has been going to seaaboard deep sea vessels while working in thedeck department.“Ten years have passed since the day I

entered the union hall onThird Street in Norfolk,”Squire said in his scholar-ship nomination package.“During those years, alove for computer technol-ogy has grown inside myheart…. Computers havebecome an internationallanguage that connects the

world and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”Squire hopes to earn his degree in computernetworking/science and also obtain hisMicrosoft Certification.“I have sailed the deep seas from the

United States to Europe across theMediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal,”he said. “I have been all over the world andbought my first house at 24 years old, but Ihave not been to the one place I desire themost: a college classroom.”Brother Squire hopes to attend Norfolk

State University.

Judith MerwinAB Judith Merwin, the third active

Seafarer to land an endowment under the2011 SHBP Scholarship Program, is a residentof Kentwood, La.The North Carolina-born mariner is a 1973

graduate of Havelock High School and attend-

ed Chalmette Community College inChalmette, La. Sister Merwin joined the SIUin 2000 in the port of New Orleans and hasupgraded her skills on several occasions.A veteran of numerous deep sea voyages,

Sister Merwin is well aware of MotherNature’s potential forwrath, especially when itcomes to incidentsinvolving water. She, likethousands upon thousandsof others, witnessed first-hand the ravages (includ-ing to wildlife) leftbehind in the wake of therecent DeepwaterHorizon disaster.According to Sister Merwin, seafood is a

huge part of the Louisiana’s culture and thedisaster exacted a heavy toll on many seafoodvarieties all along the Gulf Coast. The price ofcrawfish has nearly doubled since the calami-ty, she said.Because of the disaster, she wants to con-

tinue her education in hydroponics and aqua-culture (hydroponics is a method of growingplants in water, without soil, using mineralnutrient solutions; and aquaculture is thefarming of aquatic organisms such as fish,crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants).“I want vey much to be a leader among

my brothers and sisters in the union as well asin the community,” she said. “I want our foodto be pure. I want healthy food to be afford-able.”Sister Merwin hopes to continue her stud-

ies at Southeastern University, the Universityof New Orleans, or at Louisiana StateUniversity.

Randi IsenhartRandi Isenhart hails from Del Haven, N.J.

She is the daughter of Inland Captain RandyIsenhart (and mother Christina, a schoolnurse).A 2011 graduate of Lower Cape Mary

Regional High School, Isenhart posted anoverall 4.85 GPA in her secondary educationstudies. She was a member of the NationalHonor Society and was active in dance and

gymnastics.Randi plans to study

the sciences and mathe-matics in college, ulti-mately earning her degreein biology. “Although Ido not yet know whatexactly I want to do witha degree in biology, I amcontemplating research

and pre-medical studies,” she said. “I justknow that I have always been told to do whatyou love, and I love science, so a degree inbiology is the first step to doing what I love.”Isenhart has applied to Brown University,

Tufts University and the University ofRochester.

Nermine AbdelwahabNermine Abdelwahab wants to pursue a

career in engineering.The daughter of AB Mohamed

Abadelwahab (and mother Ekram Ahmed,a housewife), Nermine was born inAlexandria, Egypt. She is a 2011 graduateof Southwest High School in Minneapolis,Minn., where she posted a 3.94 GPA, was amember of the National Honor Society andwas active in a number of other non-athleticpursuits including Amnesty Internationaland Habitat for Humanity. In the athleticarena, Nermine partici-pated in tennis, softballand badminton.“Engineering has

always intrigued me asI view it to be the foun-dation that change canbe built on,” she said.“Engineering will pro-vide me the tools, inno-vation, and knowledgeto make a change worldwide.“Through my own experiences, I believe

that infrastructure, industry, and sustainabil-ity is what distinguishes a third world coun-try like Egypt from America, and all ofthese factors can be obtained through anengineering background,” Nermine contin-ued. “Overall, I hope to expand my knowl-edge in engineering and give back to theworld in a way that can make a tangible dif-ference.”She has applied to Northwestern

University, the University of Chicago andCarleton College.

Hailey GrubbsA native Floridian, Hailey Grubbs was

born in Duval County and currently resides inNeptune Beach, Fla.She is the daughter of Recertified Bosun

Robert Grubbs (and mother Connie, a real-tor) and is a 2011 graduate of The BollesSchool in Jacksonville, Fla. Hailey achieved a4.55 GPA during her secondary educationtraining and was a mem-ber of the National HonorSociety. She served aspresident of both BigBrother & Big Sisters andthe Leigh MeadowsService Cub at her schooland was a member of theyearbook staff. An accom-plished swimmer, Haileywas a four-year member of Bolles’ varsityswimming team.“I cover 50 yards in 27 seconds. I move

faster than a tuna,” said Grubbs, whose par-ents introduced her to swimming at the age offour. She spent the past three summers serv-ing as a lifeguard, coaching swim teams andgiving swim lessons at inner-city pools tochildren who could not swim.“I can attest to the sense of purpose and

accomplishment this hard work has providedme,” she said. “For this reason, I’ve decidedto study medicine, and become a pediatricphysician, surrounded by children, working tomaintain their safety and health.”She looks forward to the challenges of a

pre-med curriculum while attending theUniversity of Miami, University of Florida orFlorida State University. “I am ready to jumpin,” she concluded.

Allison MatiasAllison Matias was born in California but

now resides in Virginia Beach, Va.A 2011 graduate of Landstown High

School, Allison is the daughter of Chief CookEfren Matias (and mother Nellie, a registerednurse). As a high school student, she wasactive in a number of non-athletic activitiesincluding Model United Nations, DECA, and

the Asian Pacific IslanderCultural Society. Allisonalso held memberships inthe National HonorSociety and SpanishHonor Society. She gradu-ated from LandstownHigh with a 3.96 GPA.Allison and her family

relocated from San Diegoto Olongapo, Philippines,

when she was two years old. “Enveloped in aculture so rich in personality and warmth, Igrew up with an open mindset,” she said.“Residing in a developing country has led meto witness poverty and develop an absoluterespect and reverence towards education.

“My experience in the Philippines honedmy thoughts from a young age, thus leadingto my decision of becoming a doctor capableof helping those in need,” she continued.“Having seen the immense need for morecapable individuals to assist the poor, I couldnot help but yearn to one day be a person whois able to flourish in the community.”Allison hopes to pursue a pre-med course

of study at the Virginia Tech, Old DominionUniversity or the University of Virginia.

Gabrielle CamachoGabrielle Camacho is the daughter of AB

Noel Camacho (and mother Wilhelmina, anurse).She is a 2011 graduate

of Otay Ranch HighSchool in Chula Vista,Calif. Gabrielle participat-ed in junior varsity trackand field, was active involunteer work in hercommunity and achieved a4.12 weighted GPA. Shewas a member of theNational Honor Society aswell as Key Club International.“Living in Honolulu and San Diego, I

have lived a relatively sheltered life,”Gabrielle shared in her scholarship nomina-tion package. “My family has always beenvery protective of me.“However, as protective as they were, they

could not shield the harsh realities of theworld from me forever,” she continued. “I amaware of the beautiful and wretched occur-rences in my surroundings and internationally.“My empathy has allowed me to become

president of a community service club that isa branch of Key Club International and it isalso the basis of my decision to strive towardbecoming a pharmacist and paramedic.” sheconcluded. “Both professions require me totravel a rigorous pathway.”Gabrielle hopes to attend the University of

California.Congratulations are in order to each of the

foregoing scholarship recipients. It is thehope of SHBP Plan officials and the unionmembership as a whole that they all prosperin their respective higher educational endeav-ors.

Remembering Father BoileauOn a more somber note, The Rev. David

A. Boileau, who served as a member of theSeafarers Health and Benefits Plan scholar-ship committee for many years, passed awayJan. 24 at Ochsner Medical Center in NewOrleans. He was 80.Father Boileau over the years assisted the

SIU and its educational programs in manyways and was regarded as a true friend of theunion. He will be sorely missed. Condolencesare extended to members of his family.

Seafarers, Dependents Share $132,000 in SHBP Scholarships

Members of the calendar year 2011 SHBP Scholarship Committee in early May metin Philadelphia to choose this year’s award recipients. Comprising the committee(above, from left to right) were: Dr. Louis Fernandez, provost and vice president aca-demic affairs, California State University, San Bernardino; Dr. Gayle Olson,University of New Orleans (retired); Dr. Trevor Carpenter, College of SouthernMaryland (retired); Dr. Keith Schlender, University of Toledo; Dr. Henry Toutain,Kenyon College; and Dr. Charles Lyons Jr., American Association of Colleges andUniversities (retired). Also participating on the committee, but not pictured was Dr.Henry Glaser, St. Mary’s College (retired).

Scholarship Committee

64746_LOG_X2 5/26/2011 7:07 PM Page 7


Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabuson May 18 announced that the 14thLewis and Clark class of drycargo/ammunition ships (abbreviatedas T-AKE) will be named the USNSCesar Chavez.“Continuing the Lewis and Clark-

class tradition of honoring legendarypioneers and explorers, the Navy’snewest underway replenishment shiphonors the memory of Mexican-American civil rights activist CesarChavez,” the Defense Department saidin a news release. “Chavez served inthe Navy from 1944-1946 after whichhe became a leader in the Americanlabor movement and a civil rightsactivist who co-founded the NationalFarm Workers Association, which laterbecame the United Farm Workers.”Members of the SIU Government

Services Division sail aboard the T-AKE vessels.“Cesar Chavez inspired young

Americans to do what is right and whatis necessary to protect our freedoms

and our country,” said Mabus. “TheCesar Chavez will sail hundreds ofthousands of miles and will bring sup-port and assistance to thousands uponthousands of people. His example willlive on in this great ship.”Designated T-AKE 14, the Cesar

Chavez is being built by union-con-tracted General Dynamics NASSCOshipyard in San Diego. Eleven of the T-AKEs are slated to serve as combatlogistics force (CLF) ships, and threeare scheduled to be part of the mar-itime prepositioning force (MPF). TheCesar Chavez will serve the CLF mis-sions, helping the Navy maintain aworldwide forward presence by deliv-ering ammunition, food, fuel and otherdry cargo to U.S. and allied ships atsea.According to the Navy, each ship in

the class is 689 feet in length, has awaterline beam of 105 feet, displacesapproximately 41,000 tons, and iscapable of reaching a speed of 20knots.

U.S. Navy Names Next T-AKE for Cesar Chavez

SIU Government Services Divisionmembers aboard the USNS JohnEricsson participated in a rescue of fivepeople who were lost more than 35 milesaway from the nearest shore. The rescuetook place May 18 near the SolomonIslands.While conducting routine operations

in the Solomon Sea May 17, theEricsson received notification from theMaritime Rescue Coordination Centersin Australia and Papua New Guinea atabout 11 p.m. to be on the lookout for amissing commercial vessel. At about 8a.m. local time the following morning,OS Tyrone Mouzon spotted a smallcommercial vessel with five individualsaboard waving frantically. Mouzon noti-fied the watch officer, Third MateTimothy Gervais, who alerted theEricsson’s civil service master, Capt.Richard Kirk. Kirk immediately orderedthe ship to sail towards the small craft torender assistance. The Ericsson carefully inched close to

the boat and the ship’s crew secured lines

to the small craft. Safely secured along-side, the Ericsson brought the commer-cial sailors on board where they receiveda medical examination as well as foodand water. “The sailors were tired and dehydrat-

ed but they appeared to be in good con-dition,” said Kirk. According to Kirk, the five Solomon

natives said they were transiting betweenthe Solomons’ Nissian and Bougainvilleislands when they became disoriented bybad weather and heavy seas, spendingtwo nights and three days lost more than35 miles out to sea. “They had no food and water remain-

ing,” said Kirk. The Ericsson’s crew also salvaged the

small boat by placing a large net under-neath the vessel, lifting it out of the waterusing the ship’s crane, and securing theboat to the side of the ship for transport.The Ericsson then made the short transitto nearby Bougainville Island where thefive mariners, along with their vessel,were repatriated ashore.

SIU, MTD at White House Roundtable

SIU Port Agent Pat Vandegrift (right) and Maritime Trades Department ExecutiveSecretary-Treasurer Daniel Duncan (left) participated with nearly 40 other people inthe White House Champions of Change Roundtable on Transportation on May 16.The session included union and non-union attendees from the maritime, air, rail,trucking and bus industries as well as infrastructure and environmental groups.Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari (center) hosted the discussion,which also featured a visit by Presidential Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. Maritimeissues were among the many topics discussed. Vandegrift (who is based in PineyPoint, Md.) and others outlined how the Jones Act has been valuable to the U.S.economy for job creation for mariners, shipbuilders and other associated fields. Apush to commit more resources for waterway transportation also was made.

CIVMARS Help Rescue5 Near Solomon Islands

Mayor Meets Seafarers

Then-mayoral candidate Alvin Brown (second from right) chatted with Seafarersrecently at the union hall in Jacksonville, Fla. In an extremely close runoff electionlast month that was deemed a major upset, Brown, the labor-backed candidate,won by approximately 1,500 votes (out of about 193,000 cast). He is pictured at thehall in early April with (from left) Steward/Baker Shirley Bellamy, SIU Asst. VP ArchieWare, OMU Edgar Young and SA Rosalie Long.

St. Louis Port Council Honors 4

More than 300 union members, elected officials and guests saluted four peoplefor their work within the labor community during the 31st annual Greater St.Louis Area and Vicinity Maritime Trades Department Port Council dinner onApril 30. In the photo above, Port Council VP Jack Martorelli (left) andSecretary-Treasurer Becky Sleeper (who also serves as the SIU port agent inSt. Louis) present the Joe Sacco “Friend of Labor” Award to Robert Kelley,accepting on behalf of his late longtime friend Robert Kortkamp, who recentlypassed away. In the other photo, holding his Labor Man of the Year Award isIAM District 837 President Gordon King. Presenting the ship’s wheel (from left)are Martorelli, Port Council President Dick Mantia and MTD and SIU PresidentMichael Sacco. The Able Helmsman Award went to Missouri State TreasurerClint Zweifel, while George C. Roman, VP for state and local government oper-ations at Boeing, received the Management Man of the Year Award.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:35 PM Page 8


SEAFARER EARNS DIPLOMA – Following the May mem-bership meeting in Piney Point, Md., Paul Hall Center VP DonNolan (right) applauds GUDE Alethea Earhart for earning a highschool diploma through center’s state-certified program.

WELCOME ASHORE – At the union hall in Jacksonville, Fla.,SIU Asst. VP Archie Ware (right) congratulates Capt. CharlesJones on his retirement and on a job well-done. A Seafarer since1980, Jones sailed with Crowley.At Sea and Ashore with the SIU

ON THE WEST COAST – SIU Asst. VP Nick Celona (right in photo above) and Patrolman Nick Marrone II (center) represented the union during the late-April meeting of theU.S. Maritime Administration’s ship managers working group, which took place in San Francisco. Topics included the numerous, consistent steps maritime labor has taken tohelp continue meeting the nation’s sealift readiness needs. Pictured from left to right are AMO National Asst. VP Daniel Shea, MarAd Office of Ship Operations Director WilliamCahill, Marrone, Ocean Shipholdings President and CEO Jim McGregor and Celona. In the other photo, taken at the union hall in Oakland, Calif., Celona administers the unionoath and presents an SIU book to Bryan Wynn, who sails with Starlight Marine.

TALKING UNION IN CHARM CITY – SIU Baltimore Port Agent Elizabeth Brown (left)catches up on the latest union news with Unlicensed Apprentices Jarvis Stanley (center)and Kyle Silva at the union hall before the latter two individuals signed on aboard the near-by Alliance Norfolk.

BACKING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES – Seafarers in the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., area ralliedApril 4 in support of teachers and other public employees. Pictured at the demonstra-tion – which was part of organized labor’s “We Are One” platform – are (from left)Recertified Bosun Joe Caruso, AB Joseph Lane, Port Agent Kris Hopkins, AB RandyPowell, an unidentified fellow supporter and Unlicensed Apprentice Patrick Bethel.

THESE ‘LOSERS’ ARE WINNERS – Seafarers at Crowley/Petty’s Island started shaping up for theNew Year via a “biggest loser” weight-loss contest. Beginning in early January and ending in late March,14 participants shed a combined 258 lbs. Charles Wisler and Samuel Birth from the mechanic shop sharedfirst-place honors by each losing 49 lbs. Seafarer Stanley Williams came up with the contest idea and pre-sented Wisler and Birth with prizes and certificates of achievement. All participants thanked TerminalManager Ken Orben for supporting the contest. Competitors included (front row, from left) DennisSaggese, David Christinzio, Gabriel DeJesus, Regina Emmons, (back, from left) Samuel Birth, WilliamMurray, Patrick Bradley, Stanley Williams, Joseph Endres, Scott Smith, Charles Wisler and AnthonyLombardo. Not pictured are Thommie Hampton and Milli Davis.

ABOARD HORIZON EAGLE – Closely focusing on their work inthe engine room are (photo at left above, left to right) Chief EngineerJoe Olszowy and DEU Younis Kaid. Fellow crew member QMEDSamuel Garrett is shown in the other photo.

CELEBRATING 45TH ANNIVER-SARY – AB Josefino Casugay (left) andhis wife, Erlinda, recently celebrated their45th wedding anniversary. Josefino hasbeen an active Seafarer since 1968, whileErlinda, though retired as a full-time educa-tor, still works part-time at a faith-basedpreschool. The happy couple resides inCalifornia.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:36 PM Page 9


Editor’s Note: Elements from the“Radical Right,”—in a carefully calculat-ed campaign to divide well-meaning indi-viduals and promote hatred based on mis-information, distortions and outright false-hoods—are spreading a host of myths thatdemonize government and labor unions.Essentially, their goal is to portray pro-gressive public officials and public sectorworkers as villains. In an effort to counter-act these actions and the recent and on-going attacks on union workers’ rights andprovide the general public and union mem-bers with accurate information, the NewYork-based Joseph S. Murphy Institute forWorker Education and Labor Studies andsome of its affiliated agencies published abooklet titled “In the Public Interest:Debunking the Myths about Government,Government Workers, and Unions.” Thematerial appearing in the following articlewas extracted from that publication.

There is no denying that America cur-rently is struggling through some verychallenging times. People are out ofwork, prices are soaring, public servicesare down, wages are stagnant and fami-lies are still losing their homes.This state of affairs is made more dis-

mal as a result of efforts by well-orga-nized groups of radicals who are trying toconvince the American public that over-paid government workers are to blame forthe nation’s current economic problems.Attacking public sector workers conve-niently focuses attention on the twothings the radicals hate the most: govern-ment and unions. But complaining aboutthe evils of government and unions is notnew. What is different now is that thecountry is in terrible economic conditionand people want an explanation.In response, some politicians and

media personalities are repeating mythsthat demonize government and unions,making progressive public officials andpublic sector workers into villains. Theseactions create serious consequences: theydivide well-meaning individuals and pro-mote hatred based on misinformation,distortions and outright falsehoods.Additionally, these myths divert publicattention from the real problems beingencountered in our nation including: afinancial sector that has wreaked havocon our economy; tax cuts for the wealthythat have increased our national debt atthe worst possible time; vast concentra-tions of wealth and power alongside eco-nomic hardship and insecurity; and theability of the “monied class” to preventthe democratic process, dominate themass media, and shape public opinion inways that hurt the vast majority ofAmericans.Following are seven myths perpetuat-

ed by radicals, information on why thesemyths are nothing more than folklore andalternative explanations and possibleremedies.

Government workers have it toogood. Public sector workers have muchhigher salaries than other workers—plus gold-plated benefits and perks.The average worker is forced to paytaxes to support a level of compensa-tion they themselves can only dream of.Public sector workers are lazy, rudeand unproductive. And they’re on per-manent vacation.

� The radicals and the media are fondof highlighting government abuses. Someof these abuses are very real, but they alsoexaggerate reality and misrepresent thefacts to make all government workerslook like villains.

� The work of government employ-ees—police, firefighters, teachers, traintrack workers—is important, often stress-ful, and sometimes dangerous. The salariesof public sector workers are well earned.

� Public sector salaries are not lavish.The radicals like to compare private andpublic sector without considering impor-tant factors that are relevant to salariessuch as age, years of experience, andlevel of education required for the job(government workers are twice as likelyto have a college degree). When thesefactors are considered, according to onestudy, public sector workers earn 11 per-cent less than comparable workers in theprivate sector. Even when health andretirement benefits are included, publicsector workers earn less than their privatesector counterparts with comparable edu-cational levels.

� Public sector workers—like theirprivate sector counterparts—haveincreased their productivity significantlyover the years. But neither group has beencompensated for increased productivity.If workers’ wages kept pace with produc-tivity, they would be making a lot moremoney.

� In fact, wages in the public sector,like those in the private sector, have beenstagnant. Lately, public sector unions andtheir members have been taking a beat-ing. Last year, 51 percent of cities acrossthe country froze or reduced pay, while 25percent laid off workers, 24 percentreduced health benefits, and 22 percentrevised union contracts to reduce pay andbenefits.

� Public sector workers have familiesthat depend on them for financial support.And they and their families are part ofcommunities that thrive when people areworking.

� Laying off workers or cutting backon their compensation not only putsworkers in jeopardy, it affects the eco-nomic and social wellbeing of their com-munities.

� In effect, radicals want to turn goodjobs into bad jobs—jobs without decentpay, benefits, security, or pensions. Anti-union efforts have already succeeded indoing this in the private sector. Over thepast 30 years, many private employershave cut pay and stopped offering healthcare, pensions and other benefits. Nowthe Radical Right is turning its attentionto the public sector, closing off moreopportunities for people to enter and stayin the middle class.

� Cutting back on public sectoremployment affects everyone, butimpacts some more than others.Government jobs have been an importantavenue for upward mobility for women.And while the vast majority of public sec-tor workers are white, a disproportionatenumber are African American.Increasingly, public sector jobs havebecome a source of employment forLatinos as well. Public employment hasbeen a path to the middle class and hasbrought a level of economic stability tothese communities. Veterans, too, havebenefited from public employment.According to the Bureau of LaborStatistics, 13 percent of all employed vet-erans work for state and local govern-ment. Cutbacks hurt these constituenciesmore than others.

� Well-funded, orchestrated attacks onpublic sector workers encourage workersto blame each other for our problems.These attacks amount to “blaming thevictim.”

� The real and obscene differences incompensation are those between workersand corporate executives—especiallywhen considering such perks as bonuses,stock options and golden parachutes.Compensation for the CEOs of the 500largest companies averaged $8 million

last year.� The real culprits are the financiers

and corporate elite who got us into thismess and continue to make handsomeprofits.

Increasing revenues (by taxing corpo-rations and the very wealthy), expandingpublic works, and creating new jobs withbetter wages and benefits for public andprivate sector workers will build strongercommunities and create a firm foundationfor economic growth.

Government is too big. Governmentis one big, bloated bureaucracy withtoo many workers. Besides, much ofwhat government does could be donebetter and more efficiently by privatecompanies. We need to cut governmentservices.

� Government provides services thatare essential. Public sector workers teachour children, pave our roadways, repairour bridges, collect our garbage, staff ourlibraries, patrol our streets and put outfires. That doesn’t mean that governmentalways gets it right or that efficiencycouldn’t improve. But the work that pub-lic employees do to keep us safe, healthy,and educated is important to our dailylives and all too often is taken for grant-ed.

� There is no evidence that turninggovernment work over to private compa-nies – contracted out –saves money.When overruns, contract monitoring, con-tract administration, and other direct andhidden costs are considered, contractingout can be very expensive. One estimateputs the added cost at 25 percent.

� There are plenty examples of con-tracting out leading to greater inefficien-cies, declines in services, corruption,and/or increases in user fees. And becauseof legal fees, getting out of privatizationagreements can be costly as well.

� Besides, private companies cherrypick the goods and services that can turna profit—and leave the rest for govern-ment to handle. You won’t find, for exam-ple, companies taking on mail service torural areas or healthcare services for thepoor. Privatizing forces taxpayers to pickup the tab for expensive but necessaryservices the private sector doesn’t want toprovide, while private companies walkoff with the profits from the easy jobs.

� Education, public safety, legal pro-tection, and a clean environment—all areessential to a healthy democracy. It’s dan-

gerous to rely on private companies tomeet these needs. While public agenciesare subject to close scrutiny and oversightand must meet clearly defined standards(in wages, safety, ethics), private compa-nies are much less accountable. While thepublic sector’s goal is to meet the publicneed, the chief goal of any private com-pany is to make the biggest profit possi-ble.

� The United Sates spends less ongovernment services than almost anyother developed nation in the world—lessthan Japan, Canada, Britain, France orGermany.

� It’s not that government is too big;it’s that the influence of the wealthy ongovernment is too large.

� As the cost of running for publicoffice increases, so does the influence ofthe “monied class”. It now costs on aver-age, $1.4 million in campaign funds towin a seat in the House ofRepresentatives and $7 million to win aseat in the U.S. Senate.

� Running for office usually requiressome very wealthy donors. But some-times the very wealthy pick up the costsof winning an election themselves.

� High-priced lobbyists also ensurethat the interests of the wealthy are wellrepresented in the halls of government.

� To shine light on the connectionbetween money and public policy, oneuseful website, MAPLight.org tracks themoney politicians receive related to eachvote they cast. In one case concerningtelecommunication companies,Congressional representatives whochanged their position to support the tele-coms received twice as much in politicalcontributions from the telecoms as thosethat did not. In another case related toregulating the financial industry, thosevoting against financial reform received41 percent more in contributions from bigbanks than those voting for regulation.

� One result for the “money talks”culture: Congress passed tax cuts for thewealthy in the midst of one of the worsteconomic crises the nation has ever seen.Another result: a huge spike in the con-centration of wealth in the hands of a fewand record levels of economic and socialinequality.

Working people and the organizationsthat represent them can—and often do—check the power of money by organizingat the ballot box and in the streets.Government is contested terrain. Our goalshould be to take back our government—not weaken it.

(The remaining myths will be publishedin an upcoming edition of the LOG)

MYTH # 1

REALITY

Debunking Myths: Report Separates Facts From FictionAbout Public Sector Union Workers

A BETTER PLAN

MYTH # 2

REALITY

A BETTER PLAN

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:36 PM Page 10


Members of the USNS SGT William R. Button’s engine department are shown above. Among those pic-tured are QPMP Charles Ellsworth, QEE Efren Villarosa, GUDE Joseph Quitugua, QMED MohamedSylla and Storekeeper Bayani Alcantara. Four members of the riding crew are also shown. The stewarddepartment (photo at right) consisted of SA Antonio Montero, SA Timoteo Nunez, SA Ardeccia Hill, ChiefBaker Calvin Williams, Steward Edwin Bonefont, SA Kipp Worthy and Chief Cook Ellis Edwards.

The USNS SGT William R. Button

The AMSEA-operated USNS SGT William R.Button was one of two SIU-crewed MilitarySealift Command (MSC) ships that supported

operations March 1-13 during Pacific Horizon 2011 (theSS Curtiss was the other). An annual training eventwhich is part of MSC’s Prepositioning ReadinessProgram, the exercise is designed to perfect the ability ofU.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps forces to conduct at-sea transfers of equipment from sealift platforms to shipsand shoreside locations via surface craft. This year’smaneuvers took place off the coast of Camp Pendleton,Calif., and involved some 2,500 sailors and Marines, thetwo MSC vessels, and their respective SIU crews. “Having these two ships here for us to train with is an

outstanding opportunity for us,’ said Sgt. Maj. RandalCarter. “These crews are professional and provide us anexcellent opportunity to train and to learn in an environ-ment that is a lot like the areas we, as Marines, operatein during our missions.”During the at-sea equipment transfer portion of the

exercise, Sailors and Marines—with the assistance of theButton’s 31 crew members—moved some 200 pieces of

Marine Corps field equipment from the Button—anchored some three miles off shore—to CampPendleton’s Red Beach area. Included were trucks,power trailers, 20-foot containers and Humvees. Thegear was returned to the ship during the final phases ofthe exercise.In preparation for the start of equipment discharge,

Button crew members, following their March 2 arrivaloff the Camp Pendleton coast, participated in a pre-oper-ations and safety brief, and a safety drill. “These kindsof training exercises are always valuable to us,” saidCapt. David Eddy, Button master. “They help us iron outwrinkles, to learn how to move around on the decks withdifferent kinds of cargo and to best figure out wherethings should go to make the mission move forwardsmoothly.”MSC operates approximately 110 non-combatant,

civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships,conduct specialized missions, strategically prepositioncombat cargo at sea around the world and move militarycargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces andcoalition partners.

The Button’s deck department during the exercise was comprised of(photo above): AB Jerry Stillman, AB ATM Reza, AB Travis Long, AB JoseSanchez, AB John Gonsalves, AB Elhassan Hussein and Bosun GregoryJackson.

UUnniioonn--CCrreewweedd UUSSNNSS SSggtt .. WWii ll ll iiaamm RR.. BBuutt ttoonn SSuuppppoorr ttss MMii ii ttaarryy EExxeerrcc iissee

Bosun Gregory Jackson and AB John Gonsalves

The helicopter above conducted operations aboard the SS Curtissduring while military equipment (below) was being off-loaded fromthe USNS SGt. William R. Button. Both maneuvers took place dur-ing Pacific Horizon 2011.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:36 PM Page 11


U.S. Merchant Mariners past and present weresaluted May 19 during the traditional NationalMaritime Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C.The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd),U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) and thePropeller Club each hosted an event honoringthe service and sacrifice of America’s civilianseafarers.The SIU as usual made a strong showing.

Dozens of unlicensed apprentices from theunion-affiliated Paul Hall Center for MaritimeTraining and Education attended the ceremonies,including three (Priscilla Greene, Jason Allenand Leo Onofrio) who played important roles inthe MarAd and MSC events, respectively. SIUheadquarters officials President Michael Sacco,Executive Vice President Augie Tellez,Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel, VicePresident Contracts George Tricker and AssistantVice President Ambrose Cucinotta representedthe union throughout the day. Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander, U.S.

Transportation Command, was the featuredspeaker both at MSC’s ceremony and at thePropeller Club luncheon. U.S. Senator FrankLautenberg (D-N.J.) gave the keynote address atMarAd’s event, which also included a videomessage from Transportation Secretary RayLaHood and remarks by Maritime AdministratorDavid Matsuda.MarAd kicked off the day at Transportation

Department headquarters as Matsuda honoredthe memory of Richard Oliver Kelleher. He pre-sented six posthumous awards to the family ofKelleher, whose death at sea during World WarII symbolized the sacrifices of all U.S. MerchantMariners. Accepting the awards was Kelleher’sbrother, Herb Kelleher, founder of SouthwestAirlines.Richard Kelleher, a fireman-watertender, was

just 19 years old when he died while servingonboard the tanker SS Patrick J. Hurley. Thevessel was torpedoed on Sept. 12, 1942 by aGerman U-boat.“Richard’s desire to serve at a time when our

country needed him most is an inspiration to usall,” said Matsuda. “His story is an example ofthe courage and commitment to serve that stillexists in the men and women who go to seatoday.”LaHood pointed out America always has

relied on its merchant mariners. He said that in

addition to contributing billions of dollars to thenation’s economy, “In times of emergency, ourcivilian mariners sail into dangerous waters tofortify our nation’s defense. Over the past threeyears alone, the U.S. Merchant Marine hasdelivered more than 300,000 pieces of war mate-rial to the battlefields in the Middle East.”Lautenberg said he still has a personal appre-

ciation for civilian mariners. He was in thearmed forces during World War II, when hespent time aboard U.S. merchant ships.“I witnessed firsthand the difference the mer-

chant marine makes,” he said, adding that mar-itime remains “a vital American industry. I havetremendous respect for our country’s mariners.The work that you do is vital. You are civilianswho are patriots, and we wouldn’t be where weare today without the heroic contributions ofmariners. I thank each and every one of you foralways answering the call of duty. I salute thecourage and service of those who fought on mer-chant ships and who contribute so much to oursecurity and economy.”At the luncheon, General McNabb thanked

the industry as a whole for its collective effortsto support our armed forces. “This nation is verywell-served by what you all do,” he said.He cited the large numbers of U.S. Merchant

Marine casualties in World War II (includingmore than 1,200 SIU members who gave theirlives) and then recalled being at the Pentagon on9/11. Throughout the decades in between andright up to the present, “This really is a battleabout good over evil,” he stated, emphasizingthat a strong merchant fleet is one key to win-ning.“I think about our mariners going out and

putting everything on the line to protect ourfreedom. It is so noble what they’ve done,” thegeneral declared.Among the keys to maintaining a capable

American-flag fleet are cargo preference laws,the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) andthe Jones Act, which applies to domestic ship-ping. General McNabb said, “I obviously thinkcargo preference, MSP, the Jones Act – all ofthose things are absolutely essential for having avery strong merchant marine.”Later, during the MSC ceremony – hosted by

MSC Commander Rear Admiral Mark Buzby atthe Washington Navy Yard – General McNabbsaid, “The merchant marine has always been the

linchpin of our U.S. commercial sealift capabili-ty and has come to America’s aid at the mostcrucial times in history, projecting power wher-ever and whenever needed. It is an understate-ment to say we count on you. We absolutelydepend on you.”At the heart of the formal military ceremony

was the presentation of three commemorativewreaths in solemn remembrance of mariners lostat sea. During presentation of the wreaths, theguests stood and service members, includingMcNabb and Buzby, saluted as the NavyCeremonial Guard firing party fired three vol-leys of seven, and the Navy Brass Quintetplayed “Taps.” Following the ceremony, thewreaths were placed in front of the merchantmarine bronze relief sculpture at the NavyMemorial in downtown Washington.

“We depend on [our mariners] every day tomeet the mission requirements of the best oceantransportation system in the world,” said Buzby.“We at MSC are proud of our civilian mariners,so it is fitting that today is set aside to acknowl-edge the great debt of gratitude we owe to thededicated men and women of the U.S. MerchantMarine.”National Maritime Day is May 22 and honors

the contributions of the American MerchantMarine, civilian men and women who havedefended the freedom of the United States since1775, and who collectively carried out thelargest sealift operation the world has everknown during World War II. The day alsoacknowledges the maritime industry’s contribu-tions to the nation’s economic and national secu-rity.

Ceremonies Honor U.S. Merchant Marine’s Valiant History

Clockwise beginning above, SIU President Michael Sacco (left) takes in the Maritime Day activities during the U.S.Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) event at the U.S. Department of Transportation. To Sacco’s left are other currentand former SIU officials including Terry Turner, former SIU Legislative Director; VP Contracts George Tricker; andAsst. VP Ambrose Cucinotta. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) delivers the keynote address during the MarAd event,while Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, commander, Military Sealift Command; Maritime Administrator David Matsuda and

Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander, U.S. Transportation Command (right) joined Herb Kelleher for a posed photo.Kelleher is displaying the six posthumous awards he received from MarAd in memory of his late brother, RichardOliver Kelleher, who died at sea during World War II. Unlicensed Apprentice Priscilla Greene sounds eight bells whileAdmiral Buzby and General McNabb, along with Unlicensed Apprentices Leo Onofrio and Jason Allen (right) renderhand salutes during a portion of the wreath laying ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:36 PM Page 12


U.S. Merchant Mariners past and present weresaluted May 19 during the traditional NationalMaritime Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C.The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd),U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) and thePropeller Club each hosted an event honoringthe service and sacrifice of America’s civilianseafarers.The SIU as usual made a strong showing.

Dozens of unlicensed apprentices from theunion-affiliated Paul Hall Center for MaritimeTraining and Education attended the ceremonies,including three (Priscilla Greene, Jason Allenand Leo Onofrio) who played important roles inthe MarAd and MSC events, respectively. SIUheadquarters officials President Michael Sacco,Executive Vice President Augie Tellez,Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel, VicePresident Contracts George Tricker and AssistantVice President Ambrose Cucinotta representedthe union throughout the day. Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander, U.S.

Transportation Command, was the featuredspeaker both at MSC’s ceremony and at thePropeller Club luncheon. U.S. Senator FrankLautenberg (D-N.J.) gave the keynote address atMarAd’s event, which also included a videomessage from Transportation Secretary RayLaHood and remarks by Maritime AdministratorDavid Matsuda.MarAd kicked off the day at Transportation

Department headquarters as Matsuda honoredthe memory of Richard Oliver Kelleher. He pre-sented six posthumous awards to the family ofKelleher, whose death at sea during World WarII symbolized the sacrifices of all U.S. MerchantMariners. Accepting the awards was Kelleher’sbrother, Herb Kelleher, founder of SouthwestAirlines.Richard Kelleher, a fireman-watertender, was

just 19 years old when he died while servingonboard the tanker SS Patrick J. Hurley. Thevessel was torpedoed on Sept. 12, 1942 by aGerman U-boat.“Richard’s desire to serve at a time when our

country needed him most is an inspiration to usall,” said Matsuda. “His story is an example ofthe courage and commitment to serve that stillexists in the men and women who go to seatoday.”LaHood pointed out America always has

relied on its merchant mariners. He said that in

addition to contributing billions of dollars to thenation’s economy, “In times of emergency, ourcivilian mariners sail into dangerous waters tofortify our nation’s defense. Over the past threeyears alone, the U.S. Merchant Marine hasdelivered more than 300,000 pieces of war mate-rial to the battlefields in the Middle East.”Lautenberg said he still has a personal appre-

ciation for civilian mariners. He was in thearmed forces during World War II, when hespent time aboard U.S. merchant ships.“I witnessed firsthand the difference the mer-

chant marine makes,” he said, adding that mar-itime remains “a vital American industry. I havetremendous respect for our country’s mariners.The work that you do is vital. You are civilianswho are patriots, and we wouldn’t be where weare today without the heroic contributions ofmariners. I thank each and every one of you foralways answering the call of duty. I salute thecourage and service of those who fought on mer-chant ships and who contribute so much to oursecurity and economy.”At the luncheon, General McNabb thanked

the industry as a whole for its collective effortsto support our armed forces. “This nation is verywell-served by what you all do,” he said.He cited the large numbers of U.S. Merchant

Marine casualties in World War II (includingmore than 1,200 SIU members who gave theirlives) and then recalled being at the Pentagon on9/11. Throughout the decades in between andright up to the present, “This really is a battleabout good over evil,” he stated, emphasizingthat a strong merchant fleet is one key to win-ning.“I think about our mariners going out and

putting everything on the line to protect ourfreedom. It is so noble what they’ve done,” thegeneral declared.Among the keys to maintaining a capable

American-flag fleet are cargo preference laws,the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP) andthe Jones Act, which applies to domestic ship-ping. General McNabb said, “I obviously thinkcargo preference, MSP, the Jones Act – all ofthose things are absolutely essential for having avery strong merchant marine.”Later, during the MSC ceremony – hosted by

MSC Commander Rear Admiral Mark Buzby atthe Washington Navy Yard – General McNabbsaid, “The merchant marine has always been the

linchpin of our U.S. commercial sealift capabili-ty and has come to America’s aid at the mostcrucial times in history, projecting power wher-ever and whenever needed. It is an understate-ment to say we count on you. We absolutelydepend on you.”At the heart of the formal military ceremony

was the presentation of three commemorativewreaths in solemn remembrance of mariners lostat sea. During presentation of the wreaths, theguests stood and service members, includingMcNabb and Buzby, saluted as the NavyCeremonial Guard firing party fired three vol-leys of seven, and the Navy Brass Quintetplayed “Taps.” Following the ceremony, thewreaths were placed in front of the merchantmarine bronze relief sculpture at the NavyMemorial in downtown Washington.

“We depend on [our mariners] every day tomeet the mission requirements of the best oceantransportation system in the world,” said Buzby.“We at MSC are proud of our civilian mariners,so it is fitting that today is set aside to acknowl-edge the great debt of gratitude we owe to thededicated men and women of the U.S. MerchantMarine.”National Maritime Day is May 22 and honors

the contributions of the American MerchantMarine, civilian men and women who havedefended the freedom of the United States since1775, and who collectively carried out thelargest sealift operation the world has everknown during World War II. The day alsoacknowledges the maritime industry’s contribu-tions to the nation’s economic and national secu-rity.

Ceremonies Honor U.S. Merchant Marine’s Valiant History

Clockwise beginning above, SIU President Michael Sacco (left) takes in the Maritime Day activities during the U.S.Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) event at the U.S. Department of Transportation. To Sacco’s left are other currentand former SIU officials including Terry Turner, former SIU Legislative Director; VP Contracts George Tricker; andAsst. VP Ambrose Cucinotta. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) delivers the keynote address during the MarAd event,while Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, commander, Military Sealift Command; Maritime Administrator David Matsuda and

Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander, U.S. Transportation Command (right) joined Herb Kelleher for a posed photo.Kelleher is displaying the six posthumous awards he received from MarAd in memory of his late brother, RichardOliver Kelleher, who died at sea during World War II. Unlicensed Apprentice Priscilla Greene sounds eight bells whileAdmiral Buzby and General McNabb, along with Unlicensed Apprentices Leo Onofrio and Jason Allen (right) renderhand salutes during a portion of the wreath laying ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard.

In times of peace orwar, the civilians serv-ing in the UnitedStates MerchantMarine have helpedkeep our Nation safeand prosperous. Wedepend on these menand women servingon our ships and tugs,in our ports and ship-yards, close to home orfar at sea, to connectbusinesses, servicemembers, and citizensaround the world. OnNational MaritimeDay, we honor theirinvaluable contributions to America’s economicstrength and security.

On May 22, 1819, the SS Savannah completedthe first successful voyage by a steam powered shipacross the Atlantic, shepherding in a new age ofmaritime travel and transport. By the 20th century,the United States maritime trade was booming, fos-tering exchanges across the world and aiding ourmilitary at war. During World War II, MerchantMarines were critical in providing necessary sup-plies and services to troops abroad, while sufferingan extraordinarily high death rate. Hundreds ofmerchant ships fell to enemy action, and nearly onein thirty mariners did not return home.

United States flag vessels and those who operatethem continue to be an integral part of our militaryoperations overseas. They support operations in Iraqand Afghanistan, as well as humanitarian aid mis-sions and disaster relief efforts. Without the steadfastcommitment of our mariners, our Nation would notbe as prepared to deal with unforeseen events, con-flicts, or crises. Their bravery and valor make ourwaterways safer and more efficient every day.

Today, our maritime industry is a valuable sourceof skilled employment for American workers, con-tributing billions of dollars to our economy. It is alsoa critical part of our transportation system. Last year,my Administration implemented “America’sMarine Highway Program,” an effort that enablesAmerican businesses to participate in improving thesafety and environmental sustainability of ourwaterways. Our mariners’ continued work is help-ing American industry remain competitive in theglobal economy, pushing us toward a more prosper-ous and free 21st century.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approvedMay 20, 1933, has designated May 22 of each yearas “National Maritime Day,” and has authorizedand requested the President to issue annually aproclamation calling for its appropriate observance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA,President of the United States of America, do here-by proclaim May 22, 2011, as National MaritimeDay. I call upon the people of the United States tomark this observance and to display the flag of theUnited States at their homes and in their communi-ties. I also request that all ships sailing under theAmerican flag dress ship on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto setmy hand this eighteenth day of May, in the year ofour Lord two thousand eleven, and of theIndependence of the United States of America thetwo hundred and thirty-fifth.

President ObamaIssues MaritimeDay Proclamation

President Barack Obama

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:36 PM Page 13


Editor’s note: This is the seventh install-ment in a series written by Edward T. Woods,a U.S. Merchant Marine veteran of WorldWar II who sailed in the engine and stewarddepartments. Previous entries were publishedoff and on beginning with the September2010 edition of the LOG. The remainingchapter will follow in an upcoming issue.

Now 83 years old, Woods was 16 when heshipped out aboard the S/S Horseshoe in1944.

The most recent installment of his story(published in the May edition) ended in 1946,after Woods had returned to New York fol-lowing a voyage to Italy and then shipped outagain, to Germany.

Ifirst went to Germany as a merchantseaman in June 1946, about a yearafter it had surrendered to the Allied

Forces. Hostilities in Europe had ended inMay 1945. World War II, however, was notscheduled to officially end until the last dayof the year, December 31, 1946.The fighting may have been over but it

was still not a pleasant time to be inGermany. The country was under MartialLaw, and the citizens and occupying person-nel were subject to many restrictions imposedby the military government. For one, therewas no fraternizing. A heavy fine was leviedon anyone found socializing with the formerenemy. In addition to this, the people wereliving just a little above the starvation level.For the latter reason, a “black market” exist-ed. The Germans wanted food and cigarettes,and they were willing to part with their fami-ly heirlooms and other prized possessions toobtain these scarce items.When I say black market, I don’t mean

any big money-making scheme. TheAmericans wanted souvenirs and theGermans wanted food and cigarettes. It wassimply a matter of trading. No moneychanged hands.When we withdrew money from our

account aboard ship, it was given to us inAmerican Occupation Scrip, German Marks.We used it in the seamen’s club and in theArmy PX. Every so often, the American mili-tary occupation government would have thescrip reissued in a different design anddeclare the previous issue null and void. Icould only exchange my old scrip for the newscrip up to the amount I had withdrawn frommy ship’s payroll account. This system wasused to curtail black marketing; however, itwas said that the Russians had stolen theplates for printing the money and were flood-ing the country with the unlawful currency.I was working on an U.S. Army

Transport, the General W.P. Richardson. Wecarried troops back and forth between NewYork City and Bremerhaven. I don’t recallstaying more than a week in either port. I hadno food to barter, but I did have cigarettes.Trading with cigarettes was also against themilitary laws of occupation. However, thelaw was seldom, if ever, enforced inside thefenced-in port area.Access to the road leading into the city of

Bremerhaven was limited to two gates, onefor the occupying forces and the other for theGermans workers. When passing through thegates everyone was physically searched forcontraband. We were only allowed to taketwo packs of cigarettes ashore with us eachday. Anything more was immediately confis-cated by the military guards on duty. We soondiscovered we could do more and better trad-ing inside the fenced-in sector. The Germanworkers seemed to be able to carry anythingthey wanted in and out of the gated port area.Bremerhaven was and still is an important

European seaport. Inside the enclosed sectorwere huge cranes for moving and liftingmachinery, some of the biggest dry docks inEurope, miles of docking space, extensiverepair shops, and close by to all of this weresubmarine pens. German U-boats were thereand I wanted to see them. I had sailed on oiltankers for over a year during the war and thevery thought of these undersea monsters had

often kept me awake at night. Memories ofattempting to sleep in my bunk while cross-ing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were stillwith me. I would never forget being awak-ened by the noise of the horns and whistles ofour naval escorts as they chased after an echoor a sighting picked up with their sophisticat-ed locating devices. You don’t get much sleepwhen you are aboard an oil tanker full ofhigh-octane aviation gasoline and there’s apossibility of a German U-boat or a Jap subin the area getting ready to send you and yourship down to Davy Jones’ Locker.Signs in both German and English were at

the entrance to the submarine pens warningall unauthorized personnel to keep out. Thereis something very ominous about the Germanword “Verboten.” It seems tomean so much more inGerman than it does inEnglish. However, whether Icould read German or not, itwas quite clear the area wasoff limits and sightseers notwelcome. I was 18 years old; Ihad sailed through submarine-and mine-infested waters dur-ing the war. I was not aboutto let a few signs stop mefrom getting a closer look atmy former adversary.I was with a friend, a ship-

mate, who was as anxious as Iwas to see the forbidden area.There was no sign of anyguards, only a few Germanworkers in the area who didn’tseem to take any notice of us.I had seen pictures of GermanU-boats but I had never seenone up close. There wereabout five or six of them tiedtogether in a row alongside apier. My first thoughts as Ilooked at them were of theirsize. They seemed small andnot seaworthy. I found it hardto believe that these cigar-shaped pieces of metal werethe underwater weapons ofwar that caused so muchhavoc and death in whatWinston Churchill called,“The Battle of the Atlantic.”A German sailor, who

appeared to be in charge ofthe U-boats, greeted us.Following an exchange ofwords and an offer of a ciga-rette, he agreed to give us atour of a boat. Later, as wewere climbing out of thehatch, he asked if I was inter-ested in any souvenirs. Hethen brought out a GermanNazi swastika flag. I madeevery attempt to conceal myexcitement in a desperatedesire to keep the expectedhigh price down. I wanted thisNazi flag. He wanted two car-tons of cigarettes. An unheardof sum! A carton of cigarettes in town andout of the port area would buy the whole sub-marine.I was not to be deterred. I convinced him

to agree to one carton of cigarettes that I did-n’t have with me. The German sailor, howev-er, promised to hold this hated but much-desired symbol of the Third Reich until myreturn that afternoon with the cigarettes.Fortunately, my ship and the U-boat pens

were inside the fenced-in port area.Therefore, I could expect to go back andforth between the two sites without any inter-ference. On the walk back to our ship, mybuddy cautioned me to be aware of bogussouvenirs. We had heard that once theGermans learned they could trade wartimesouvenirs with the Americans for food andcigarettes they began to manufacture flags,medals and parts of uniforms from any mate-rial they could find. A lot of the stuff was so

obviously fake, it was turned down. Theever-ingenious Germans, however, wouldexplain that although the goods do not appearto be genuine, they were made during theheight of the war when materials were inshort supply and nothing was wasted.My buddy and I had been in the Pacific

Ocean area during the war and both of uscould recall the large number of Japaneseflags offered for sale or trade by UnitedStates Navy Seabees. Some friendly Seabeesadmitted to us they had made the flags rightthere in their camp and were able to do agood business with Army Air Corps person-nel that passed by. One flag could be worth awhole bottle of good scotch whiskey or a“whole bunch of American money.” Theyshowed us how they added a look of authen-ticity to their product by burning holes in itand rubbing it in the dirt. They would thentell the potential buyer the flag had beentaken from a nearby Japanese fort following afierce and bloody battle.When I returned to the U-boat with the

carton of cigarettes, I gave the flag a goodgoing over and decided it was genuine. I nowowned a souvenir swastika flag from theGerman Nazi era. For a very good reason, Iwill always recall the day I bought the flag.On the way back to our ship, after making

the trade, we had to pass within a few hun-dred feet of the gate used by the German portworkers. It was manned by a combination ofGerman police officers and United StatesNavy personnel. One of the Navy enlistedmen at the gate called out to us. We didn’tknow what he was saying and decided toignore him. We were out of the restricted areaand felt free to walk about without interfer-ence from the guards. I also did not want toget involved with any of the military since Iwas carrying a Nazi flag under my jacket.The two of us felt completely within ourrights to continue walking.However, we stopped walking and turned

around very quickly when we heard twoshots fired and realized they had been aimedin our direction. We saw it was a Navy enlist-ed man who had fired the shots and who wasnow ordering us to come closer to his check-point. As we began to walk toward him a

number of other Navy enlisted men rushedout of the guardhouse and shouted at the manwho had fired his gun. They called him allsort of foul names including stupid and askedif we wanted to have them all court-mar-tialed. They told him we were obviouslyAmericans and his actions were completelyunwarranted.For once in my young life, I was speech-

less. I had just been fired at and I was carry-ing a Nazi flag. I was in no position to arguewith anybody. One of the enlisted men, apetty officer, apologized to us for the unnec-essary gunshots, and asked if we wouldplease forget the entire incident. We readilyagreed and, still quite shaken, continued onour walk. As we left the gate, we heard thepetty officer tell the guard that he wasrelieved of duty and to report to him insidethe guardhouse. Fortunately, it was the lasttime a bullet was fired in my direction.There was gambling aboard the troop

ships 24 hours a day. Mostly dice games.Non-military passengers and the ship’s crewwere not allowed to gamble with the soldiers.It was considered a serious offense and viola-tors would be arrested by the military police.The rule was for the protection of the sol-diers, as it was known that following the endof hostilities, professional gamblers were

finding berths aboard troopships for the sole purpose oftaking advantage of the amateurmilitary gamblers.A case in point, we had a

well-dressed and well-spokenman come aboard in New Yorkas a replacement wiper, a wiperbeing the lowest position in theengine room. How he hadobtained seaman’s papers andthe wiper endorsement from theU.S. Coast Guard was bafflingto us, the engine crew. He wasobviously not a seaman and, assoon as he was assigned to aberth, he let it be known that hewould pay $20 a watch (that’s$40 a day) to anyone whowould stand in for him. He hadall the volunteers he needed, asour base pay in 1946 was about$100 a month. He told us thathe liked to play cards and waslooking for a little action. Wesaw him but a few times afterthis first meeting until wereached Bremerhaven andwatched him being escorted offthe ship in handcuffs by themilitary police. I was pleased tolearn the Army had undercoverprofessional gamblers to catchthese crooks.When I returned to New

York, I had an offer of a betterposition and I immediatelytransferred to the U. S. ArmyTransport Edmund B. Alexanderon August 14, 1946. TheAlexander had been built in1905 in Belfast, Ireland, for theGerman Hamburg-Amerika lineand was originally named theAmerika. It was the biggest andmost luxurious ship in theworld in 1906. It had the largestset of reciprocating engines stillin use in 1946: twin quadrupleexpansion engines. It had beenconfiscated by the United Statesin World War I, renamed theS/S America and later the U.S.Army Transport E.B. Alexander.On this, my second visit to

Bremerhaven, in September 1946, theAlexander was involved in an explosion thatcaused heavy damage in the engine room.First, we believed it to be the result of a mineand then, based on the location of the dam-age, it was decided the explosion was due toan internal explosive device. Our governmentwould not accept this decision, so the inci-dent was officially declared to have been theresult of an exterior mine that had brokenfree from its moorings before being dis-armed. It was discovered that our ship’sdegaussing system was not working at thetime of the explosion. Our engineers said thatthe entire system had been inspected anddetermined to be in good order prior to ourdeparture from New York. My engine room-mates were convinced, more than ever, that

The Ed Woods Story – A Teenager In World War II

See Merchant Mariner, Page 20

The 18-year-old Woods spends time in Bremerhaven, Germany, in1946.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:37 PM Page 14


Piney Point............................Tuesday: *July 5, Monday: August 8

Algonac ...................................................Friday: July 8, August 12

Baltimore.............................................Thursday: July 7, August 11

Guam................................................Thursday: July 21, August 25

Honolulu ...............................................Friday: July 15, August 19

Houston................................................Monday: July 11, August 15

Jacksonville.........................................Thursday: July 7, August 11

Joliet.................................................Thursday: July 14, August 18

Mobile............................................Wednesday: July 13, August 17

New Orleans.............................................Tuesday: July 12, August 16

New York................................................Tuesday: July 5, August 9

Norfolk................................................Thursday: July 7, August 11

Oakland ............................................Thursday: July 14, August 18

Philadelphia.....................................Wednesday: July 6, August 10

Port Everglades ................................Thursday: July 14, August 18

San Juan..............................................Thursday: July 7, August 11

St. Louis ................................................Friday: July 15, August 19

Tacoma..................................................Friday: July 22, August 26

Wilmington..............................................Monday: July 18, August 22* Piney Point change created by Independence Day holiday

Each port’s meeting starts at 10:30 a.m.

July & August2011 MembershipMeetings

Personal

Dispatchers’ Report for Deep SeaApril 16, 2011 - May 15, 2011

Total Registered Total Shipped Registered on BeachAll Groups All Groups Trip All Groups

Port A B C A B C Reliefs A B C

Deck DepartmentAlgonac 13 7 4 14 3 2 0 10 10 2Anchorage 1 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 5 1Baltimore 1 5 0 5 3 1 1 4 12 0Fort Lauderdale 11 13 0 11 6 0 8 23 21 3Guam 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 8 10 0Honolulu 8 6 0 6 3 0 2 12 10 1Houston 43 27 0 32 9 0 15 87 50 3Jacksonville 21 28 1 22 8 0 11 54 53 4Joliet 3 2 1 5 5 0 0 4 3 2Mobile 9 8 0 7 3 0 3 22 14 0New Orleans 11 4 1 9 1 0 8 22 15 2New York 37 15 3 24 16 1 16 75 33 5Norfolk 18 20 6 7 19 1 5 33 40 12Oakland 19 9 0 23 5 1 15 46 27 2Philadelphia 8 8 1 9 1 1 1 6 12 0Piney Point 5 6 3 0 2 2 1 6 5 4Puerto Rico 7 3 1 5 3 0 2 11 19 2Seattle 19 13 7 26 7 3 14 60 35 11St. Louis 2 2 0 1 2 0 0 4 4 0Wilmington 31 22 3 19 10 4 13 62 53 13TOTAL 269 203 31 227 110 16 115 551 431 67

Engine DepartmentAlgonac 6 3 3 3 1 2 0 5 5 2Anchorage 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0Baltimore 3 1 0 3 3 0 0 7 11 0Fort Lauderdale 11 2 0 9 2 0 5 13 9 0Guam 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0Honolulu 8 6 1 7 4 1 4 8 8 0Houston 13 7 0 7 1 0 1 26 27 0Jacksonville 19 15 0 11 15 0 11 37 38 0Joliet 3 4 0 1 3 0 0 2 3 1Mobile 5 2 0 4 2 0 2 15 6 0New Orleans 3 0 1 3 0 0 1 8 7 2New York 13 9 1 7 9 0 7 26 23 5Norfolk 10 11 2 7 16 3 5 17 30 2Oakland 7 8 0 6 11 0 8 18 14 1Philadelphia 1 5 0 1 3 0 1 4 5 0Piney Point 4 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 3 0Puerto Rico 3 2 0 1 2 0 2 5 12 0Seattle 11 6 0 9 4 0 3 20 23 0St. Louis 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 1 3 1Wilmington 11 10 1 2 7 1 5 27 24 2TOTAL 132 97 9 86 85 7 58 244 256 16

Steward DepartmentAlgonac 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 0Anchorage 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0Baltimore 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 6 2 0Fort Lauderdale 4 4 1 2 3 0 3 13 5 2Guam 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 2 1Honolulu 7 2 0 6 1 0 0 12 6 1Houston 15 6 0 15 4 0 3 31 12 0Jacksonville 14 4 0 7 4 0 8 35 8 0Joliet 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0Mobile 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 7 3 0New Orleans 4 1 1 2 1 0 2 8 3 0New York 19 3 0 14 2 0 7 40 5 0Norfolk 9 7 0 8 6 0 4 22 18 0Oakland 16 2 0 14 3 0 5 39 6 2Philadelphia 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 1Piney Point 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 2 1 0Puerto Rico 2 2 0 4 1 1 1 4 2 0Seattle 24 4 1 11 4 0 7 40 8 1St. Louis 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0Wilmington 17 1 1 13 1 0 7 53 4 1TOTAL 139 44 6 101 41 2 49 321 93 9

Entry DepartmentAlgonac 1 8 16 1 2 2 1 2 12 23Anchorage 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1Baltimore 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 3 2Fort Lauderdale 0 5 5 0 4 1 1 0 13 9Guam 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1Honolulu 3 9 1 2 4 1 0 5 12 4Houston 5 6 3 1 7 1 4 9 29 8Jacksonville 0 19 4 0 8 2 1 4 38 22Joliet 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 4Mobile 1 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 7 6New Orleans 0 2 5 1 3 1 1 1 5 11New York 5 25 5 2 22 2 3 16 74 12Norfolk 0 10 14 0 7 6 1 0 36 37Oakland 1 12 6 0 8 5 1 4 20 12Philadelphia 0 5 6 0 5 2 2 0 0 4Piney Point 0 2 22 0 2 24 1 0 4 7Puerto Rico 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0Seattle 10 7 8 1 5 2 3 16 24 11St. Louis 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1Wilmington 6 14 10 4 7 2 4 15 40 21TOTAL 33 131 114 15 90 52 23 74 327 196

All Departments: 573 475 160 429 326 77 245 1,190 1,107 288

ATTENTION: SEAFARERS

Contribute Often!

Bob Bloom please contact Beverly Bourqueat at (409)724-7268 or (409) 293-0218.

During a May meeting of the Harris County (Texas) AFL-CIO, Houston Mayor Annise Parker (left) took part in dis-cussions concerning the port of Houston. At right is SIU VPGulf Coast Dean Corgey, a member of the Harris CountyAFL-CIO executive board.

Mayor Discusses Maritime Issues

Help The Seafarers Political Action Donation(SPAD) Help You . . .

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:37 PM Page 15


Michael Sacco, PresidentAugustin Tellez, Executive Vice PresidentDavid Heindel, Secretary-Treasurer

George Tricker, Vice President ContractsTom Orzechowski,

Vice President Lakes and Inland WatersDean Corgey, Vice President Gulf Coast

Nicholas J. Marrone, Vice President West CoastJoseph T. Soresi, Vice President Atlantic Coast

Kermett Mangram,Vice President Government Services

HEADQUARTERS5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 20746

(301) 899-0675

ALGONAC520 St. Clair River Dr., Algonac, MI 48001

(810) 794-4988

ANCHORAGE721 Sesame St., #1C, Anchorage, AK 99503

(907) 561-4988

BALTIMORE2315 Essex St., Baltimore, MD 21224

(410) 327-4900

GUAMP.O. Box 3328, Hagatna, Guam 96932Cliffline Office Ctr. Bldg., Suite 103B

422 West O’Brien Dr., Hagatna, Guam 96910(671) 477-1350

HONOLULU606 Kalihi St., Honolulu, HI 96819

(808) 845-5222

HOUSTON1221 Pierce St., Houston, TX 77002

(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE5100 Belfort Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32256

(904) 281-2622

JOLIET10 East Clinton St., Joliet, IL 60432

(815) 723-8002

MOBILE1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36605

(251) 478-0916

NEW ORLEANS3911 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey, LA 70058

(504) 328-7545

NEW YORK635 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11232

(718) 499-6600Government Services Division: (718) 499-6600

NORFOLK115 Third St., Norfolk, VA 23510

(757) 622-1892

OAKLAND1121 7th St., Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 444-2360

PHILADELPHIA2604 S. 4 St., Philadelphia, PA 19148

(215) 336-3818

PINEY POINTP.O. Box 75, Piney Point, MD 20674

(301) 994-0010

PORT EVERGLADES1221 S. Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316

(954) 522-7984

SANTURCE1057 Fernandez Juncos Ave., Stop 16

Santurce, PR 00907(787) 721-4033

ST. LOUIS/ALTON4581 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, MO 63116

(314) 752-6500

TACOMA3411 South Union Ave., Tacoma, WA 98409

(253) 272-7774

WILMINGTON510 N. Broad Ave., Wilmington, CA 90744

(310) 549-4000

Seafarers International Union Directory

If anyone has a vintage union-related photograph he or she would like to share with other Seafarers LOG readers, please send it to the Seafarers LOG, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs, MD 20746. Photographs will be returned,

if so requested. High-resolution digital images may be sent to [email protected]

Inquiring SeafarerEditor’s note: This

month’s question wasanswered by recertifiedstewards in Piney Point, Md.

Question: For thoseunfamiliar with it, whatwould you like the generalpublic to know about theU.S. Merchant Marine?

Osvaldo RamosRecertified Steward

This is a place where achild can grow to become a

man. Themaritimeindustry isone inwhich anindividualcan enjoya goodcareerwhilegaining

knowledge that comes withtraveling and working onships around the world.

Samuel HarrisRecertified Steward

For me, if had to have aface-to-face talk with some-one, I would let them knowhow being a U.S. Merchant

Marinerchangedmy lifefor thebetter. Iwouldexplainhow itcould dothe same thing for them.

Ahmed SharifRecertified Steward

I have been a U.S.Merchant Mariner and SIUmember since 1982. We are

the fourtharm ofdefensefor thiscountryand in theSIU, wehave aschool(the PaulHall

Center) where we canupgrade. I started as an SA,then chief cook andcook/baker. Now I havereceived my steward recerti-fication, and I would tellpeople it proves that wehave a strong union for any-one who wants to learn,work and serve this country.

Roslyn JohnsonRecertified Steward

I would tell them theSeafarers InternationalUnion helps to create, moti-vate andtrain verydedicatedmerchantmariners.Being partof the mer-chantmarinemeans hav-ing the opportunity to beemployed aboard the bestships in the American-flagcommercial fleet.

John HuyettRecertified Steward

The two most commonquestions I get asked are ifI’m in the military and if Iwork on a cruise ship. Ialways answer: We are civil-

ians,althoughmilitarycargo ishandled.If it is car-ried on thewater, beit oil, cars,

containers, grain or people,we are the people that makeit happen.

Kenneth McHellenRecertified Steward

I have been sailing assecond cook starting in1988, then went to chiefcook in 1989 and in 1995started sailing steward andcook. So, I would stress theimportance of upgrading sothat youaren’t lim-ited inwhat youcan dothroughoutthe indus-try. As apersonwho start-ed out as a C-card and nowa recertified steward, I saygo to school and upgrade,because it works.

Pic-From-The-Past

The new tanker SS Zapata Rover crewed up in San Pedro, Calif., in November 1976. The 711-foot, 35,000-dwt vessel joinedsister ships Zapata Ranger and Zapata Patriot. (A fourth ship, the Zapata Courier, later was added to the fleet.) In this LOG filephoto, AB Louie Alleluia (left) and Recertified Bosun Sal Sbriglio scan the automated bridge controls aboard the Zapata Rover.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:37 PM Page 16


WelcomeAshore

DEEP SEA

FRANK BAKUNBrother Frank Bakun, 65,became a Seafarer in 1969 whilein the port of Houston. His firstship was the Steel Architect; hislast, theHorizonProducer.Brother Bakunwas born inNew York andworked in theengine depart-ment. Heupgraded onthree occasions at the Paul HallCenter for Maritime Trainingand Education in Piney Point,Md. Brother Bakun lives inJacksonville, Fla.

BENJAMIN BESSBrother Benjamin Bess, 60,began sailing with the SIU in1979. He sailed in the deck

department.Brother Bess’earliest tripwas on theOverseasValdez. Heattended class-es on numer-ous occasionsat the Piney

Point school. Brother Bess mostrecently shipped aboard theHorizon Trader. He is a residentof his native state, Florida.

ROBERT DIAZBrother Robert Diaz, 65, joinedthe SIU ranks in 1969. He wasinitially employed aboard theSagamore Hill. Brother Diazwas an engine department mem-ber. His final trip was on theEugene A. Obregon. BrotherDiaz upgraded in 1976 and 1982at the maritime training center inPiney Point, Md. He now callsBrandon, Fla., home.

HAZAA GAHTANBrother Hazaa Gahtan, 65,signed on with the Seafarers in1990 while in the port of NewYork. He originally workedaboard the Liberty Wave. In2002, Brother Gahtan tookadvantage of educational oppor-tunities at the SIU-affiliatedschool in Piney Point, Md. Hisfinal voyage was on the Sgt.William R. Button. BrotherGahtan sailed in all three ship-board departments. He was bornin Yemen and now makes hishome in Brooklyn, N.Y.

THOMAS GRUBERBrother Thomas Gruber, 59,started shipping with theunion in 1977. He initiallysailed aboard the Mt. VernonVictory. Brother Grubershipped in the deck depart-ment. He enhanced his skillson two occasions at the PaulHall Center. Brother Gruber’slast trip was on the Horizon

Producer. He resides inSatsuma, Fla.

ALTHALO HENTONBrother Althalo Henton, 63,joined the NMU in 1989. Hewas born inHouston. In2000 and2003, BrotherHenton tookadvantage ofeducationalopportunitiesavailable atthe SIU-affiliated school inMaryland. A member of thedeck department, BrotherHenton most recently workedaboard the Charleston Express.He continues to make his homein his native state.

GEORGE MOXLEYBrother George Moxley, 66,donned the SIU colors in 1991.

His earliesttrip was on theSealift Arctic.BrotherMoxleyupgradedoften at theSeafarers-affiliatedschool. His

most recent trip was aboard theLiberty Star. Brother Moxley,who sailed in the deck depart-ment, lives in Koloa, Hawaii.

PEDRO OCAMPOBrother Pedro Ocampo, 65,began sailing with the Seafarersin 1999. His first trip to sea wasaboard the Patriot. BrotherOcampo worked in the enginedepartment. He attended classesfrequently at the Piney Pointschool. Brother Ocampo’s finalvoyage was on the HorizonProducer. He is a resident ofMiami, Fla.

GREGORY STAPLESBrother Gregory Staples, 55,started his SIU career in 2001 asthe NMU was merging into theSIU. The deckdepartmentmember wasborn inWeymouth,Mass. BrotherStaples’ mostrecent trip tosea wasaboard theEnergy Enterprise. He callsBarrington, N.H., home.

JAMES TODDBrother James Todd, 65, becamean SIU member in 1967. His

earliest tripwas on theDel Aires. In1967 and1979, BrotherTodd upgrad-ed his skills atthe Paul HallCenter. He

last sailed aboard the USNSRegulus. Brother Todd was amember of the deck department.He settled in Slidell, La.

INLAND

CHARLES BOOHERBrother Charles Booher, 68,signed on with the union in1989. He initially worked on aMoran Towingof Marylandvessel. Onnumerousoccasions,BrotherBooher tookadvantage ofeducationalopportunitiesat the SIU-affiliated school inPiney Point, Md. The deckdepartment member’s final tripwas with Crowley Towing &Transportation of Jacksonville.Brother Booher makes his homein St. Augustine, Fla.

MIGUEL PIZARROBrother Miguel Pizarro, 62,joined the SIU in 1994 while in

the port ofNew York. Hewas primarilyemployedwith PortImperial Ferryduring his sea-faring career.BrotherPizarro resides

in Allentown, Pa.

STEVEN TALUCCIBrother Steven Talucci, 62,began sailing with the union in1990. He originally shipped withSheridanTransportationCompany. Heworked as amember ofboth the deckand stewarddepartments.BrotherTalucci upgraded in 2001 at thePiney Point school. Prior to hisretirement, he sailed on theDodge Island. Brother Taluccilives in Florida.

MARK PATERSONBrother Mark Paterson, 55, wasborn in San Antonio, Texas. Hedonned the SIU colors in 1975.Brother Paterson shipped in both

the deep seaand inlanddivisions. Hisfirst ship wasthe Carolina;his last, thePadre Island.In 1978 and2001, BrotherPaterson

attended classes at the maritimetraining center in Piney Point,Md. He is a resident ofJacksonville, Fla.

GREAT LAKES

ABDALLAH SAIDBrother Abdallah Said, 79,

became an SIU member in1963. He sailed with AmericanSteamship Company for theduration of his career. BrotherSaid was a member of thedeck department. He was bornin Arabia. Brother Said nowcalls Dearborn, Mich., home.

NATIONAL MARITIME UNION

MARTIN MORRISSETTEBrother Martin Morrissette,65, is a native of Mobile, Ala.A member ofthe deckdepartment,he begansailing withthe NMU in1979.BrotherMorrissette’sfinal trip tosea was onthe Advantage. He continuesto reside in Mobile.

JOHN DEWLINGBrother JohnDewling, 66,became anNMU memberin 1972. Hewas born inMassachusetts.BrotherDewling waslast employedwith Boston

Towing & TransportationCompany. He makes his homeRevere, Mass.

This Month In SIU History

Each month, the Seafarers LOG paystribute to the SIU members who havedevoted their working lives to sailingaboard U.S.-flag vessels on the deepseas, inland waterways or Great Lakes.Listed below are brief biographicalsketches of those members who recently

retired from the union. The brothers and sisters of the SIU thank those members for ajob well done and wish them happiness and good health in the days ahead.

Editor’s note: The following items arereprinted from previous editions of theSeafarers LOG.

1946The SIU pulled a complete work stoppage onall ships on June 6 to force the steamshipcompanies to negotiate for new agreements.As a result of the stoppage, negotiationscommenced with the operators on Tuesday,June 11. Among other things, the union wasseeking establishment of a 40-hour workweek.

1959Seafarers on the cement carrier Florida Statewere caught in the crossfire stirred by anattempted revolt in the Dominican Republiclast week, but all escaped unhurt. The SIU-manned ship was strafed by planes andstopped by gunboats several times off theDominican coast before returning to PortEverglades. The latest incidents occurred afew hours before an alleged “invasion force”was stopped right on the coast by Dominicangovernment forces. The “invaders” reported-ly had been based in Cuba. All reports indi-cate that the armed action against theFlorida State took place outside theCaribbean nation’s coastal waters. The StateDepartment has asked the U.S. ambassadorto investigate.

1963The SIU’s sickness and accident benefits pro-gram for seamen passed another milestone thismonth when total benefits paid out in all portstopped the $1,000,000 mark. Since October1961 more than $50,000 per month was paidout to members covering off-the-job illnessand injury. The benefits include a payment of$8 per day or $56 per week for a maximum of39 weeks for hospitalized Seafarers and outpa-tients. Thus, a Seafarer who is in the hospitalfor 10 weeks and receives $56 per week dur-ing that period is entitled to 29 weeks of bene-fits if he remains on outpatient status.

1971The jobs of Seafarers are on the line in therenewed attack on the Jones Act, a body oflaws that demands that all domestic shippingbe moved on American-flag vessels. Theheavy assault on the Jones Act is being led bythe oil industry, which wants oil from the richAlaskan fields carried on runaway-flagtankers. They would rip the heart out of theJones Act so they could transport Alaskan oilfrom one U.S. port to another in foreign-built,foreign-manned tankers – paying slave wagesand at the same time escaping the taxes thatmust be paid by American-flag operators….The SIU is leading a campaign to musterCongressional support to strengthen the JonesAct.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 9:31 PM Page 17


DEEP SEA

EDWARD GONTHAPensioner Edward Gontha, 81,passed away January 24. BrotherGontha joined the Seafarers in 1961in the port ofNew York. Hisinitial voyagewas aboard aMoore-McCormackLines vessel.BrotherGontha, whosailed in thedeck depart-ment, was born in Manado,Indonesia. His final trip was on theAries. Brother Gontha retired in1994 and called Staten Island, N.Y.,home.

JAMES HAINESPensioner James Haines, 74, diedJanuary 17. Brother Haines wasborn in Pennsylvania. He signed on

with the SIU in1961 while inthe port of NewYork. BrotherHaines original-ly worked inthe deck depart-ment of theMermaid. Helast sailedaboard the

Patriot. Brother Haines went onpension in 1991 and lived in LasVegas.

ENEDINA HATCHLPensioner Enedina Hatchl, 82,passed away January 19, 2011.Sister Hatchl began sailing with theunion in 1978 from the port of SanFrancisco. She was initiallyemployed on the Santa Mariana.Sister Hatchl, who worked in thesteward department, was born inTexas. She most recently sailedaboard the Lurline. Sister Hatchlstarted receiving her pension in1994 and settled in New Mexico.

ROBERT MAYSPensioner Robert Mays, 78, diedDecember 12. Brother Mays startedhis seafaring career in 1952. Hisfirst vessel was the GovernmentCamp; his last was the St. Louis.Brother Mays was a member of theengine department. He became apensioner in 1997 and made hishome in Vallejo, Calif.

JOHN MCAVOYPensioner John McAvoy, 81, passedaway December 9. Brother McAvoyjoined the union in 1965 while inthe port ofJacksonville,Fla. He origi-nally workedaboard theBanner. Theengine depart-ment member’slast trip was onthe AmericanEagle. BrotherMcAvoy retired in 1991 and calledJacksonville home.

SERAFIN MILLAPensioner Serafin Milla, 78, diedJanuary 19. Brother Milla firstdonned the SIU colors in 1959. Hisearliest trip wasaboard the DelViento. BrotherMilla was amember of thedeck depart-ment. He wasborn inHonduras.Brother Milla’sfinal voyagewas on the Overseas Arctic. Hebegan collecting his retirement com-pensation in 1997. Brother Millawas a resident of Houston.

THOMAS NAVARREPensioner Thomas Navarre, 83,passed away December 22. BrotherNavarre became a Seafarer in 1951

in the port ofNew Orleans.He initiallyworked aboardthe Del Sud.BrotherNavarre, amember of thestewarddepartment,was a

Louisiana native. Prior to his retire-ment in 1991, one of his last shipswas the Long Lines. BrotherNavarre resided in San Pedro, Calif.

UDJANG NURDJAJAPensioner Udjang Nurdjaja, 70, diedDecember 2. Brother Nurdjajasigned on with the union in 1973while in the port of New York. Thesteward department member initial-ly worked with SacramentoTransport Inc. Brother Nurdjaja wasborn in Indonesia. Before retiring in2005, he shipped on the Capricorn.Brother Nurdjaja lived in Brooklyn,N.Y.

RALPH PORTERPensioner Ralph Porter, 65, passedaway December 12. Brother Porterbegan his seafaring career in 1988in the port ofSanFrancisco. Heoriginallysailed aboarda BayTankers Inc.vessel.BrotherPorter was adeck depart-ment mem-ber. He most recently worked on theUSNS Capella. Brother Porter wenton pension in 2010. He made hishome in New Orleans.

JOHN QUINTERPensioner John Quinter, 75, diedJanuary 25. Brother Quinter wasborn in Berks, Pa. He started sailingwith the SIU in 1953. BrotherQuinter, who sailed in the enginedepartment, was first employed withOre Navigation Corporation. Hislast voyage was aboard theCharleston. Brother Quinter became

a pensioner in 1993. He was a resi-dent of Sea Level, N.C.

WALTER SCHOENECKERBrother Walter Schoenecker, 56,passed away in late 2010. He joinedthe Seafarers in 1990. BrotherSchoenecker shipped in the stewarddepartment. His first ship was theUSNS Chauvenet; his last was theGrand Canyon State. BrotherSchoenecker continued to reside inhis native state of New York.

ARTHUR SPENCERBrother Arthur Spencer, 65, diedearlier this year. He sailed with theMilitary SealiftCommand formore than 30years. BrotherSpencerworked in thesteward depart-ment. His finaltrip was on theUSNS Diehl.Brother Spencer called Vallejo,Calif., home.

INLAND

MELVIN MOOREPensioner Melvin Moore, 87, passedaway January 15. Brother Moorebecame an SIU member in 1951

while in theport ofHouston. Hisearliest trip wasaboard aSprogueSteamshipCompany ves-sel. BrotherMoore wasborn in Utah

and sailed in the deck department.He last shipped with G&H Towing.Brother Moore started receiving hispension in 1991 and settled inCorpus Christi, Texas.

JACKIE NIXONPensioner Jackie Nixon, 63, diedDecember 13. Brother Nixon wasborn in North Carolina. He firstdonned the SIUcolors in 1965.Brother Nixoninitiallyshipped withR.K. DavisTransportationInc. He lastsailed aboardan AlliedTransportationCompany vessel. Brother Nixonlived in Belhaven, N.C.

GEORGE WOODSPensioner George Woods, 77,passed away December 12. Brother

Woods begansailing with theunion in 1962.He workedwith G&HTowingCompany forthe duration ofhis seafaringcareer. Brother

Woods went on pension in 1996. Hemade his home in Freeport, Texas.

Editor’s note: The following broth-ers, all former members of theNational Maritime Union (NMU),have passed away.

NATIONAL MARITIME UNION

RENE ARAYPensioner Rene Aray, 75, passedaway January 1. Brother Aray wasborn in Ecuador. He retired in 2000and lived in Berkeley Township,N.J.

JOHN BARKHOUSEPensioner John Barkhouse, 70, diedDecember 17. Brother Barkhouse, anative of Massachusetts, became apensioner in 2005. He called GooseCreek, S.C., home.

LUIS BURGUILLOPensioner Luis Burguillo, 83,passed away January 19. BrotherBurguillo was born in Puerto Rico.He went on pension in 1968.Brother Burguillo settled in Bronx,N.Y.

CARLOS COFRESSIPensioner Carlos Cofressi, 92, diedDecember 30.The PuertoRico-bornmariner beganreceiving hispension in1985. BrotherCofressi was aresident ofPalm Bay, Fla.

SIGLEY HAYLOCKPensioner Sigley Haylock, 65,passed away December 17. BrotherHaylock was a native of Honduras.He started collecting his retirementcompensation in 2010. BrotherHaylock made his home in Gretna,La.

THEODORE HILLPensioner Theodore Hill, 83, diedJanuary 3. Brother Hill was born inMaryland. He went on pension in1989 and called Randallstown, Md.,home.

HUMBERTO LOPEZPensioner Humberto Lopez, 75,passed away January 3. BrotherLopez was a native of Honduras. Heretired in 1994. Brother Lopez madehis home in New Orleans.

SAM LOWEPensioner Sam Lowe, 91, diedJanuary 12. Brother Lowe was bornin Palmer, Texas. He became a pen-sioner in 1985. Brother Lowe set-tled in Houston.

EDWARD MORANPensioner Edward Moran, 83,passed away January 4. BrotherMoran was a Michigan native. He

started collecting his retirementcompensation in 1993. BrotherMoran lived in Flint, Mich.

CECIL MURRAYPensioner Cecil Murray, 84, diedDecember 13. Brother Murray, anative of Massachusetts, became apensioner in 1967. He calledVirginia Beach, Va., home.

CLARENCE NICHOLSPensioner Clarence Nichols, 93,passed away January 5. BrotherNichols was born in Maryland. Hewent on pension in 1973. BrotherNichols settled in Hagerstown, Md.

CARLOS PIETRIPensioner Carlos Pietri, 82, diedJanuary 9. The Puerto Rico-bornmariner became a pensioner in1984. Brother Pietri was a residentof Lake Worth, Fla.

CANDELARIO RAMIREZPensioner Candelario Ramirez, 76,passed away January 8. BrotherRamirez was a native of City Creek,Texas. He started collecting hisretirement compensation in 1989.Brother Ramirez lived in CorpusChristi, Texas.

JOHN SANTOSPensioner John Santos, 85, diedJanuary 13. Brother Santos wasborn in New Bedford, Mass. Hewent on pension in 1969 and contin-ued to call New Bedford home.

WALTER SCOTTPensioner Walter Scott, 86, passedaway January 3. Brother Scott was anative of Massachusetts. He retiredin 1989. Brother Scott made hishome in Anadarko, Okla.

ROBERT STEWARTPensioner Robert Stewart, 90, diedDecember 10. Brother Stewart wasborn in North Carolina. He becamea pensioner in 1984. BrotherStewart settled in Portsmouth, Va.

Name Age DODEchevarria, Jose 85 Nov. 25Harris, Thomas 84 Dec. 28Hernandez, Ross 87 Dec. 5Hong, Wong 94 Nov. 17Kelly, Thearther 87 Dec. 15Kessler, Arthur 96 Jan. 1Leabough, Oscar 86 Dec. 22Lopez, Tony 94 Nov. 15Lyon, Barclay 86 Dec. 11Marshall, James 90 Jan. 1Martinez, Cristobal 87 Nov. 16Martinez, Eduardo 83 Nov. 6Morales, Pedro 90 Jan. 4Pulvano, Alfred 84 Dec. 6Rodgers, James 90 Dec. 10Smith, John 63 Jan. 8Winburn, Samuel 82 Jan. 3

FinalDepartures

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:57 PM Page 18


Digest of ShipboardUnion Meetings

CURTIS (Crowley), March 14 –Chairman Daniel Carman,Secretary Thomas M. Wybo,Educational Director MarkCampbell, Deck DelegateRichard Pepper, StewardDelegate Subagio Wibisono.Chairman thanked crew membersfor working together profession-ally, especially when USMCstores arrived early. He statedpayoff would take place March15 in San Diego, Calif. Secretarygave a vote of thanks to alldepartments for helping keepship clean and safe. He remindedmariners to take TRB and MSCletters to the union hall. Seafarerswere encouraged to take advan-tage of educational opportunitiesavailable at the Paul Hall Centerfor Maritime Training andEducation in Piney Point, Md.No beefs or disputed OT report-ed. Request was made for a slopchest aboard vessel. Next port:San Diego.

EL FARO (Sea Star), March 3 –Chairman Raymond S.Henderson, Secretary John W.Hale, Educational DirectorMonroe G. Monseur, StewardDelegate Mary Littel. For nextcontract, chairman suggestedincreasing pension benefit andlowering working dues. Secretaryurged members to enhance theirskills, which can lead to betteropportunities and advancement.No beefs or disputed OT report-ed. Crew thanked steward depart-ment for job well done. Nextports: San Juan, P.R. andJacksonville, Fla.

FREEDOM (Crowley), March 4– Chairman Timothy J.Fitzgerald, Secretary Frank J.Starling, Deck Delegate CraigPare, Engine Delegate CynthiaHarris. Chairman announcedpayoff upon arrival in Beaumont,Texas, on March 8. He thankedcrew for a safe and good trip,reminded them to leave roomsclean and encouraged them tocheck merchant mariner creden-tials and other documents forexpiration dates. Educationaldirector advised everyone toupgrade at the SIU-affiliatedschool in Piney Point, Md. Nobeefs or disputed OT reported.Mariners requested direct depositof vacation checks and refrigera-tors for all rooms. Crew dis-cussed importance of supportingother unions who are beingunfairly blamed for budget woes.Next port: Beaumont, Texas.

GLOBAL SENTINEL(Transoceanic Cable Ship Co.),March 22 – Chairman JosephOlson, Secretary ShawnFujiwara, Educational DirectorLother Wick, Deck DelegateJustin Beal, Engine DelegateGary Bartlett, Steward DelegateDennis Skretta. Chairmanreminded crew to help keep com-mon areas clean and to clean outlint after dryer usage. New wash-er has been installed by enginedepartment in crew laundry. Newcomputers for crew use havebeen installed. Secretaryinformed all that if there arethings they would like the ship’scommittee to purchase for crewusage, let the committee know

and they’ll run it by the captain.If there are items they’d like tosee stocked in the slop chest, letsteward know. New “green”laundry soap to be provided bycompany. These were tried in thepast, with mixed results.Educational director encouragedmariners to upgrade at PineyPoint. He also reminded every-one to keep their documents cur-rent, allow time for renewals,and make copies of originals forreference in case they are lost.Treasurer reported about $4,000in ship’s fund. No beefs or dis-puted OT reported. Crew sug-gested various acquisitions forlibrary and recreational area.Next port: Portland, Ore.

HORIZON ENTERPRISE(Horizon Lines), March 25 –Chairman George Khan,Secretary William Bryley,Educational Director ErikNappier, Deck Delegate BruceBussert, Engine Delegate AlbertDulig, Steward Delegate FrankRamones. Old beef from lateDecember resolved. Chairmansaid union officials came aboardin Oakland, Calif., to discusscompany personnel changes. Headvised members about directdeposit and also pointed outthere are new cans in the laundryroom for old lights, batteries andaerosol cans, which cannot bedisposed of in trash cans.Secretary relayed request fromcaptain for nominees for monthlysafety award. Educational direc-tor asked crew members to leaveclean rooms and clean linens forarriving members and also toseparate plastic from garbage. Healso urged all members to keepup with union news and upgrade.

No beefs or disputed OT report-ed. New mattresses and new TVreceived. Next port: Tacoma,Wash.

HORIZON HUNTER (HorizonLines), March 12 – ChairmanHussein Mohamed, SecretaryJennifer K. Jim, EducationalDirector Jeff Morris, DeckDelegate Ryan Legario, EngineDelegate Mark Maduro,Steward Delegate RomeoManansala. Chairman remindedcrew to leave clean linens fornew crew members comingaboard. He discussed certain pro-cedures for renewing marinercredentials. Secretary reportedship’s fund has been used to pur-chase goods for barbeque, refrig-erators for rooms and refundingpurchases for those who paid forTV in their rooms. Educationaldirector encouraged mariners toupgrade at union-affiliated schoolin Piney Point, Md. No beefs ordisputed OT reported. Chairmanencouraged crew to readPresident Sacco’s report inSeafarers LOG. Vote of thanksgiven to steward department forgood food and service. Crew alsothanked departing Chief CookWiley Owens. Membersexpressed concern about upcom-ing contract negotiations. Theymade several detailed requestsand observations. (Editor’s note:By membership vote, the stan-dard freightship and tankeragreements have been extendedone year.) Next port: Oakland,Calif.

MAERSK MISSOURI (MaerskLine, Limited), March 20 –Chairman Oliver Balico,Secretary Billy Gigante,

Educational Director RogerDillinger, Deck Delegate JohnO’Shaughnessy, EngineDelegate James Sieger, StewardDelegate Brian McEleney.Chairman reported good voyagewith good crew. Payoff sched-uled for following day; ship soonbound for Dubai, Port Qasim,Salalah and India. Secretaryreminded crew to leave cabinsclean for reliefs. Educationaldirector advised fellow membersto upgrade at Paul Hall Centerand keep shipping documentsupdated. Treasurer reported$2,000 in ship’s fund. No beefsor disputed OT reported. Crewthanked steward department forjob well done. Next port:Charleston, S.C.

OVERSEAS NIKISKI (OSG),March 30 – Chairman KhaledMunasser, Secretary JosephEmidy, Educational DirectorBenjamin Matthews. Chairmanthanked everyone for “a produc-tive trip without injury or issues,and also for cooperation betweendepartments in making this tripan enjoyable one in the spirit ofSIU tradition.” Secretary thankedcrew for keeping common areasclean. Educational director urgedmembers to upgrade at Paul HallCenter and described the schoolas a very valuable tool to use foracquiring seafaring knowledge.No beefs or disputed OT report-ed. Crew asked for examinationof company policy concerningreimbursement for luggage onflights. Crew recommendedincreasing pension benefits. Voteof thanks given to stewarddepartment for outstanding mealsand cleanliness. Next port:Anacortes, Wash.

USNS BUTTON (AmericanOverseas Marine), March 25 –Chairman Gregory Jackson,Secretary Edwin Bonefont,Educational Director EfrenWillarosa, Deck Delegate JerryStillman, Engine DelegateCharles Ellsworth, StewardDelegate Edward Ellis. Crewdiscussed some particulars ofdeck department security watch-es. Chairman noted patrolmancame aboard in Guam and dis-cussed medical plan and vaca-tion pay. Educational directorsuggested upgrading in PineyPoint to keep up with the times,including Coast Guard and com-pany requests and requirements.No beefs or disputed OT report-ed. Crew is sending photos ofrecent mission to SeafarersLOG. (See page 11.) Crewasked about wireless connectivi-ty.

YORKTOWN EXPRESS(Crowley), March 7 – ChairmanCharles Hill, SecretaryFrederick Saffo, EducationalDirector Niles Jacobsen,Engine Delegate ChromerJefferson. Chairman discussedprocedural issue related togangway watch. Secretaryreminded crew to follow proto-col for resolving questions andcomplaints. Educational direc-tor encouraged mariners toupgrade at Paul Hall Center. Nobeefs or disputed OT reported.Crew discussed need for non-skid material in galley by dish-washer. Crew thanked stewarddepartment for job well done.New washer and dryer on handand ready for installation. NewTV will be purchased inStates. Next port: Houston.

CIVMARS Sail in ‘Continuing Promise’

Members of the SIU Government Services Division sailing aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort are participating in a five-month human-itarian assistance mission to the Caribbean, Central and South America. Above, Comfort personnel including AB Erwin Joiner and Lt. Cmdr.Katherine Austin wash the vessel’s anchor chain as the crew prepares to sail from Paita, Peru. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass CommunicationSpecialist 1st Class Brian A. Goyak)

The Seafarers LOG attempts to print as many digests of union shipboard minutes aspossible. On occasion, because of space limitations, some will be omitted.

Ships’ minutes first are reviewed by the union’s contract department. Those issuesrequiring attention or resolution are addressed by the union upon receipt of the ships’minutes. The minutes are then forwarded to the Seafarers LOG for publication.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:57 PM Page 19


Know Your Rights

the explosion was due to sabotage. (The degaussing system isinstalled aboard ship to reduce the ship’s effect on the Earth’smagnetic field. This system reduces the chances of a magnet-ic mine being attracted to the ship.)It was known that many of the German shipyard workers

resented seeing their once-prized ocean liner being used bythe United States as a troop carrier. The United States was inthe process of signing a peace treaty with Germany, France,Great Britain and Russia, and it was thought the free-floatingmine theory was a political decision. You should note that aspart of the cease-fire agreement with the United States and itsallies, Germany had agreed to have their Navy, theKriegsmarine, be responsible for clearing their rivers andports of all mines, disarming them and any other explosivedevices. Some members of our crew believed that theGermans were just cutting the mines loose and letting themfloat free, knowing it would not be German ships hittingmines but their conquerors. One of our deckhands from NewYork said, “Can you imagine if the Germans had won the warand told us guys in Brooklyn to clear New York Bay so theycould navigate it without being in harm’s way?”I stayed in Bremerhaven with a skeleton crew for six

months while the ship was repaired. The remainder of thecrew had been sent home on another transport. World War IIwould not be officially over until the end of that year,December 31, 1946. As much as I hated the Germans for whatthey had done during the war, it didn’t take me long to feelsorry for them, especially the kids. The entire population wasliving at starvation level and it was depressing to watchwomen and kids picking through our garbage in the hope offinding some edible scraps. Odd though, I came home with amemory of street after street of bombed buildings, many com-pletely blown away and, yet, the sidewalks and roads com-pletely swept clean of debris.As my mates and I became more acquainted with the local

population, we would eventually talk about the war. Whathappened to who and where. The answers we received tosome of our questions became a joke amongst us. We nevermet anyone who knew or was related to anyone in theGerman armed forces who had fought on the Western Frontagainst the Americans. No, they would say, their fathers, theirbrothers, etc. had all only fought on the Eastern Front againstthe terrible Russians. We never met any youth who admittedto having been a member of the Hitler Jugend, Hitler’s YouthProgram; it was always the boy who lived down the street ora distant cousin. As to their thoughts about Hitler, they wouldtell us that he was crazy and they could not understand howhe became their leader.Some of us in the engine crew had befriended a young

boy, about 13 or so, named Falker. His mom let us sleep overin their house when we stayed overnight in town after curfew.Falker became our translator and guide in our travels aboutthe area. He also helped us to learn many everyday Germanidioms that came in handy during our stay. We returned hisgood will by giving him cigarettes, candy and food items tobring home. His father had been killed in action on theEastern Front fighting the Russians, or so he told us.Near the end of war, when the residents knew they had

lost and that Germany would soon be occupied, they heldmeetings to discuss how best to handle the situation. Theydecided to hang white pieces of cloth from their windows anddoorways as a signal of their surrender and willingness tocomply with the occupation forces. They had to be very care-ful with the timing when hanging the white cloths, as therewere still die-hard German fanatics roaming the streets whowere willing to die for their Fatherland and were executinganyone found surrendering. Falker told us that he and hiscousin had a handgun that they planned to use to protect theirmothers if anyone tried to molest them. Bad news travels fastand they had heard what the Russians were doing to theGerman women in their areas of occupation.Falker told us that one day he and his family heard

artillery firing in the distance and knew the end was near.Falker with his mother, aunt and cousins took refuge in a cel-lar to await their fate. Sometime later, the noise from theartillery fire had ceased and they heard shouting coming fromthe road. Falker decided to investigate the noise and discov-ered it was coming from trucks filled with Canadian soldierswho were throwing candy bars to the kids. The soldiersappeared to be friendly and not at all threatening. He caught afew pieces of candy and reported to his family. Everyone waselated that the war was over – no more bombing and no morekids going off to war. They were especially pleased to see thattheir former enemies were not molesting the women as theywere told to expect. Later in the evening, trucks came by anddistributed canned food to the eager hands reaching up to thetrucks. Falker added that if the Germans in his area knew howthey were to be treated by the Allies, they would have surren-dered earlier. It was understood by all, months before, thatthey were losing the war; their men had stopped writing anddid not come home on leave, the bombing intensified, and thefood shortages worsened.Bremerhaven was in the British zone. The American zone

was in the southern part of Germany. The French zone was tothe west and the Russian to the east, a sector that includedBerlin. In the late 1940s, troops and cargo were still transport-ed by ships, very little by airplanes. For this reason, theUnited States needed a port and arranged with the British tocreate an American enclave in the British zone to handle ourshipping.

Bremerhaven was a seaport with exceptionally large drydocks and repair facilities. My ship the Alexander was put into one of the dry docks following the explosion to be inspect-ed for damages. It stayed in the dry dock for a week and thenwas re-floated and towed to a nearby dock for repairs. Exceptfor security personnel, the crew, including me, stayed and ateat the seamen’s club in town for about a month before movingback to the ship. We had to report to the ship each morningbut, fortunately, there was no attendance taken.We visited the bigger city of Bremen on weekends. The

American Army had opened a huge beer hall in Bremen forallied personnel and sold American beer. The beer wasimported from the States as there was no German beer avail-able. One of my shipmates, a former paratrooper, met anArmy sergeant he knew who was supervising the beer hall.Old friends do help each other and it was arranged to havetwo kegs of beer delivered to a German bar back inBremerhaven for use by us, the crew from the Alexander. Thebar owner put one of the kegs of beer outside his back win-dow, covered it with snow to keep it cold, and piped it in tohis tap. The bar became our meeting place for the remainderof our stay.My sister Ellen wrote to tell me that one of her co-work-

ers at the B and G Company where she worked in New YorkCity had parents living in Bremerhaven and asked if I couldget in touch with them and report back to her. Coincidencesdo happen! The bar owner and his wife that handled our kegsof beer proved to be the man’s parents. I couldn’t do muchfor them as I had so little with me in Germany. I did manageto get them some cigarettes for trading that they appreciated.The late fall and early winter months of 1946 were cold

and the freezing temperatures added to the hardships of thelocal population in the Bremerhaven area. There were bothextensive fuel and food shortages. The Germans were hav-ing a difficult time just trying to stay alive. Among our crew,there were men who did not hesitate to say, “Let the bastardsdie.” This was especially true of the American World War IImilitary veterans, who had fought the Germans in Europe,had seen their buddies killed during the fighting and whonow worked aboard the army transports. One of our engi-neers was an American Jew who had lost his family in pre-war Germany. He showed no compassion for any German –old or young. He spoke German fluently, and if a youngGerman addressed him using the German familiar form ofthe pronoun “you,” he would slap the youngster in the face.He would explain to the crew that the boy recognized thathe was Jewish and used the familiar “you” to show his dis-dain.Most of the crew, however, soon developed a relationship

with various German families and could arrange to sleepover at their houses outside of town after curfew.

Merchant Mariner Recalls Life at Sea During ‘Old Days’Continued from Page 14

FINANCIAL REPORTS. TheConstitution of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakesand Inland Waters District/NMU makes spe-cific provision for safeguarding the member-ship’s money and union finances. The consti-tution requires a detailed audit by certifiedpublic accountants every year, which is to besubmitted to the membership by the secre-tary-treasurer. A yearly finance committee ofrank-and-file members, elected by the mem-bership, each year examines the finances ofthe union and reports fully their findings andrecommendations. Members of this commit-tee may make dissenting reports, specificrecommendations and separate findings.

TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of theSIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland WatersDistrict/NMU are administered in accor-dance with the provisions of various trustfund agreements. All these agreements spec-ify that the trustees in charge of these fundsshall equally consist of union and manage-ment representatives and their alternates. Allexpenditures and disbursements of trustfunds are made only upon approval by amajority of the trustees. All trust fund finan-cial records are available at the headquartersof the various trust funds.

SHIPPING RIGHTS.A member’s ship-ping rights and seniority are protected exclu-sively by contracts between the union and theemployers. Members should get to knowtheir shipping rights. Copies of these con-tracts are posted and available in all unionhalls. If members believe there have beenviolations of their shipping or seniority rightsas contained in the contracts between theunion and the employers, they should notifythe Seafarers Appeals Board by certifiedmail, return receipt requested. The proper

address for this is:

Augustin Tellez, ChairmanSeafarers Appeals Board

5201 Auth WayCamp Springs, MD 20746

Full copies of contracts as referred to areavailable to members at all times, either bywriting directly to the union or to theSeafarers Appeals Board.

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU con-tracts are available in all SIU halls. Thesecontracts specify the wages and conditionsunder which an SIU member works and livesaboard a ship or boat. Members should knowtheir contract rights, as well as their obliga-tions, such as filing for overtime (OT) on theproper sheets and in the proper manner. If, atany time, a member believes that an SIUpatrolman or other union official fails to pro-tect their contractual rights properly, he orshe should contact the nearest SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY — THE SEA-FARERS LOG. The Seafarers LOG tradi-tionally has refrained from publishing anyarticle serving the political purposes of anyindividual in the union, officer or member. Italso has refrained from publishing articlesdeemed harmful to the union or its collectivemembership. This established policy hasbeen reaffirmed by membership action at theSeptember 1960 meetings in all constitution-al ports. The responsibility for Sea farersLOG policy is vested in an editorial boardwhich consists of the executive board of theunion. The executive board may delegate,from among its ranks, one individual to carryout this responsibility.PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies

are to be paid to anyone in any officialcapacity in the SIU unless an official unionreceipt is given for same. Under no cir-cumstances should any member pay anymoney for any reason unless he is givensuch receipt. In the event anyone attemptsto require any such payment be made with-out supplying a receipt, or if a member isrequired to make a payment and is givenan official receipt, but feels that he or sheshould not have been required to makesuch payment, this should immediately bereported to union headquarters.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ANDOBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIUConstitution are available in all unionhalls. All members should obtain copies ofthis constitution so as to familiarize them-selves with its contents. Any time a mem-ber feels any other member or officer isattempting to deprive him or her of anyconstitutional right or obligation by anymethods, such as dealing with charges, tri-als, etc., as well as all other details, themember so affected should immediatelynotify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members areguaranteed equal rights in employmentand as members of the SIU. These rightsare clearly set forth in the SIU Constitutionand in the contracts which the union hasnegotiated with the employers. Conse -quently, no member may be discriminatedagainst because of race, creed, color, sex,national or geographic origin.If any member feels that he or she is

denied the equal rights to which he or sheis entitled, the member should notify unionheadquarters.SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVI-

TY DONATION — SPAD.SPAD is a separate segregated fund. Its

proceeds are used to further its objects andpurposes including, but not limited to, fur-thering the political, social and economicinterests of maritime workers, the preserva-tion and furthering of the American merchantmarine with improved employment opportu-nities for seamen and boatmen and theadvancement of trade union concepts. In con-nection with such objects, SPAD supports andcontributes to political candidates for electiveoffice. All contributions are voluntary. Nocontribution may be solicited or receivedbecause of force, job discrimination, financialreprisal, or threat of such conduct, or as a con-dition of membership in the union or ofemployment. If a contribution is made by rea-son of the above improper conduct, the mem-ber should notify the Seafarers InternationalUnion or SPAD by certified mail within 30days of the contribution for investigation andappropriate action and refund, if involuntary.A member should support SPAD to protectand further his or her economic, political andsocial interests, and American trade unionconcepts.

NOTIFYING THE UNION — If at anytime a member feels that any of the aboverights have been violated, or that he or she hasbeen denied the constitutional right of accessto union records or information, the membershould immediately notify SIU PresidentMichael Sacco at headquarters by certifiedmail, return receipt requested. The address is:

Michael Sacco, PresidentSeafarers International Union5201 Auth WayCamp Springs, MD 20746..

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:38 PM Page 20


Paul Hall Center Upgrading Course ScheduleThe following is the schedule of courses at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime

Training and Education in Piney Point, Md., for the next few months. All programs aregeared to improving the job skills of Seafarers and to promoting the American maritimeindustry.Please note that this schedule may change to reflect the needs of the membership, the

maritime industry and—in times of conflict—the nation’s security.Students attending any of these classes should check in the Saturday before their

course’s start date. The courses listed here will begin promptly on the morning of thestart dates. For classes ending on a Friday, departure reservations should be made forSaturday.Seafarers who have any questions regarding the upgrading courses offered at the Paul

Hall Center may call the admissions office at (301) 994-0010.

Title of Start Date ofCourse Date Completion

Deck Department

Able Seaman July 16 August 12

ARPA August 20 August 26

Bosun Recertification October 15 November 7

ECDIS July 16 July 22

Fast Rescue Boats August 20 August 26

GMDSS June 11 June 24August 27 September 9

Lifeboat June 25 July 8July 23 August 5

STOS August 27 September 9

Radar renewal (one day) September 7 September 7

Radar Observer August 6 August 19

Tanker Asst. Cargo DL July 23 August 5

Tank Barge PIC October 8 October 14

Engine DepartmentBAPO July 23 August 19

September 17 October 14

FOWT June 25 July 22August 20 September 16

Title of Start Date ofCourse Date Completion

Junior Engineer August 20 October 14

Marine Electrician July 16 September 9

Machinist July 30 August 19

Welding June 4 June 24July 9 July 29

Steward DepartmentChief Steward July 9 August 19

October 8 November 18Chief CookThese modules start every other week. The most recent class began May 30.

Galley Operations/Advanced Galley OperationsThese modules start every Monday.

Safety Upgrading CoursesAdvanced Firefighting September 17 September 30

Basic Firefighting/STCW July 16 July 22

Government Vessels June 18 June 24

Medical Care Provider October 1 October 7

MSC Readiness Refresher June 11 June 17July 30 August 5

Vessel Security Officer October 15 October 18

UPGRADING APPLICATION

Name ____________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Telephone (Home)_________________________ (Cell)_________________________

Date of Birth ______________________________________________________________

Deep Sea Member � Lakes Member � Inland Waters Member �

If the following information is not filled out completely, your application will not beprocessed.

Social Security #_______________________ Book # ____________________________

Seniority_____________________________ Department______________________

Home Port_____________________________________________________________

E-mail________________________________________________________________

Endorsement(s) or License(s) now held______________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Are you a graduate of the SHLSS/PHC trainee program? � Yes � No

If yes, class #______________________________________________________________

Have you attended any SHLSS/PHC upgrading courses? � Yes � No

If yes, course(s) taken_____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

With this application, COPIES of the following must be sent: One hundred and twenty-five (125) days seatime for the previous year, one day in the last six months prior to thedate your class starts, USMMD (z-card) front and back or relevant pages of merchantmariner credential, front page of your union book indicating your department and senior-ity, qualifying seatime for the course if it is Coast Guard tested, 1995 STCW Certificate,valid SHBP Clinic Card and TWIC.

COURSE START DATE OFDATE COMPLETION

____________________________ _______________ _______________

____________________________ _______________ _______________

____________________________ _______________ _______________

____________________________ _______________ _______________

____________________________ _______________ _______________

LAST VESSEL: __________________________________Rating: ______________

Date On: ___________________________ Date Off:________________________

SIGNATURE ________________________________ DATE___________________NOTE: Transportation will be paid in accordance with the scheduling letter only if youpresent original receipts and successfully complete the course. If you have any ques-tions, contact your port agent before departing for Piney Point. Not all classes are reim-bursable.Return completed application to: Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training andEducation Admissions Office, P.O. Box 75, Piney Point, MD 20674-0075; or fax to(301) 994-2189.The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship at the Paul Hall Center for

Maritime Training and Education is a private, non-profit, equal opportunity institution andadmits students, who are otherwise qualified, of any race, nationality or sex. The schoolcomplies with applicable laws with regard to admission, access or treatment of students inits programs or activities.

6/11

The National Maritime Center(NMC), the licensing authority forthe U.S. Coast Guard, offers a com-prehensive web site covering marinercredentialing, medical guidelines andmuch more. The site features a widerange of applications and forms,deck- and engine-department examinformation, lists of Coast Guard-approved courses and more.

Seafarers are encouraged to check outthe site at:http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/Mariners may call the NMC at 1-

888-IASKNMC (1-888-427-5662).Operational hours are 8 a.m. to 8p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.(The NMC is closed for all federalholidays.) Various email forms alsoare available through the NMC website.

NMC Web Site is Vital Resource for MarinersNOTICE:

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Paul Hall Center Classes

Specially Trained Ordinary Seaman – Seven mariners on April 29 completedtheir requirements in this class. Graduating (above, in alphabetical order) were: JeremyBoyd, Michael Fertl, Howard Gulliams, Abobakr Hasan, Zeyad Muthala, Lear Surcedoand DeMilton Wheat. Stan Beck, their instructor, is at the far right.

Unlicensed Apprentice Water Survival Class 743 – Eight Phase Iunlicensed apprentices on Feb. 18 completed their requirements in this 60-hour course. Graduating (above, in alphabetical order) were: Monasser Ali,Ryan Crowell, Michael Dooley, Joel Harris, Sean Hernandez, Peter Mertz,Nicholas Santillo and Julian Swimpson. Class Instructor Ben Cusic is at thefar right.

Unlicensed Apprentice Water Survival Class 744 – The following individuals, 12 Phase Iunlicensed apprentices and two upgraders (above, in alphabetical order) finished this 60-hourcourse March 18: Therman Ames, Michael Beard, Tekeisha Brown, Joseph Dasteel, SlethvanaJules, Mark Keller, Thomas Konsistorum, Ahmed Mohamed, Kurt Sherwin, Christopher Staley,Robert Surette, Roderick Thomas, Robert Tomo and Deralle Watson (upgrader). Ben Cusic, theirinstructor, is at left. (Note: Not all are pictured.)

Welding – Nine upgraders completed their requirements in this 103-hour course April22. Graduating and receiving certificates (above, in alphabetical order) were: JasonBimie, Nicholas Brissey, John Cooper, Xavier Normil, Lamar Pinckney, Guiomar Rancel,Peter Solis, Elijah Stewart-Eastman and Reylan Tendito. Class Instructor Buzzy Andrewsis standing third from the right.

Marine Refrigeration – Ten upgraders finished their enhancement of their skills in this course April 8.Completing the class (above, in alphabetical order) were: Dennis Adjetey, Robin Bourgeois, Robert Egri,Joie Flasner, Joseph Grandinetti, Antoine Rainey, Trent Sterling, Jessie Turner, Philandar Walton andRichard Wright. Jay Henderson, their instructor, is at the far right.

Basic Meteorology – The following Seafarers, above, in alpha-betical order, graduated from this course April 8: Ray Adams Jr.,Ronald Boatwright Sr., Dominique Calvy, Samuel Lloyd, DustinMarks and Hector Ortiz. Class Instructor Lee Chesneau is at the farleft.

Students who have registered for classesat the Paul Hall Center for MaritimeTraining and Education, but laterdiscover—for whatever reason—that theycannot attend should inform the admissionsdepartment immediately so arrangementscan be made to have other students take their places.

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Paul Hall Center Classes

Tankship Familiarization DL – The following upgraders (above, in alphabetical order) completed theenhancement of their skills in this course April 15. Graduating from the course were: Dominique Alston,Johney August, Bernard Baker, Mady Balat, Christopher Bean, Harold Borden, Gordon Cherup, JohnColeman Jr., John Davis, Omar Espinosa, Felix Garcia, Mark Hoffman, Thomas Humpherys III, HusseinMarumbo Hussein, Derrick Martin, Roger Nesbeth, Eddy Newman, Costica Oprisoru, Oleg Pankratov,Daune Reber Jr., Jason Springer and Alexander Young. Class Instructor Brad Wheeler is kneeling at leftin the front row.

GMDSS – Eight individuals finished this course April 29. Those gradu-ating (above, in alphabetical order) were: Ray Adams Jr., Janos Bognar,Harold Borden, Dustin Marks, Hector Ortiz, Oleg Pankratov, CharlesTison and Jesse Willard. Brad Wheeler, class instructor, is at the farright.

ECDIS (Crowley) – Five individuals completed their requirements in this course April 1.Graduating (above, in alphabetical order) were: Matthew Fouse, Andrew Hook, GeorgeSadler, Mark Tilly and Philip Wright. Their instructor, Brad Wheeler, is third from the left.

Simulator Training (Crescent Towing) - The following individuals (above, fromleft to right) finished their requirements in this course recently: Mobile Harbor PilotBernie Scott, Mobile Bar Pilot Peter Burns, Crescent Towing Capt. Chris Walker,Crescent Towing Wheelman Josh Burns, Crescent Towing Wheelman John McCarthyand Crescent Towing Asst. VP Tom Lambard. Mitch Oakley, their instructor, is at the farright.

Readiness Refresher – Twelveindividuals completed this courseMarch 18. Graduating (left, in alpha-betical order) were: Craig Argue,Christopher Bean, Edward Carlson,Leonard Dale Jr., John Davis, CalebGilbert, Todd Gleason, KevinHollenback, Karl Mayhew, WilliamRabatsky, Jody Sparks and JeffreyWalton. Stan Beck, their instructor, isfourth from the left.

Specially Trained Ordinary Seaman – Twelve upgraders finished this course April 1.Graduating and receiving certificates (above, in alphabetical order) were: Daniel Coffman,Chantell Dawson, Ricardo Dayrit, Peter Hamm, Ricky Langley, Kenneth Ledeoux, Derrick Martin,Alexander Matthew, Sadeka Mohamed, Cory Mulligan, Justin Pierce, Duane Reber and CoreyShanely. Class instructor Stan Beck is at the far left.

BST (Hawaii) - The following individuals (above, in no particular order) grad-uated from this course at the Seafarers Training Facility in Hawaii April 30:Robert Gonzalez, Rae Aguilera, Ryan Brady, Justin Challenger, Aretta Davis,Maximus Fuminaya, Preston Hadley, Matthew Hill, Olivia Kardos, Kevin Knight,Timothy Konick, Christopher Pahnlick, Hannah Perry, Brittany Samuels, MicahStanton, and Sylvia Taylor.

64746_LOG 5/25/2011 8:38 PM Page 23

SHBP AwardsScholarships

Page 7

June 2011 Volume 73, Number 6

SIU Executive VP Augie Tellez (second from left in photo above), Capt. Louis Cavaliere of Keystone (center) and Rich Berkowitz (right)of the Transportation Institute meet with a staffer for Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.). In photo at right, SIU VP West Coast Nick Marrone (left)is pictured with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

Second Maritime Sail-In a Success

Individuals from all segments of the maritime indus-try, including SIU officials and rank-and-file members,joined together in Washington, D.C., on May 4 for thesecond annual Maritime Industry Sail-In at the U.S.Capitol and congressional offices. Nearly 200 represen-tatives from shipping companies, maritime advocacygroups, other maritime labor unions, and naval organi-zations all took to the Hill for a day of promoting theindustry and getting the industry’s message out to law-makers.SIU Executive Vice President Augie Tellez, Vice

President Contracts George Tricker, Vice PresidentAtlantic Coast Joseph Soresi, Vice President West CoastNick Marrone, Vice President Lakes and Inland WatersTom Orzechowski, Vice President Government ServicesKermett Mangram and Vice President Gulf Coast DeanCorgey all spent the day meeting various members ofCongress and their respective staffs, as did SIU

Legislative Director Brian Schoeneman. Seafarer MattMaynard met with legislators from his home state,West Virginia. For the past two years, the Sail-In has given the mar-

itime industry a chance to have its voice heard by law-makers on Capitol Hill. This year’s event was especial-ly significant due to the influx of freshman representa-tives, some of whom know little about the importance ofthe maritime industry to the country’s economic andnational security.Participants in the Sail-In were split into teams,

given schedules and a Congressional directory, andwere sent on their way to meet with representatives andstaffs. SIU officials and other participants met with rep-resentatives and senators from both sides of the aisle.Tellez, in a meeting with a staffer for Rep. Bill

Owens (D-N.Y.), pointed out that the maritime industry,despite all of its major economic and security contribu-tions to the country, is often little known to outsiders.“The fact is that every conflict this nation has been

and will be a part of needs a reliable supply line and weare that supply line,” said Tellez. The Sail-In came at a crucial time for the industry

due to the battles over the funding of the federal budgetfor the 2012 fiscal year. There are several pieces of leg-islation up for debate that directly affect maritime work-ers, including provisions for food aid in the federal bud-get as well as the Harbor Maintenance Tax.In addition to the Sail-In, SIU officials were present

at an awards dinner for this year’s Salute to CongressAward, which was given to Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.). The International Propeller Club of the UnitedStates presents the award each year to a member ofCongress who has a proven track record of supportingthe maritime industry and its workers. Rep. LoBiondo currently serves as chairman of the

House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and MaritimeTransportation of the Transportation and InfrastructureCommittee. In his work as chairman, LoBiondo haspushed ideas that work for the industry and has been aconstant advocate.In his acceptance remarks, LoBiondo called on the

international community to do more to confront andcombat piracy off the Somali coast.“I think the best way to deal with this is before they

get on the high seas,” he said.

Event Carries Industry’s Message to Washington

From left to right: SIU VP Great Lakes TomOrzechowski, Bryant Gardner of Winston & Strawn,Appropriations Associate Matthew Kaplan for Rep.Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Capt. Leo Bonser ofIntermarine, Jordan Truchan of Patriot

From left to right: Josh Shapiro of Liberty Maritime, CharliePapavizas of Winston & Strawn, Joe Morgan of the NavyLeague, Mike Roberts of Crowley, Julia Shemest of Crowley,SIU VP Contracts George Tricker

From left to right: Ian Bennitt of SCA, GeorgeKochanowski of Staxxon LLC, Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.), Mark Gallagher of MEBA, and SIU VP AtlanticCoast Joseph Soresi

SIU VP Government Services Kermett Mangram(right), MM&P Sec.-Treasurer Don Marcus

From left to right: Bill Penella of Crowley, TerryTurner of Turner Pollard, Rep. Nick Rahall II (D-W.Va.), SIU member Matt Maynard, MEBAPresident Mike Jewell

SIU VP Gulf Coast Dean Corgey (far left) and other Sail-In partic-ipants meet to review the agenda

64746_LOG_X2 5/26/2011 7:09 PM Page 24

Documents

SIUMakesStrongShowing … eligibility, and documen-tation (such as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and merchant mariner credential) on file with the union. Most