Seafarers Log: Vol. 83 No. 3 (2021-03-01)

MARCH 2021 VOLUME 83, NO. 3

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E S E A F A R E R S I N T E R N A T I O N A L U N I O N A T L A N T I C , G U L F, L A K E S A N D I N L A N D W A T E R S , A F L - C I O

Executive Order Reaffirms Support Page 3

A coalition including the SIU, AFT, SIU-contracted compa-
nies and other groups has joined together to deliver tens of
thousands of free books to students in Puerto Rico, Guam
and Alaska. Last month, SIU volunteers (including those pic-
tured above) unloaded more than 6,000 books from Crowley
at the hiring hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico. See Page 6 for
additional photos.

Seafarers Volunteer
In Puerto Rico

The labor movement mourns the passing of AFL-CIO
President Emeritus John Sweeney, who died Feb.
1 at age 86. Sweeney (right) is pictured at a Mari-
time Trades Department convention in 2009. “John
Sweeney was a legend, plain and simple,” said AFL-
CIO President Richard Trumka. “He was guided into
unionism by his Catholic faith, and not a single day
passed by when he didn’t put the needs of working
people first. John viewed his leadership as a spiritual
calling, a divine act of solidarity in a world plagued
by distance and division. He used work as a way
to apply his values, consistently exhibiting grit over
flash and pursuing progress instead of posturing.”
Page 5.

‘The President Will Continue to be
A Strong Advocate for the Jones Act’

Remembering John Sweeney

Last May, the LOG began reprinting full segments of John Bunker’s “The Seafarers in World War II,” recap-
ping the heroic service of SIU members. Turn to the back page for the last section of Bunker’s historic piece.
Pictured directly below is the ill-fated, SIU-crewed Henry Bacon.

Final Installment: The Seafarers in World War II

President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden (right) on Jan. 25 signed an action titled, “Executive Order on Ensuring the
Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers,” commonly referred to as Buy Ameri-
can. Significantly, the order specifies support for the Jones Act, a crucial maritime law that helps
maintain approximately 650,000 American jobs. A screen capture of the online version of the order
is directly below. Page 3

COVID-19 Vaccine News
Page 6

‘Workers First Agenda’
Page 4

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 1 2/21/21 10:27 AM



2 Seafarers LOG March 2021

The Seafarers LOG (ISSN 1086-4636) is published monthly by the
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AFL-CIO; 5201 Capital Gateway Drive; Camp Springs, MD 20746.
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Communications Director, Jordan Biscardo;
Assistant Communications Director & Managing Editor/
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Photographer, Harry Gieske; Administrative Support,
Jenny Stokes; Content Curator, Mark Clements.

Copyright © 2021 Seafarers International Union, AGLIW. All Rights
Reserved.

Volume 83 Number 3 March 2021

The SIU online: www.seafarers.org

The Seafarers International
Union engaged an environ-
mentally friendly printer
for the production of this
newspaper.

Reversed to White
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O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E S E A F A R E R S I N T E R N A T I O N A L U N I O N A T L A N T I C , G U L F, L A K E S A N D I N L A N D W A T E R S , A F L - C I O

Union is Strength

President’s Report

The government’s annual report on union membership in the
United States didn’t necessarily include any big surprises. Published
each year by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the most recent
document showed a decline in overall union membership (undoubt-
edly caused at least in part by the pandemic) and an increase in the

percentage of workers belonging to unions. That’s
because more unrepresented workers were laid off
when the pandemic hit (naturally, since there are
more non-union workers).

We report on the specific numbers elsewhere
in this edition, but a couple of items jump out at
me. One, union members continue to earn more
money on average and enjoy better benefits than
their unrepresented counterparts. This has been
the case with every report for as long as I can
remember.

But, secondly, the overall number of union
members would be a lot higher if there weren’t

so much illegal interference in many organizing campaigns. Reliable
polling from the last few years has shown historically high, favorable
views of organized labor. Most people would join a union if given a
chance.

Yet the membership numbers basically fluctuate only a little from
year to year, sometimes increasing, sometimes declining.

The remedy is contained in legislation recently reintroduced in
both the House and Senate. The Protecting the Right to Organize
(PRO) Act aims to level the playing field in representation elections.
The reason our country needs this bill is because our labor laws have
slowly but steadily eroded over many decades. It has become the
norm for employers to get away with bending or breaking the rules
during organizing campaigns, to the point where it’s blatantly unfair
to the employees. This isn’t about forcing people to join a union,
because no one wants that. But workers should have a fair chance to
decide for themselves, free from threats by the company, free from
captive-audience meetings, and free from retribution by the employer.

We have a real opportunity to get this legislation passed, and the
AFL-CIO has identified it as a top priority. President Biden, a self-
proclaimed “union guy” whom we’ve worked with for many years,
supports the bill.

As a topic, labor-law reform probably sounds boring. What’s
important, though, is the results it will generate: better wages, safer
workplaces, and a stronger voice for all workers.

This is long overdue, and the SIU will do our part to help make it
happen.

More on Vaccines
As we all continue learning about COVID-19 vaccines, I’m repeat-

ing a message from last month, for anyone who missed it.
There is no doubt the vaccines are effective, but that doesn’t mean

there aren’t still plenty of questions about them. Will we be advised to
take them every year? Will they protect against all the different strains
of the virus? Like I said, there’s no shortage of questions.

But the vaccines approved by our government work, and that’s
why I’ve been signed up and ready to get my shots for a while. I have
no personal hesitation whatsoever.

The SIU will take a sensible, fair approach as vaccines become
more readily available. We will respect individual rights while also
taking the most prudent steps to protect you, your shipmates and your
families.

Meanwhile, keep your guard up and follow the safety protocols
that probably are becoming second nature by now. I’ve been saying
for almost a year, we’ll get through this pandemic together. We’re get-
ting closer and we’ve got to stay vigilant.

Strong Maritime Support
Evident in House Hearing

While the subject matter is
complicated, the upshot from a re-
cent House hearing is crystal clear:
America relies on a strong U.S.
Merchant Marine, and with that in
mind, the industry deserves priori-
tization during the pandemic.

Many other pro-maritime com-
ments were voiced Feb. 9 during
a hearing titled, “State of the U.S.
Maritime Industry: Impacts of the
COVID-19 Pandemic.” The hear-
ing was conducted by the Sub-
committee on Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation of the
House Transportation & Infrastruc-
ture Committee. Several House
members were present in the hear-
ing room in the nation’s capital,
while others participated remotely,
as did the panelists.

Testifying were Crowley Mari-
time Senior Vice President Mike
Roberts, on behalf of the Ameri-
can Maritime Partnership (AMP,
to which the SIU is affiliated);
Jim Patti, president of Maritime
Institute for Research And Indus-
trial Development, on behalf of
USA Maritime (also an SIU affili-
ate); Mario Cordero, chairman of
the board of directors, American
Association of Port Authorities;
Ben Bordelon, chairman of the
Shipbuilders Council of America;
Lauren K. Brand, president of the
National Association of Waterfront
Employers; and Del Wilkins, presi-
dent, Illinois Marine Towing.

In respective opening state-
ments, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
(D-Oregon), chair of the full com-
mittee, and U.S. Rep. Salud Carba-
jal (D-California), subcommittee
chairman, expressed unwavering
support for the industry.

DeFazio stated, “In the year
since the virus was first detected
in the United States, the maritime
industry has endured significant
hardships and has experienced sub-
stantial impacts to business.

It is vitally important that this
committee understand how the
pandemic has affected the reliabil-
ity and efficiency of our maritime
industry and its workers, the gaps
that still exist in protecting the
workforce from the virus, the les-
sons that have been learned from
the federal government’s response
to the pandemic so far, and poten-
tial next steps to better protect the
maritime industry and workforce
from COVID-19 and any future
public health crisis we may con-
front….

“The situation is complicated
by the fact that certain portions of
the industry were not faring well
before the pandemic,” he contin-
ued. “The internationally trading
fleet for instance, has shrunk to a
paltry 85 vessels and carries less
than 1.5% of the goods entering
and exiting our ports. Without a
robust U.S.-flag maritime industry,
we would not have the mariners
needed go to war or supply our
internationally deployed members
of the military…. The economy
cannot recover without a working
maritime supply chain.”

Carbajal briefly reviewed the
key components of American-flag
shipping and then added his sup-
port for the nation’s freight cabo-
tage law.

“The Merchant Marine Act of
1920 or Jones Act safeguards our
country and economy and provides
guaranteed work to American mer-

chant mariners; ensuring govern-
ment and civilian goods, people
and equipment are carried by U.S.-
flagged ships and U.S. citizens,” he
said. “In my district, which encom-
passes Santa Barbara and San Luis
Obispo Counties, and portions of
Ventura County, maritime and sea-
faring is an essential way of life.”

He also noted that throughout
the pandemic, vessel operators
“have had to shoulder the burden
of the increased costs of new safety
measures, acquiring protective
gear and complying with public
health measures while other indus-
tries have received federal assis-
tance. Requests for assistance have
gone unanswered while demand on
our ports and cargo carrying U.S.
fleet only increases as American
commerce increases. I applaud
President Biden for affirming sup-
port for the Jones Act; the indus-
try needs strong federal support in
order to weather this storm.”

Roberts, speaking for the coali-
tion that represents all segments
of the domestic maritime indus-
try, mentioned that the Jones Act
supports around 650,000 Ameri-
can jobs while contributing $150
billion each year to the nation’s
economy.

“The reason we have a Jones
Act can be encompassed in one
word – security,” Roberts stated.
“The coastwise laws of the U.S. are
essential to the continued economic
security of the U.S. transportation
system and to the maintenance of
a U.S.-flag fleet to support that
system. The Jones Act ensures that
American mariners are constantly
on the watch on our inland water-
ways, promoting homeland secu-
rity. And finally, the Jones Act is
critical to ensuring that our coun-
try has both the mariners and the
sealift capacity to go to war, which
is essential to our national security.

“The value of the Jones Act is
even clearer during this pandemic,”
he continued. “As can be seen by
the breakdown of the supply chain
for basic medical goods at the
beginning of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, America cannot be wholly
dependent on foreign countries
for our basic needs. The Jones Act
ensures that America will have the
ability to transport our own goods
by water and a defense industrial
base that is not hamstrung by un-
fair foreign competition. Today’s
domestic U.S.-flag fleet has proven
its capabilities to meet the demands

of the pandemic, and our mariners
have risen to the call of their es-
sential worker status.”

Roberts said that while Ameri-
can mariners and vessels will
continue to deliver, “there is more
the government can do to sup-
port America’s maritime frontline
workers to help keep them safe
and able to keep domestic supply
chains intact.”

He said the emergence of the
offshore wind industry holds great
promise for American-flag ship-
ping, and then pivoted to China’s
investment in maritime.

“China’s shipping and ship-
building industries have experi-
enced dramatic growth in recent
years, fueled by its export economy
and extraordinary support from the
Chinese government,” Roberts
noted. “The result is a Chinese
commercial maritime industry that
puts U.S. national security inter-
ests at risk both in peacetime and
in the event of conflict. Americans
have learned during the pandemic
that depending on China for face
masks and other critical supplies is
not in our country’s best interest.
America must develop a thought-
ful and effective policy response
to China’s maritime ambitions. A
growing number of experts and
scholars have begun to do this, and
have found, among other things,
that the starting place for such a
policy is to reinforce and expand
support for the American domestic
maritime industry and the Jones
Act.”

Roberts said in regard to the
pandemic, the most important
step requested by the industry as
a whole is “to prioritize mariners
for the COVID-19 vaccination and,
in the interim, ensure that mariners
have access to rapid testing. We
were grateful that the Cybersecu-
rity and Infrastructure Security
Agency recognized the impor-
tance of the maritime industry
and ensured that maritime workers
were broadly covered as part of the
critical infrastructure guidance re-
leased in March. That recognition
allowed the industry to continue
operating but did nothing to help
reduce the risk of coronavirus ex-
posure while continuing the work.
We also appreciate very much that
Federal Maritime Commissioners
Maffei and Bentzel recently urged
the Biden Administration to pri-

Panelists: Prioritize Mariners for Vaccination

Continued on Page 9

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
(D-Oregon)

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal
(D-California)

Michael Sacco

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 2 2/21/21 12:08 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 3

President Biden Specifies Jones Act
In ‘Buy American’ Executive Order

Only in office for six days, President Joe
Biden confirmed his career-long support for
the Jones Act by specifically including the na-
tion’s freight cabotage law in his “Buy Ameri-
can” executive order.

Issued Jan. 25, the order states: “Reiterates
the President’s strong support for the Jones
Act. The President will continue to be a strong
advocate for the Jones Act and its mandate that
only U.S.-flag vessels carry cargo between
U.S. ports, which supports American produc-
tion and America’s workers. With the signing
of the 2021 National Defense Authorization
Act, the Jones Act has also been affirmed as
an opportunity to invest in America’s workers
as we build offshore renewable energy, in line
with the President’s goals to build our clean
energy future here in America.”

SIU President Michael Sacco applauded
Biden’s recognition of the importance of the
Jones Act so early in his administration.

“The Jones Act provides family-supporting,
quality jobs to not just mariners but all kinds of
American workers in the 50 states and Puerto
Rico,” stated Sacco. “President Biden stood up
for American mariners as a U.S. senator and as
vice president. He knows we deliver the goods
around the country and the world.”

The executive order calls for federal dollars
to be spent on goods made by American work-
ers using domestic content. It also attempts to
close loopholes that have allowed jobs and pro-
duction to be shipped out of the country.

The Jones Act helps maintain nearly
650,000 American jobs across all U.S. 50 states
and territories, and contributes $154 billion to
the nation’s economic growth annually. Long
backed by broad bipartisan majorities in Con-
gress and top U.S. national security officials
– including in a “Sense of Congress” in the
recently enacted National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act (NDAA) – the Jones Act promotes the
maintenance of the nation’s vitally important
maritime industrial base, ensuring that Ameri-
can jobs are not shipped overseas and that
defense capabilities and readiness aren’t out-
sourced to foreign nations.

“While it is no surprise that the Biden Ad-
ministration supports critical American indus-
tries such as American maritime, this order is
an extremely important and timely statement
of the administration’s policy,” said American
Maritime Partnership (AMP) President Mike
Roberts. “With this order, American maritime
will have greater confidence for the next sev-
eral years to make investments in American
vessels and maritime infrastructure while fur-
thering environmental stewardship, efficiency
and support of our homeland and national se-
curity objectives. We are very grateful for the
administration’s support.”

In an announcement the day the directive
was signed, the White House said in part,
“With this order, President Biden is ensur-
ing that when the federal government spends
taxpayer dollars, they are spent on American-
made goods…. This Executive Order fulfills
President Biden’s promise to make Buy Ameri-
can real and close loopholes that allow compa-
nies to offshore production and jobs while still
qualifying for domestic preferences.

“President Biden’s executive action will
ensure that the federal government is invest-
ing taxpayer dollars in American businesses –
both small and large. These investments will
help create well-paid, union jobs, and build
our economy back better so that everybody has
a fair shot at the middle class. They will buy
from all of America – including minority en-
trepreneurs and businesses in every region in
our country. And, they will support the manu-
facturing capabilities and technology needed
to build a clean energy future and strengthen
our national security, and give our workers and
companies the tools they need to compete glob-
ally for decades to come.”

Reaction throughout the U.S. maritime in-
dustry was quick and overwhelmingly positive.

American Maritime Officers National Pres-
ident Paul Doell stated, “The Jones Act is in
and of itself the ideal example of ‘Buy Ameri-
can’ in principle and in practice.”

“We applaud President Biden and his ad-
ministration for moving aggressively to grow
the U.S. maritime industry. Working together,
we will put America on a road to recovery and
prosperity,” said Tom Crowley, chairman and
CEO of SIU-contracted Crowley Maritime
Corporation.

“The Jones Act is one of the nation’s stron-
gest ‘Buy American’ laws and when you sup-
port it, you support American maritime jobs,
and the entire American maritime industry,
which is a critical component of our national
economy and security,” said Richard Balzano,
CEO, Dredging Contractors of America.

Capt. Don Marcus, president of the Interna-
tional Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots,
said, “We enthusiastically applaud this decision
by President Biden to reaffirm his support for
the Jones Act as a component of his administra-
tion’s commitment to strong Buy America poli-
cies. His expression of support sends a clear
message that the domestic maritime industry
and the thousands of union men and women
who build and operate these vessels are critical
to the economic and military security of our
nation.”

“The White House has taken unprecedented
action that supports the Great Lakes economy
and homeland security. This executive order
creates jobs and protects the pilot light of the
nation’s manufacturing base, which is the Great
Lakes maritime industry,” said Jim Weakley,
president, Lake Carriers’ Association.

“The Biden Administration’s strong support
for the Jones Act recognizes the cornerstone
of our American maritime policy, which has
worked for over a century in strengthening our
national and economic security,” said Adam
Vokac, president, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial
Association.

“Speaking for the 2,000 essential work-
ers at Matson, who have worked through
uncertainty and the daily realities of a pan-
demic to ensure that our most remote Amer-
ican communities and military installations
in Hawaii, Alaska and Guam receive unin-
terrupted delivery of the food and supplies
they need to sustain everyday life, hearing
this support from the White House means a
lot,” said Matt Cox, chairman and CEO of

Seafarers-contracted Matson, Inc.
“We applaud ‘Buy American’ as it recog-

nizes our U.S. maritime workers who are com-
mitted to serving and securing our nation’s
critical supply chains,” said George W. Pasha
IV of SIU-contracted Pasha Hawaii and The
Pasha Group.

“President Biden’s quick, decisive ac-
tion in supporting the Jones Act during his
first week in office demonstrates his strong
commitment to the 650,000 Americans work-
ing in the domestic maritime industry,” said
James L. Henry, chairman, Transportation
Institute.

“The swift issuance of this executive order
emphasizing ‘Buy American’ is an affirmation
of President Biden’s longstanding support of
policies that promote the domestic maritime
industry. We applaud this recognition of the
important role our industry plays in supporting
American jobs, contributing to the growth of
our nation’s economy and meeting the needs
of those we reliably serve,” said Tim Nolan,
president and CEO of Seafarers-contracted

TOTE, LLC.
The order begins, “The dollars the federal

government spends on goods and services are a
powerful tool to support American workers and
manufacturers. Contracting alone accounts for
nearly $600 billion in federal spending. Fed-
eral law requires government agencies to give
preferences to American firms, however, these
preferences have not always been implemented
consistently or effectively. And, some of these
requirements, which shape how the govern-
ment preferences domestic goods and services
in what it buys, have not been substantially
updated since 1954, during the Eisenhower
Administration. It is long overdue that the U.S.
government utilizes the full force of current do-
mestic preferences to support America’s work-
ers and businesses, strengthening our economy,
workers, and communities across the country.
The President is taking action to reset the U.S.
government’s longstanding approach to do-
mestic preferences to create an approach that
will remain durable for years to come and grow
quality, union jobs….”

Administration Commits to Investing in U.S. Workers, Companies

SIU President Michael Sacco (right) greets then-United States Vice President Joe Biden
in early 2009, at a meeting of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.

New data on unionization from the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
show that in 2020, 15.9 million work-
ers in the United States were repre-
sented by a union, a decline of 444,000
from 2019. However, while unioniza-
tion levels dropped in 2020, unioniza-
tion rates rose because union workers
have seen less job loss than non-union
workers during the COVID-19 pan-
demic.

According to the BLS summary of
the data, “The union membership rate

for women increased by 0.8 percentage
point to 10.5 percent, and the rate for
men was up by 0.2 percentage point
to 11.0 percent. The large declines in
nonunion employment among both
men and women put upward pressure
on their union membership rates.”

The yearly study also found, once
again, that union members on average
earned more money and enjoyed bet-
ter benefits than their unrepresented
counterparts. Nonunion workers had
median weekly earnings that were 84
percent of earnings for workers who
were union members ($958 versus
$1,144).

In the private sector, eight million
workers were represented by a union

in 2020, a decline of 544,000. The big-
gest losses were in leisure and hospi-
tality (-177,000) and manufacturing
(-134,000). In the public sector, 7.9
million workers were represented by a
union in 2020, an increase of 100,000.
The increase was entirely among state
government workers.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
stated, “In 2020, America saw working
people in a new light, as the true en-
gines of our economy and the trusted
servants who can carry us through a
crisis. While last year was filled with
unemployment and economic pain be-
cause of a deadly pandemic and the in-
competent federal response to it, union
density rose. We believe this increase

is part of a national groundswell. The
popularity of unions is at 65%, one of
the highest marks in a half-century, and
research shows that more than 60 mil-
lion workers would vote to join a union
today if given the chance. The inau-
guration of President Joe Biden, who
showed on his first day he is willing to
fight for working people’s safety and
to get union busters out of government,
presents a once-in-a-generation oppor-
tunity to finally create an environment
where what workers desire truly drives
union density. And that requires pass-
ing the Protecting the Right to Orga-
nize (PRO) Act so that our labor laws
support and protect the freedom to
form a union.”

BLS Data Shows
Union Job Security

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 3 2/21/21 12:08 AM



4 Seafarers LOG March 2021

Editor’s note: AFL-CIO President Rich-
ard Trumka on January 12 held a press call
to introduce the Workers First Agenda to
fight back against COVID-19 and build an
economy that puts more power and prosper-
ity into the hands of working people. The fed-
eration president also discussed the role the
labor movement has in preserving democ-
racy in the aftermath of the January 6 riot at
the U.S. Capitol, incited by President Trump.
Following are his remarks in their entirety.

“I’m excited to talk about our Workers
First Agenda, but I want to start with a few
words about what happened in Washington
last week. And in particular, why it matters
to working people.

“The future of America’s labor movement
is intertwined with the fate of democracy.
Our democracy is not promised on a piece of
paper. It’s up to us. It lives in us. It’s personal
for us.

“Unions both thrive on and contribute to
democracy.

“What happened at the Capitol was the
result of many things. Economic and politi-
cal systems failing to serve the majority of
working people. The Electoral College being
so arcane that a president and members of
Congress thought they could manipulate the
rules to steal an election. Fear. Hate. Disin-
formation. Conspiracies. And yes, white su-
premacy.

“If striking workers stormed the Capitol,
tactical teams would have been deployed in
seconds. And if people of color had crossed
the barricades, a massacre would have fol-
lowed.

“Last week was a new low for the out-
going administration. An administration that
has driven America to the brink of depression
and civil war. Americans are shocked, but we
should not be surprised. And we cannot give
a pass to a president responsible for sedition.

“That is why the AFL-CIO’s general
board called on President Trump to resign or
to be removed from office. He incited this
insurrection. He pushed judges and lawmak-
ers to overturn democratic election results.
He knew exactly what he was doing.

“There was no voter fraud—we all know
that. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz know that.
Even Trump knows that. Trump is outraged
because Black and Brown Americans voted,
and their votes counted. In cities like Atlanta
and Detroit and Philadelphia, Americans of
all creeds and colors voted against Trump
and for a Workers First Agenda.

“An agenda that has newfound momen-
tum with last week’s victories in Georgia.

“A pro-worker House. A pro-worker Sen-
ate. And the most pro-worker president since
Lyndon Johnson. What a great opportunity.
And what a great responsibility.

“Today, we are unveiling the Workers
First Agenda. It is bold, comprehensive and
exactly what America needs to meet this mo-
ment of pain and uncertainty.

“At the center of this agenda is the PRO
Act—Protecting the Right to Organize. This
worker empowerment legislation would
allow millions to freely and fairly form a
union. So we can raise wages and expand
health care. So we can make workplaces
safer and retirement more secure. So we

can expand opportunities for women, im-
migrants, people of color and the LGBTQ
community.

“The PRO Act is more than labor law
reform legislation. It’s an economic stimu-
lus bill. It’s a civil rights package. So we
are going to fight like hell to pass it. An
MIT study shows that more than 60 million
Americans would join a union today if they
could. And that number has increased during
this pandemic.

“No American should ever have to choose
between our health and a paycheck. That is
why workers’ safety is another priority of
our agenda. We will never get this pandemic
under control if we cannot protect working
people. That starts with emergency COVID-
19 OSHA and MSHA standards so we can
protect workers from this virus. We must also
expand access to free vaccines and rapid test-
ing, and ensure an adequate supply of PPE
by executive order and through the Defense
Production Act. And it is long past time to
guarantee paid sick days, paid family leave
and child care for all working people. None
of this is controversial—just common sense.
More than 325,000 Americans are dead.

“Worker safety is how we begin to beat
the virus. Investment in good jobs—union
jobs—and infrastructure built by union
workers is how we start to recover from it.
Strengthening worker power and rebuild-
ing America’s crumbling infrastructure is at
the core of Joe Biden’s Build Back Better
agenda. These promises resonate with our
members, especially after Trump promised
us the moon and gave us the shaft. It is time
to invest trillions of dollars—that’s trillions
with a T—to rebuild our roads, bridges,
schools and energy systems with union
wages and standards.

“And as we start to rebuild, we must re-
member that any hope for recovery is impos-

sible without equity. That is why racial justice
is a key component of this agenda. Structural
racial inequity exists in nearly every facet
of our country. Our workplaces, our health
care system, our criminal justice system. This
has always been true but never been clearer.
It’s why the incoming administration should
appoint a racial equity czar. We need some-
one dedicated to leading an interagency task
force that directly addresses racial injustice
in all the places it exists.

“And we need to rebuild the safety net
for everyone who lives and works here. That
means economic security for everybody.
Health care security. Retirement security.
Food and housing security. This will never
be a reality if we don’t strengthen Social Se-
curity or shore up multiemployer pensions. If
we don’t lower prescription drug prices and
lower the Medicare eligibility age to 50. If
we don’t strengthen existing health care pro-
tections or rebuild the broken unemployment
system.

“Look, none of this will be easy, but all of
it is necessary. When Americans casted their
ballots in this seminal election, this is what
they voted for. This is why working people
poured our blood, sweat and tears into this
campaign season. We did it to win a Workers
First Agenda.

“I started working in the mines as a teen-
ager and have been a union member ever
since. America’s labor movement has never
been more united than we are today.

“In one week and one day, Joe Biden
will be inaugurated. We are ready to work
with him every day that follows. To heal our
country. To empower working people. And to
build a sustainable economy and a stronger
democracy for generations to come.”

Trumka urged the Biden administra-
tion and Congress to seize this opportunity
to transform the lives of working people

through bold, structural change. As part of
that change, he suggested that the adminis-
tration start with the following five priorities:

Worker Empowerment
Because stronger unions are essential to

addressing the multiple crises facing Amer-
ica, we will urge the new administration to
have a plan ready on Day One to enact the
PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom
to Negotiate Act; create an interagency task
force on collective bargaining; and rescind
executive orders undermining collective bar-
gaining.

Worker Safety and the Pandemic
The most immediate focus of 2021 will

be bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under
control, starting by guaranteeing access for
all workers to free vaccines and rapid test-
ing; issuing emergency COVID-19 standards
from the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration and Mine Safety and Health
Administration; signing an executive order
under the Defense Production Act to en-
sure adequate supply of personal protective
equipment; and ensuring paid sick days, paid
family leave and child care for all workers.

Good Jobs and Public Investment
The first order of legislative business in

2021 will be the next COVID-19 bill, which
must include $1 trillion in flexible grants for
state and local governments. But we must
begin now to focus on “building back better,”
starting with a multitrillion-dollar infrastruc-
ture package and federal labor standards and
domestic sourcing requirements for clean
energy projects. Other priorities for promot-
ing good jobs include rescinding the Trump
Labor Department’s anti-worker regulations;
raising labor standards for all jobs supported
by federal funding; eradicating workplace
discrimination; reforming Wall Street; mak-
ing the global economy work for working
people; building a more just immigration
system; increasing public investment; and
making the wealthy and big corporations pay
their fair share in taxes.

Racial Justice and Democracy
The racial justice crisis is intimately con-

nected to the ongoing public health and eco-
nomic crises. We will urge the administration
to appoint a “racial equity czar” to lead an
interagency task force to survey and address
the structural racial equity issues in jobs,
health care, criminal justice and policing that
have become more apparent during the ongo-
ing COVID-19 crises. The Jan. 6 attack on
the U.S. Capitol also underscored the press-
ing need for racial justice and democracy
reform.

Economic Security
We will urge Congress and the new ad-

ministration to address America’s continu-
ing economic security crisis by providing
pension funding relief; increasing Social
Security benefits across the board; reducing
prescription drug prices; lowering the Medi-
care eligibility age to 50; creating a public
option; strengthening the Affordable Care
Act; rebuilding the unemployment insurance
system; and establishing postal banking.

Trumka: Workers First Agenda Will Build
Sustainable Economy, Stronger Democracy

Richard Trumka
President , AFL-CIO

The PRO Act is back.
Viewed as the most pro-worker labor

law legislation in more than 85 years, the
bill formally was introduced Feb. 4 by
House and Senate Democratic leaders.

The House passed the same bill (Pro-
tecting the Right to Organize Act) during
the prior Congress, but the Senate never
conducted a hearing on it.

President Biden tweeted his support
for the legislation, which would overturn

decades of anti-worker court and National
Labor Relations Board rulings, and make
organizing, winning elections and bargain-
ing first contracts easier and fairer for em-
ployees. It would also increase fines for
corporate labor law-breaking, make court
orders against violators easier to obtain,
and void the labor law provision that ap-
proves so-called “right to work” laws.

The PRO Act is organized labor’s top
priority, after coronavirus economic aid, in

the new Biden-Harris administration and
the Democratic-run Congress.

“Every American deserves the dignity
and respect that comes with the right to
union organize and collectively bargain,”
Biden tweeted. “The policy of our govern-
ment is to encourage union organizing,
and employers should ensure their workers
have a free and fair choice to join a union.”

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
hailed the measure’s introduction, while

warning Democrats it’s time to back up
their words with deeds and pass it. He
added workers would mobilize for support.

“We will make our case in every state
and every congressional district, to elected
leaders across the political spectrum,”
Trumka said. “But make no mistake, this
is a test for Democrats. After decades of
disappointment, it’s time for the party of
FDR to finish what he started.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal-
ifornia), Senate Majority Leader Charles
Schumer (D-New York) and House Edu-
cation and Labor Committee Chair Bobby
Scott (D-Virginia) promptly jumped on
board after Senate Labor Committee Chair
Patty Murray (D-Washington) unveiled the
PRO Act.

Retired Americans Executive Director
Richard Fiesta noted, “Employers are now
routinely denying workers their basic right
to join with co-workers for fairness on the
job, and the ability to negotiate for better
pay and benefits has eroded. It is no sur-
prise that more and more Americans feel
squeezed financially and are afraid that a
secure retirement is out of reach. We must
update labor laws so everyone can safely
organize and join a union.”

Neither Murray nor Scott set hearing
dates for the legislation.

Bill Aims for Fairness
In Organizing Drives

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 4 2/22/21 2:50 PM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 5

AFL-CIO President Emeritus Sweeney Dies
AFL-CIO President Emeritus John

Sweeney, who led an era of transforma-
tive change in America’s labor movement,
passed away Feb. 1 at age 86.

“I had the honor and privilege of work-
ing closely with John Sweeney during his
leadership of the AFL-CIO,” said President
Joe Biden. “Time and again over the many
years of our friendship, I saw how lifting up
the rights, voices, and dignity of working
Americans was more than a job to him. It
was a sacred mission. It was a calling.

“The work he led, from the factory floors
of the garment workers early in his career
to the highest corridors of power as a na-
tional labor leader, embodied the vital role
that unions play in delivering greater wages
and benefits for working people – union and
nonunion alike,” Biden added. “May God
bless John Sweeney, a giant of the Ameri-
can labor movement, and a good man.”

Sweeney was one of four children born
to Irish immigrants in a working-class
Bronx neighborhood shortly after the Great
Depression. His parents, James and Agnes
Sweeney, worked as a bus driver and a do-
mestic worker, respectively. Sweeney al-
ways understood the struggles and the pride
of working people.

“John Sweeney was a legend, plain and
simple,” said AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka. “He was guided into unionism
by his Catholic faith, and not a single day
passed by when he didn’t put the needs of
working people first. John viewed his lead-
ership as a spiritual calling, a divine act of
solidarity in a world plagued by distance
and division. He used work as a way to
apply his values, consistently exhibiting grit
over flash and pursuing progress instead of
posturing.”

“John was very dedicated to improv-
ing the lives of working people,” said SIU
President Michael Sacco, a fellow New
Yorker and longtime friend. “He came from

a humble background and rose to the top
of the labor movement. But he never, never
forgot where he came from.

“John was right at home on a shop
floor, in a union meeting or at the White
House. His priority always was the work-
ers and their families,” Sacco added. “We
both came up through the ranks – in tough
times and good. He was always the same
person and a great leader. We shall miss him
deeply.”

Sweeney was a member of the SIU-
affiliated Maritime Trades Department
(MTD) Executive Board while president of
the Service Employees International Union
(SEIU) from 1984 until his election to lead
the AFL-CIO in 1995. He addressed MTD
conventions in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001,
2005 and 2009.

President Obama awarded Sweeney the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.

Former President Bill Clinton called
Sweeney “a force for inclusion and activism.”

Sweeney was interested in politics from
childhood. His mother took him to see
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s funeral train.
He often spoke about his father’s loyalty
to his union, the Transport Workers Union
(TWU), and its colorful president, Mike
Quill, with a sense of what it did for his
family.

Sweeney met his wife, Maureen Power,
while working on a political campaign. He
ran for and was elected Democratic district
leader and volunteered for John Kennedy’s
presidential campaign. But it was in the
labor movement where it all came together
for him.

As a young man, Sweeney held jobs as
a grave-digger and building porter while
studying economics at Iona College in
New Rochelle, New York, where he joined
a union for the first time. Sweeney was
exposed to Catholic social teaching from
an early age, including the Xavier Labor

School, whose head was the inspiration for
the priest in the film “On the Waterfront.”
He worked throughout his career to forge
alliances between Catholic leaders and the
labor movement.

Sweeney took a position as a researcher
with the International Ladies’ Garment
Workers’ Union, a predecessor to UNITE
HERE. During this time, Sweeney con-
nected with the Building Service Em-
ployees International Union, known today
as the Service Employees International
Union or SEIU. Sweeney worked his way
up the ranks of Local 32B, winning elec-
tion as president in 1976. He merged 32B,
the union for male janitors, with 32J, the
union of female janitors, in 1977, forming
the powerful Local 32BJ – which now rep-
resents hundreds of thousands of building
service workers throughout the East Coast.
The merger got them a unified contract.

As president of 32BJ, Sweeney led sev-
eral successful citywide strikes, winning
better wages, benefits and other contract im-
provements. This led to his election as SEIU
international president in 1980.

Sweeney transformed the SEIU – dedi-
cating one-third of the union’s budget to
new worker organizing and doubling its
membership over the next decade. He fo-
cused on winning new collective bargaining
for low-wage workers and was a champion
for immigrant rights.

In 1995, Sweeney led an insurgent
campaign to capture the presidency of
America’s labor federation, the AFL-CIO.
Running on a New Voice ticket with United
Mine Workers of America President Trumka
and AFSCME International Vice President
Linda Chavez-Thompson (in the newly cre-
ated position of executive vice president),
paving the way for the first person of color
in the federation’s highest ranks, Sweeney
was swept into office on a promise of bold
change and a recommitment to worker or-

ganizing.
As president, Sweeney pushed the labor

movement to become more diverse and take
on issues of civil rights, racial justice and
gender equality. He was deliberate about
recruiting and supporting strong women as
senior staff members, modeling diversity for
the labor movement.

Sweeney also built the AFL-CIO into a
political powerhouse, electing pro-worker
champions and fighting for union-friendly
policies at all levels of government.

He retired from the AFL-CIO in 2009
after nearly 60 years in the labor movement.
He is survived by his wife, Maureen; their
children, John and Patricia; a granddaugh-
ter, Kennedy; and sisters, Cathy Hammill
and Peggy King. He is preceded in death by
his brother, James Sweeney.

John Sweeney
AFL-CIO President Emeritus

The new administration’s cabinet is tak-
ing shape, and it includes pro-maritime,
pro-worker nominees.

On Jan. 8, then-President-elect Joe
Biden chose Boston Mayor and former
president of the Laborers Union Local 223
Marty Walsh as his U.S. Labor Secretary.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
said in a statement, “Boston Mayor Marty
Walsh will be an exceptional labor secre-
tary for the same reason he was an out-
standing mayor: He carried the tools. As a
longtime union member, Walsh knows that
collective bargaining is essential to build-
ing back better by combating inequality,
beating COVID-19 and expanding oppor-
tunities for immigrants, women and peo-
ple of color. He will have the ear of the
White House, the cabinet and Congress
as we work to increase union density and
create a stronger, fairer America. From the
Boston Building and Construction Trades
Council to the Massachusetts State House
to the mayor’s office to his own personal
journey … Marty Walsh has always been
a fighter who understands the power of
working people standing together for a
better life.”

According to Biden, “Marty under-
stands, like I do, that the middle class built
this country and unions built the middle
class. He sees how union workers have
been holding this country together during
this crisis.”

During his confirmation hearing, Walsh
told senators that he grew up in a union
family, and the health insurance his father
had through the union paid for Walsh’s
medical care through a bout with childhood
lymphoma and helping him beat alcohol-
ism. The experience “informs my deep
beliefs in the mission of the Labor Depart-
ment” and the value of unions, he said.

Walsh stated, “We can defend workers’

rights, we can strengthen collective bar-
gaining. We can grow union membership.
We can create millions of good-paying jobs
with investments in infrastructure, clean
energy, and in high-tech manufacturing,
along with the workforce training to help
get those people into those good jobs.”

If confirmed, the former mayor is the
first union cardholder serving as U.S.
Labor Secretary in approximately 50 years.

On Dec. 13, Biden announced his nomi-
nation for U.S. Secretary of Transportation
as former Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

“Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate
all come together at the DOT, the site of
some of our most ambitious plans to build
back better,” Biden said in the announce-
ment. “I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work
with focus, decency, and a bold vision – he
will bring people together to get big things
done.... We selected Pete for transportation
because the department is at the intersec-
tion of some of our most ambitious plans.”

Buttigieg accepted the nomination, say-
ing, “Americans shouldn’t settle for less
than our peers in the developed world when
it comes to our roads and bridges, railways,
and transit systems. The U.S. should lead
the way, and in this administration, we
will.” He was confirmed in February.

Buttigieg quickly went on record with
praise for the Jones Act during his con-
firmation hearing, saying in response to
a question from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-
Washington), “I share your support for the
Jones Act. It is so important to a maritime
industry that creates hundreds of thousands
of jobs and the shipbuilding industry here
in the United States.”

Buttigieg was confirmed by the Sen-
ate in a bipartisan 86-13 vote on Feb. 2. At
press time, Walsh’s nomination has not yet
been acted upon by the Senate.

While a Maritime Administrator has

yet to be nominated, Lucinda Lessley has
been appointed to the position of Deputy
Maritime Administrator, and is the Acting
Administrator. Previously, Lessley worked
in the House of Representatives for approx-
imately 16 years. Most recently, she was
Senior Investigator with the House Com-
mittee on Homeland Security.

As stated in a joint letter from USA
Maritime, a coalition of maritime com-
munity partners including the SIU, “We
are extremely pleased with the appoint-
ment of Lucinda Lessley, who has a proven
track record and extensive background in
support of the U.S. maritime industry as
a longtime professional staff member on
the House Transportation & Infrastructure
Subcommittee on Coast Guard & Maritime
Transportation. Throughout her career, Ms.
Lessley has been a champion of the U.S.-
flag industry, just like her mentor the late
Representative Elijah Cummings, a dear

friend and outspoken advocate for the
American mariner during his time in the
United States Congress. The Maritime Ad-
ministration is charged with the promotion
of the U.S.-flag merchant marine, improv-
ing maritime infrastructure, and supporting
our nation’s sealift capabilities for national
security. As such, we are confident Ms.
Lessley’s leadership will help ensure our
nation has the U.S.-flag vessels and Ameri-
can mariners needed to provide the com-
mercial sealift readiness capability relied
upon by the Department of Defense and to
enhance the military, economic and home-
land security of the United States.”

As of press time, President Biden’s con-
firmed cabinet members include Secretary
of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the
Treasury Janet Yellen, Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Denis McDonough and Secretary of Home-
land Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Biden Taps Pro-Worker Nominees
For Pair of Key Cabinet Positions

Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation

Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at AFSCME’s
43rd International Convention in Boston
on July 18, 2018

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 5 2/22/21 2:50 PM



6 Seafarers LOG March 2021

Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recently
posted the following information. There
will be no financial cost to eligible Seafar-
ers or their dependents (anyone covered
through the Seafarers Health and Benefits
Plan) for the administration of the vaccine.
The vaccine itself is covered by the U.S.
government. Claims for receiving the vac-
cine may be filed through either the mem-
ber’s medical plan or (for those eligible
for both medical and pharmacy coverage
through the SHBP) his or her pharmacy
benefit, whichever is more convenient. If
the vaccine is received in Puerto Rico, the
claim must be filed under the medical ben-
efit.

You can help stop the pandemic by getting
a COVID-19 vaccine.

To stop this pandemic, we need to

use all our prevention tools. Vaccines
are one of the most effective tools to
protect your health and prevent disease.
Vaccines work with your body’s natural
defenses so your body will be ready to
fight the virus if you are exposed (also
called “immunity”).

In the coming months, doctors’ offices,
retail pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics
will offer COVID-19 vaccine. Your doc-
tor’s office or local pharmacy may have
contacted you with information about their
vaccine plans. If not, you can contact your
state or local health department to find out
when and where vaccines will be available
in your community.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective
The U.S. vaccine safety system makes sure

that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Learn
how the federal government is working to en-

sure the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
CDC has developed a new tool, v-

safe, to help us quickly find any safety
issues with COVID-19 vaccines. V-safe
is a smartphone-based, after-vaccination
health checker for people who receive
COVID-19 vaccines. Download the v-safe
app after you are vaccinated!

Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines
are very effective at keeping you from get-
ting COVID-19. Experts also think that
getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help
keep you from getting seriously ill even
if you do get COVID-19. These vaccines
cannot give you the disease.

COVID-19 vaccine will be free for you.
The federal government is providing

the vaccine free of charge to people living
in the United States. However, your vac-
cination provider may bill your insurance

company, Medicaid, or Medicare for an
administration fee.

After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have
some side effects. These are normal signs
that your body is building protection.

The side effects from COVID-19 vac-
cination may feel like flu and might even
affect your ability to do daily activities.
Most of these side effects should go away
in a few days.

You will still need to wear a mask and so-
cially distance after getting each shot of
the vaccine for now.

As experts learn more about how
COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce
spread of the disease, CDC will continue
to use the latest science to update the rec-
ommendations for protecting communi-
ties.

CDC Dubs COVID-19 Vaccines Safe, Effective

As previously reported, a coalition including the SIU, the American Federation of Teachers, SIU-contracted Crowley, Mat-
son and TOTE (respectively), non-profit organizations and other groups has teamed up to deliver more than 100,000 free
books to students in Puerto Rico, Guam and Alaska. On Feb. 9, SIU volunteers (some are pictured below and at right)
unloaded more than 6,000 bilingual STEM, SEL and pleasure-reading books from Crowley at the hiring hall in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. The books are slated for delivery this month. Thanks to SIU Port Agent Amancio Crespo for the photos.

Seafarers Volunteer to Deliver Free Books in Puerto Rico

Seafarers recently ratified a new collective bar-
gaining agreement that boosts wages while maintain-
ing benefits.

A four-year contract has been reached between
the SIU and Inland Lakes Management, Inc. (ILM).
ILM operates self-unloading bulk carriers which
transport cement on the Great Lakes.

The agreement provides for a substantial lump
sum payment in year one, in lieu of wage increases,
and significant wage increases in each of the pact’s
three remaining years. The agreement maintains the
Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan and the Seafar-
ers Pension Plan benefits at the top respective levels.
The contract also maintains the current level of Sea-
farers Vacation Plan benefit, and the stipulations that
facilitate training and upgrading at the SIU-affiliated
school in Piney Point, Maryland.

The SIU negotiating committee consisted of As-
sistant Vice President Bryan Powell and Port Agent
Todd Brdak. The SIU membership employed by
ILM unanimously ratified the contract.

According to SIU Vice President Bryan Powell,
“It took some time, but I’m happy to report that de-
spite the challenges to the business and ILM in the
past year, the company has worked hard with the
union to hammer out a fair deal, maintaining all cur-
rent benefits and providing a decent wage package
and some enhancements.”

Members Approve
Contract at Inland
Lakes Management

Two Seafarers-contracted companies recently an-
nounced a joint venture into a potentially burgeoning
segment of the maritime industry.

“Crowley and Watco are partnering to create a single-
source terminal and supply chain management solution to
support the emerging offshore wind industry,” the compa-
nies said in a joint news release early last month. “With
the growing number of
wind projects planned
for U.S. waters, the part-
nership brings together
industry-leading project
management and logistics
experts who can provide
a one-stop-shop for own-
ers, operators, and local
port authorities in support
of the offshore wind in-
dustry.”

SIU Vice President
Contracts George Tricker
stated, “Particularly in
light of recent federal
verification of the Jones
Act applying to offshore
wind farms, this announcement bodes well for the rank-
and-file membership. The potential is intriguing.”

“This partnership will provide turnkey services for
the offshore wind industry in the area of terminal man-
agement,” said Lynda Patterson, senior vice president of
logistics for Watco. “Crowley and Watco will work to-
gether to leverage our respective expertise in logistics,
project management, and energy support to create inno-

vative solutions to meet full lifecycle project needs. “
The companies said they will collaborate to provide

customized terminal design, project management, ware-
housing, logistics, supply chain management and equip-
ment maintenance “through their commercial expertise
and curated supply chain networks.”

Crowley will provide its offshore logistics offerings
through the utilization of
its Jones Act-compliant
fleet of vessels, engineer-
ing services and cross-
over expertise in oil and
gas. This includes the
design and operation of
service operation vessels
(SOVs), crew transfer
vessels (CTVs), turbine
maintenance, offshore
substation repair and
maintenance, and addi-
tional services necessary
to sustain offshore wind
energy operations.

“Crowley and Watco
are partnering to deliver

safe, reliable, comprehensive lifecycle services for the
offshore wind sector,” said Jeff Andreini, vice president,
new energy division, Crowley. “We understand that wind
power companies entering the U.S. market have big
needs, including infrastructure and supply chain. We’ve
engineered high performing equipment and logistics of-
ferings to answer their needs, anchored by decades of
experience to solve the challenges of both.”

Union-Contracted Companies Announce
Venture Involving Offshore Wind Energy

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 6 2/22/21 2:50 PM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 7

Spotlight on Mariner Health
Healthy Recipe

Healthy Chicken Marsala
Servings 24Editor’s note: This article was provided

by the Seafarers Health and Benefits Plan
Medical Department.

Yellow fever is a disease caused by a
virus that is spread through the bite of an in-
fected female mosquito. It affects humans,
other primates, and other mosquitoes.

This disease is common in the tropical
areas of South America and Africa, but not
in Asia. Its incubation period is about three
to six days after the bite of an infected mos-
quito. Most cases only cause mild infec-
tions.

In many cases, the symptoms include
fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea,
some muscular pains-especially in the
back, and headaches. These symptoms
can improve within 5 days. In about 15%
of people with the illness, those who start
to improve can see the fever come back
and develop abdominal pains with the
start of liver damage. Yellowing of the
skin and eyes will also be manifested. The
risk of bleeding and kidney problems can
increase.

While Yellow Fever cannot be cured,
treatment can help. Further, it can be
prevented through the use of vaccines.
A safe and effective vaccine against
this disease is the Yellow Fever Shot.

This vaccine has been around since the
1930’s and is recommended for people
aged nine months or older.

The Yellow Fever vaccine is manu-
factured by Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines
division of the French multinational phar-
maceutical company Sanofi. Sanofi Pas-
teur is the largest company in the world
devoted entirely to vaccines and is one of
four global producers of the yellow fever
vaccine. It is the only company licensed in
the United States that makes this vaccine
for distribution.

Anyone visiting the former areas should
receive the Yellow Fever Injection about
two to 10 weeks before traveling. The
World Health Organization now states that
a single dose of the vaccine is sufficient to
confer lifelong immunity against the dis-
ease.

Besides the vaccine, people are also
encouraged to use insect repellents that
contains DEET when outdoors in high-risk
areas. Travelers are encouraged to wear
proper clothing to reduce mosquito bites
which normally takes place between dusk
and dawn.

Everyone is advised to plan ahead and
take their vaccinations before traveling to
any of the areas know to be at high risk for
infections.

Travelers Increase Risk of Catching Yellow
Fever When Visiting Some Tropical Areas

The Board of Trustees of the Seafarers International Union
AGLIW 401(k) Plan recently took steps to reduce operational
expenses and thereby increase participants’ respective bottom
lines.

The Trustees are legally obligated to protect Plan assets
while acting in the best interests of participants. One of their
duties is ensuring that fees or other expenses stemming from
recordkeeping and investment management are reasonable,
based on the level and quality of services provided to partici-
pants. Plan fees and expenses have been paid from investment
returns, computed as a percentage referred to as the expense
ratio. Empower (formerly Mass Mutual) is the Plan’s record-
keeper and Morgan Stanley is the investment advisor.

Recently, the Trustees conducted what amounts to a form of
due diligence (technical term: reliable and trustworthy bench-
mark process) comparing our fund to similar ones. After a
comprehensive analysis, they determined that the Plan’s record-
keeping and management fees were higher than the benchmark.

Armed with that knowledge, the Administrator (authorized
by the Trustees) successfully negotiated fee reductions on be-
half of both Morgan Stanley and Empower.

In addition, the two vendors agreed to establish and fund
an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Bud-
get Account with the fee savings. This account provides the
Plan another vehicle to pay Plan expenses. The account will
be available to pay expenses which would otherwise be borne
by participants as deductions from investment returns. These
expenses include the cost of insurance, auditing fees and other
administrative fees associated with maintaining the Plan.

In approving the establishment of the ERISA Budget Ac-
count, the Trustees firmly believe that creating a fund to defray
administrative costs is in participants’ best interest, because its
funds will be available to pay costs that would otherwise be
charged directly against the accounts of the participants.

The Trustees approved the establishment of the ERISA
Budget Account with the understanding that the account was to
begin paying or reimbursing eligible expenses effective Janu-
ary 1, 2021.

If you have questions regarding these changes or want in-
vestment advice, please contact our Morgan Stanley financial
advisor team at 1-800-421-5127.

Seafarers International
Union AGLIW 401(k) Plan

Notice

The White House last month
took steps to release more than
$6 billion dollars in aid to
Puerto Rico as part of its hur-
ricane rebuilding and climate
resilience efforts.

According to multiple
sources, the Biden Administra-
tion on Feb.1 announced it was
moving forward with plans to
disburse $1.3 billion in climate
disaster-related aid to the U.S.
territory from the Department
of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment (HUD). The adminis-
tration also has begun to loosen
restrictions on an additional
$4.9 billion approved just be-
fore former President Donald
Trump left office.

“Today … the administra-
tion is releasing $1.3 billion
dollars in aid allocated by Con-
gress to Puerto Rico that can be
deployed to protect against fu-
ture climate disasters,” White
House Press Secretary Jen
Psaki said during a Feb. 2 press
briefing. “In partnership with
the Puerto Rico Department
of Public Housing, the admin-
istration is also working to re-
move onerous restrictions put
in place by the last administra-
tion on nearly $5 billion in ad-
ditional funds,” she continued.

Congress approved close to
$60 billion in emergency fund-
ing for the island’s recovery
and reconstruction after it was
decimated by Hurricane Maria.
That storm made landfall in
Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017,
as a Category 4 storm with
winds up to 155 mph.

The National Oceanic At-
mospheric Administration esti-
mated damages in Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands
at $90 billion, making Maria
one of the costliest hurricanes
in U.S. history. It’s estimated
the storm killed about 3,000
people in Puerto Rico. Other
storms and several earthquakes
have compounded the damage
in the years since.

Close to four years later,
however, less than half of the
$60 billion Congressionally ap-
proved aid has actually reached
Puerto Rico, with $40 billion
remaining unspent.

In a February interview with
the Washington Post, Puerto
Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said
he asked senior White House
officials to quickly disburse
billions in hurricane disaster
aid that had for years been held
up by the Trump administra-
tion.

Pierluisi said that he, dur-
ing a recent Zoom call, urged
Biden administration offi-
cials to lift strict restrictions
on federal reconstruction aid
that the Trump administration
enacted in 2019. Democratic
lawmakers in Florida and
New York also encouraged
President Biden to release the
remaining funds to expedite
the recovery effort, which has
been further complicated by
the coronavirus pandemic.

Former President Trump and
his administration frequently
touted the amount of money al-
located to Puerto Rico to assist

with natural disaster recovery
efforts. Trump himself regu-
larly antagonized island lead-
ers by repeatedly going after
the mayor of San Juan and de-
riding the island as “one of the
most corrupt places on Earth.”
In addition, he previously
questioned the death toll from
the hurricane, claiming it was
inflated to make him look bad.

Biden’s presidential campaign
website states that he will “ensure
that Puerto Rico receives the fed-
eral disaster reconstruction fund-
ing that it urgently needs.”

According to the White
House website, Biden will
not wait to address the current
untenable situation in Puerto
Rico, “which has resulted in
the unequal treatment of the
American citizens who call
the island home. As Presi-
dent, Biden will create a fed-
eral working group for Puerto
Rico which will report directly
to the President to make sure
Puerto Rico has the resources
and technical assistance it
needs not only to recover, but
also to prosper. He will respect
Puerto Rico and support the
Island’s recovery and renewal,
including by supporting a full
recovery and infrastructure
reconstruction to modern stan-
dards; investing in Puerto Ri-
co’s future through economic
development initiatives and
support for families; providing
relief from unsustainable debt;
and expanding access to edu-
cation and workforce develop-
ment.”

New Administration Releases
Relief Funds for Puerto Rico

Ingredients
24 whole 6 oz. boneless, skin-
less chicken breasts
1 1/2 pounds button mushroom
4 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons Mrs. Dash sea-
soning
3/4 cup smart balance
11/8 cups extra virgin olive oil
3 cups marsala wine, separated
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
fine

Preparation
Season the chicken breasts
with the kosher salt and Mrs. Dash
In large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. extra
virgin olive oil. Add chicken, sauté
5-7 minutes on each side. (Cook the
chicken in batches.)
Melt smart balance and 4 tbsp. Extra
Virgin Olive Oil together over me-
dium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté.
Add Marsala wine. Simmer until
mushrooms are tender.
Pour sauce over cooked chicken
breasts and serve.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley

Per serving (excluding unknown
items): 247 Calories; 12g Fat (47.2%
calories from fat); 28g Protein; 2g
Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber;
68mg Cholesterol; 1020 mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Veg-
etable; 2 Fat.

(Recipe courtesy of Paul Hall Cen-
ter’s Seafarers Harry Lundeberg
School of Seamanship)

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 7 2/21/21 10:27 AM



8 Seafarers LOG March 2021

Snug Harbor Still Assisting Retirees

Editor’s note: This article was
submitted by the executive director
of Sailors’ Snug Harbor.

The Trustees of the Sailors’ Snug
Harbor in the City of New York
(SSH), one of the oldest secular
charities in the United States, contin-
ues to help retired career mariners in
financial need. They no longer oper-
ate a retirement home for mariners,
but instead help mariners across the
country in their home communities.
SSH helps mariners live more com-
fortably by assisting them with their
living expenses as well as helping
them find other assistance and local
services.

SSH was incorporated in 1806
as the result of a bequest made by
Captain Robert Richard Randall.
Not much is known about Captain
Randall. He spent much of his life
managing the family shipping com-
pany. By far his most famous deed
– and the one by which he is re-
membered today – occurred on June
1, 1801, when he signed his will. It
is rumored that Alexander Hamilton
helped Capt. Randall create his will

days before his death. Captain
Randall dictated that The Sailors’

Snug Harbor be created and main-
tained in perpetuity to support aged
sailors.

In 1833, SSH opened their first
retirement home in Staten Island,
New York. At its peak in the begin-
ning of the twentieth century, more
than 1,000 sailors were in residence
together at the facility. The decades
following, enrollment declined
while costs to maintain the historic
buildings to current codes rose. The
facility was closed in 1976 and 105
mariners residing there moved to
SSH’s newly built facility in Sea
Level, North Carolina.

SSH realized the majority of re-
tired mariners in need of assistance
did not want to move to Staten Is-
land or Sea Level, but would rather
stay in their home communities
with their spouses, families and
friends. In the early 1990s, SSH
started to assist mariners in their
home communities and gradually
moved away from operating a re-
tirement home. In 2005, the Sea
Level home was sold.

Today, SSH helps mariners
across the country. In 2020, SSH
assisted more than 350 mariners.
This was the largest number of in-
dividuals assisted by SSH since the
early 1950s.

In 2015, SSH lowered its seatime
requirement from 3,650 days at sea,
to 2,555 days at sea and will now
accept inland seatime to help meet
this lowered requirement. The other
requirements of the program are
that the mariner must be 65 years of
age or older. Younger mariners may
apply if they are disabled. The last
requirement is that an applicant must
be able to show a need for financial
assistance. Applicants with more
than $50,000 in savings will not be
eligible.

The SSH website, www.thesail-
orssnugharbor.org, has a link to the
program’s application.

If you are interested in learning
more about SSH, please contact the
Trustees of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor
in the City of New York toll-free at
1-888-257-5456 or (646) 465-8585,
by fax at (212) 513-0243 or by email
at info@thesailorssnugharbor.org

Statue of Captain Robert Richard Randall in Staten Is-
land, New York

Charity Aids Mariners Nationwide in Home Communities

Two new merchant mariner credential
(MMC) endorsements are available for
Seafarers who have received training in the
use of low flashpoint fuels.

“Basic IGF” is for mariners with desig-
nated safety duties associated with the care,
use or emergency response to the fuel on
vessels subject to the IGF Code (in long-
hand, International Code of Safety for Ships
using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels).
In general, this includes ratings and opera-
tional deck officers who may be standing
watch while fueling evolutions are under-
way.

“Advanced IGF” is for masters, engi-
neering officers and all personnel with im-
mediate responsibility for the care and use
of fuels and fuel systems on vessels subject
to the IGF Code. In general, the person who
is designated as the PIC of the fuel transfer
should have this training (CG-OES Policy
Letter 01-15) in addition to the master, en-
gineering officers and anyone else with the
immediate responsibility.

If a mariner has taken the Paul Hall Cen-
ter/SHLSS course Basic Low Flash Point
Fuel Ops (SHLSOS-805) (BLFPO) – or
any BLFPO course – and has a course com-
pletion certificate, they can apply through
the National Maritime Center website, or
through a U.S. Coast Guard Regional Exam
Center, to receive the IGF endorsement.

If the International pages of a mariner’s
MMC are endorsed with Basic (V/3-1) or
Advanced (V/3-1) Liquefied Gas Tanker
Cargo Operations, they are eligible to re-
ceive the Basic IGF Code Operations (V/3-
1) endorsement. There is no fee or testing
required.

Simply navigate to https://www.dco.
uscg.mil/national_maritime_center/ and
follow the instructions. On the USCG
application CG-719, Section II, under
“requested Coast Guard credential – de-
scription of endorsement desired” request
the following: BASIC IGF CODE OPERA-
TIONS.

How to
Obtain IGF

Endorsement

Notice

A new global pledge signed by more
than 300 maritime industry and human
rights leaders aims to find and implement
solutions for the ongoing international
crew-change crisis.

The International Transport Workers’
Federation (ITF, to which the SIU is affili-
ated) announced the agreement (the Nep-
tune Declaration) Jan. 26, and pointed out
that signatories include major multination-
als BP, Cargill, Rio Tinto and Shell.

“Those who took up the Neptune Dec-
laration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew
Change today pledged to deliver on a
shared responsibility to resolve a crisis
which has seen hundreds of thousands
of the world’s seafarers pushed into what
amounts to forced labor,” the federation
said in its announcement.

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton
applauded the commitments of the 327

companies and organizations that signed
the Neptune Declaration, an initiative led
by the Global Maritime Forum.

“The ITF welcomes the commitment
from shipowners, charterers, investors,
NGOs and industry groups in signing the
Neptune Declaration, and now there is an
expectation that words are turned into ac-
tion,” said Cotton. “With the rise of new
variants of COVID, we are sadly seeing
governments backsliding and bringing in
more restrictions. Right now is the time for
every CEO, every board member, of every
company that relies on global shipping, to
demand that governments don’t forget the
key workers driving their economies and
unblock their borders to seafarers before
this crisis gets worse.”

He concluded, “Companies must now
be held to account. This means no more
charter parties with ‘no crew change’

clauses: Charterers must work with ship-
owners to facilitate crew changes. This
means investors asking the companies
they own and deal with, what the compa-
nies are doing to address the crisis. And
this means asking why any company in the
industry didn’t sign this declaration.”

Signatories of the Neptune Declaration
committed to act, including calling indus-
try peers and governments to: recognize
seafarers as key workers and give them
priority access to COVID-19 vaccines;
establish and implement “gold standard”
health protocols based on existing best
practices; increase collaboration between
ship operators and charterers to facilitate
crew changes; ensure air connectivity be-
tween key maritime hubs for seafarers.

The entire agreement is available on-
line on the SIU website (look in the news
section).

Another Push Made for Crew Changes

SIU members are sworn in for their respective full books at the monthly meeting in Jacksonville, Florida in February. From left
are SA Tracey Manuel, OS Amos Porter, AB Petronio Paragas, Chief Cook Brian Peralta and GUDE Nicholas Sampson.

With Seafarers in Jacksonville

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 8 2/21/21 12:08 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 9

“Total Registered” and “Total Shipped” data is cumulative from Jan. 15 - Feb. 16. “Registered on the Beach” data is as of Feb. 16.

Total Registered Total Shipped Registered on Beach
All Groups All Groups Trip All Groups

Port A B C A B C Reliefs A B C

Dispatchers’ Report for Deep SeaMaritime Receives Strong Support
During Feb. 9 Hearing in U.S. House

Piney Point........................................Monday: March 8, April 5
Algonac................................................Friday: March 12 , April 9
Baltimore........................................Thursday: March 11, April 8
Guam............................................Thursday: March 25, April 22
Honolulu.....................................Friday: March 19, April 16

Houston........................................Monday: March 15, April 12

Jacksonville......................................Thursday: March 11, April 8

Joliet.........................................Thursday: March 18, April 15

Mobile.....................................Wednesday: March 17, April 14

New Orleans.......................................Tuesday: March 16, April 13

Jersey City.............................................Tuesday: March 9, April 6

Norfolk................................................Friday: March 12, April 9

Oakland...........................................Thursday: March 18, April 15

Philadelphia....................................Wednesday: March 10, April 7

Port Everglades...........................Thursday: March 18, April 15

San Juan..............................................Thursday: March 11, April 8

St. Louis................................................Friday: March 19, April 16

Tacoma...............................................Friday: March 26, April 23

Wilmington...........................................Monday: March 22, April 19

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

March & April
Membership Meetings

Continued from Page 2

oritize mariners for vaccination and rapid testing, emphasizing
the mariner’s critical role in moving medical supplies, personal
protective equipment, and handling an unprecedented amount of
consumer goods flowing into our nation’s ports. But that is not
enough. It is past time that the federal and state government agen-
cies having direct input and actual authority over mariner safety
do likewise.”

Patti spoke on behalf of a coalition whose members include
shipping companies operating vessels in the U.S. Maritime Se-
curity Program (MSP).

He said, “The development and implementation of programs
and policies that support this fleet, enhance its economic viability
and enable it to compete for a larger share of America’s foreign
trade are extremely important to our ability to support the eco-
nomic and military security of our country.”

After quickly recapping the merchant marine’s role as Ameri-
ca’s fourth arm of defense and then touching on the general state
of the industry, Patti turned to the global COVID-19 crisis.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, maritime labor and their
U.S.-flag shipping companies have been working with each other
as well as with a number of federal agencies and departments,
including the Maritime Administration, the United States Coast
Guard, the United States Transportation Command, the Depart-
ment of State, the Federal Maritime Commission and others to
put in place the measures that help protect the lives of American
mariners and ensure that the essential economic and defense ser-
vices provided by our industry remain available,” he stated. “The
support given to our industry by these and other federal agencies
is greatly appreciated.

“While over the past 11 months safety practices and protocols
have been developed and put in place within our industry there
are still COVID-19 related issues that need to be resolved,” he
continued. “Most importantly, while we clearly understand and
appreciate that there are many segments of the American work-
force who need expedited access to the COVID-19 vaccine, it is
extremely important that American mariners and cadets working
aboard Maritime Security Program vessels and other U.S.-flag
vessels in the foreign trades receive such access. Otherwise, with
the differences in vaccine administration procedures among the
states, it may be months at the earliest before mariners receive a
vaccine.”

Patti then detailed why mariners should be prioritized, reiter-
ating their status as essential workers and the nature of the work
itself in supporting U.S. economic and national security.

He proposed ways to attract and retain more shipboard man-
power, including fully funding the newly created U.S. Tanker
Security Fleet, enacted late last year.

“This fleet will be comprised of 10 U.S.-flag, U.S.-crewed
product tankers to help reduce our military’s reliance on for-
eign-flag vessels by increasing the amount of fuel supplied and
transported by American mariners on U.S.-flag commercial
vessels, consistent with the priorities of our national defense,”
he said. “The 10-vessel tanker fleet will provide an employ-
ment base for approximately 500 American merchant mariners,
helping to address and alleviate the current maritime manpower
shortage.”

Deck Department
Algonac 50 12 4 2 1 0 0 66 19 5
Anchorage 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 2 4 1
Baltimore 6 3 1 4 1 0 2 6 2 1
Fort Lauderdale 25 6 2 23 5 2 10 40 13 1
Guam 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 2 0
Harvey 13 1 1 9 3 1 4 17 3 0
Honolulu 6 4 0 8 3 0 5 15 5 0
Houston 38 13 6 35 15 9 21 72 31 4
Jacksonville 24 26 7 23 14 4 20 46 42 11
Jersey City 22 6 2 10 8 1 7 48 11 4
Joliet 1 3 3 1 0 3 2 2 6 0
Mobile 9 4 2 6 1 1 1 16 10 7
Norfolk 25 9 6 10 7 0 9 38 19 13
Oakland 13 4 1 8 3 1 5 20 8 2
Philadelphia 0 2 1 2 3 0 2 4 5 1
Piney Point 2 5 1 0 0 1 1 2 9 0
Puerto Rico 4 5 0 7 6 0 4 10 9 1
Tacoma 26 7 1 23 2 1 9 44 13 7
St. Louis 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 4 3 2
Wilmington 25 11 3 22 9 2 10 39 20 5
TOTALS 293 125 43 196 84 26 113 492 234 65

Engine Department
Algonac 11 1 2 2 0 1 1 12 4 1
Anchorage 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0
Baltimore 1 5 0 3 3 0 0 0 3 0
Fort Lauderdale 7 12 1 4 2 1 1 14 17 4
Guam 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Harvey 3 2 0 1 2 0 0 6 3 0
Honolulu 7 3 0 3 2 0 2 13 7 0
Houston 11 10 3 13 10 5 7 22 14 2
Jacksonville 12 13 3 11 11 2 13 34 22 3
Jersey City 8 9 1 9 5 1 6 17 9 1
Joliet 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 4 2
Mobile 4 3 0 0 2 0 0 8 6 0
Norfolk 19 11 2 10 10 2 8 27 20 2
Oakland 3 2 0 3 3 0 4 8 7 0
Philadelphia 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 1 0
Piney Point 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 0
Puerto Rico 1 5 0 4 2 1 1 5 6 0
Tacoma 8 4 2 6 1 2 4 22 10 1
St. Louis 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 2 1 0
Wilmington 9 7 1 8 6 0 6 21 9 1
TOTALS 111 91 16 82 64 16 56 220 148 17


Steward Department
Algonac 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 1 0
Anchorage 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0
Baltimore 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fort Lauderdale 6 5 0 13 3 0 4 13 8 1
Guam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Harvey 8 2 0 0 2 0 1 11 2 0
Honolulu 6 1 0 7 0 0 0 8 5 0
Houston 16 3 0 15 5 1 1 26 5 2
Jacksonville 18 10 2 13 4 0 9 29 20 3
Jersey City 12 5 0 5 2 0 2 18 5 0
Joliet 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0
Mobile 1 3 0 3 2 0 1 2 7 0
Norfolk 10 14 3 6 6 0 5 23 20 3
Oakland 16 6 0 8 2 0 6 26 14 0
Philadelphia 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
Piney Point 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 5 1
Puerto Rico 2 4 1 2 4 0 4 6 6 1
Tacoma 12 1 1 13 3 1 9 19 4 1
St. Louis 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Wilmington 19 8 2 9 7 1 3 34 14 4
TOTALS 147 65 10 99 40 3 46 241 119 16

Entry Department
Algonac 1 18 16 0 2 2 0 2 29 19
Anchorage 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 5
Baltimore 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0
Fort Lauderdale 1 3 2 1 2 1 0 0 9 7
Guam 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
Harvey 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
Honolulu 1 4 3 0 4 1 0 1 7 3
Houston 1 7 13 4 7 5 0 4 15 21
Jacksonville 4 14 51 4 14 33 7 7 32 81
Jersey City 1 9 12 1 2 8 2 1 19 12
Joliet 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
Mobile 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 2
Norfolk 0 16 23 0 5 7 1 1 25 49
Oakland 1 6 2 0 4 2 1 3 12 5
Philadelphia 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Piney Point 0 3 9 0 2 6 1 0 3 9
Puerto Rico 0 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 1
Tacoma 4 7 8 3 0 4 1 8 22 13
St. Louis 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
Wilmington 2 14 6 0 6 4 2 4 34 11
TOTALS 16 111 153 14 52 77 18 33 216 246

GRAND TOTAL: 567 392 222 391 240 122 233 986 717 344

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 9 2/22/21 2:50 PM



10 Seafarers LOG March 2021

At Sea and Ashore with the SIU

ABOARD AMERICAN FREEDOM – Recertified Steward Brian Burchett submitted these snapshots from the Intrepid Personnel and Provisioning vessel in Alaska. In photo at far left,
Bosun Jovan Williams supervises cargo transfer in Nikiski. As mentioned when sharing these images on the SIU Facebook page, the LOG extends genuine respect to anyone who
can smile for the camera in sub-zero temperatures. That’s what is happening in photo at right, featuring Dayman Edgar Torres, AB Watch Yervin Goff and AB Dayman Osei Baffoe
working mooring line pendants on the bow in Nikiski, at 10 below zero. Crew members rang in the new year by taking part in a union meeting Jan. 1. The large group photo (center)
was taken immediately afterward. Burchett is third from left, in front.

BOOKS IN PUERTO RICO – In photo above, Chief
Cook Esperanza Crespo (right) receives her full B-
book at the hiring hall in San Juan. Congratulating
her is her brother – SIU Port Agent Amancio Crespo.
In the photo below, AB Chenequa Rodriguez (right)
picks up her A-seniority book. She is pictured with
longtime friend Maria Gomez (office assistant).

NEW TONNAGE – Matson’s new combination container/roll-on,
roll-off vessel Matsonia makes its first call on Oakland, California, in
mid-January. The group photo at right includes (from left) SIU Port
Agent Nick Marrone II, Recertified Steward Nee Tran, ACU Ruben
Siclot and Chief Cook Freddie Castro.

CAROLINA IN WISCONSIN – Deckhand Cary Gimpel is pictured in Superior, Wisconsin, after voting in the SIU election the
day after Christmas. Behind him is the Great Lakes Towing boat North Carolina.

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 10 2/22/21 2:50 PM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 11

At Sea and Ashore with the SIU

ANOTHER NEW SHIP – As
previously reported, the union
recently welcomed the flag-
in of the bulk carrier SLNC
Severn, an outright addition
to the union-contracted fleet.
Argent Marine Operations pro-
vides the ship’s crewing for
Schuyler Line Navigation Com-
pany. These photos, taken in
mid-January in Ascension Is-
land, feature the vessel itself,
the crew, and (we’re not mak-
ing this up) tracks left by green
sea turtles. The SLNC Severn
is in the background.

ABOARD BURNS HARBOR – Recertified Bosun Foaad Saleh (photo at right) is pictured aboard the American Steamship Company vessel, as are shipmates (photos at left and bot-
tom left, respectively) enjoying a Thanksgiving gathering.

B-BOOK IN HOUSTON – Storekeeper Luddy Duffey (right) receives
his full B-book. He’s pictured at the Houston hall with SIU Asst. VP
Mike Russo.

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 11 2/21/21 12:08 AM



12 Seafarers LOG March 2021

Michael Sacco, President

Augustin Tellez, Executive Vice President

David Heindel, Secretary-Treasurer

George Tricker, Vice President Contracts

Tom Orzechowski,
Vice President Lakes and Inland Waters

Dean Corgey, Vice President Gulf Coast

Nicholas J. Marrone, Vice President West Coast

Joseph T. Soresi, Vice President Atlantic Coast

Kate Hunt, Vice President Government Services

HEADQUARTERS
5201 Capital Gateway Drive

Camp Springs, MD 20746 (301) 899-0675

ALGONAC
520 St. Clair River Dr., Algonac, MI 48001

(810) 794-4988

ANCHORAGE
721 Sesame St., #1C, Anchorage, AK 99503

(907) 561-4988

BALTIMORE
2315 Essex St., Baltimore, MD 21224

(410) 327-4900

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

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

HONOLULU
606 Kalihi St., Honolulu, HI 96819

(808) 845-5222

HOUSTON
625 N. York St., Houston, TX 77003

(713) 659-5152

JACKSONVILLE
5100 Belfort Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32256

(904) 281-2622

JERSEY CITY
104 Broadway, Jersey City, NJ 07306

(201) 434-6000

JOLIET
10 East Clinton St., Joliet, IL 60432

(815) 723-8002

MOBILE
1640 Dauphin Island Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36605

(251) 478-0916

NEW ORLEANS
3911 Lapalco Blvd., Harvey, LA 70058

(504) 328-7545

NORFOLK
115 Third St., Norfolk, VA 23510

(757) 622-1892

OAKLAND
1121 7th St., Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 444-2360

PHILADELPHIA
2604 S. 4 St., Philadelphia, PA 19148

(215) 336-3818

PINEY POINT
45353 St. George’s Avenue, Piney Point, MD

20674
(301) 994-0010

PORT EVERGLADES
1221 S. Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316

(954) 522-7984

SAN JUAN
659 Hill Side St., Summit Hills

San Juan, PR 00920
(787) 721-4033

ST. LOUIS/ALTON
4581 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, MO 63116

(314) 752-6500

TACOMA
3411 South Union Ave., Tacoma, WA 98409

(253) 272-7774

WILMINGTON
510 N. Broad Ave., Wilmington, CA 90744

(310) 549-4001/4002

Seafarers International
Union Directory Inquiring Seafarer

This month’s question was answered by SIU members who served on the union’s election tallying committee
which convened recently in Camp Springs, Maryland.

Question: What are some things you like about your job?

Pic From The Past

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Tyrell Thabit
Recertified Steward

It’s very rewarding in the sense that
I have such a passion for it. I enjoy it
and take a lot of pride in it. I love what
I do. I’ve been in this life for 39 years.
You can’t stay in anything that long if
you don’t like it..

Trevor Manion
QMED

I love going to new ships –
new experiences, meeting new
people. I really love the time on
and time off, meaning the lifestyle
all around. It is a bummer being
away from family, but then the
time I get at home, every day is a
Saturday.

Patrick Coppola
QMED

I actually love the job. I started
in 1983 and have gotten my sea
time of six to eight months every
year since. I enjoy meeting new
people and the adventure of trav-
elling. I’ve traveled around the
world. I enjoy the hard work and
the satisfaction at the end of the
day when you’ve accomplished
your tasks, whether they’re big or
small.

Anthony Jacobson
Recertified Steward

Obviously, the money, and
also the flexible lifestyle. Really,
that’s what it is. I’ve imagined
trying to work a normal job, and I
get about five minutes into it and
realize there’s no way I’m going
to do that.

Riley Donahue III
QMED

Travel. That’s why I got started.
I’ve been everywhere: China, Africa,
Russia, South America. It’s probably
easier to tell you where I haven’t
been. I’m still always interested in
wherever we’re heading.

Kelvin Johnson
AB

At times, the best thing I like about
my job is getting away from home.
There is peace of mind you experi-
ence when you’re out at sea. And the
money.

Pensioner Trinidad Sanchez submitted this photo of fellow Seafarers Tito Chester Jr. (left) and Julio Reyes aboard the Sea-
Land Crusader in December 1993.

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 12 2/21/21 12:08 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 13

DEEP SEA

MOHAMED ABDELWAHAB
Brother Mohamed Abdelwahab,
68, donned the SIU colors in 1992,
initially sailing
aboard the Fran-
ces Hammer. He
sailed in all three
departments and
upgraded his
skills at the Piney
Point school on
several occasions.
Brother Abdelwa-
hab last shipped
aboard the Maersk Atlanta. He
makes his home in Minneapolis.

MERCURION ABUAN
Brother Mercurion Abuan, 66,

joined the SIU
in 1988 and first
sailed aboard the
Independence. A
steward depart-
ment member, he
upgraded often at
the Paul Hall Cen-
ter. Brother Abuan
last shipped on
the Horizon Pa-
cific. He resides in

San Francisco.

DAVID CAMPBELL
Brother David Campbell, 65, be-
came a member of the SIU in 1974
when he shipped with Steuart Trans-
portation. He sailed in the deck de-
partment and upgraded at the Piney
Point school on numerous occasions.
Brother Campbell’s final vessel was
the Liberty Passion. He settled in
Jacksonville, Florida.

MAURICIO CASTRO
Brother Mauricio Castro, 65, started
shipping with the Seafarers Interna-
tional Union in
1989, first sail-
ing aboard the
Independence. He
sailed in the stew-
ard department
and upgraded
at the Paul Hall
Center on sev-
eral occasions.
Brother Castro’s
final vessel was
the Overseas Martinez. He resides in
Houston.

ROSALIO CORDOVA
Brother Rosalio Cordova, 66, joined

the union in 2003
and first sailed
on the Denali. He
upgraded at the
union-affiliated
Piney Point school
in 2010 and was
an engine depart-
ment member.
Brother Cordova’s
final vessel was
the Jean Anne. He

is a Las Vegas resident.

MICHAEL DUPEE
Brother Michael Dupee, 66, signed
on with the union in 2001, initially
sailing on the USNS Dahl. He pri-
marily sailed as a storekeeper and
also sometimes shipped in the en-

gine department.
He upgraded at
the Piney Point
school on several
occasions. Brother
Dupee most re-
cently sailed on
the USNS Maury.
He lives in New-
berry, Michigan.

DAVID KNUTSON
Brother David Knutson, 66, began
his career with the Seafarers in 1976
when he sailed on the Saginaw Bay.
He sailed in the deck department
and upgraded his skills at the Piney
Point school in 2001. Brother Knut-
son last shipped on the USNS Red
Cloud. He makes his home in Med-
ford, Oregon.

NATHANIEL LEARY
Brother Nathaniel Leary, 61, be-
came a member of the SIU in 1980.
He upgraded often at the Paul Hall
Center and was a deck department
member. Brother Leary’s first ves-
sel was the Cove Engineer; his last,
the Honor. He lives in Green Cove
Spring, Florida.

YAHYA MOHSIN
Brother Yahya Mohsin, 66, joined

the SIU in 1992.
He sailed in both
the engine and
steward depart-
ments and first
shipped on the
Global Sentinel.
Brother Mohsin’s
final vessel was
the St. Clair. He
is a resident of

Melvindale, Michigan.

MELVIN NICHOLS
Brother Melvin Nichols, 58, signed
on with the union in 1990, initially
sailing on the Franklin J. Phillips.
The deck department member up-
graded at the Paul Hall Center in
2002. Brother Nichols most recently
shipped on the Cape May. He lives
in Newport News, Virginia.

EARL OLSON
Brother Earl Olson, 65, embarked on
his career with the Seafarers in 1987
when he shipped on the USNS Hark-
ness. An engine department member,
he upgraded his skills at the Piney
Point school in 2010. Brother Olson
last sailed aboard the USNS Curtiss.
He settled in Kent, Washington.

KEVIN PENROSE
Brother Kevin Penrose, 62, joined
the SIU in 1977.
A deck depart-
ment member,
he upgraded at
the Piney Point
school on multiple
occasions. Brother
Penrose’s first
vessel was the
Adventurer; his
last, the Alliance
Fairfax. He calls
Plant City, Florida, home.

CHARLES POWERS
Brother Charles Powers, 65, signed

on with the union in 1977, initially
working aboard the Ft. Hoskins. He
sailed in all three departments and
upgraded at the Paul Hall Center on
numerous occasions. Brother Pow-
ers concluded his career aboard the
Pacific Collector and lives in St.
Louis.

WESLEY SMITH
Brother Wesley Smith, 67, joined
the Seafarers International Union
in 1992. He was a member of the
steward department and upgraded at
the Piney Point school on multiple
occasions. Brother Smith’s first ves-
sel was the Independence; his last,
the USNS Fisher. He calls Conroe,
Texas, home.

BOLESLAW SZATKOWSKI
Brother Boleslaw Szatkowski, 68,
began sailing with the Seafarers in
2008 when he
shipped aboard
the Global Pa-
triot. He was an
engine depart-
ment member and
upgraded at the
union-affiliated
Piney Point
school on several
occasions. Brother
Szatkowski last sailed aboard
the Cape Kennedy and resides in
Worcester, Massachusetts.

WILLIAM THOMAS
Brother William Thomas, 66, signed
on with the SIU in 1978, initially

sailing on the
Panama. He was
a member of the
engine department
and upgraded
at the Paul Hall
Center on several
occasions. Brother
Thomas last
shipped on the
John U.D. Page.

He settled in Exmore, Virginia.

CHARLES WHARTON
Brother Charles Wharton, 63,
donned the SIU colors in 1973, first
sailing aboard the Eagle Traveler.
He worked in the engine department
and upgraded often at the Piney
Point school. Brother Wharton most
recently shipped on the Savannah.
He makes his home in Pasadena,
Maryland.

GREAT LAKES

AARON ADAMS
Brother Aaron Adams, 65, began
shipping with the Seafarers Interna-
tional Union in 1997 when he sailed
with Luedtke Engineering. He was a
member of the deck department and
upgraded at the Paul Hall Center on
multiple occasions. Brother Adams
remained with the same company
for the duration of his career. He
lives in Cadillac, Michigan.

JOSEPH KANE
Brother Joseph Kane, 62, embarked
on his career with the SIU in 1977,
initially sailing with Great Lakes
Towing. He upgraded at the Piney

Point school on
numerous occa-
sions and was a
member of the
deck depart-
ment. Brother
Kane last shipped
with Luedtke
Engineering. He
is a resident of
Ashtabula, Ohio.

LARRY WINN
Brother Larry Winn, 65, joined the
union in 1974 when he shipped on
the Adam E. Cornelius. He primarily
sailed in the engine department and
upgraded at the Paul Hall Center in
1980. Brother Winn’s final vessel
was the American Mariner. He calls
Fort Gratiot, Michigan, home.

INLAND

KEITH BENNETT
Brother Keith Bennett, 63, began
sailing with the SIU in 1978, ini-
tially working on
the San Pedro. He
was a deck de-
partment member
and upgraded at
the Piney Point
school on numer-
ous occasions.
Brother Bennett’s
final vessel was
the Liberty Island.
He makes his
home in Sundance, Wyoming.

GERALD DOMANGUE
Brother Gerald Domangue, 62,
signed on with the Seafarers in
1976. A member of the deck de-
partment, he worked for Crescent
Towing and Salvage for his entire
career. Brother Domangue lives in
Diamondhead, Mississippi.

DAVID DORRELL
Brother David Dorrell, 66, started
shipping with the union in 1979.

He upgraded at
the Piney Point
school on multiple
occasions and was
a deck department
member. Brother
Dorrell worked
for Higman Barge
Lines for the
majority of his ca-
reer. He makes his

home in Lumberton, Texas.

LESTER LEDET
Brother Lester Ledet, 65, joined the
Seafarers International Union in
1974. He sailed in the deck depart-
ment and worked for Crescent Tow-
ing and Salvage for the duration of
his career. Brother Ledet resides in
Gretna, Louisiana.

CALVIN MASON
Brother Calvin Mason, 64, em-
barked on his career with the SIU
in 2001. He was a deck department
member and upgraded at the Piney
Point school in 2002. Brother Mason
worked for Allied Transportation
for his entire career. He lives in
Mathews, Virginia.

JOHN MCCRANIE
Brother John McCranie, 68, donned
the SIU colors
in 2013, initially
sailing aboard the
Commitment. An
engine depart-
ment member, he
upgraded often
at the Paul Hall
Center. Brother
McCranie’s final
vessel was the
Courage. He calls Lake Wales,
Florida, home.

JEFFREY POTTER
Brother Jeffrey Potter, 62, began his
career with the Seafarers in 1991

when he worked
for OSG Ship
Management.
He upgraded at
the Piney Point
school on mul-
tiple occasions
and sailed in both
the deck and en-
gine departments.
Brother Potter

last sailed with Allied Transporta-
tion. He resides in Lowland, North
Carolina.

CURTIS REESE
Brother Curtis
Reese, 65, joined
the SIU in 2003.
An engine depart-
ment member, he
sailed with Cape
Fear Towing
for the duration
of his career.
Brother Reese
lives in Wilmington, North Caro-
lina.

FRANK SESSA
Brother Frank Sessa, 62, started
sailing with the Seafarers Inter-
national Union in 1982, when he
sailed aboard the Overseas Vivian.
He shipped in both the steward and
deck departments and upgraded at
the Piney Point school on several oc-
casions. Brother Sessa last shipped
with OSG Ship Management. He
makes his home in Land O’Lakes,
Florida.

LAWRENCE WILLIAMS
Brother Lawrence Williams, 65,
donned the SIU colors in 1997. He
sailed in the deck department and
upgraded at the Paul Hall Center
on multiple occasions. Brother Wil-
liams worked for Penn Maritime for
the duration of his career. He resides
in Odessa, Florida.

ALAN WINSOR
Brother Alan Winsor, 68, signed
on with the union in 2010. He first

sailed aboard the
Pride and was a
member of the
deck department.
Brother Winsor
upgraded at the
union-affiliated
Piney Point
school on numer-
ous occasions. He
last sailed on the

Resolve and settled in Jacksonville
Beach, Florida.

Each month, the Seafarers LOG pays tribute to the SIU members who have devoted
their working lives to sailing aboard U.S.-flag vessels on the deep seas, inland water-
ways or Great Lakes. Listed below are brief biographical sketches of those members
who recently retired from the union. The brothers and sisters of the SIU thank those
members for a job well done and wish them happiness and good health in the days
ahead.

Welcome Ashore

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 13 2/21/21 12:08 AM



14 Seafarers LOG March 2021

DEEP SEA

VICTOR ACEVEDO
Pensioner Victor Acevedo, 78,
died December 15. He signed on
with the union
in 1970 and
was a steward
department
member. Brother
Acevedo first
shipped on the
Steel Architect.
He last sailed
on the Maersk
Virginia be-
fore going on pension in 2009.
Brother Acevedo was a resident
of Puerto Rico.

ABDUL AZIZ
Pensioner Abdul Aziz, 83,
passed away November 12. He

began his career
with the SIU in
1964. Brother
Aziz’s first
vessel was the
Transeastern.
He sailed in the
steward depart-
ment and last
shipped on the
Leader. Brother

Aziz became a pensioner in 2002
and resided in Brooklyn, New
York.

EDWARD BRINN
Pensioner Edward Brinn, 84, died
January 3. He
started shipping
with the SIU
in 1961 when
he sailed on
the Achilles. A
deck department
member, Brother
Brinn concluded
his career on
the Cornhusker
State. He retired in 1992 and
lived in Chesapeake, Virginia.

JOSEPH CALLAGHAN
Pensioner Joseph Callaghan,
75, passed away January 14. He
joined the Seafarers International
Union in 1968, initially sailing
aboard the Sacramento. Brother
Callaghan was a member of
the engine department and last
shipped on the Jack Lummus. He
became a pensioner in 2011 and
settled in the Philippines.

EBERTO CASTRO
Pensioner Eberto Castro, 69,
died August 4. Signing on with

the union in
1999, he first
sailed on the
Performance.
Brother Cas-
tro was a deck
department
member and last
worked aboard
the Maersk
Pittsburgh. He

went on pension in 2018 and re-

sided in Channelview, Texas.

HARRY CHAMPAGNE
Pensioner Harry
Champagne, 76,
passed away
January 7. He
began ship-
ping with the
SIU in 1989
when he sailed
aboard the Law-
rence Gianella.
Brother Cham-
pagne was a deck department
member. His final vessel was the
Calvin P. Titus and he retired in
2009. Brother Champagne lived
in New Iberia, Louisiana.

DANIEL CONZO
Pensioner Daniel Conzo, 68, died
January 16. He donned the SIU

colors in 1977,
initially sailing
aboard the C L
Austin. Brother
Conzo sailed
in the deck de-
partment and
concluded his
career aboard
the Maersk
Memphis. He

went on pension in 2017 and was
a resident of Andover, Ohio.

FRANKLIN CRIM
Brother Franklin Crim, 75,
passed away November 30. Born
in California, he embarked on his
career with the Seafarers in 1974.
Brother Crim first sailed with
State Steamship and was a mem-
ber of the steward department. He
last shipped on the Horizon Reli-
ance and lived in Reno, Nevada.

VIRGILIO DONGHIT
Pensioner Virgilio Donghit, 78,
died January 3. He began his ca-
reer with the SIU in 1994 and ini-
tially sailed on the USNS Antares.
Brother Donghit was a member
of the steward department and
concluded his career on the Mo-
bile. He became a pensioner in
2009 and resided in Jacksonville,
Florida.

LAFE FRALEY
Pensioner Lafe Fraley, 82, passed
away December 23. He signed on
with the union
in 1999 and
first worked on
the Elizabeth.
Brother Fraley
sailed in the
deck department
and concluded
his career aboard
the Anders. He
began collecting
his pension in 2009 and made his
home in Mansfield, Ohio.

HAZAA GAHTAN
Pensioner Hazaa Gahtan, 74,
died August 15. He joined the
Seafarers in 1990 and first sailed

on the Liberty Wave. Brother
Gahtan was an engine department
member. He last shipped on the
William R. Button and retired in
2010. Brother Gahtan lived in
Brooklyn, New York.

ANGEL GARCIA
Pensioner Angel Garcia, 81,
passed away December 21. He
signed on with
the union in
1959, initially
sailing with Wa-
terman Steam-
ship. Brother
Garcia worked
in both the deck
and engine de-
partments. He
last shipped
on the Discovery and became a
pensioner in 2005. He resided in
Puerto Rico.

SIYLAS GREEN
Pensioner Siylas Green, 90, died
December 24. He started sailing

with the SIU in
1967 when he
shipped on the
Cosmos Trader.
Brother Green
was an engine
department
member and
also worked on
Shore Gangs.

He was last employed by Sealand
Manpower and retired in 1992.
Brother Green called Antioch,
California, home.

ROBERT JOHNSON
Pensioner Robert Johnson, 71,
died December 20. He signed on
with the union in 1969 and was a
deck department member. Brother
Johnson first shipped on the Bos-
ton. He last sailed on the USNS
Fisher before going on pension in
2008. Brother Johnson was a resi-
dent of St. Augustine, Florida.

VICTOR JONES
Brother Victor Jones, 57, passed
away November 30. Born in
Louisiana, he began his career
with the SIU in 2007. Brother
Jones’ first vessel was the Mahi
Mahi. He sailed in the steward
department and most recently
shipped on the Resolve. Brother
Jones resided in Charlotte, North
Carolina.

ROBERT LEYVA
Pensioner Robert Leyva, 89,
died October 25. He started ship-
ping with the SIU in 1965 when
he sailed on the Steel Architect.
An engine department member,
Brother Leyva concluded his ca-
reer on the Patriot. He retired in
1992 and lived in Seattle.

JERALD MARTINEZ
Brother Jerald Martinez, 44,
passed away November 18. He
joined the Seafarers International
Union in 2001, initially sail-

ing aboard the William Baugh.
Brother Martinez was a member
of the deck department and last
shipped on the Edward A. Carter,
Jr. He resided in Guam.

JUAN MARTINEZ
Pensioner Juan Martinez, 68,
died September 18. Signing on
with the union
in 2002, he
first sailed on
the Calvin P.
Titus. Brother
Martinez was a
steward depart-
ment member
and last worked
on the Terrapin
Island. He went
on pension in 2018 and settled in
Jacksonville, Florida.

WILLIAM NIHEM
Pensioner William Nihem, 83,
passed away January 12. He

began shipping
with the SIU
in 1951 when
he sailed with
Sprogue Steam-
ship. Brother
Nihem was a
steward depart-
ment member.
His final vessel
was the Ad-

venturer and he retired in 1982.
Brother Nihem lived in Jackson-
ville, Florida.

LARRY PHILLIPS
Pensioner Larry Phillips, 71, died
January 17. He donned the SIU
colors in 1966, initially sailing
aboard the Del Rio. Brother Phil-
lips sailed in the engine depart-
ment and concluded his career
aboard the Coast Range. He went
on pension in 2012 and was a
resident of Lucedale, Mississippi.

JUAN TORO
Pensioner Juan Toro, 88, passed
away January 10. He embarked
on his career with the Seafarers
in 1970, initially shipping on the
Jacksonville. Brother Toro sailed
in both the deck and engine de-
partments, most recently aboard
the Innovation. He began col-
lecting his pension in 1998 and
settled in West New York, New
Jersey.

ROBERT WINDER
Pensioner Robert Winder, 69,
died December 8. He began his
career with the SIU in 1972 and
initially sailed aboard the Na-
tional Defender. Brother Winder
was a member of the deck depart-
ment and concluded his career
on the Patriot. He became a
pensioner in 2003 and resided in
Sevierville, Tennessee.

VASCO WORRELL
Pensioner Vasco Worrell, 83,
passed away January 21. He
signed on with the union in 1968

when he sailed
on the Arizpa.
Brother Worrell
sailed in the en-
gine department
and concluded
his career on
the Atlantic. He
began collect-
ing his pension
in 2004 and made his home in
Houston.

INLAND

DAVID CARTE
Pensioner David Carte, 74, died
December 18. A deck department

member, he
signed on with
the SIU in 1995.
Brother Carte
was employed
by Allied Trans-
portation for
his entire career
and retired in
2012. He was a
resident of Shal-

lotte, North Carolina.

DAVID WALBLOM
Pensioner David Walblom, 80,
passed away December 30. He
joined the Sea-
farers in 1978
when he worked
for Crowley
Towing and
Transportation.
A member of the
engine depart-
ment, Brother
Walblom
worked with the
same company for the majority of
his career. He retired in 2003 and
called Quartz Hill, California,
home.

NMU

JOSE BERNARDEZ
Pensioner Jose Bernardez, 70,
died December 31. He was an
NMU member before the 2001
NMU/SIU merger. Brother Ber-
nardez sailed in the steward de-
partment and became a pensioner
in 2016. He was a resident of
Salem, Massachusetts.

In addition to the foregoing
individuals, the following union
members have also passed away.
Insufficient information was avail-
able to develop summaries of their
respective careers.

NAME AGE DOD

Brown, Jacqueline 81 01/14/2021
Butcher, Enrico 97 12/02/2019
Daugherty, James 94 10/10/2020
Jackson, Ralph 93 11/20/2020
Martinez, Miguel 94 01/02/2021
Pando, William 92 01/18/2021
Rojas, Humberto 90 12/20/2020

Final
Departures

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 14 2/21/21 12:54 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 15

FINANCIAL REPORTS. The Constitu-
tion of the SIU Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and In-
land Waters District makes specific provision
for safeguarding the membership’s money
and union finances. The constitution requires
a detailed audit by certified public accoun-
tants every year, which is to be submitted to
the membership by the secretary-treasurer.
A yearly finance committee of rank-and-file
members, elected by the membership, each
year examines the finances of the union and
reports fully their findings and recommenda-
tions. Members of this committee may make
dissenting reports, specific recommendations
and separate findings.

TRUST FUNDS. All trust funds of the SIU
Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes and Inland Waters Dis-
trict are administered in accordance with the
provisions of various trust fund agreements.
All these agreements specify that the trustees
in charge of these funds shall equally consist
of union and management representatives and
their alternates. All expenditures and disburse-
ments of trust funds are made only upon ap-
proval by a majority of the trustees. All trust
fund financial records are available at the
headquarters of the various trust funds.

SHIPPING RIGHTS. A member’s ship-
ping rights and seniority are protected ex-
clusively by contracts between the union and
the employers. Members should get to know
their shipping rights. Copies of these contracts
are posted and available in all union halls. If
members believe there have been violations of
their shipping or seniority rights as contained
in the contracts between the union and the em-
ployers, they should notify the Seafarers Ap-
peals Board by certified mail, return receipt

requested. The proper address for this is:

Augustin Tellez, Chairman
Seafarers Appeals Board

5201 Capital Gateway Drive
Camp Springs, MD 20746

Full copies of contracts as referred to are
available to members at all times, either by
writing directly to the union or to the Seafar-
ers Appeals Board.

CONTRACTS. Copies of all SIU contracts
are available in all SIU halls. These contracts
specify the wages and conditions under which
an SIU member works and lives aboard a ship
or boat. Members should know their contract
rights, as well as their obligations, such as fil-
ing for overtime (OT) on the proper sheets and
in the proper manner. If, at any time, a member
believes that an SIU patrolman or other union
official fails to protect their contractual rights
properly, he or she should contact the nearest
SIU port agent.

EDITORIAL POLICY — THE SEA-
FARERS LOG. The Seafarers LOG tradition-
ally has refrained from publishing any article
serving the political purposes of any individual
in the union, officer or member. It also has re-
frained from publishing articles deemed harm-
ful to the union or its collective membership.
This established policy has been reaffirmed
by membership action at the September 1960
meetings in all constitutional ports. The respon-
sibility for Sea farers LOG policy is vested in an
editorial board which consists of the executive
board of the union. The executive board may
delegate, from among its ranks, one individual
to carry out this responsibility.

PAYMENT OF MONIES. No monies are
to be paid to anyone in any official capacity in
the SIU unless an official union receipt is given
for same. Under no circumstances should any
member pay any money for any reason unless
he is given such receipt. In the event anyone
attempts to require any such payment be made
without supplying a receipt, or if a member is
required to make a payment and is given an
official receipt, but feels that he or she should
not have been required to make such payment,
this should immediately be reported to union
headquarters.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND
OBLIGATIONS. Copies of the SIU Con-
stitution are available in all union halls. All
members should obtain copies of this consti-
tution so as to familiarize themselves with its
contents. Any time a member feels any other
member or officer is attempting to deprive
him or her of any constitutional right or ob-
ligation by any methods, such as dealing with
charges, trials, etc., as well as all other details,
the member so affected should immediately
notify headquarters.

EQUAL RIGHTS. All members are guar-
anteed equal rights in employment and as
members of the SIU. These rights are clearly
set forth in the SIU Constitution and in the con-
tracts which the union has negotiated with the
employers. Conse quently, no member may be
discriminated against 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 she is entitled,
the member should notify union headquarters.

SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY

DONATION (SPAD). SPAD is a separate
segregated fund. Its proceeds are used to fur-
ther its objects and purposes including, but
not limited to, furthering the political, social
and economic interests of maritime workers,
the preservation and furthering of the Ameri-
can merchant marine with improved employ-
ment opportunities for seamen and boatmen
and the advancement of trade union concepts.
In connection with such objects, SPAD sup-
ports and contributes to political candidates
for elective office. All contributions are vol-
untary. No contribution may be solicited or
received because of force, job discrimination,
financial reprisal, or threat of such conduct,
or as a condition of membership in the union
or of employment. If a contribution is made
by reason of the above improper conduct,
the member should notify the Seafarers In-
ternational Union or SPAD by certified mail
within 30 days of the contribution for inves-
tigation and appropriate action and refund, if
involuntary. A member should support SPAD
to protect and further his or her economic,
political and social interests, and American
trade union concepts.

NOTIFYING THE UNION — If at any
time a member feels that any of the above
rights have been violated, or that he or she has
been denied the constitutional right of access
to union records or information, the member
should immediately notify SIU President Mi-
chael Sacco at headquarters by certified mail,
return receipt requested. The address is:

Michael Sacco, President
Seafarers International Union
5201 Capital Gateway Drive
Camp Springs, MD 20746

Know Your Rights

Digest of Shipboard
Union Meetings

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

Ships’ minutes first are reviewed by the union’s contract department. Those issues requir-
ing 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.

CHARLESTON EXPRESS
(Marine Personnel & Pro-
visioning), November 22
– Chairman Aaron Sills,
Secretary Ronald Tarantino,
Educational Director Alton
Hickman. Crew reviewed
recent communications.
Chairman reminded members
to vote in SIU election. Edu-
cational director encouraged
members to upgrade at the
Piney Point school and to
check documents for expira-
tion dates. He advised crew
to renew documents ahead
of time to help ensure abil-
ity to ship out. No beefs or
disputed OT reported. Crew
discussed requests for re-
cent wage increase for Pa-
cific Class vessels and also
engaged in other contract-
related discussions. Members
would like increases in vaca-
tion and pension benefits.
Crew expressed concern
about pilot refusing captain’s
directive to wear a mask.
Next port: Charleston, South
Carolina.

SUNSHINE STATE (Intrepid
Personnel & Provision-
ing), December 27 – Chair-
man Charles Hill, Secretary
Manuel Daguio, Deck Del-
egate Daniel Harris, Engine
Delegate Antonio Watson,
Steward Delegate Michael
Henry. Members are practic-
ing social distance and things
are going well among crew.
Educational director reminded
members to upgrade at the
Paul Hall Center for Maritime
Training and Education. No
beefs or disputed OT reported.
Crew requested an increase in

vacation time (20 for 30 days)
and a decrease in time required
for retirement. Next port: New
Orleans.

MAERSK COLUMBUS
(Maersk Line, Limited),
January 10 – Chairman
Ion Irimia, Secretary Earl
Castain, Educational Direc-
tor Jing Hui Huang, Engine
Delegate Louis Valencia,
Steward Delegate Cecil Hus-
ted. Members reviewed old
business, including requests
for more vacation days.
Chairman thanked crew for
a good trip. New TVs are in

every room. No beefs or dis-
puted OT reported. Members
requested fans in each room,
new vacuum cleaner, more
movies, cappuccino machine
and a new deep freezer.

MAERSK KINLOSS (Maersk
Line, Limited) January 23
– Secretary Jasmine Gar-
rett. One new transformer
still needed on ship. Chair-
man reminded members to
figure out timing for medica-
tion pickup prior to joining
ship. Shoreside bosun asked
to have payoff day before
voyage ends. Patrolman

is unable to come aboard
ship due to ship restriction.
Chairman encouraged crew
to renew medical ahead of
time and not wait until last
minute. As long as members
pass their physicals, they can
sail without their white card.
Food budget too low accord-
ing to secretary’s report.
Educational director urged
crew to upgrade at Piney
Point to guarantee more
job opportunities. Members
discussed various renewal
extensions publicized by the
Coast Guard and the SIU.
Ship bonus used to purchase

TVs, Blu Ray players, re-
frigerators and an electric
kettle. No beefs or disputed
OT reported. With the ongo-
ing pandemic and pirate wa-
ters, cooks do not want to be
forced to cook on the grill.
Crew requested increase in
vacation time, health benefits
and pension benefits. Mem-
bers asked for better blankets
and the ability to get physi-
cals done in other countries.
Internet/Wi-Fi not working
aboard ship, making restric-
tion to ship especially hard
on crew. Members requested
fans for each room.

Aboard Green Ridge
Bosun Joseph Dupre shared these photos from the Central Gulf Lines
vessel in Shuaiba, Kuwait. The pic at right includes (from left) Chief
Steward James Gerry, Chief Cook Deon Greenidge and SA Andilisio
Norales prepping dinner. The photo below features (also from left) AB
Jesse Pinckney, Paul Hall Center Apprentice Kumasi Johnson, AB Jose
Fernandez and Dupre “doing some greasing maintenance on side ramp
wire.”

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 15 2/21/21 12:08 AM



16 Seafarers LOG March 2021

3/21

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 16 2/21/21 11:01 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 17

Paul Hall Center Upgrading Course Dates

UPGRADING APPLICATION

Name ________________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Telephone (Home)_________________________ (Cell)_________________________
Date of Birth __________________________________________________________________
Deep Sea Member o Lakes Member o Inland Waters Member o

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

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? o Yes o No
If yes, class # and dates attended __________________________________________________
Have you attended any SHLSS/PHC upgrading courses? oYes o No
_____________________________________________________________________________

With this application, COPIES of the following must be sent: One hundred and twenty-five
(125) days seatime for the previous year, MMC, TWIC, front page of your book including your
department and seniority and qualifying sea time for the course if it is Coast Guard tested.
Must have a valid SHBP clinic through course date.
I authorize the Paul Hall Center to release any of the information contained in this applica-
tion, or any of the supporting documentation that I have or will submit with this application
to related organizations, for the purpose of better servicing my needs and helping me to apply
for any benefits which might become due to me.

COURSE START DATE OF
DATE COMPLETION
____________________________ _______________ ________________________
____________________________ _______________ ________________________

____________________________ _______________ ________________________

____________________________ _______________ ________________________

____________________________ _______________ ________________________

____________________________ _______________ ________________________

LAST VESSEL: ___________________________________ Rating: ____________________

Date On: _______________________________ Date Off:____________________________

SIGNATURE ____________________________________ DATE______________________

NOTE: Transportation will be paid in accordance with the scheduling letter only if
you present original receipts and successfully complete the course. If you have any
questions, contact your port agent before departing for Piney Point. Not all classes are
reimbursable. Return completed application to: Paul Hall Center for Maritime Train-
ing and Education Admissions Office, Email:upgrading@seafarers.org Mail: 45353 St.
George’s Ave., Piney Point, MD 20674 Fax: 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 and admits stu-
dents, who are otherwise qualified, or any race, nationality or sex. The school complies with
applicable laws with regard to admission, access or treatment of students in its programs or
activities.
3/21

The following is a list of courses that currently are scheduled to be held at the
Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Maryland
during the next several months. More courses may be added. Course additions and
cancellations are subject to change due to COVID-19 protocols. All programs are
geared toward improving the job skills of Seafarers and promoting the American
maritime industry.

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 of
Course Date Completion

Gap Closing Courses

MSC Storekeeper Basic March 22 April 9

MSC Supply Configuration Management April 12 May 7

Deck Department Upgrading Courses

Able Seafarer-Deck (online lecture) April 5 April 16

Able Seafarer-Deck (at Piney Point) April 19 April 23

Able Seafarer-Deck July 26 August 13

Engine Department Upgrading Courses

Advanced Reefer Containers July 12 July 23

FOWT March 15 April 9
May 31 June 25

Junior Engineer March 29 May 21
May 31 July 23

Machinist May 3 May 21

Pumpman May 24 May 28

Welding April 19 May 7

Steward Department Upgrading Courses

Galley Operations June 28 July 16
July 19 August 6

Certified Chief Cook April 5 May 7
May 10 June 11
June 14 July 16

Advanced Galley Operations May 31 June 25

Chief Steward May 3 May 28

Safety/Open Upgrading Courses

Basic Training April 5 April 9
May 24 May 28

Basic Training Revalidation June 4 June 4
June 25 June 25

Title of Start Date of
Course Date Completion

Government Vessels March 22 March 26
April 26 April 30
May 10 May 14
May 24 May 28
June 7 June 11
June 14 June 18

Tank Ship Familiarization DL May 10 May 14
July 5 July 9

Tank Ship Familiarization LG April 12 April 16
June 28 July 2

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 17 2/21/21 12:08 AM



18 Seafarers LOG March 2021

Paul Hall Center Classes

Apprentice Water Survival Class #865 – Graduated December 31 (above, in alphabetical order): John Farash, Kristopher Guthrie, Robert Hunnicutt, William Mainord Jr., Bryan
Yomar Perez, Orlando Rosa Aguirre, Luis Francisco Soto Collazo, Ethan Stacy, Daniel Vanegas and Branden Williams.

Basic Training (Chief Cook Assessment Program) – Graduated January 29 (above, in alphabetical order): Moises Francisco Izquierdo Roman, William Johnson, Ronnie Kincaid,
Pavel Kremen and Steven Laubach.

Important Notice
To All Students

Students who have registered for classes at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Educa-
tion, but later discover - for whatever reason - that they can’t attend, should inform the admissions
department immediately so arrangements can be made to have other students take their places.

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 18 2/21/21 12:08 AM



March 2021 Seafarers LOG 19

Paul Hall Center Classes

Certified Chief Cook – Graduated Dec.18 (above, in alphabetical order): Nathan Brailsford, Evelyn Cruz, William Davis, Keith Guthrie, Sheldon Mitchel, Esstonia Moore, Osmar Luis
Ramos, Tamara Russ, Anthony Simpkins and Fikera Winfield. (Note: Not all are pictured.)

At night there were terrific sandstorms
and during the day the blinding sun.

They might have died there on the
sands of Rio del Oro and never been found
if it hadn’t been, strangely enough, for a
German submarine which had been sighted
and depth charged by British patrol planes,
not far offshore from the spot where they
had landed just a few days before.

On the 10th of May, five days after the
weak and hungry men had beached their
boat on the African coast, these planes
were out searching for the U-boat and
sighted the Denver’s men sprawled about
on the sand.

Not many hours later a patrol vessel
came by and landed a party armed to the
teeth with revolvers and rifles, for they
thought the men from the Denver were
survivors from the hunted U-boat.

It is a tribute to the hardihood of these
SIU men and the Navy armed guard gun-
ners that all survived the ordeal and went
back to sea after reaching the States some
weeks later.

The Fighting Henry Bacon
No better finale to the story of SIU

ships in World War II could be written than
the epic account of the SS Henry Bacon, an
SIU-manned Liberty operated by the South
Atlantic Steamship Company.

Cold were the Artic waters and forbid-
ding was the sky when the Henry Bacon
added its name to the list of valiant fight-
ing freighters.

Besides her crew, the Henry Bacon car-
ried 19 Norwegian refugees as passengers,
when she headed back toward Scotland
after a voyage to Murmansk, North Russia,
in the early winter of 1945.

After leaving the White Sea, the Bacon
had been in convoy, only to lose contact
with it on the 19th of February because
of heavy weather. She rejoined it on the
20th, then dropped out again two days later
when trouble developed with the steering
gear. A heavy gale was blowing, and Cap-
tain Alfred Carini radioed his plight to the
convoy while the black gang worked on
the steering mechanism.

Contact Lost
With this finally fixed, the Bacon pro-

ceeded, meeting up with more moderate
seas. But, seeing no sign of her compan-
ions, Captain Carini then decided they

must have passed during the night as they
hurried to rejoin the fleet. Having lost
radio contact, and there being no response
to his messages, he decided to turn back
over his course for just one hour in the
hope of picking up their companion ships.

It was while doubling back on her
wake that the Henry Bacon was suddenly
attacked by a huge flight of 23 torpedo
planes that pounced upon the lone Liberty
almost as soon as the thundering roar of
their engines was heard through the leaden
sky, sending the crew running to battle sta-
tions.

Twenty-three planes against one
merchant ship! It was odds enough for a
battleship or a cruiser. Many a big aircraft
carrier that thought itself hard pressed in
the Pacific thundered back at half as much
opposition with a hundred times the fire-
power that this unattended freighter could
muster for its defense there amid the bleak,
rolling waters. There was not another ship
around upon which to call for help.

The bombers were Junkers 88s, coming
in off the starboard bow in an extended,
wing-to-wing formation no more than 30
feet above the jumbled wave tops.

All Guns Working
Every gun on the Bacon went into

action as soon as the canvas covers
could be jerked off the barrels, and the
magazines clamped onto the breech of
the 20-millimeters. The sky around the
ship was pocked with shell bursts as
the fighting merchantmen and the ves-
sel’s armed guard drove off sally after
sally by those audacious bombers that
attacked simultaneously, one to a side,
darting away through a hail of 20-mil-
limeter shells.

The gun on the bow boomed out at
point blank range, blowing one bomber to
pieces as it banked and exposed its belly
to the Bacon’s forward gun. Another Nazi
nosed into a wall of 20-millimeter fire
and dived into the sea in flames. A third
wobbled aimlessly over the waves with
smoke pouring from his engine. He prob-
ably crashed into the steep, green seas
soon after, but the crew had no time to
worry about verifying their hits.

When the Germans swooped down on
the unaccompanied Bacon they probably
were expecting an easy time of it. Three
or four torpedoes and the laboring Lib-
erty would sink beneath the waves, they
no doubt thought. If they expected any

resistance at all, they were certainly un-
prepared for the flame and fire of battle
with which the men of the Bacon met
this overpowering assault.

More Ammunition
The 20-millimeters stopped firing

long enough only to load more ammuni-
tion, to change over-heated barrels. A
bomber which tried to get in at the ship
from dead ahead ran into a storm of this
small shellfire and disintegrated into a
thousand pieces, as tracers found the
torpedo slung beneath the fuselage and
blew up plane and occupants in a terrible
explosion of steel and flaming debris.

Torpedo after torpedo missed the ship
when the pilots faltered in their aim in
the face of such concentrated fire form
this fighting Liberty. For 20 minutes the
gunners of the Henry Bacon, standing
side by side with the men of the mer-
chant crew, held off this armada of Junk-
ers bombers that had by now become so
madly exasperated by the heroic defense
of the ship that, once their torpedoes
were wasted, they flew at her with ma-
chine guns blazing.

But such a fleet of planes had only
to persist, if nothing else, to be success-
ful against one unescorted ship, and a
torpedo finally hit the Henry Bacon on
the starboard side in number-three hold,
forward. When another tin fish found its
mark soon after, Captain Carini ordered
the ship to be abandoned.

Not All Leave
The fateful signal to “leave her” was

sounded in long, solemn blasts from the
whistle while the Junkers – about eight
or nine fewer than when they had begun
the fight – roared away from the scene
toward to coast of Norway 200 miles to
the east. The doughty Bacon had kept
them in action longer than they wanted.

With their gas getting low, they could
find no satisfaction in winging around as
this “bulldog” settled beneath the waves.

The order form the Skipper was “pas-
sengers first” and, though two of the
lifeboats had been smashed in high seas,
the Norwegian refugees – men, women
and children – were put safely over the
side into the first boat launched, along
with some of the merchant crew and
Navy gunners.

Into the second lifeboat went as
many more as could be accommodated.

It could not possibly hold them all, but
still there was no rush for seats of safety.
These SIU crewmen and their Navy
comrades waited quietly as Third Mate
Joseph Scott counted the regular crew
assigned to the boat, and then called to
the deck above for half a dozen more to
climb down over the scramble nets and
take their places between the thwarts.

During this time Bosun Holcomb
Lemmon was making what the survivors
later described as “heroic efforts” to help
his shipmates over the side into lifeboats
and onto several life rafts which had
been launched into the chilling waters.
This done, he hurried about the sinking
ship gathering boards to lash together as
emergency rafts.

The Henry Bacon was slowly sinking.
Water was pouring into her holds. The
black gang had left the engine room and
all was deserted down below. Bit by bit
the cold water rose higher around her
rust-streaked side plates.

One of the men assigned to a place in
the Third Mate’s boat was Chief Engi-
neer Donald Haviland, who climbed over
the side into the bobbing craft only to
decline his chance for rescue in favor of
a young crewman. The Chief had already
taken a seat in the boat when, looking
up at the men still left on the Bacon’s
deck, he saw among the forlorn group a
youthful crewman staring down at those
who were about to push away from the
settling hulk.

Deserting his own place on the boat, Mr.
Haviland yelled to the lad to hurry down the
net and take his chance for safety.

So Long, Brothers
“Hey, you,” he called. “You’re a

young fellow. It won’t matter so much if
I don’t get back.”

As the Henry Bacon went down,
the survivors in the lifeboats saw Chief
Engineer Haviland leaning against the
bulwarks with Bosun Holcomb Lemmon,
as casually as though the ship was leaving
the dock for another routine voyage. Cap-
tain Carini waved to them from the bridge
and, as he did so, the Henry Bacon slid
swiftly and quietly under the sea.

A big wave rolled over the spot and
soon only some floating board and
crates marked where this gallant fighting
freighter of the SIU had written such a
glorious chapter into the annals of the
American merchant service.

Mariners’ Resolve Remains Resolute in Heat of Battle
Continued from Page 20

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG.indd 19 2/21/21 12:08 AM



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O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E S E A F A R E R S I N T E R N A T I O N A L U N I O N A T L A N T I C , G U L F, L A K E S A N D I N L A N D W A T E R S , A F L - C I O

MARCH 2021 VOLUME 83, NO. 3

Editor’s note: This is the final installment
from a 1951 booklet titled “The Seafarers in
World War II.” Penned by the late SIU histo-
rian John Bunker, the publication recapped
SIU members’ service in the War. More than
1,200 SIU members lost their lives to war-
time service in the U.S. Merchant Marine.
Earlier segments are available on the SIU
website and in print beginning with the May
2020 edition of the LOG. A PDF of the entire
booklet is on the SIU website (navigate to the
“SIU and Maritime History Page” for that
link). This last section picks up as the author
describes the plight of crews who made it
into lifeboats after their respective vessels
were sunk. First up: mariners from the new
Liberty ship SS James W. Denver, bound for
North Africa on April 11, 1943 when it was
torpedoed and sunk.

They all looked around to see if the sub
was going to surface and spray them with
machine gun fire, for such a possibility was
in the minds of all torpedoed men during the
war. But the U-boat never showed itself – not
even coming up for an inspection of its kill.

Deck Engineer Dolar Stone tells about the
34-day odyssey taken by the 18 men in his
boat after the survivors separated that night.

“There was a little half-hearted joking
at first,” he recalls, “but, all in all, it was a
pretty solemn affair. We hated to lose our
ship, and to see her go down without even
having fired a shot in defense.”

The Skipper gave them a course to steer,
and told each boat to “hoist sail and get
going.… The sooner we sail, the sooner
we’ll land.”

Dolar’s boat stepped its mast, hoisted the
little red sail with which Liberty ship life-
boats were equipped, and set out for the east.
Seas were making up fast under a sharpening
wind, and they soon had to rig a sea anchor
and heave-to before the waves. The other
boats by this time were out of sight and
they rode the sea alone, a tiny flotsam, so it
seemed, on that huge expanse of darkening
ocean and breaking white caps.

A lifeboat in placid waters is anything but
comfortable, and the keelless craft pitched,
rolled and wallowed all that first night and
for the day and night that followed, making
all hands wet and miserably seasick.

Just at dusk on the third night, the lookout
stationed in the bow sighted a vague shape
looming up ahead, and in the excitement of
this discovery yelled, “Destroyer!” As soon
as the lookout had sung out, Dolar lit the
boat’s lantern and, standing up on the bow
thwart with one hand on the mast, waved it
back and forth as a signal, on the chance that

the ship would see them, if indeed there was
one up ahead.

To better attract attention, each man
switched on the little lights that were fas-
tened to a pin and lanyard onto their lifejack-
ets, hoping that the red glow would shine
enough to be seen through the night.

And then, before they realized what was
happening, a shape loomed up directly in
their path – the black hulk of a submarine.

“It was a big one,” say Dolar, “and we
were headed right for it.”

While they watched the raider in amaze-
ment, the lifeboat grated against the submers-
ible’s hull, sheering off just in time to keep
from riding right onto the low flying deck.
One of the U-boat’s officers shouted at them
from the conning tower.

“What ship are you from?”
They knew it was no use to evade the

query, for the Germans could inspect the life-
boat and find out anyway.

“Denver,” they replied, “the James W.
Denver.”

The men on the conning tower had a good
laugh over the fact and the SIU men guessed
that this must have been the sub which sank
them.

“Well,” the German answered in good
English, “so you lads are from one of those
Liberty Ships.”

The remark sounded sarcastic, but before
the sub moved off into the darkness a sailor
came down the deck to hand them a carton
of cigarettes and from the bridge the officer
shouted a course for them to steer. During
the next hour they sighted two more U-boats,
evidently part of a wolf pack.

Rough Seas
All hands continued to be seasick as the

heavy weather persisted, and the lifeboat
made more mileage up and down than it did
toward the east.

Rations got low after the first 12 days,
crackers gave out, water was limited to three
ounces a day per man and there was nothing
left to eat but malted milk tablets. Three fly-
ing fish landed in the boat most opportunely
and were cut up in equal parts to be eaten
raw. It was not the first time that these airy
fish helped to sustain torpedoed crews!

On the night of May 11, the sea-tossed
survivors saw moving lights some distance
off. These immediately disappeared when the
men shot flares. “Probably more subs,” Dolar
believes.

Just three days later, however, the long
voyage ended. Spanish fishermen sighted the
boat, picked them up and took them to La
Aguera in the Canary Islands, from whence

they later got passage back to the States by
way of Cadiz.

After the torpedoing, the Captain’s boat
had set a course for the nearest land, which
the Skipper figured to be Rio del Oro on the
coast of Africa.

For the first 12 days, things weren’t so
bad. At least there were crackers to munch
on and some of the sickeningly sweet pem-
mican which had been devised for lifeboat
crews. But on the thirteenth day the food
gave out and from then on it was nothing but
water. Even at that, the water was limited to
three ounces a day per man.

The winds held strong, which was a
blessing, but it also made life uncomfortable,
throwing spray over them continually for
each of the 25 days they were adrift. At night
it was cold and, being thoroughly wet, they
almost froze before the sun broke across the
seas each morning.

Captain Staley had a sextant but this was
of no use without the necessary tables to go
with it, so he relied on dead reckoning while
the helmsmen steered with a compass be-
tween their legs.

When the food ran out, the men became
discouraged and from time to time some
of them had to be restrained from jumping
overboard, for they dreaded the prospect of
becoming crazed from sun and salt spray.

Every once in a while, someone struck up
a song and they all joined in. When the water
was doled out the Skipper would say, “It may
be water now, but keep your spirits up and
it’ll be juicy steaks one of these days.”

The songs and the promise of steaks – it
helped to buoy their spirits, make them for-
get somewhat the discomfort, the hunger and
the monotony.

Finally, they saw fish spawn in the water,
a sure sign that they were coming into shal-
lower depths. This was followed by gradual
changing of the sea from blue to green as
they entered the 100-fathom curve. Their
hopes soared, for they knew now that the
shore wasn’t too far off.

On the 5th of May they sighted land and,
with the wind still holding good, sailed right
up on to the sands of Rio del Oro.

By this time, none of them could walk
and they tumbled out of the boat like so
many cripples to crawl across the welcome
sands on their hands and knees. For a while
they exulted in the luxury of just being on
dry land, but this joy was tempered when
they discovered that all around them was a
vast desert – nothing but dunes and endless
sand. There was no habitation or sign of life
anywhere-not even a tree.

Heroic Seafarers Help Deliver Victory

An Allied tanker sinks in the Atlantic Ocean after being torpedoed by a German subma-
rine, 1942.

Survivors of the SS Alcoa Guide sinking are pictured on a lifeboat in April 1942. The ship
sank off the coast of North Carolina after being attacked by a German submarine.

Mariners load materiel into the hold of an unidentified cargo ship in New York Harbor,
September 1944.

Continued on Page 19

68796_MARCH_2021_LOG_X.indd 20 2/22/21 2:50 PM