lost and forlorn!

Where is the Colgate Clock???

It was there yesterday when I was sketching in North Cove. Looking carefully at my photos though, I see it was being lowered away like a ventian blind.

And today, it is GONE!

Years of hearing over VHF: “…(name of tug), turning around at the Clock, headed for the Gate…” “…(ship name,) southbound off the Clock…” “…hey, Cap, we’re the unit at the Clock, northbound, where you headed?”
We are lost. Lost, I say.

photo: Gerry Weinstein

Thank you, Margot. ChickenLittleitis hit. This just up, I’ll be monitoring that void on the shore.

dad’s ships

My father was estatic when I found photos online of his first ship, the Overseas Tankship Corporation vessel, Carlsbad.

“How we loved the captain! We would have done anything for him. He and the officers were Norwegian. We were a crew of 40, many of us boarded in Shanghai. We carried oil and went all around the world. I loved the ship, too. I made a model of the ship out of paper and the captain wanted it. He bought it for $20, purchased a glass case for it when we were in New York, and he displayed it in the officer’s mess.

“When my 2-yr contract ended, I boarded the Liberty Ship Benjamin H. Hill. We carried cargo. I was on board for only 8 months.

“Why are you asking all these questions? Why do you want to know this?”

SS Carlsbad
T2-SE-A1 

Built: 1945 at The Kaiser Company, Swan Island Yard, Portland, OR
Length: 159 ft 6 in (48.6 m)
Beam: 20 ft 7 in (6.3m)

Liberty Ship Benjamin H. Hill
General Cargo Vessel Type EC2-S-C1 (E = emergency, C = cargo, 2 = waterline length between 400 – 500ft, S = steam power, C1 = this design)
Built: 1943 at  J.A. Jones Construction Company, Brunwsick, GA
Length: 441 ft 6 in (134.6 m)
Beam: 57 ft (17.4 m)
Depth: 37 ft 4 in (11.4 m)
Speed: 11 kts

For more information on Liberty Ships: see
Ships for Victory,
Project Liberty Ship – cruise on the restored John W. Brown!
They also maintain the incredible resource, Armed-Guard.com with all their photos
ww2Ships.com
www.usmm.org 

Click on this link to see a wonderfully illustrated 1943 brochure on the capacity of a Liberty Ship.

Amazing site if you are into tankers: Auke Visser’s Historical Tankers Site

Happy Fathers Day!

vhf prose

These lines were heard on various channels of  VHF (very high frequency) marine radio. Vessel names (where possible) and times were jotted in sketchbook margins or envelopes. All tugs have been changed to protect the innocent. or guilty.

“Coming to you as quick as my little propellers will take me.”

“We’re standing by, and we’ll keep knocking the fish outta the water until you get by.”

vessel 1: “Cap—you hanging out here?”
vessel 2: “No, this is my warp speed, believe it or not. You go ahead, I’ll take your stern.”

vessel X: “Oh, Yooooohoooo!”
vessel Y:  “Yeeeeeep?”
vessel X: “I gotta go move the buddha, so I’ll be right back.”
vessel Y: “Ok.”
vessel X: “And he’s gonna move it boat style, not boom style.”
vessel Y: “As long as he don’t get used to it.”

Ah! translation in the comments section! thank you, Yooohoooo!

vessel A (very cheerfully): “That you, Stupid?”
vessel B (equally cheerfully): “Cheeeeck!”
vessel A (in cartoon voice): “I’ll gitchoo…!”

middle of the night, buddy 1: “Look at at that moon!”
buddy 2: “Ah! I forgot what it’s like to do oil.”
buddy 1: “You still smoking?”
buddy 2: “Ha ha…well…I quit today. But I think I’ll go back now that you mention it.”

 

My absolute favorite VHF moment is here, “Are you angry?”