FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
December 24, 1999 - Volume 3, No. 59
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY - Several NFFS readers noted the back-to-back stories on the December 16 "Today Show" with links to Fort Schuyler: first was CNBC television reporter GERALDO RIVERA, promoting his Travel Channel special, 'Sail to the Century,' then a piece about SCOTT J. KELLY, Class of 1987, prior to his December 19 blast-off as Astronaut Pilot of Space Shuttle Discovery. Cadet parent D.T. HULICK reported that Geraldo (who attended Maritime for two years with the Class of 1965) mentioned "...that he got interested in sailing while attending the Maritime College at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx." You can follow the final leg of Geraldo Rivera's three-year around-the-world sail with his family at the Travel Channel (http://travel.discovery.com/tv.html ) and beam up to Scott in Space Shuttle Discovery at http://www.nasa.gov
HIGH PRAISE INDEED - The Nov/Dec Marine Technology Society newsletter, "Currents," contains a glowing tribute to MILLINGTON LOCKWOOD, Class of 1966, who died this summer after a 7-month bout with cancer. It reads, in part: "His 29 years of public service at NOAA reflected a singular dedication to advancing NOAA's goals. His extensive contributions in the areas of coastal mapping and spatial data standards will have lasting impact of national significance." (Thanks to ED DANGLER, Class of 1949, for the citation)
I MIGHT HAVE THIS BACKWARDS, BUT - Have you ever tried a "Reverse Lookup" search engine ? Go to http://www.infospace.com/info/ Click on "Find People." Select "Reverse Lookup." You can link phone numbers to addresses or find phone numbers (and names) by address. Useful and scary !
CHRISTMAS TALE - Responding to the tale of a UFO sighting on watch reported in NFFS 3:58, PAUL WILSON, Class of 1969 writes: "Having gone to the Maridome with the infamous Class of '69, I'm not surprised that PAUL LOBO saw a UFO. I was in SFO (one letter off UFO) many years ago around this time and Paul's shop, 'The Captain's Scribe,' made Herb Caen's San Francisco Chronicle column because someone drove up in front of his store and stole the Christmas tree Paul had put out in front minutes earlier. Paul always was a publicity hound. After seeing Paul and others at our 30th Reunion this past summer in NY, I'm sure that the entire remaining Class of '69 is 'seeing things' still today."
HERE'S ONE FOR THE MILLENNIUM . "...ever heard this before or is it a tall sea tale?" asks MATTHEW WENDELBOE, Class of (what else but ?) 1969. "I received it from someone on the Internet. Perhaps the Schuyler email list would enjoy it and comment. We'll probably find out the skipper was a Domer."
"The following article is purported to have originally appeared in a Seattle newspaper. Whether this sea yarn actually did happen or not, it is definitely possible, and plausible." "The night at sea was warm and pleasant under brilliant stars on December 30, 1899. Capt. John D.S. Phillips was in a dark corner of the bridge, quietly pulling on a cigar with the contentment that comes to a sailor when all is going well and the voyage is half done. His ship, the passenger steamer WARRIMOO, was knifing quietly through waters of the mid-Pacific on her way from Vancouver, B. C., to Australia. The navigating officer had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain Phillips the result. The WARRIMOO's position was 0 degrees 30' North and 179 degrees 30' West."
"The 1st Mate at the Captain's side broke the silence: 'Captain, do you realize what this means? We're only a few miles from the intersection of the equator and the international dateline.'" "The Captain realized exactly what it meant, and he was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigation freak of a lifetime at sea. An ordinary crossing of the international dateline was always confusing enough to passengers -- but the possibilities he had before him were sure to confound them thoroughly." "The Captain immediately called four more navigators to the bridge to check and double check the ship's position every few minutes. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he carefully adjusted the engine speed so he would strike the desired position at just the right moment. The calm weather, clear night and eager cooperation of the entire crew worked successfully in his favor." "At exactly midnight, local time, the WARRIMOO lay exactly on the equator, precisely where it crosses the international dateline. The consequences of the ship's bizarre position were many and varied. The forward part of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere, where the season was summer. The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere in the season of winter. The date on the after section of the ship was December 30, 1899. Up forward, it was January 1, 1900. The ship was in two different days, two different months, two different seasons and two different years. It was also in two separate centuries. Moreover, the ship's position rendered the date of December 31 as nonexistent, gone forever from the lives of the passengers. And such an incident could not happen again until the year 2000." [Editor's note - Yes, a ship named WARRIMOO is listed in the 1898-99 " Lloyd's Register of Steamers." Built in 1892 by Swan and Hunter of Newcastle, owned by the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail S.S. Company, this British flag vessel's port of registry was London.]
TEXAS EIGHT ATE - On Saturday, December 18, JIM BURKE, Class of 1960, hosted a gathering of Schuyler graduates at his home in Lake Livingston. According to JACK SZALLAI, Class of 1966, "TOM DONOVAN, '69, and TIM LEITZELL '68, were in attendance. BILL TUTTLE and ROB RYNIKER (both Class of '65) were there, as was HERB KLOP, '66. PAUL LEWIS, '60, who was Jim's roommate in the old wooden dorm days, joined the group."
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - Jack ends his Texas reunion report with a gentle correction to the NFFS Editor: "During the gathering, Tom informed me you felt I look so young you took three years of age away from me and made me a '69 graduate. I appreciated it !" (He referred to error in item in NFFS 3:58)
SOME CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS to NFFS 3:57 - First, the percentage of engineers graduated in New York State by Fort Schuyler (5%) refers to undergraduate students only. (Note from CHARLES MUNSCH, Class of 1973 and Chairman of the Engineering Department.) Second, "In the entry 'Engineering and Deck Jobs' the Vice President at AMO is 'Ed Kelly,' a KP grad, not Tom Kelly." (E-mail from CAPT. CHARLES H. PIERSALL, Class of 1956)