FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
October 22, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 33
USS COLE - The excerpts below were e-mailed to a member of the Maritime College Naval Science Department by an officer serving aboard the USS HAWES in Yemen. Department Chair CMDR. ALAN STUBBLEFIELD forwarded it, writing: "An awesome firsthand account. As my mids carry the American flag for the World Series game on Sunday night, I have not doubt they will have a different perspective on what it means after reading this:"
"It wasn't until a few days ago...that we starting doing something that I feel may be the first thing I've seen in my short Naval career that has truly made a difference. Right now we're supporting the USS COLE and her crew in Aden....I know you have all seen it on CNN, because we had seen it too. I just wanted you to know that what you see doesn't even scratch the surface. I'm not going into it for obvious reasons. But I will tell you that right now there are 250+ sailors just a few miles away living in hell on earth. I'm sitting in a nice air-conditioned stateroom, they're sleeping out on the decks at night. You can't even imagine the conditions they're living in, and yet they are fighting 24 hours a day to save their ship and free the bodies of those still trapped and send them home. As bad as it is, they're doing an incredible job. The very fact that these people are still functioning is beyond my comprehension. Whatever you imagine as the worst, multiply it by ten and you might get there. Today I was tasked to photo rig the ship and surround area. It looked so much worse than I had imagined, unbelievable really, with debris and disarray everywhere, the ship listing, the hole in her side. I wish I had the power to relay to all of you what I have seen, but words won't do it. I do want to tell you the first thing that jumped out to me ' the Stars and Stripes flying. I can't tell you how much that made me feel ....even in this God-forsaken hell hole our flag was more beautiful than words can describe. Then I started to notice the mass of activity going on below, scores of people working non-stop in 90 plus weather to save the ship. They're doing it with almost no electrical power and they're sleeping (when they can) outside on the decks because they can't stand that smell or the heat or the darkness inside. They only want to eat what we bring them, because they're all scared of eating something brought by local vendors. Even with all that, the USS COLE and her crew is sending a message, guys, and it's that even acts of cowardice and hate can do nothing to the spirit and pride of the United States. I have never been so proud of what I do, or of the men and women that I serve with, as I was today. There are sixteen confirmed dead sailors who put it on the line for all of us, and some of them are still trapped here. Please take a minute to pray for their families and say a word of thanks for their sacrifice ' one made so that we can live the lives that we do. All of you that serve with me, thank you. All of you that have loved ones that serve, thank you."
PERSISTENCE OF PIRACY - It is pointed out by ROY SOLURI, Class of 1965, that the problem to maritime piracy is not fading away, just because it recedes from the headlines. For example, Roy, the Deputy Chief of NIMA's Marine Navigation Department reports that 41 hostile and/or piracy incidents against international shipping took place in September, some while underway, others while docked or at anchor. For those interested in tracking world-wide incidents in piracy, click the "ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping" link on the Marine Navigation Department's homepage - http://164.214.12.145/index/
ATTENTION PROCRASTINATORS - Still want your graduation video even if the ceremony took place 12 years ago ? You can purchase VHS videotapes for May graduations dating back to 1988 (and up to and including 2000) for only $40 for each year. Contact Bob Sasson, Educational Communications Center for order information (718-409-7234)
CHECK YOUR URL ? There is a new wrinkle for the Luce Library online catalog - links to internet sites from books in the collection. For example, go to the catalog ( http://farweb2.sunyconnect.suny.edu/marit/) and search for "Time Almanac", one of our reference books. The record for the book now contains a hot link for Infoplease.com where you can get the very latest updates to the information in the printed version. Look for more of these links, for magazines and to entire e-books (through NetLibrary), in the coming months.
MARINE SOCIETY IS ONLINE - CAPT. FRANK SHELLENBARGER, President of The Marine Society of the City of New York, reports that you can now visit the society online at http://www.marinesociety.com The long association of the Marine Society to the Maritime College is explained in its 'About the Society' web-page: "Recognizing the need for education among our merchant seamen, the Society, in 1874, together with other interested groups, prevailed upon the New York State Legislature to pass a law establishing the New York Schoolship. It assisted in procuring the training vessel SAINT MARY'S from the Navy Department for such employment. One or more members of the Society served on the Board of the Schoolship until it became part of the New York State University in 1949 as one of their colleges." Captain Shellenbarger concludes: "We are soon to have links to other maritime pages such as Sailors Snug Harbor." (NOTE - The archives of both these pioneering maritime organizations (established 1770 and 1833 respectively), both of which remain very active organizations to this day, are housed in the Luce Library archives at Fort Schuyler.)
WELCOME ABOARD - Retirees of American Export Line, some 170 of whom belong to the American Export Association, recently celebrated the association's 19th reunion in Asheville. NC. They passed a resolution welcoming to membership ashore and afloat employees from other long-gone steamship lines, such as US Lines, MooreMac, Bull, etc. According to Captain Shellenbarger, the dues are a modest $20 per year which covers "the cost of newsletters and incidentals such as locating a reunion site. Anyone interested is invited to send a short resume of your shipping connection to: Bill Sanders, Sec. Treasurer - American Export Association - POB 148 - Villanova, PA 19085-0148."