News From Fort Schuyler

April 27, 2009 - Volume 9, No. 19

LOOK WHO'S BLOWING SMOKE - Here's an engine room perspective on blowing tubes on the training ship from CONRAD YOUNGREN '67. "As the 0400-0800 Watch Officer on SST's '71 - '75, the routine was to blow tubes at 0500. The evolution always began by 'requesting permission' from the bridge, and the ship's course was supposedly altered (when possible) to get an athwartships breeze. LESTER DUTCHER 49 was my counterpart on the bridge and he would always acquiesce, occasionally responding with a 'give me 20 minutes.'" JOE GUSTAFSON '65 recalls: "If the engine room called to let the bridge know, we could alter course, if necessary, to ensure the smoke went over the beam. If we had turned into the wind the soot, etc. could land on the afterdecks and fantail. This was particularly important on passenger ships. Also, if I remember correctly, when heading up the Hudson to Albany on TSES IV, we blew the stack quite heavily around Pier 84 and made quite a mess of a small section of western Manhattan."

PERIPATETIC PROVOST - Commenting on last week's NFFS, Dr. JOSEPH HOFFMAN '75, the Provost and VPAA at Fort Schuyler, writes: "Greetings from St. Petersburg, Russia, where I am representing the 'Americas' at the international executive board meeting of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU). We are preparing for the Annual General Assembly (AGA 10) here in September where the conference will celebrate the 10th anniversary of this organization. SUNY Maritime is a relatively new member, but in that short time we have taken a major leadership role with ADMIRAL CRAINE serving as the chairman of the liaison committee to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)."

"IAMU is a non-Governmental Organization (NGO) at this UN agency - the home of STCW! [Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping.] Besides Admiral Craine and myself, CAPT. ERNIE FINK '75, PROF. WALTER NADOLNY '78 and PROF JANIS SCHULMEISTERS '59 have sat as delegates at IMO meetings in London." "Library Director, CONSTANTIA CONSTANTINOU, will be presenting her third paper, having already presented at AGA 8 and AGA 9. Constantia will be joined by Associated Director, SHAFEEK FAZAL, who also presented at AGA 9. Because of their efforts the Stephen B. Luce Library is the envy of all maritime university libraries."

NEW VENUE/OLD TRICKS - In 2001 CAPT. ALLAN LONSCHEIN '46 (Oct) moved to Florida. A new subscriber to NFFS, he writes: "We have in Tampa the SS AMERICAN VICTORY, built in 1945, which has been restored and is an operational museum ship. Of course, as the former Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Maritime Industry Museum, I have another venue to exercise my interest in maritime history. I encourage anyone visiting the Tampa Bay area to take time to tour the vessel." (More information at the American Victory Mariners' Memorial and Museum Ship - www.AmericanVictory.org.)

ANOTHER SCHUYLER TRADITION - As a followup to the March 30 NFFS item that ANDY YEASTE '84 was assuming command of the Military Sealift Office in Kuwait, ART CLARK 84 notes that: "Andy is the second Fort Schuyler graduate to command MSCO Kuwait. CAPT PETER JOHANSON '79 commanded the unit for about 10 months during 2007. His XO was CDR. JIM POWERS '82. There have been a bunch of Schuyler grads who have served with MSCO Kuwait over the years once it was first established, and many, many more have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the Persian Gulf in the armed services, not to mention all the Fort Schuyler graduates sailing in different licensed position about the American flag vessels that deliver all that stuff"

"It would be interesting to put together a list of those graduates who have served either in the armed services in that AOR [Area of Responsibility of the U.S. Central Command is comprised of 20 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen] as well as those who have sailed merchant vessels delivering all that stuff." (Sounds like another major undertaking -a la Family Ties.)

PARADE PERKS - "The Maritime College Band," writes LEONARD ANABLE '61, "marched as the first band in the St. Patrick's Day Parade as the Official 'Unofficial' Band of the New York City Fire Department. At the parade's end, we band members were force into celebrating with the New York Fire Department at some high school. The beer flowed freely with two beer trucks and four gentlemen wearing rubber aprons wheeling in new kegs every five minutes or so. The hot dogs were cooked in large GI cans. A great time was had by all. I was told that our Band was selected because we were not only great and knew all the Irish tunes, but also that our uniforms closely resembled the Fire Department uniforms."

EBB TIDE - A long-time Chief Marine Engineer for the Staten Island Ferry, THOMAS VAN BELL '44 (Oct) died at the age of 84 on March 10, 2009. According to an obituary in New Jersey's Asbury Park Press, prior to his tenure with the ferry he served in the merchant marine during World War II and sailed for Moore McCormack. He is survived by a son, daughter, brother and three grandchildren.

JOHN J. WRIGHT '46 (Jan), successful businessman, engineer and well-regarded inventor of equipment with applications to marine, aeronautics and energy industries, died on December 18 2008 at the age of 82. After graduation he served in the merchant marine and Navy. He worked as an engineer at Rockwell Manufacturing until he started his own business, Marine and Industrial Hydraulics. According to an obituary posted on the Alumni Association website, "He developed several innovative models of waterproof hydraulic actuators that are installed in water treatment plants in North America." His business interests took him throughout the world. In March 2001, when he was installing actuators aboard the world's biggest off-shore drilling platform, the Brazilian semi-submersible PETROBRAS P-36, "...an explosion occurred on another area aboard the vessel that killed numerous workers and ultimately sank the rig. He was evacuated by helicopter from the disaster." According to the obituary Wright, a long-time resident of Rye, NY, was " ..an avid ruffled grouse hunter, sailor, gardener and opera buff" who was devoted to his family " ...and enjoyed the Christmas season immensely, meticulously decorating an enormous tree each year." (www.fsmaa.org)

ALT-CTRL-DEL - From his faraway vantage in Russia, Dr. Hoffman even corrected the enrollment figures for the college that were reported in the last issue of NFFS - they are bigger than reported. "Our enrollment exceeds 1,500 and there are 1,100 cadets." [The college web page has also been updated.] He also confirmed that: "Graduation is indeed in St. Mary's Pentagon - rain or shine - but, we tent the entire Pentagon with seats for over 1,500 guests."