News From Fort Schuyler

November 30, 2009 - Volume 9, No. 42

WORTH KEEPING IN TOUCH - A suggestion from FRANK CHOLAKI '95, referring to these economic hard times, that NFFS "'write about the Domers who are among the 9.8% unemployed in this dreary job market." (His note came before the latest, higher figure.) He continues, "MICHELLE BERISH of the Career Center does a tremendous job keeping us posted about jobs. Her address list seems to get bigger and bigger all the time. Now why is that?" According to the Maritime College website page for the Career Center: "Students and alumni are welcome to stop by during our open office hours for assistance with resume writing, mock interviews'.." in addition to online access to the office's password only 'Internal Job Posting System.' Frank also writes that many alumni stay connected via the LinkedIn networking site and mentions "There is also a SUNY Maritime Alumni Group." (http://www.sunymaritime.edu/Career Center/index.aspx)

SPARKS - Responding to the recent announcement of the death of Ship's Radio operator, Nick Marrone, DENNIS BOY' '85 writes: "I was (and still am) a HAM radio operator and performed hundreds of phone-patches for the cadets and crew from the HAM radio shack. I used to have lines out the door and down the passageway."

"I remember once going up to the ship's radio room just off the bridge to chat with Nick, but he was not there, so I waited a few minutes. While waiting a SOS signal came over the ship's radio, which automatically turned on the reel-to-reel tape recorder and sent an audible alarm to the bridge (and I think his stateroom.) Being very proficient in Morse code, I picked up a pad and pencil and copied the message. A few minutes later the Captain rushed in at the same time as Nick. The Captain was displeased that a meager cadet was there and barked that I leave. I handed Nick the pad and he told the Captain that I was just as good as he was in Morse code. I was allowed to stay. Turns out it was a distant signal, and another closer vessel was responding."

NAUTICAL ANTECEDENTS - "I've known my classmate, OTTO LIEPIN Oct. '46, for over 60 years," writes AL GOLDEN, "but was not aware that his father was a merchant seaman until I read it in your most recent issue of 'News from Fort Schuyler.' This prompted me to wonder how many of our alumni also had merchant mariners in their families? As for me, when I was growing up, my Dad, who was a successful lawyer in New York, would tell me of his experiences, at 19 years of age (in 1919), as an Ordinary Seaman on a tramp steamer for about a year of his young lifetime. I know that when I entered NY State Maritime Academy in 1944 and sailed on oil tankers thereafter, Dad and I bonded even more closely."

CARIBBEAN COHORT - Following last week's NFFS, Dr. JOSEPH C. HOFFMAN '75, Provost/VPAA, sent details about one of the current programs for foreign students at Fort Schuyler: "We have about 25 students from the Bahamas. The program starts with a weeklong leadership program at the college directed by our Dean of Students, Eric Kneubuehl, occurring between the students' junior and senior years in high school. The program, run jointly with the Bahamian Maritime Authority (BMA), includes coursework, on-the-water activities, and cultural events in NYC. The Bahamian Mission to the UN has hosted visits to the UN and their embassy each year. The students accepted to the College complete their entire academic program here in the US. Students in the license program, although unable to get the USCG license, are given their complete training records from the College, and upon submission to the BMA, are issued a Bahamian Third Officer's License."

MAKING A DIFFERENCE - In the days before the Thanksgiving break a number of Fort Schuyler students reached out to people in need. In an annual project spearheaded by CADET EDWARD POLLARD 1/c, 20 cadets joined parishioners at the nearby St. Francis de Chantal Church in delivering groceries and turkeys to 120 families in the Throgs Neck area. (www.sunymaritime.edu )

Last Monday cadet and civilian members of the Culture Club traveled to Jazz Foundation of America HQ in Manhattan to serve up pre-Thanksgiving meals to 150 elderly jazz musicians and enjoy a jazz concert by younger performers. The day before Thanksgiving, club members also delivered food collected during a campus food drive, along with frozen turkeys, to 200 Bronx families. (www.jazzfoundation.org )

HOME AGAIN - After six weeks in dry-dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for her scheduled ABS/USCG inspection, plus a hull coating and painting, The EMPIRE STATE VI returned to Fort Schuyler on 21 November. Photos at http://www.sunymaritime.edu/hotnews.aspx?id=326

MUG LIFE - The May 11, 2009 issue of NFFS mentioned that crew from aircraft carrier USS RANDOLPH had no running boats due to rough weather and bunked in on the TS EMPIRE STATE III for several nights during the TSES's Genoa port stay. One of the mugs, GARY RAFFAELE '60, captured the incident in his cruise diary. It turned out to be a long weekend: "Saturday 27 July, 1957. Sweep down at 0600. Hung in and read and slept the rest of the day. At 1600 I was sent over on a line to the scow along side to put another line on it. I had to climb down the line and then back up. I almost didn't make it on the way up but they grabbed me and pulled me over. I then went back to the compartment and continued to hang in."

"The fun began about 2000. We were starting to take swabbies aboard from the carrier because the running boats couldn't make it past the sea wall. I met one from Staten Island. He was an airman and I gave him Herm's [HERMAN MOHLZAHN] rack to sleep in for the night. I didn't get any sleep at night. I talked and started to write a letter, but had to stop at 2200 because of taps. I went to rack but didn't sleep. At 2330 I went to the messdeck and had coffee until it was time to on watch."

"Sunday 28 July 1957. 000-0400 watch. A panic. Swabs kept coming in and we had them sleep all over the ship on racks, top and on deck. When I went off watch the count was 348 of them aboard. I got up at 0730 and went to chow (all the swabs left about 0600) and then cleaning stations until 0915 where I cussed JJ for my having to clean head bowls."

After reading these diary entries from 52 years ago Gary writes: "As I remember, quite a few guys were on the Rome trip, so we had plenty of bunks to put the sailors in, although they were, for the most part, pretty drunk and out of it. It made for a lot of work and entertainment for those of us who spent the entire time in Genoa."