The reopening of the Mare Island
Shipyard operator Allied Defense Recycling began
leasing two of the island's dry docks early last year. Since then, the company
has been besieged not only by job seekers and curious onlookers, but also
former crew members of the ill-fated ships.
Allied Defense safety officer Suzanne Castleman met
her first group of ship veterans this month. She took five former Mispillion
crewmen and family members on a final ship tour.
Or, to be accurate, they took her on a tour.
"They (served) their service and they served
it well," Castleman said of the 66-year-old ship's former crewmen. "It's
(moving) to see them so emotional about the ship. ... It's very different to
hear the stories when you're standing on the ship with them."
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USS Mispillion (Source: http://www.ussmispillion.com/)
|
Allied completed exterior scrubbing of the
Mispillion this week, before it was to be towed to Texas
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| USS Mispillion |
The company competitively bids to dismantle federally
owned "mothball" ships moored in Suisun Bay
Between the 2 types of work, the shipyard has seen
its share of ships and associated visitors, said General Manager Gary Whitney. A
naval veteran himself, Whitney recalled interacting with crews of the
Mispillion, which served as oiler and supply ship to a destroyer on which he
served.
The ship's emblem, depicting a sailor hat-wearing octopus
aboard a ship gripping various items, reads "If we got it, you can have it."
Employees from a drawer-making factory across the
street from the dry docks, Western Dovetail, learned that shipyard onlookers
are not all arriving in person.
On Jan. 19, Western Dovetail's long ongoing Web
feed of the shipyard, refreshed on the company's website www.drawer.com once
every minute, temporarily vanished after an Internet outage.
Company president Max Hunter initially launched the
video as a documentary of the shipyard's first dismantling, but noticed that
the ongoing footage continued to draw visitors to the company website.
Dana Nunes, in charge of Western Dovetail's
customer service and sales, said she received an email from former Mispillion "ship's
boy" Chris Munson, asking Western Dovetail to reinstate the webcam, at
least until the Mispillion work was complete.
"Many of us have enjoyed, and looked longingly
from afar, at the 'Mighty Miss' as she is cleaned," wrote Munson, whose
father, Henry Munson, was ship's commander from 1952 to 1953.
"As these are the last days we can see her, your
web cam has brought great unity and comfort to Mispillion's crew. We hoped to
capture her departure live from your webcam ... at least for these, Mispillion's
last days with us."
Efforts by Navy veteran Vern Bouwman to help
preserve the Mispillion as a museum ship proved unsuccessful in November, when
ship caretaker U.S. Maritime Administration sold the ship to ship recycler Esco
Marine for $1.8 million. Bouwman said the vessel is the last World War II-type
oiler in existence. Bouwman runs a website, www.navy.
memorieshop.com devoted to U.S. Navy oiler ships, with
a page for the Mispillion. Also, more information is available at www.mispillion.com.
Source: times herald online. By Jessica A. York (jyork@timesheraldonline.com). 28 January
2012
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