Pennship Log (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 21, Ed. 1 Monday, October 1, 1945 Page: 3 of 4
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1945
PENNSHIF LOG
PAGE THREE
Mrs. Harry Baker Christens “Bechet Hitch” October 3
Penn'sl08th |[ OP A Cites PentsShip
USMC Ship
Sponsor Is Wife Of\
Gulf Official j
The next Penn launching is set
for Wednesday afternoon, October
3 at 4:30 o’clock when the MV
BECKET HITCH will be christ-
ened by Mrs. Harry W. Baker, of
Port Arthur, wife of the marine
agent of the Gulf Oil Corp
Members of Mrs. Baker’s party
will be Mr. and Mrs. Munger T.
Ball, Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Mills,
William Charles Baker, son of
sponsor, and Harry Baker, all of
Port Arthur^ and L. C. Allen, PSY
general superintendent, who will
introduce Mrs. Baker.
The MV BECKET HITCH, a
C1-M-AV1 cargo vessel, is the
108th ship built by Penn under
USMC contracts.
At its keel laying the MV BECK-
ET HITCH, which is Hull 369,
was dedicated to Pvt. Paul I. Mar-
tin, Jr, former Island electrician
who was killed on Luzon eight
months after he left the Yard.
Martin^ who had just celebrated
his 19th birthday, wras in the in-
fantry. He was the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Paul I. Martin, Sr., of 810
North Pearl.
Ex-Electrician Sails
On One Of Penn’s C-l’s
PENN’S EFFICIENCY IN handling wartime transportation prob-
lems was recognized recently when J. B. Singleton, of Houston, left,
head of the Houston district gas rationing office, presented a cita-
tion from OP A to Earl Heid, right, Island ration head
“Shipyards, Beaumont, Texas.
“For the adoption and efficient
J. J. Keim’s Boys
Jerry Keim, one of J. J. Keim’s
three sons in the armed forces, is
home on a 30-day furlough after
27 months in the European thea-
ter of war. Jerry is spending his
time between Jacksonville and
Beaumont and will report to San
Antonio for resassignment on Oc-
tober 7.
Byron, now stationed at New
London, Conn., after spending 28
months in the Pacific, expects to
reach Beaumont in time to see
Jerry before he leaves for San
Antonio.
Richard is stationed at Madison,
Wis., and is trying to wangle a
leave to come to Beaumont and
see his two brothers. Dick, who is
in the air corps, hasn’t seen his
brothers in three years.
Papa Keim is in the PIW Di-
vision.
Recognition of the efficient aid
PSY’s ration office has given in
facilitating the maintenance of es-
sential transportation came, re-
cently when the Yard received an
official citation from the Office of
Price Administration.
J. B. Singleton, head of the
Houston district gas ration office,
made tfie presentation of the scroll
to Earl Held on the Island on Fri-
day, September 14.
Here is the text of the citation:
“Office of Price Administration
“Citation to Pennsylvania
organized transportation plan un-
der which the establishment,
through its transportation commit-
tee and the cooperation of its em-
ployes, has contributed much to
the maintenance of essential trans-
portation during the war period.
“Chester Bowles, Administrator.
“W. A. Orth, regional administra-
tor.
“Stephen F. Tully, district
director.”
Hurst’s Riveters Set
17-Month
WOMEN
(Continued From Page One.)
Penn’s women shipbuilders have
done a splendid task according to
the records in the hands of their
supervisors and every company
official has the highest praise for
the spirit shown by the girls dur-
ing their two-year sojourn on the
Island. “The work was hard, they
were not accustomed to it, and
they took the hardest weather,
hot or cold, without asking any
favors,” one leaderman said. “Day
in and day out, I’d say the girls
put out just as much work as the
men, and in some cases more.”
Fern employes have been leav-
ing the Yard for several months
as their husbands came back from
^overseas, and since V-J day other
women have “drug up” to go back
to jobs they held before the war
or to their posts as housewives.
Quite a few have bought small
farms with their savings and plan
to try country life for awhile.
All express themselves as hav-
ing warm memories of the days
they spent on the Island and the
friends they made. They also have
a great pride in the part they
played in building the ships that
carry the pennant of the Penn fleet
but almost without exception they
express willingness to step down
and let the men take over again
now that the war is over. “It’s
been pretty rough at times, and
we’re ready to rest,’’ they said in
saying “Goodbye.”
J. W; (Tall Tale; Hurst, chip-
per foreman, crashes the news
this time in a role other than that
of spinner of wild yarns.
When the AVI’s were first
started riveting came back into
use in the Yard for the first time
since before the war and Hurst’s
men were selected to take over
this highly hazardous job.
The riveting crews included 16
drillers and 16 riveters, and these
men and women were working on
six ways, six hulls and 18 racks
all of the time. On 12 of the
reefers they averaged 5,000 rivets
to each second deck and 4,500 to
each of the top deck, and part of
their work included riveting
double counter sinks.
Their work began on April 8,
1944 and they finished up Au-
ISLANDERS extend their sym-
pathy to Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Win-
free in the loss of Mrs. Winfree’s
mother, Mrs. Ella Frances Watson
who died of a stroke at her home
in Beaumont on Monday, Sept.
24. Hugh Winfree is head of PSY
plant ventilation.
PROPELLER
(Continued From Page One.)
orders in regard to the speed of
the ship into effect immediately
without passing on his instruc-
tions to the engineer.
With this device it is possible
to change the vessel’s propulsion
from full speed forward to full
speed astern without changing the
rotation of the main engine. By
means of a hydraulic ram actu-
ating cams in the propeller hub
the blades of the propeller can be
turned in a similar fashion to the
feathering blades on an airplane
propeller.
BY A SIMPLE control device
on the bridge the captain can
vary the pitch of the propeller
and thus maneuver without the
assistance of the engineers. All
the engineers have to do is to see
to it that the engines are in good
running condition and maintain
their regular speed.
It is to be considered a great
honor that Pennyslvania Shipyards
has been selected to make this
intricate and unusual installation.
gust 31, 1945. Their riveting
time on the first hull they they
worked on. No. 317, took 13 days,
and they cut their time on later
hulls to four days. All their work
was finished on schedule time.
That was 17 months ago. Since
that time Hurst and his riveters
have not had a single lost time in-
jury chalked up against them and
a careful check of the safety rec-
ords backs up the riveters’ fine
safety claim. One of the. workers
was a woman rivet passer and
Foreman Hurst credits her with
doing as good a job as any man
in his crew.
Foreman Hurst also had praise
for his leaderman, John Wisnant;
who had direct charge of the men
during the entire 17-months’ safe-
ty span.
This is one Hurst tale that isn’t
tall.
“BOB” COULTON, former
member of PSY Electrical Dept.,
assigned to the test department,
paid a visit to Beaumont last
week, Bob sailed on one of the
C-l’s as electrician. He has been
studying and just passed the ex-
am for third assistant engineer
and is now sailing on a turbo-
electric tanker as third assistant
engineer.
J. W. McGINTY former chief
clerk in the electrical office, re-
ports that he and Uncle Sam are
getting along OK. J. W. is in Fort
Sill, Okla., in the field artillery
and is training in communication.
O. E. DYER, former leaderman
in the engine room, paid a visit to
the yard recently. Dyer is now em-
ployed by an electrical contractor
in Houston. Once a “knob-buster,
always a knob-buster.”
GEO. W. CALDWELL, “88
Keys” Caldwell is in Syracuse, N.
Y., visiting with his father.
J. L. “GINSBERG” Rountree
came very near to receiving a
temporary lay-off for 99 years re-
cently. He is now known as
“Key Boy” Rountree. Ask him to
relate the story.
DEWEY “POTATO” Densor4
had his leaderman taken away
from him because of a slight so-
cial error-nainely for returning to
Beaumont without sufficient pota-
toes to prove that he even has a
farm.
M. A. “LONNIE” Hargroves,
has returned to his former profes-
sion, manager for the appliance
division of a local furniture com-
pany.
L. O. SPURLOCK, electrician
and former lieutenant in the tank
corps, has returned to college
through the courtesy of Uncle
Sam.
CONGRATS TO O. Taylor and
Staff for getting 347 through the
sea trial without a “gripe” list.
This is the second of 31 AVI’s to
ever hit this mark.
ONE OF THE VETERAN
workers in the department, O. C.
Brandt, recently resigned and he
penned this note to fellow work-
ers:
“From Pearl Harbor Day, 1941”
until today, “Tokyo Day, 1945” we
have worked together, every man
doing his best—doing a good job.
Now the time has come to say
good-bye, and I wish the best of
luck to all of you, from the chief,
“good old Mac”, on down all the
way to the end of the line.
“So, until we meet again.”
“Sincerely yours,
“O. C. BRANDT.”
GERALD ASHLEY, electrician,
is expecting his new V-4 Piper
trainer in momenta! ily and plans
to use it for his fall hunting trips.
C-l Office
MRS. GEORGIA MAINARD
and her family have moved to
Pasadena ,Tex.
MRS. MARIE JOHNSON, after
nearly three years on the Island,
has resumed her former status as
homemaker for her husband,
Harry, and son Buddy.
MRS. ALMA SEAGRAVES has
returned to her country home,
“Rose Lawn”, and at present is
engaged in a preserving program
with an abundance of pears,
grapes, etc. Her motto is “We eat
what we can and can what we
can’t.”
MRS. MAUDIE HAGAN of the
material department has left and
will enjoy a much needed vaca-
tion at her home in Beaumont.
She was given a farewell party
by the Cl office force.
\\A
Bonds are still on sale.
Stay off trains.
Riveters Avoid Hurts
A NEW USMC INSPECTOR
J. F. Wright, of Decatur, Ala.
THE PERSONNEL DEPT, had a
beach picnic at the company camp
at Caplan and since J. L. Wones
was so inexpert at surf fishing
they assigned him as life guard
for all the children.
9,800,000 persons suffered dis-
ability injuries during 1944.
IF JOE BROWN, our timekeep-
er for so many years, had been
here the other day he would have
enjoyed the confusion of the re-
arrangement of the cards in the
clock house. He always said“It’s
just like an Easter egg hunt, you
lose half the fun if you know
where the eggs are.”
VIRGIL REVIEA has proven
hard to get along with these days
and the reason has been attributed
to the arrival of one Tommie Re-
viea in the family. In fact he took
the afternoon off recently to see
him. He hasn’t been allowed in
the room with him as yet.
DON MACE, formerly with the
furniture group, left recently to
enter Texas A&M for the coming
year.
HERMAN BATES, former time-
keeper in the shop, is also at
A&M where he is finishing up
work on his sheepskin.
RAYMOND WHEELER, form-
er carpenter who has been in the
army for more than two years,
dropped by to renew acquaintances
recently.
JIM MATTHEWS has come
back from the cotton fields to
work in the sheathing crew again.
JACK WATSON has returned
to work after a recent illness.
JACK (PINKY) MINNIGH is
off with a fractured arm and Her-
man Meissner is doing the honors
on the lathe in his absence.
L, L. BROWN has transferred
from the layerouts at PIW to the
department as a carpenter. Strange
how the carpenter turns up in a
man. It just will out.
LINDSEY EVANS is off for two
weeks to - build himself a new
home just out of Warren, Tex.
IF YOU EVER GET stuck and
have to work overtime when the
“little woman” is waiting at the
gate, call on John Bloodsworth to
get the job done well. Ask Rob-
bie.
WE HAVE A GROWING club
among our leadermen, quarter-
men and foremen. The “Toothless
Comb Club” or those whose hair is
leaving them regularly. Unk Car-
roll, Dick Miller, C. T. Hufty Wal-
ter McDonald and Ira Myzell are
just a few.
If
. fsirfi
WLy
PSY RIVETERS POINT with pride to a perfect no-lost-time ac-
cident safety record for the past 17 months and J. W. (Tail Tale)
Hurst, left, chipper foreman, and John Wisnant, right, riveter leader-
men, feel that this is one for the books in a craft as hazardous as riv-
eting.
I WISH TO EXPRESS my deep-
est thanks for the great kindness
shown me by my fellow workers
on the Island at the recent death
of my father, Ben Roach of
Orange . , . Romaine Roach, Pipe
Dept.
--
R. E. CO NEELY, leaderman on
the 550-foot Outfitting Docks, re-
signed last week to go to Houston
to resume his old job with the At-
las Engineering Works. Conerly
came to PSY in 1941.
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Scurlock, Ruth G. Pennship Log (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 21, Ed. 1 Monday, October 1, 1945, newspaper, October 1, 1945; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1160973/m1/3/: accessed May 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar University.