MEBA RETIREES

Hamilton helped craft Randall's willwhich stipulates that Snug Harbor must"operate in perpetuity." Encompassingmore than 60 buildings, over 1,000 ancientmariners settled in on a sprawling 120-acre expanse overlooking Staten Island'sKill van Kull. The nearby graveyard onMonkey Hill reputedly holds the bones ofover 7,000 seamen. Harper's Weekly in

B lackbeard sailed here. In 1718, theking of the pirates and his scurvydogs beached their stolen merchant

ship, the QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE, onTopsail Inlet in Beaufort, North Carolina.It was off the waters of Carolina's crystalcoast, just months later, that Blackbeardwaged his final sea battle against theNavy before falling down dead on thedeck with twenty sword wounds and fivemusket balls in him. His severed head wasparaded from the bowsprit of a Navysloop. Legend has it that his headlessbody, pitched into the Atlantic, swamaround the ship several times beforeplummeting into the deep.

The towns on the crystal coast pros-pered and played pivotal roles throughoutAmerica's colonial seafaring maritime his-tory. As a seaport, Morehead City, has fig-ured into numerous early skirmishes ofdays gone by. Presently, the "SummerCapital by the Sea," is the heart ofCarolina's fishing industry. The OldBurial Ground in Beaufort, across the wayfrom the "Captain's Quarters Bed &Biscuit" on Ann Street, houses manyghosts of maritime past. Captain OtwayBurns, who built one of the first steam-boats lies here, his grave adorned with acannon from his ship, the SNAPDRAGON. A hero during the War of 1812,the privateer intercepted numerous Britishships and relieved them of their cargoes.A seaman's little girl buried in a keg ofrum is here too. Legend has it that shedied of the "fever" on the voyage backfrom England. The mariner, who'd toldhis wife that he'd return with their daughter,preserved her in a rum cask to deliver on

his promise. A British Naval officer whogave up his ghost at sea rests in thisground as well. He was buried here -

standing up.The nautical flavor of this historic back-

drop extends throughout Carteret Countypast the seemly town of Beaufort and theNorth River, along the outer banks towhere the Atlantic flows into Nelson Bay.Here sits Snug Harbor -a refuge for agedand worn-out sailors. A retirement com-munity for well-traveled mariners, SnugHarbor is often a final port call for mer-chant seamen with at least ten years ofdeep-sea service.

Sailor's Snug Harbor was spawnedthrough an extremely generous endow-ment by the trust of Robert RichardRandall and established in 1833 in NewYork. The noted statesman Alexander

David Weathers was on the Navy shipMEDUSA in Pearl Harbor as the Japaneseplanes attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.Looking out on North Carolina's Nelson Bay which feeds into the Atlantic Ocean.

MARINE OFFICER MARCH / APRIL 2001 I 5

MEBA RETIREES

The dining hall at Snug Harbor. All the rooms are enhanced with art, flags and nautical memo-rabilia, including many ship models. The painting at right is of Alexander Hamilton who drew upRobert Richard Randall's will creating Snug Harbor.

served in the Navy for six years and wasaboard the resupply vessel MEDUSA (AR-1) in Pearl Harbor when the Japaneseplanes began tearing apart the U.S. Pacificnaval fleet. His ship managed to shootdown two planes and blew a midget sub-marine out of the water. He exhibits hiswar medal in the glass display case inSnug's lobby. Four years ago, Weatherscame to Snug Harbor to die. A 35-year vet-eran of the seas, the Sea Level facilityrehabilitated and revitalized him. He usu-ally takes advantage of the well-stockedlibrary that also carries the latest maga-zines and maritime publications.

It's easy to stay marooned at SnugHarbor because the center takes care of allneeds. It has excellent healthcare facilities,a post office, barber shop, chapel withinterfaith services, kitchen and a dozenother amenities including a greenhouse,game room and woodworking shop. They

1882 reported on a sailor whose career atsea had ended with a horrible accidentthat crushed his leg. This sea captain hadbeen relegated to begging for loose changeon street corners and was considering sui-cide until the day a stranger walked up tohim and recommended that the captain"try the Snug' Arbor." The sailor recalled,"I went down an' they took me in becauseI was crippled, an' washed me an' shavedme an' give me a room as clean as thecap'n's cabin of a man-o-war, an' put meinside a new suit of clothes, stuck a pipein my mouth, an' sez, 'There, you're safean' sound forever, an' God bless yoursoul!'"

The New York facility persevered foralmost 150 years. But with the shift in thelandscape of the U.S. maritime industryand the advent of social security, pensionsand medicare, the population of SnugHarbor began to wane and the time wornfacility displayed its age. With its futureclouded and its buildings rapidly decay-ing, maritime artist John A. Noble spear-headed a movement to rescue the facility,expressing that "it should be keptgroomed if only one seaman, rich or poor,or none, remained." His efforts led to thecreation of Snug Harbor Cultural Centeron Staten Island, which today continues asa thriving tribute to the seagoing life.

Meanwhile, the trustees of SnugHarbor engineered a move of the retire-ment community to Sea Level, NC on thebanks of Nelson Bay in 1976. Hundreds ofartifacts were transported from the origi-nal New York complex to the new 100,000square foot building that stretches out onover 4,000 resplendent acres of land on theCarolina coast. A modern and vibrantretirement community, the extremely well-maintained facility is stocked with nauti-cal memorabilia, the walls layered withschooners and steamships as well as flagsand emblems of seafaring life.

Many of the residents are World War IIveterans. MEBA member David Weathers

also stage frequent parties and dinners. Abus system allows residents to amble intotown to take advantage of the local scene.

David doesn't think of his seafaringdays too much anymore. Sometimes hedreams about them but despite fourdecades of skimming the waves he letsothers tell the sea stories -and everyonehas a tale to tell. Biff Bowker is a mesmer-izing storyteller and crack sea historianthough some Snug residents think he hasan overly vivid imagination. "If he dideverything he says he did then he's 176years old," one resident joked. Still, Biffspins his yams expertly to the delight ofmany on his frequent trips to the NorthCarolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort.The "Snugs" have all heard each other'stales before many times, and the storiesget more colorful with each retelling.Harrison Maycroft swears his story aboutthe parrot is true... One seafarer couldn't

Peter Banna was a ChiefEngineer who sailed for over35 years.

Harrison Maycroft willtell you one sea story afteranother.

Russ Locascio was a third Horace Twiford has had a 97-year old Jay Ottingerengineer who helped deliver colorft!llife. Moments after wants you to bUy his bOOk,t.rooPs to Normandy Beach this photo. he jumped up "The Steam Yaclit Delphinedunng World War II. and went into town to and Other Stones."

catch a local production of"Singin'in the Rain."

16 MARINE OFFICER MARCH / APRIL 2001

tal Murmansk Run, hunted by German V-boats. The anti-torpedo wire nets on oneof Krause's ships saved the crew during amission when it absorbed two shots froma V-boat. He remembers back when hisship waged an epic battle with a Germanpilot who was strafing the vessel. "Weshot at everything in the sky but him,lI herecalls. IIHe actually flew low andthumbed his nose at US.II

Snug Harbor charges 40% of a mer-chant seaman's total income. With med-ical treatment included, as well as house-cleaning, three meals a day and use of theentire facility, there's not a great need forleftover dollars. Residents are accountable

years sailing for various ship companiesincluding U.S. Lines. During World War IIhis ship was part of a convoy that trans-ported 110,000 marines to Iwo Jima wherethey saw some of the fiercest action of thewar. Rosario (Russ) Locascio is in theassisted care section. The health care pro-fessionals ensure that he keeps up withhis medication. Russ was a lifelong 3rdengineer aboard various vessels. He foundhis niche and was happy with it. Whenthey put a new Chief Engineer on board,he said, "I took him around and showedhim where the valves were." He clockedmany hours on one of the fastest cargoships of the time, the PIONEER MINX. He

In the lobby of Snug Harbor. You can see the library behind the ship models.

get employed because he was a narcolep-tic and couldn't stay awake on the job."You couldn't put Bernie on watchbecause he'd fall asleep...He'd fall asleepwhile he was eating!" recounted Harry.Somehow, the sailor wangled a deck jobaboard the oil tanker NATIONALDEFENDER. Before he climbed aboard hebought a parrot in Yokohama which sat onhis shoulder. He walked on deck with birddroppings running down his back. "Wecalled him Long John Silver," says Harry.The ship was taking on a load of oil andBernie was the mate on watch who had tosound the alarm when the cargo tanksfilled up. As the oil streamed through thecargo lines from the loading manifold intothe ship's tanks Bernie once again retreat-ed into dreamland. He was fast asleepwhen the oil hit the deck beams, which isthe preferred moment to call for the valveshut-off before the oil shoots right back upthrough the ullage cap and makes a mess.But Harry was there and yelled for theshut-off just as the bird started squawkingand making a racket. It turns out -the oilmade a sound when it hit the beams thatdisturbed the parrot. When they openedup another tank to continue loading oil,the parrot was now the mate on watch. Itsquawked right on cue, every time, when thetanks filled up. They let Bernie snooze away.

Once Harry spits out one tale, thedrawers in his mind open and one storybegets another. He reminisces about hislong gone wife, the beautiful Indianactress Bhudi Singh and the famousKapur acting family. Snug Harbor seemsan unlikely setting to hear about Indianactors, but these are world travelers, andthey all have a story.

Charles Krause was a radio officer andenjoyed setting sail on trampships. DuringWorld War II he served on various vesselsin support of the armed forces in bothPacific and European theaters of war. Hesailed on T-2's and Liberty ships and car-ried ammo to the allied forces on the bru-

for their telephone and cable bills as wellas medication costs. Foreign seamen areallowed in too, but they will have had toserve on a U.S.-flag ship for at least 5years. In part, because of the regression ofU.S.-flag shipping, Snug Harbor has seenits population slip. In January ZOOl, italtered its stringent admissions policy andbegan allowing in spouses and other non-seafaring retirees. The new policy raisedsome eyebrows at first but the Snugsbecame used to it and were enthused byan influx of female residents.

The employees outnumber the resi-dents. Professionals are available through-out the lZQ-room spread for medical careand physical therapy. Residents are pro-vided private rooms with a personal patioand bath. The Snug populace is dividedinto three levels: independent living,

Charles Krause (left) was a radio officer. During assisted care, and the nursing ward. PeterWorld War II an anti-torpedo net saved his life. Bonna falls into the third category. TheDavid Weathers is at right. MEBA Chief Engineer plied the seas for 35

had a good time on the various stops theship made on its New York to SoutheastAsia run. "There was a "wife" in everyport," Russ reflected. Some people actual-ly got married during their brief stopsoverseas. "Most of us never got past thefirst bar," Weathers added. During WorldWar 11, Russ helped transport troops intothe battle at Normandy. "We sure caughthell," he remembers. He could hear thehail of gunfire screaming above deck andthe blast of the ship's guns returning fire.The engine room was the safest place onthe ship that day, he points out.

Years ago, A.P. Day hopped aboard theALCOA ROAMER as a fire and water ten-der and came off the ship as a ChiefEngineer. During Vietnam his ship was hitby a rocket on the number 2 hatch killingseveral stevedores. Horace Twiford, anative of North Carolina, was born onRoanoke Island, part of the Northern

MARINE OFFICER MARCH / APRIL 2001 I 7

MEBA RETIREES

A.P. Day was strolling oft to lunch when MarineOfficer Editor Marco Cannistmro caught up with the

retired MEBA engineer to get the lowdown.

Portum Petimus Fessi-"We weary ones seek port." Snug Harboris truly a safe haven for aging mariners.

qualified candidates, paid out of the Snugtrust fund. The outreach program hasaided over 150 needy individuals since itsinception in 1992.

The property is well manicured andthe grounds crew is out today to counter-act the increasing amount of algae thathas cropped up in the pond outside.Across a small wooden bridge leadingover a channel that feeds into the NelsonBay, David Weathers points out the hugearea that makes up Snug Harbor. The Bayhas been a great place to fish for hun-dreds of years. Once, a couple of Snugretirees decided to go fishing out on theBay but they forgot to watch the tidetables. When they tried to walk back tothe complex, they found they were

Outer Banks. He got his seaman's papersas an 18-year old and shipped out a yearand a half later in 1943 as a Green TicketAble Bodied seaman. After a lively careerat sea that brought him all over the worldon an assortment of vessels, he retired toStumpy Point, NC in 1969 where hefished and harvested oysters for a living.He's lived in Snug Harbor for the lastfour years.

97-year old Jay Ottinger, who doesn'ttake any medication, has spent the last 18years at Snug Harbor. Years ago he wrotethe book "The Steam Yacht Delphine andOther Stories." It's displayed in a glasscase in one of the lounge areas for salealong with a handful of other books andSnug memorabilia. A deck officer for theMasters, Mates & Pilots, he sailed for var-ious American President Lines andMatson ships and included the SanFrancisco to Sydney run as one of hisfavorites. He loves to show folks thephoto of himself when he was 19 yearsold. When told that a message could bepassed on to his union hall for him, heretorted, "You better not tell them I'mhere or they'll say, 'so that's where thatson-of-a-bitch is!'"

Snug Harbor's motto is "PortumPetimus Fessi," which translated from theLatin means, "We weary ones seek port."The oldest charitable trust in the country,Snug Harbor has also changed lives withits mariner outreach assistance program.The

program affords monthly stipends for

trapped by the rising tide. They had towait until morning for rescue. Thetrustees are considering a plan to build amarina out on the Bay, but with the logis-tical problems involved, the project is stillyears away.

The facility is dedicated toward pre-serving a sense of independence andcommunity. Great care is taken in ensur-ing that residents are content with theiraccommodations. David Weathers likes ithere but wishes that more marinerswould make Snug Harbor their home-port. For these sailors, the sea is nowcalm. This is a port call where old con-querors of the sea have found their ship atanchor, their safe haven.

In the courtyard at the facility, a retiree is enjoying a beautiful day.