The crew members and officers from three SIU-crewed vessels, along with an individual Seafarer aboard a fourth union-contracted ship are recent recipients of the United Seamen’s Service (USS) “Honored Seafarers Awards.”Receiving recognition in the form of the Admiral of the Ocean Seas (AOTOS) Mariners Plaque were SIU members who, on specific dates, were aboard the Keystone Shipping Co.-managed MV Cape Knox and MV Cape Kennedy; and the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy. AB Brett Sunderland, who was aboard CP Ships USA’s MV Lykes Motivator, was lauded as the recipient of the AOTOS Mariners’ Rosette. The honors were bestowed on the mariners Nov. 7 during the 35th annual AOTOS dinner in New York.
Nearly 1,000 industry leaders, including SIU President Michael Sacco and SIU Executive Vice President Augie Tellez, attended the outing that has been dubbed the maritime industry’s most prestigious honor. The event took place at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.
The crews and officers from the Cape Knox and Cape Kennedy were recognized for saving not only their own vessels, but also others in New Orleans’ Poland Street Wharfs during Hurricane Katrina. As 145 mph winds snapped mooring lines on both vessels and the Chios Beauty (a bulker), a small force of mariners was deployed. By tying-off, tightening and securing mooring lines, they saved the otherwise doomed vessels. These same platforms were used as shelters for members of the Coast Guard and emergency workers during relief operations.
Meanwhile, those aboard the USNS Mercy garnered laurels for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance for the people of Southeast Asia. The Mercy was activated Jan. 1 and departed San Diego for Indonesia in support of Operation Unified Assistance. From Feb. 6 to March 16, the vessel’s crew of 1,000 Navy and civilian personnel treated more than 9,500 tsunami survivors ashore and aboard the ship. Crew members helped rebuild Banda Aceh’s Abidin University Hospital that had been inundated with mud and debris. They also used the ship’s equipment and supplies to restore hospital services by providing the hospital with drainage pipes, mosquito netting, screens and hundreds of tools.
AB Sunderland, during the early hours of March 29 was aboard the MV Lykes Motivator when it received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard in Norfolk to change course and assist a 37-foot vessel, Aurora, which was disabled.
The three Swedish mariners aboard the Aurora had departed Bermuda and charted their course for the Azores with Sweden as their final destination. In 15-foot seas and winds squalling in excess of 30 knots, the mariners found themselves at the mercy of the deep.
The Lykes Motivator with its crew, returning to the U.S. after making its usual run to Northern Europe, was situated some five hours away from the Aurora’s location. Captain Richard Johnson altered his course and steamed toward the Aurora. At daybreak, the sailing vessel was spotted and the crew was readied for rescue operations. The Aurora was listing badly to starboard and still taking on water.
The stricken sailors did not have survival suits or a survival raft. They were equipped only with a six-foot inflatable dinghy and lightweight rain suits. When the endangered sailors saw the Motivator, they prepared to abandon ship. Clad in the rain suits, they lowered the dinghy into the water and attempted to shuttle equipment to the Motivator. Several transfer attempts ended in failure with the inflatable being swamped. The only remaining option to extract the sailors was for the Motivator to come alongside the Aurora.
During the transfer, rough seas caused one of the sailors, weak from an asthma attack the previous night, to fall off the ladder into the water. He swiftly drifted aft and struggled to stay afloat as his suit was filling with water. At the initiative of Sunderland, the Motivator crew reacted quickly; using the ship’s crane to lower a basket into the water and hoist the mariner to safety before he could slip under the vessel. Once the sailor was safely aboard the Motivator, the other two were transferred without incident.
As the Motivator left the area, the Aurora’s mast could be seen ripped completely off, and the vessel soon succumbed to the sea. Sunderland was commended for his quick thinking and courageous action.
In addition to the foregoing honors for mariners, several other awards were presented during the maritime industry gathering. The USS 2005 Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award was bestowed upon three individuals: retired Air Force Gen. John W. Handy, immediate past commander, U.S. Transportation Command; Ron Davis, president, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association; and Anthony A. Scioscia, president, APM Terminals, North America.
Handy, an ally of the SIU and a strong supporter of U.S.-flag shipping, worked many years with ocean carriers and their principals who deal with the international and Jones Act trades and during his distinguished military career actively supported the Maritime Security Program. He served simultaneously as the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. As TRANSCOM commander, he managed all global sea, air and land transportation for the Department of Defense.
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