Women in the late 1800s smashed the blockade that once prevented them from working in the male-dominated U.S. maritime industry.
At that juncture, women worked primarily as stewardesses, hairdressers and in other similar capacities aboard passenger ships. When those vessels were taken over by the government—after the U.S. entered World War II—many of those women lost their jobs. They were required to relinquish their positions when their vessels returned to U.S. ports after Dec. 7, 1941.
One of those women, says the www.usmm.org website, was Betty Jackson. Jackson, in correspondence to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the plight of women mariners, said: “We are not afraid of the dangers and we are willing to put up with any inconvenience as long as we can be reinstated and go back to sea.”
Her calls for women to be allowed to return to their professions and serve the country during the war were met by deaf ears. Admiral Emory Scott Land, head of the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration, replied to Jackson and said simply that there were no provisions on wartime ships for women crew members. Although Jackson’s request was turned down, official records show that three women were awarded the merchant marine combat bar after their ships were torpedoed, and four women were POWs.
Fast forward to the present and it’s evident that the old ideologies regarding women and their supposed “place” in the maritime industry have changed. Some 200 years after women initially broke into the maritime business and more than 50 years following pleas by pioneers like Jackson to allow them to remain there, today’s women merchant mariners—especially those in the SIU—are fast becoming trailblazers. Women mariners prominently are represented in jobs found within each of a vessel’s shipboard departments.
While little information exists about the number of women who sailed under the SIU’s banner at its inception in 1938, figures since 1951 paint an unmistakable portrait of significant progress. Overall membership went from 19 in 1951 to its pinnacle in 1993 when 693 women sported the SIU colors. In 1951, seven women held deck department ratings, two worked in the engine department and 10 served as stewards. Today’s numbers for the same ratings are 72, 10 and 309, respectively, with another 39 sailing in entry ratings not confined to one department.
“The number of women in the SIU definitely is growing now compared to when I joined three years ago,” said Natalie Nunes, a steward department member who joined the union in 2001 in the port of Honolulu. Nunes recently upgraded to chief steward at the Seafarers-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md.
“When I first came to school here as an apprentice, there were only three women in 200 students. Now that number is about one in three, so the landscape is changing” Nunes said. “Another difference is that women now are going into work areas that previously were dominated by men to include management. I think this is good news not only for women, but also for the union and the maritime industry as a whole because women can do any job that men can.”
A native of Honolulu, Nunes has sailed aboard the USNS Charltonand the USNS Watson as well as aboard SIU-contracted passenger ships. She returned to the USNS Pomeroy after completing requirements for her chief steward certification.
“Working at sea is challenging because you are away from your family and for the most part away from civilization as well,” Nunes said. “You can be gone for days on end, and being the only woman in a house with 30 guys potentially could be nerve-racking. It really does not bother me, though, because I think of them as my brothers, and they have always been nice and very respectful to me.
“I love what I am doing and I can’t begin to thank the SIU for the success I have had,” Nunes concluded. “I know I would not be where I am if it was not for the union. Being in the SIU is like a dream come true for me, because I love my job and I definitely plan to stick around for a lot of years.”
Nunes’ reflections about choosing a maritime career were echoed by Phase III Steward Department Trainee Jamey Russell. A newcomer to the union, Russell came aboard this year in January in Anchorage, Alaska.
“I was the only female in a crew of 27 on my training ship—the Sealand Defender—and I really did not have any major problems working with the men,” Russell said. “They all treated me as an equal and showed me the utmost in terms of respect, so I really did not have any problems.
“From my perspective, women are just as capable as doing every job on a ship that men do,” she continued. “When you get right down to it, we’re all equal. We all do the same work and we expect the same pay.”
A native Alaskan, Russell hails from Soldotna. She saw the SIU as an avenue through which she could honor her mother’s wishes. “My mother told me that if something ever happened to her, it would be my responsibility to take care of my two younger sisters,” she shared. “I certainly wanted to be able to honor my mom’s wishes and thanks to the SIU, now I can.
“My family members are very proud of me and all that I have accomplished,” she continued. “They are encouraging me to continue sailing and take advantage of every opportunity the SIU affords me to improve myself.”
Houston-born Annie Walker sees the maritime industry as being easily accessible to women. “Shipping is an industry that’s very attainable for women, and the SIU provides a perfect avenue to achieve it,” said the engine department member, who became a Seafarer in 2003.
“I understand that shipping is a male-dominated industry, but when I joined the SIU I welcomed the challenge of proving that I could do the same jobs that men do,” she continued. “Although I don’t feel that there should be any differences in the jobs open and available to women versus men, that’s simply the way it used to be.
“I’m sure that there probably are some people around who still feel that way,” Walker continued, “but things are changing for women. I have seen it since I came in. Our numbers are increasing and we’re branching out in all departments.”
Walker said she chose the maritime industry for a career because she was in the market for a job that was secure as well as challenging. “The SIU has given me the best of both worlds,” she said. “That’s why I love the union so much. It affords you the opportunity to succeed and go as far as your heart and your skills take you.”
Walker’s training voyage was aboard the Horizon Hawaii; she has worked one tour aboard the Sulphur Enterprise. “Some women feel that they have to do more than their male counterparts while at sea in order to prove themselves, but I don’t feel that’s the case,” Walker shared. “In my experience at sea, I was treated fairly by fellow crew members and they never asked more of me than they did of themselves. They were always respectful and very helpful when I needed it.”
Chief Cook Kim Strate holds a bachelor’s degree in education. A resident of Atlanta Beach, Fla., Strate learned about the opportunities available in the SIU through friends who sail.
“After talking to them, I decided that it was time for me to make a career change,” said the mother of two who was a florist by trade prior to joining the union. “I tried teaching for a while but soon discovered that it was not for me. I wanted a new challenge and it turned out that the SIU was just what I had been looking for.”
Since coming aboard in 2002, Strate has sailed on three vessels: USNS Sisler, USNS Charlton and the USNS Watkins. She plans to return to an SIU-contracted military support vessel following upgrader training at Piney Point.
“I don’t have any problems being in the minority on ships or working with crews that are mostly men,” Strate said. “My life’s experiences have taught me how to present myself and deal with any adverse situation should it arise. So far that has not happened, and I attribute it directly to the professionalism and tremendous training that our crews have. The people at Piney Point should be commended for the fine job they do in this area.
“Being on a ship with the rest of the crew is just like being with family,” she continued. “I feel like a sister as well as a mom to a lot of the crew because many of them are so young.”
On the topic of specific jobs for women versus men, Strate sees the entire issue as a matter of attitude. “I don’t see any difference between women working specific jobs and men doing them,” she said. “I have worked with crews that had women in both the engine and deck departments and they handled themselves very well. The key is flexibility—being able to relax and change with the demands of your job.
“It’s all about the manner in which you present yourself,” Strate pointed out. “There definitely are some old school guys around who feel that women have their place, but that’s only their opinion. There is no middle ground here—you either learn to deal with these attitudes or allow them to get under your skin. It’s been my experience that women handle themselves very well on all of the jobs, and as long as they continue to do that, things will take care of themselves.”
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