Editor’s note: This article is a collaborative piece written by several Seafarers from the Tacoma area. It was submitted to the LOG last month.On Aug. 22, active member Don Rundblad reached the age of 75 years. Don has been an integral member of the Tacoma shoregang since 1991.
One of his most important duties involves overhauling the twistlocks used on the Horizon Lines’ vessels. Twistlocks are the devices that secure cargo boxes onto container ships. Don estimates he’s overhauled more than 180,000 of them during his SIU career. Around the shoregang warehouse, Don is referred to as “The Twistlock King.”
Don’s seagoing career started in 1947 aboard the William F. Cody. He had many adventures at sea, but the most memorable happened in 1952, after he signed onto the Liberty ship Western Farmer. They were to deliver a load of coal from Norfolk, Va. to Bremen, Germany, but while in the English Channel, they were rammed by a Norwegian tanker. The tanker ripped a hole into the Farmer’s side, destroying the radio room and disabling the engine.
The crew tried for eight hours to save the vessel, but with heavy seas and high winds the captain decided to abandon ship. The steward and engine department members were in the process of being taken off by rescue boats when the ladder was smashed. They then lowered lifeboats. As the second lifeboat was lowered, the ship broke in half. Rescue boats were on hand, however, and all 37 crew members eventually made it to land in Dover or Ramsgate, with only one minor injury. The radio operator’s dog Scamp made it ashore safely as well.
Later that same year, Don was drafted into the Army to serve in the Korean War. While in Korea, he received the Bronze Star for heroic action under fire, evacuating dead and wounded soldiers during the battle of Porkchop Hill. The SIU was notified of Don’s decoration by a former shipmate, AB Neal Cairns. In a LOG article at the time, Cairns commented that Don “is the sort of a guy you’d expect to go all out to help a wounded buddy.” After the war, Don returned to the States via a Navy transport ship that docked in Seattle. He went home to New York and resumed his SIU career, eventually making it back to the Puget Sound area.
This was not Don’s first acquaintance with the military, however. In 1945 at the age of 15, he used his older brother’s ID to enlist in the Navy. He went to basic training in Bainbridge, Md. and served six months before his tender age was discovered, and he was discharged. Of the experience, Don says, “It was better than the Army, because you don’t have to crawl in the dirt, but I didn’t like the discipline.”
Rundblad is eligible for his pension but sees no reason to retire. He says, “This is the best job in the SIU I’ve had, with the best bosun and the best workmates.” His fellow shoregang members are delighted that Don chose to stay on the job. The work ethic he embodies is a constant source of inspiration to the younger workers. Don is the kind of role model every ship and worksite should have, not only as a worker, but as a person, according to co-workers.
“In life, as in battle, Don never fails to go the extra mile,” one Seafarer said. “He is always eager to lend a hand to those in need.”
His supervisor, West Coast Chief Shoregang Bosun Vern Poulsen, says, “Don is one of our best assets.” The Tacoma shoregang hopes to have Don in their midst for many years to come. He’s a “one in a million” kind of guy—the best shipmate and workmate ashore anyone could ever ask for. Here’s to another 75 years, Don.
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