Retired Seafarer Joseph F. Mellon recently was enjoying a feature story in the Seafarers LOG when he spotted a reference that evoked an old, fond memory.
The article (about another former member) mentioned a 1954 letter from then-SIU President Paul Hall addressed to the newly born son of a Seafarer. The correspondence encouraged him to visit a hiring hall if he ever decided to consider a maritime career – upon reaching the appropriate age, of course.
“I think I received one of those letters,” Mellon, 95, told his son, Joseph Mellon Jr.
Surely enough, the younger Mellon found the original January 1961 communication, locked in a safe deposit box.
In a subsequent interview with the LOG, Mellon Sr. said he enjoyed his years as a merchant mariner – from 1949 until the early 1960s.
After he’d begun sailing, he hitchhiked to the West Coast in Spring 1950, in hopes of having an easier time finding work.
“I later had gone back east and then was driving to Florida,” he recalled. “I picked up a hitchhiker who was going to Norfolk, and he told me about the SIU. I went to the hall and got a ship the next day. I was SIU from there on, and I enjoyed it.”
His first SIU ship set a good tone. After previously sailing aboard tankers, Mellon caught a dry cargo ship that went to Spain – and stayed in port for a week, which was much longer than the typical stop for a tanker at that time.
Mellon sailed in the engine department, and knew it was a good fit. But he also pondered a potential circumstance that could lead to a career change.
“I thought that if I ever got married, she either would have to love me enough to put up with the sailing schedule, or I would have to love her enough to quit,” he said.
The latter outcome prevailed, a few years after he exchanged vows with his bride in 1959.
“I did keep my SIU membership for a while, though,” Mellon added. “I wasn’t sure if I’d go back to sailing. I loved it. I would actually still go down to the Delaware River and watch the ships go by.”
He at least maintained a maritime connection (and joined another union once coming ashore). Mellon worked as a stationary engineer until he retired in 1991.
Asked about his memories of sailing, Mellon replied, “I remember going on different types of ships – mostly Liberty ships. I sailed on three or four of those and loved them. I also remember the camaraderie, and the feeling that we had to do a good job so we wouldn’t screw it up for the next guy. I remember the union meetings, too. Some of those guys were characters.”
Mellon, who sailed aboard a total of 22 ships, said his favorite port was Copenhagen, Denmark. “They had good bars,” he quipped. But he appreciated enough about the city that he and his wife, Jacquie, later went there as part of a cruise.
At various times, Mellon shipped out of the SIU hiring halls in Norfolk, Baltimore, New Orleans and New York – but he mainly sailed from Philadelphia. (He and his wife live in suburban Philadelphia, roughly a half-hour’s drive from the city.)
Further reflecting on his time with the SIU, Mellon said he was fortunate to enjoy smooth sailing the entire time. “We were sailing out of Houston once and there was a hurricane (nearby),” he said. “We closed the skylights – there had been green water coming into the engine room – but it wasn’t really a close call. We were prepared for it. We were loaded, low to the water, so that also helped. I really didn’t have any close calls throughout my career.”
As for the younger Mellon, he eventually brought that letter to the Philadelphia hall – approximately 20 years after it had arrived. He definitely wasn’t made to feel unwelcome, but shipping was very tight at that time. With no immediate prospect of catching a ship, he returned to his job as a carpenter.
“The idea of sailing is still appealing,” Mellon Jr. said. “What would my chances be?”
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