Mumblings - Donald Lester Dewey: The Merchant Marine Years

The Merchant Marine Years:

The last post had Donald leaving home sometime in the early 1930s during the Great Depression.  He wandered with a circus, held odd jobs like being a pin boy at a bowling alley, and probably spent some time with his New Jersey friends who he met as a printers apprentice.  At some point in the 1930s, Donald hooked up with an old friend from Reading, Roger Hickey.  Roger was in the Merchant Marines and he helped Donald get a job in the Merchant Marines. 

Donald Dewey, Roger Hickey and Roger's sons

Donald had no prior mariner experience, but with Roger's help he got the necessary papers.  I believe that he was working aboard ships before 1937.  However, the U.S. government enacted the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.  Section 204 of the act mandated that all "the functions, powers, and duties vested in the former United States Shipping Board by the Shipping Act, 1916, the Merchant Marine Act, 1920, the Merchant Marine Act, 1928, the Intercoastal Shipping Act, 1933, and amendments to those Acts, and now vested in the Department of Commerce."  As a result of this act, Donald was required to obtain Department of Commerce identification and qualification documentation to serve in the Merchant Marines.  At the age of 25, he was issued an identification certificate on 1 April 1937 qualifying him as a member of the engine department (see image below)  The back of the form shows that on August 28, 1940 he was in the port of Galveston, Texas and was qualified to serve in the rating of "water tender".  The U.S. Coast Guard describes the qualified ratings for various positions on board vessels (for more on this click on "What are the requirements for Qualified Ratings?" and scroll down to the table under item 2 to see water tender.)

Merchant Marine Engine Department Papers

On October 16, 1937, Donald was issued a Certificate of Identification  in Boston, MA.  Both of these identifications forms were issued by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.  

I am not sure when Donald first shipped out, but I believe it was before the Merchant Marine Act of 1936.  The next picture shows Donald and an unnamed crew mate aboard the S.S. Limon (New York).  The Limon was owned by the United Fruit Company (which became part of United Brands Company and then Chiquita Brands International).  United Fruit dealt primarily with bananas grown in Central and South America.  Donald told me that they had to be careful with the stalks of bananas because they sometimes had highly venomous banana tarantulas in them.

Donald with crew mate aboard the S.S. Limon

Bananas were the prime cargo of United Fruit (Donald in middle)

Donald continued work as a Merchant Marine during the first year of World War II. 

Next post: The World War II Years