My father Manuel Blanco Valle was a member of the crew. He was steward, 2nd cook and baker. I am not quite sure at what age he first went to sea, but I was able to find a document that showed he sailed on the S.S. Clauseus in 1927.

Steel Mariner 1932,1933,1934,1935
Steel Seafarer 1935,1936
Chattanoogo City 1936
Atlantic City 1937
Anniston City 1937,1938
Memphis City 1938,1939

My father was born on February 7,1909, in the neighborhood of La Asuncion (La Iglesia) within Ruiloba, Santander, Spain located on the beautiful western coast of Cantabria, to Jose Blanco and Amelia Valle.

Because Ruiloba is a small coastal village and not a deep-water commercial port itself, young men from that exact area who wanted to go to sea would traditionally travel a short distance to the nearby port cities of Santander (the regional capital) or Bilbao (just to the the east) to sign onto a ship.

Unfortunately, I never ask my father anything about his youth or his time as a merchant marine, I wish I would of. With some research and found out that in 1927, my dad Manuel would have turned 18 years old—the prime age for a young man in coastal Cantabria to enter the workforce or fulfill his mandatory military service obligation through the navy or merchant marine. He was legally subject to the Inscripción Marítima, registered by naval authorities and often allowed to fulfill their compulsory military service working aboard commercial merchant ships rather than standard infantry.

My dad eventually emigrated and immigrated to Brooklyn, New York City in 1937, a massive hub for Spanish merchant sailors at the time. Many mariners from Santander and the Basque country operated on transatlantic lines or chose to settle in New York's Spanish communities during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War.

During his time in New York my dad met his beautiful wife Francisca Falche Testagrossa and married in 1939 where they took residence in The Bronx. In 1940 they had their first child Manuel Anthony Blanco Jr. who sadly passed away in 1943.

Shortly after in July 1943, he was awarded Hornable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

Later, both Manuel and Francisca had two daughters, Elizabeth in 1945 and Nilda Iris in 1946.

In the 50's Manuel worked in a hospital and also in the textiles as a forman. Our family relocated to California later in 1956, where my father bought a Mom and Pop grocery store that he worked till 1969.

My father passed away in 1971, San Gabriel, California.

-- Nilda Soria