S.S. Carleton Victory
July 1947
In June of 1947, when 19, I signed on board the SS Carleton Victory as an
Ordinary Seaman in Baltimore. General cargo was loaded there and in Boston. Then intercoastal
via the Panama Canal, with stops along the Pacific coast from San Diego to Seattle until the
cargo was completely discharged. Lumber was then loaded at Columbia River ports and in
Seattle for the return to the Atlantic coast. The lumber was the exclusive cargo and was
stowed in the holds and lashed on the decks. The first port of call was Boston and the voyage
terminated in Baltimore in early September. There I signed off and returned to school.
Quite an adventure.
My prior sailing experience had been as a wiper in the summer of 1945. I was aboard
the SS City of Richmond owned by The Baltimore Steam Packet Co., know as the Old Bay
Line. Along with the SS City of Norfolk, the Richmond plied the Chesapeake Bay offering
overnight passenger and freight service between Baltimore nad Norfolk, with the ships going
in opposite directions.
My father, Capt. Walter Hudgins, was with the Bull Line for many years and
was the Master of the SS Barbara when it was torpedoed and sunk in March 1942.
Sincerely,
Elliott R. Hudgins
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