Capt. James T. Lay, Jr. writes:
I worked for States Marine - Isthmian Line many years ago.
The attached photos show me as a Third Mate on the deck of the SS Steel Seafarer
in Saigon, dated 6 JAN 1973. The Master of the vessel at
that time was Captain Paul C. Veazie from (I think) Portland, Maine. The
camera in my hand is a Polaroid Land Camera Model 95A - one of the early
ones. I was photographing stevedore damage for the Mate.
I am also attaching a scan of a page from my Continuous Discharge
Book #336249. The top entry covers the voyage in question.
In addition to the SS Steel Seafarer, I worked on the SS Magnolia State (a
C-2 Victory ship), the SS Steel Fabricator and the SS Steel Chemist
(both of which were C-3 ships). My favorite job on any vessel was that of 2nd Mate. The 2nd Mate
is the navigator. Before electronic aids came in, the morning and evening star sights were the high
points of my day.
I stayed in the industry and worked continuously until I retired in
2003. Of all the ships I sailed, the C-3 class ships were my favorites.
