A Great Lakes Sailor
The Ralph H. Watson, Part 1
by Janis Stein

Join me as a new sailor shares his tale and the adventures he encountered working on the Great Lakes. If you would like to know the identity of our featured sailor before you begin, please contact the writer in care of The Lakeshore Guardian.

In the mid-1950s, sailing the Great Lakes was a viable option for earning a fair wage, and it was with that thought a young man from Huron County decided to test his wings – and his sea legs. The soon-to-be sailor had received a letter from a fellow by the name of Roberts, the letter giving him the right to apply to the Lake Carriers Association; he was instructed to meet at the Farmer’s Tavern in Ruth where he would fill out the appropriate paperwork. The young man then gave his notice at Booms Silo Company, where he had been employed the previous year; the time had come to embark on a new adventure.

In March, 1954, just after his 19th birthday, this Huron County native boarded the Ralph H. Watson, where he would work as a deckhand earning $1.27 per hour. The new sailor had gone to high school with Don Susalla, who was also employed aboard the Watson as a deckwatch and had begun sailing the previous year. While having a familiar face show him the ropes was extremely helpful, the novice sailor soon realized he would not be plagued with bouts of homesickness as were some of his counterparts. Rather, he adjusted to his surroundings no matter where he landed.

Aboard the Ralph H. Watson, the sailor quickly mastered the duties of a deckhand. While unloading the ship didn’t amount to much effort on his part – the unloading machines moved from hatch to hatch on its own rail - loading the freighter in Duluth was a full-time job. The Watson frequently picked up ore from Duluth, Minnesota, or Two Harbors, before delivering the cargo to Cleveland or South Chicago. When the Watson traveled back down through the Soo, orders would be received as to where the shipment would be delivered. Along with tying up the ship as it moved forward or back, the deckhand busied himself with never-ending maintenance work.

The Great Lakes’ boat industry had been vital in supporting the Korean War, just as it had been during both world wars. Though the Korean War was now, too, a memory, sailors were still trained to keep their eyes open as their freighters traveled up and down the lakes.

With the experience of the 1954 sailing season under his belt, this Great Lakes sailor took a short reprieve from the lakes, changing his life’s direction again when Uncle Sam sent out his draft notification. During the course of the following two years, 1955 and 1956, the sailor would serve as a soldier in the United States Army.

Arriving in Fort Knox, the soldier endured Basic Training before eventually moving around in Kentucky. The sailor-turned-soldier would also spend some enjoyable time at Camp Perry, Ohio, home of the national rifle matches. Serving as a truck driver for the support staff, the soldier realized Army life wasn’t all bad. In the Army his evenings were his own for the most part, something he had missed the previous year when the waters of the Great Lakes constantly owned him or not he was on duty.

Since World War II and the Korean War were both a not-so-distant memory, American patriotism was at an all-time high. Any soldier in uniform hitchhiking home was practically guaranteed an instant ride. On one occasion the soldier/sailor was stationed 11 hours away from home; when he received his leave papers he started walking and never did he stand on the side of the road for more than two minutes. Fourteen hours later, with the aid of a number of passing motorists who thanked him for his service to our country, he arrived at his Huron County home. At the time, hitchhiking was safe – and the only way to travel if a person didn’t own a vehicle since the cost of flying was extreme.

One such motorist stopping to give the soldier a lift had three baskets of peaches in the back of his pick-up, the thick peach scent wafting to the cab and making the soldier’s mouth water until he was invited to help himself to a few. The driver suddenly stopped his vehicle when steam began to escape the confines of the hood – he had blown a fan belt. The soldier, too, hopped out of the pick-up, peaches in hand. With one thumb in the air, the soldier had flagged down another ride before the kindly pick-up driver had even popped the hood!

In the Army he earned a wage of $68 per month and, as in sailing, the soldier met many a character. One such fellow worked in the same battalion but in a different company, and he was always short on cash. With his 30-day leave, rather than travel home, he went sailing for two weeks to earn a little green. He was the only fellow known to leave Fort Knox with no money in his pocket and arrive home in Harbor Beach with 50 cents!

Be sure to look for the continuation in next month’s issue as our featured sailor continues his sailing adventure aboard the Sumatra.

Calling all sailors! If you would like to see this column continue and are willing to share your sailing experiences working aboard the Great Lakes freighters, please write to Janis in care of The Lakeshore Guardian, 9697 Purdy Rd., Harbor Beach, MI  48441.

© 2006 Janis Stein