Off to Fiddlers' Green CDR Owen "Tommy'' Thompson, USMS, (Ret.) For over 39 years, Commander Thompson was an instructor at the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. A native of Massachusens, he graduated from Massach usetts Maritime Academy and later earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University. As a merchant marine, he primarily sailed the run from New York to California through the Panama Canal- a voyage he made more than 25 tim es. H e signed up in 1938 for the United States Maritime Service and served as a third mate through chief mate in the Merchant Marine for six years during World War II. He was stationed on board a merchant vessel that delivered tanks to British forces in Egypt, by way of the Cape of Good Hope to the Red Sea, to be used to help stop the German-Italian forces under German General Erwin Rommel. On their return, Thompson's ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German U -boat on 15 June 1942. Rescued by the navy, he and his shipmates were put ashore in nearby Trinidad. Tommy went on to join the faculty at the US Merchant Marine Academy, teaching collision prevention, nautical science, rules of the road, firefighting, Tommy Thompson (bottom Left, wearing a cap) cargo handling, and seamanship. H e enjoyed competi- and his crew aboard Ice Fire, the Kings Point tive sailing as well, competing in six Newport-to-Ber- boat they sailed in the Newport-Bermuda Races. muda races, primarily as navigator, but as captain in his sixth race. In his retirement, Tommy served as the volunteer librarian of the National Maritime Historical Society for over fifteen years. When he took on the task, NMHS owned thousands of maritime books, all stored in boxes and in complete disarray. Tommy sorted, categorized, and organized over 7,000 books on the shelves, turning a diso rgani zed and unusable collection into an o rderly and functioning system. His extensive m aritime backgrou nd proved critical in his ability to organize the library so successfully. Tommy's ability and steadfast dedication to getting the job done, his knowledge and the ever twinkle in his eye were an inspiration and pleasure to everyone. Tommy Thompson died o n 6 December 2009 at the age of 93. He is survived by his daughters Diane Thompson and Pamela Th ompson Bauernfeind, and two grandchildren, David and Bethany Bauernfeind. His legacy at Kings Point and NMHS continues.
Seymour Wittek Seymour Winek was a long-time volunteer at NMHS who came to work at headquarters on a regular basis. His enthusiasm, willingness to tackle chores, and ab ility to reach out to other m embers made him an invaluable asset. H e was a great storyteller. Seymour was a World War II hero. In 1943, he was a Coast Guardsman working from the Jersey C ity, New Jersey, barracks. On 24 April, a fire erupted beneath the engine room of an old Panamanian freighter, SS EL Estero, where it was moored in Bayo nne. The EL Estero was loaded with 1,365 tons of ordnance and moored to a pier in a metropolitan area, which stored even more explosives. The potential for catas trophic damage was real and immediate. Seymour Winek was one of the Coast G uardsmen back at the barracks when they got the call for volunteers to help fight the fire. He and his mates all rushed to help. The EL Estero fire was eventually put out (by flooding the ship and sinking her out in the harbor), and those that put themselves in harm's way to prevent what wo uld have been one of the worst disasters in New York history demonstrated exceptional bravery. Recently, NMHS wo rked with Seymour Seymour Wittek at the USCG award to produce an illustrated talk about the EL Estero fire and the ceremony in 2 008 aboard USS Intrepid. heroic role he played in extinguishing it. H e gave his first talk to the Charles Point Co uncil and then went on to present it to many gro ups. The story also appeared in the ~ ~ Spring 2009 issue of Sea H istory 126, written by William Thiesen, Atlantic Area Historian for the USCG. 0 On Veteran's Day, 2008, USCG Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp presented Seymour Winek with the Coast Guard Commendatio n Medal aboard USS Intrepid in New York C ity. Seymour wore his NMHS > ~ ~ cap as a visible sign of the organization he valued most. g.__ _ _ __,__ ___...__ _ Seymour died o n 30 December 2009, at the age of88 , survived by his son Alec Winek, his daughter Jacqueline Goldstein, and their families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren . His great passions in life were his close-knit family, of which he was very proud; his Jewish faith and his temple, Congregation Sons oflsrael in Briarcliff Manor, New York; his country; the US Coast Guard; and NMHS. H e was a trustworthy fri end and he is missed . ~ ~
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SEA HISTORY 130, SPRING 2010