High Seas: Ocean Tow Boats

The Korean War sputtered to an end shortly after their return, but that did not diminish the freight barge traffic between the United States and South Korea. The next several years saw them in continuous transit hauling as many barges as their ships could handle. The MANUEL JASPER was paid for and Peter and Carson agreed to commission a new Ocean Tug even larger than the MANUEL JASPER, it would be completed by Bethlehem Shipyard in 1958 and would be named the DAVID!

Just as The DAVID was delivered by the builder, the American Merchant Marine started to nose-dive into ruin. Shipping Companies were selling off their ships to foreign flag companies and there were merchant sailors on the beach, begging for work.

Several "off-shore" firms approached Carson and Peter in hope they, also, would sell out, but both men sent them packing. Many of the smaller tug operators folded as freight in and out of San Francisco Bay spiraled downwards towards zero.

They kept Bates Marine Services afloat, mainly by accepting long-distance tows and using the MANUEL JASPER and the DAVID on pulls that no other tug operator could match.

Three of the smaller tugs, they had relocated off-shore, The TERRY was located in Sydney, The ANDREW was operating out of Singapore and The CARSON was stationed in Hong Kong. It was not ideal, but it kept the wolf from the door.

Both Carson and Peter missed their sons, Andrew was Resident Manager for Bate's Marine in the Far East and was located in Hong Kong while Keith was Chief Engineer on the DAVID assigned on a long-term contract towing barges of Grain from Australia to Europe. The huge tug was capable of towing twenty heavily loaded grain barges at the same time and they would sail up through the Suez Canal and out the Mediterranean to England and the rest of Europe.

The two men were going over the sailing reports, trying to figure out if they were making any money to pay the bills with. They had just about decided to call it quits for the night and go home when the Night Marconi Operator came running in the door, "The Passenger Ship, Queen of the Seas is calling for rescue, she has caught fire and they cannot control it. They are ready to abandon ship with 1800 passengers!"

Carson gasped, "Where is she?"

The Operator responded, "Last reported position is two hundred miles south-west of the Farallon Rocks, sir!"

Peter jumped up, "Car, you drive, I'll make her run!"

They raced down to the waterfront and ran up the gangway of The MANUEL JASPER, shouting to rouse the standby crew.

The huge Tug Boat began coming to life, the stack belched black smoke as Peter rolled the main engines and two generators came online.

While Carson waited for word from Peter in the engine room, he told the shipboard Marconi Operator to contact the Queen of the Seas and tell them The MANUEL JASPER was getting underway, ETA (estimated time of arrival) was twelve hours."

Just then, the bitch box came to life and Carson heard Peter say, "Ready to answer all bells!" Carson ordered the lines taken in and he backed away from the pier and headed out in the bay, blowing the MANUEL JASPER's horn continuously to warn any bay traffic of an emergency in progress.

They passed under the Golden Gate Bridge at just under twenty knots with a Coast Guard Cutter struggling to keep up with them! As they passed the rocks and swung out beyond the Humboldt Current, Carson ordered the Engine Order Telegraph to be raised to ALL AHEAD EMERGENCY.

Slowly, the pitlog (speed through the water indicator) crept upwards until it quivered slightly over twenty-two knots, the whole ship was throbbing and vibrating as its powerful engines were putting out every bit of thrust they were capable of.

The Marconi Operator switched the radio to the bridge speakers and Carson was able to speak directly with the Captain of the stricken ship.

Carson adjusted his ETA by about two hours sooner and told the Captain of the cruise ship that, if he could keep his passengers out of the water, The MANUEL JASPER had fire-fighting capabilities and maybe they could save The QUEEN.

All through the night, they kept the governors on the main engines up against the stops, the cylinder exhaust temperatures were hovering next to the redlines as they pushed their ship to and beyond its designer's limits.

Cook and his helpers were running coffee and sandwiches to the bridge and engine room and all off watch crew members were standing by to help.

Ten hours after passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, the smudge of smoke from something burning was spotted by the First Mate, who was acting as Bridge Lookout.

Without slowing Carson aimed The MANUEL JASPER for the dark smoke on the horizon and, as they got closer, there was no question, it was The Queen of the Seas. Carson had The QUEEN's Captain on the ship-to-ship radio and the Second Mate was plotting their approach on the bridge radar repeater.

They could see the whole afterend of the ship was in flames and the lifeboats had been swung out, ready to abandon ship. Peter came topside to manage the fire-fighting, he ordered the hoses run out and the two fire-fighting monitors up on the swing-boom masts charged and manned.

Carson brought The MANUEL JASPER up, alongside The QUEEN at full speed before he ordered EMERGENCY ASTERN. The MANUEL JASPER shuddered and jumped as the massive engines reversed and went to full power in the opposite direction, thundering like a dozen locomotives! The whole ship was shaking and those on the bridge had to hold on just to be able to stand upright!

Peter had six fire hoses and both mast monitors pouring water on the flaming ship. All the passengers were crowded on the forward part of the ship and all her lifeboats were swung out ready if they had to abandon ship.

The Coastie came trailing up and added additional fire hoses on the opposite side.

It took them another eight hours to put the fires out. The Cutter took off the injured passengers and crew members and rushed them back to San Francisco.

Carson maneuvered The MANUEL JASPER up under The QUEEN's bow and their crew dropped a messenger line down the hawse to the fantail of the tug. The deck crew of The MANUEL JASPER rove a heavy line onto the messenger line and The QUEEN's crew pulled it aboard and fed the heavy line into the foredeck winch.

The QUEEN had only her emergency generator, so they were careful using the winch. They worked the tow cable up through the hawse and made it fast to the mooring bollards.

When they had gotten the fire out and it was safe for the passengers to crowd into the public areas of the cruise ship, where they had a little protection from the elements, they began the process of arranging the tow.

The crew of The QUEEN had been able to disconnect the damaged portions of their electric power system and was then able to restart a main generator to provide lights and ventilation for the passengers jammed into the dining rooms and the ballroom. However, there was not enough power to supply air conditioning.

Carson ordered the "towing balls" (referred to by Tow Boat crews as "Bull's Balls") run up on The MANUEL JASPER's mast and he began easing the tug forward to take up the slack on the wire. When the wire went rigid, he began increasing engine power until he was nearing the calculated tension limits of the tow wire.

The best speed he figured they could make was six knots, otherwise the tow wire might snap. It was going to be a long trip back to San Francisco, but it was jobs like this that The MANUEL JASPER had been designed and built for.

A smaller Coast Guard Cutter arrived on the scene and led the procession back to San Francisco Bay. It was a long and grueling haul, fortunately, the weather remained mild and there was little wind to complicate the pull.

The QUEEN followed The MANUEL JASPER like an obedient puppy on the end of a leash. It took them a full twenty-six hours to get the stricken cruise liner into the safety of the Great Bay and a great cheer went up from the passengers as The MANUEL JASPER nudged The QUEEN into a berth along Pier One. Not a single life had been lost and the passengers who had been hurt and taken off by the Coast Guard Cutter had only minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

The ship had been insured by Lloyd's of London and their agent had a preliminary payment ready for Bates Marine Services the next day.

When they got back to the home base, the Marconi Operator had messages from both Andrew and Keith congratulating them for such fine service. The event had made the news worldwide and there was even a picture of the massive tug towing The Queen of the Seas as they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge.

They cleaned up The MANUEL JASPER and everyone headed for their bunks or home for a well-earned rest. Peter planned on refueling The MANUEL JASPER the next morning, just in case.

Both men went to their homes and families, Keith had long ago set up a receiver in their home so they could listen to radio traffic to and from any Bates Marine Tug. Peter's Mother, Martha, had turned on the set and she and David, who was home from the Academy, sat glued to the radio. If David had ever been unsure about what he wanted to do in his life, his mind was made up now! He would follow his Papa to sea!

The next morning, Peter headed down to the office and thought it strange that Carson was not there yet. Shaking his head, he went over to The MANUEL JASPER and got the crew started on cleaning the huge vessel and readying her for service again.

The fuel barge was already alongside and, as Peter headed back to the office, the men were running the water hose out to refill The MANUEL JASPER's water tanks.

As he entered the office, he heard the telephone ringing. It was Carson's Father, Thomas frantically trying to reach Peter. The old man was breathless as he stammered, "Peter, come quick, Carson has had a heart attack!"

Peter hollered for Johnnie to "hold down the fort" as he ran out the door and jumped into his car. He was taking the turns on the winding road that led up, through the Berkeley Hills to where they all lived, on two wheels, the tires were screeching in protest.

When he arrived, Thomas was waiting for him at the door. Thomas said to Peter, Doctor Phillips is with him right now." And then the old man began to break down, "ppPPPeter, iii it does't lllook ggood."

Peter held Thomas' hand until the old man regained control of himself and they both sat in the chairs out in the hallway until Dr. Phillips came out of the room. He said to the two men, whom he had known years almost beyond counting, "Thomas, Peter, his sea days are over, I have called for the ambulance to transport him to the hospital. I will know more after we get some tests and x-rays, but I am pretty damned sure it's a blood clot in his heart."

Peter asked, "Should I recall the boys?"

Ike Phillips looked at Peter with sad eyes and said simply, "Yes."

Peter went in the other room and had his cry for his best friend, then he got on the phone to the Marconi Operator down at the pier and told him to get "on the horn" and contact Keith and Andrew to come home immediately!

The ambulance arrived and took Carson to St. Luke's Hospital and Peter went back down to the waterfront and walked in the office. The Captains and crews of every Bates Marine ship in port were standing there.

Robert Way of The PETER spoke for the group, "Sir, is he gonna be alright?"

Peter sighed and replied, "No, guys, he isn't gonna be alright. He had a massive heart attack and Doctor Ike is doing all he knows how to save Carson's life."

The crews went back to their tugs in a somber mood, the captains all stayed in the office, jumping every time the phone rang. The Marconi Operator came downstairs and handed Peter a sheet with the flights of Keith and Andrew, they both were catching the first flights out.

By mid-afternoon, all pretense of working had been abandoned, the office was full of crews and their families as they waited for word about Captain Carson Bates. Peter could see that many of the families were frightened and he reassured them that Bates Marine would stay in business, that he was Vice President and half owner of the service.

By evening, Peter saw that nobody had any intention of leaving, so he had Johnnie contact a catering service and bring food that could be served to their crews and their families.

Just after nine in the evening, a bleary-eyed Dr. Ike Phillips came through the door, followed by Thomas Bates, Carson's Father. Ike held up his hand for quiet and he said, "Folks, Carson Bates will live, but his working days are over. There was just too much damage to his heart, damage that I cannot fix."

He turned to Peter and said, "Peter, he asks that you take over the helm of the company and keep it going." Thomas shook his head in agreement and said, "It is Carson's wish that you be named President of Bates Marine Services."

Turning towards the crowd, he continued, "Carson feels that you are all part of his extended family and wishes you all to know that your employment with Bates Marine is safe and secure and that the business will continue under Captain Peter Van."

He then said to Peter privately, "Peter, the family all agrees that you are the man to run the company, we know that you have 30% of the stock and it is our feeling that your share should be raised to 49%. The lawyers are working on that right now and should have all the paperwork first thing in the morning."

Peter stood there with his mouth working and no words would come out, he finally managed to stammer, "Mr. T, I will do my damnedest to justify your trust in me."

The days flowed into weeks and Carson continued to improve, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that his sea days were over. Andrew and Keith spent two weeks being with their Dads before they returned to their jobs in the Far East.

There were rumors of problems in Viet Nam and Keith reported a pickup in barge traffic. Shortly after that, Andrew reported the same thing from Hong Kong. They had The MANUEL JASPER scheduled for long term contract hauling grain and Peter wondered if he should transfer The DAVID to some place closer to the action.

Before he could make a decision, the Navy Supply System place an emergency order with them to haul eight pulls of sixteen barges each from Oakland Army Terminal to Saigon. The only tug they had available for that kind of service, was The MANUEL JASPER.

It would take several weeks to recall the DAVID and insert her into the schedule. The DAVID would arrive with two passengers, Andrew and Keith, they were not about to let their "other" Daddy work himself into a heart attack too!

Peter agreed to the contract and looked for a Captain to command The MANUEL JASPER. He selected young Terry Bates, who had just gotten his Captain's papers, but he had sailed in every position in the MANUEL JASPER except Chief Engineer and Master and he was Carson's son in every respect, including blood. His bright red hair marked him wherever he went.

The young Captain took hold of his ship in a confident manner and told Peter in private that he was gonna make his Daddy proud! Peter told him that both he and his Daddy were already proud of him.

The MANUEL JASPER was available and Peter had appointed him Captain. The man was as huge as his engines of his ship, at six and a half feet tall and weighing two-hundred and thirty pounds, without an ounce of fat showing on him, he was a formidable young man.

As soon as The MANUEL JASPER had been fueled and her water tanks topped off, food stores brought on board and two additional Marconi Operators added to the crew, Terry ordered The MANUEL JASPER's lines taken in and he backed away from their pier, headed for the Army Terminal. He was in command of the largest tugboat in the American Fleet!

The barges were loaded with tanks and other tracked vehicles, sea containers of weapons and ammunition, and two barges of partially "knocked down" helicopters. It took them the rest of the day to make up the pull and it was getting dark as they crossed the Bay, heading for the Golden Gate.

Terry said good bye to his Uncle Peter on the ship to shore radio and asked him to look out for his Daddy, while he was gone.

The Army had put a premium clause in the contract for early delivery and, as soon as they had cleared the Farallon Rocks, Terry jacked the engine order telegraph up to ALL AHEAD FULL. He had every intention of collecting that premium. He did!

While the MANUEL JASPER was in transit, business began picking up for Bates Marine Services, orders for freight started coming in, some were in panic as suppliers to the military discovered they had let their inventories fall off.

Back out in the Far East, Andrew was tearing his hair out, he simply did not have enough tugs to fulfill the orders already on his desk and Consolidated Grains out of Sydney was asking to renew their contract for The DAVID. He had to turn them down, he needed The DAVID to haul military equipment for the Army.

He radioed The DAVID, which had just arrived in Sydney with twelve barges of manufactured goods from Europe, and told them that they were to take six barges of electronics and textiles that were headed their way from Singapore and take them to Los Angeles. From there they were to go to San Francisco directly, where the Army had a sixteen barge pull for them.

In a private message to Captain Delmar Johnson, he said, "Del, make it a fast run, we need you at the Oakland Army Terminal as fast as you can get there."

As soon as Captain Johnson got the message, he went down to the Chief Engineer's office and sat down, "Keith, it looks like we are in another war, this time its Vietnam. Your Dad needs us in Oakland as fast as we can get there, after we pick up some barges from Singapore. They should be here tomorrow, so refuel and top off the water tanks, I'm gonna push our baby as hard as she will go!"

The next morning, The DAVID stood out into the harbor as The ANDREW dropped off six loaded barges for The DAVID. Del and his First Mate, Bobby Lister, checked them over and accepted them. While checking the loaded barges, Del slipped and, when they fished him out of the bay, he had a broken leg! The only thing Andrew could do under the circumstances was to take command of The DAVID himself.

After sending Del to Mercy Hospital in Sydney, they finished making up the tow and departed immediately. As soon as they cleared the breakwater, Andrew said, "Let's hump!" and he ordered the Engine Order Telegraph up to ALL AHEAD FULL.

The huge tug leaped forward, churning the ocean through her screws as they came up to full speed. The roar of the engines could be heard and felt all over the ship and the exhaust gases shot out the stack like a Fourth of July rocket. The entire ship was quivering as it strained against the tow wire.

They made a near-record passage, twenty-two days later they were passing the breakwater and entering Los Angeles Harbor and four days after that, they were passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

They made their first stop at their home pier, they had not been home in three years. After Keith and Andrew had hugged their Dad and other crewmembers had held their family members for the first time since they had been assigned to the Far East Station, they proceeded to refuel and load the ship with necessities before heading to the Army Terminal.

The brothers both groaned when they saw the assembled pull, truly The DAVID was going to earn her keep!

Since it was an emergency shipment, they departed as soon as the pull had been made up, even though it was 2AM! Andrew had plotted a course along the Great Circle Route that would take them into the South China Sea and on to Saigon. They had delayed only long enough to make a sick call on their Grandmother.

Keith was in the engine room making sure the huge tug proved she was up to it, they were surging along at just under eighteen knots, despite the heavy load on the barges behind her. Again, The DAVID proved her worth, she made a twenty-six-day passage to the mouth of the Saigon River, where they took on a pilot for the tortuous trip upriver to Cat Lai Port.

Some of the bends in the river were so tight, they needed the assistance of two small harbor tugs to swing their barges without hitting the mud-lined banks of the river.

There was an Army Colonel in charge of the freight handling and Andrew soon came to realize the man didn't know his ass from a hot rock. He had to threaten to depart with his cargo still on the barges before the idiot would turn the job over to someone who knew what he was doing!

The Colonel had tried to treat the tug crew as his personal servants and it was all Andrew could do to prevent the First Mate, Bobby Lister, from taking a swing on the arrogant Colonel.

While The DAVID was in Saigon, The MANUEL JASPER had returned to San Francisco Bay for another load, this time, they had twelve barges loaded with munitions. Bombs, artillery shells and cases of rifle ammunition and miscellaneous munitions that they later learned were rockets, mortar ammunition and napalm. Whether it was unconscious or not, the First Mate played out a little more length to the tow wire, placing the pull further off their fantail!

When the MANUEL JASPER got back to the Saigon River, along with a pilot, they took on a squad of soldiers, all armed. The Sergeant told them that they had been troubled with snipers along the river. None of their crew got hurt that trip up the Saigon River, however the soldiers did find plenty to shoot at on the banks of the river.

As the months began to play out, Peter had to assign the ANDREW and the MARTHA in addition to the two larger tugs, full time to supply the war effort in Viet Nam and Keith became Captain of The DAVID.

Andrew was able to palm off the Resident Manager job to Del Johnson on a permanent basis, telling him a broken leg would be no problem commanding a desk! Del was NOT amused!

For the next two years, neither The DAVID nor The MANUEL JASPER got any reprieve, it was round trips to Saigon and back, non-stop. The two huge tugs never missed a sailing in that time and they were carrying ever-increasing loads.

Peter had to call a stop, the Army wanted the DAVID to haul twenty-eight barges and he flatly told them, "NO, in fact, HELL NO!"

As the supply system began to catch up in Saigon, the flow of barge freight began to slack off a bit and the crews were not being faced with back-to-back sailings.
They would get a day or two to spend with their families and loved ones, however, their loyalty remained with Bates Marine. They would call in every morning they were in port to check if they were needed.

It was during this period that Carson's condition began to decline and, on the day before Christmas of 1965, Carson was found dead in his bed when the special duty nurse came in to check on him.

Both The DAVID and The MANUEL JASPER were in port at the time, it was Peter's awful duty to tell his sons that Carson was dead! He would not be able to cry for the man he had loved from afar until he was alone that night. All he could do was to radio Terry the awful news.

Carson's death was a terrible shock to all who knew and loved him. At his funeral, it was not unusual to see gruff, old seamen from the tugs in tears. He had been a legend in his own time, an employer who actually cared for his employees. He had treated every employee, every crew member as family and they had loved him for it.

At his funeral, person after person stood and told how he and his family had been helped by Carson Bates.

Johnnie and all the other boys that Carson had saved, served as Pall Bearers on his final voyage to his grave. None of them could see for their tears and the funeral director had to lead them away where they could sit down.

Peter held up pretty good, he did his best for the sake of Keith and Andrew and Terry, but his tears were those of an unrequited love. Peter had loved Carson, but had never found a way to tell Carson of his love for him.

Peter's anguish was increased when it came time to read the will and Peter had to be led away when the attorney read, "and for Peter Van, know that I have loved you from the very beginning, but it was a love that could never be. To you, Peter, I bequeath all my worldly goods and assets, you are to have the remainder of Bate's Marine Services stock, except for 10% that is reserved for the benefit of my Mother and Father, Thomas and Helen Bates. I trust you will care for the sons we share and that you will find happiness in knowing that I am waiting for you to rejoin with me in God's Light that knows no disapproval."

Peter was bawling like a baby as his sons, Keith and Andrew put him to bed. Both boys sat beside Peter for the rest of the night, guarding him from any intrusion and they shed their own tears for both their Fathers!

When Peter awoke the next morning, he found his sons sleeping in chairs beside his bed. He woke them and hugged them mightily before they all went down for breakfast. Terry had caught a flight and had joined them.

In the days following Carson's death, Peter reorganized Bate's Marine Services, making Keith and Andrew Vice Presidents and repositioning their fleet to better serve their customers. He placed an order for a twin to the DAVID that was to be completed by June of 1967. It was to have all the latest "Bells and Whistles" and would become a flagship for the Bate's Marine Fleet.

"In the midst of sorrow comes a growing together of a family and its friends"