Posted By: beachcomber
Lighthouse Keepers and Coast Guard Cutters - 07/19/06 07:55 AM
I found this little jewel of a book at one of the many lighthouses we visited prior to and after the 2005 Mackinac Island HL Reunion. The subtitle: Heroic Lighthouse Keepers and the Coast Guard Cutters Named After Them.
In recent months we have talked a lot about ships, so I thought this to be an opportune time to discuss this book. I hope some of you have read it and can contribute to the discussion. In case you have not, I will start with some background. Hopefully, you will go find the book and give us your insights. It is very easy reading and you can skip around; it does not have to be read sequentially.
First of all, in one of the very last chapters, the author Frederick Stonehouse writes about a very important company, the Marinette Marine Corporation. It is the company which built the Coast Guard Cutters which we have been discussing. I knew nothing about this company and its role in building ships for the federal government. Maybe some of you have not heard about it either. Some important facts:
It is situated in Marinette, Wisconsin on that side of the Menominee River.
Across the river is the city of Menominee, Michigan.
The bulk of the workforce comes from both of these cities (we have lots of friends in Wisconsin and Michigan).
The shipyard is comprised of 20 acres along 1200 feet of the Minominee River (don't you just love those wonderful Native American names?).
The company was founded by Dr. Clarence Boren and a businessman named Max Hellerman in 1942 (yup - during WWII). These smart men knew naval construction was going to be in great demand.
They started out with cargo barges - made from the lumber of the beautiful forests of Wisconsin and Michigan - and made many, many contributions to the war effort. During that time the Navy honored them for their excellent work by giving them an "E" for excellence flag and a Minuteman flag to fly on the company's flagpole.
Marinette Marine had to diversify after the war but the federal government never forgot the great job they did during the war and eventually they started awarding the company more contracts. The company continuously worked to improve and evolve but there was one constant and that was the workers; it became a family affair to work at Marinette. A mechanic who started out in 1942 worked his way to the position of president. His name was Harold Derusha and he was followed by his son Roger.
You will need to read the chapter for yourself to learn all the particulars of the work which Marinette Marine has done and continues to do. There are lots of pictures, too.
The next chapter: the U.S. Coast Guard.
To be continued...
In recent months we have talked a lot about ships, so I thought this to be an opportune time to discuss this book. I hope some of you have read it and can contribute to the discussion. In case you have not, I will start with some background. Hopefully, you will go find the book and give us your insights. It is very easy reading and you can skip around; it does not have to be read sequentially.
First of all, in one of the very last chapters, the author Frederick Stonehouse writes about a very important company, the Marinette Marine Corporation. It is the company which built the Coast Guard Cutters which we have been discussing. I knew nothing about this company and its role in building ships for the federal government. Maybe some of you have not heard about it either. Some important facts:
It is situated in Marinette, Wisconsin on that side of the Menominee River.
Across the river is the city of Menominee, Michigan.
The bulk of the workforce comes from both of these cities (we have lots of friends in Wisconsin and Michigan).
The shipyard is comprised of 20 acres along 1200 feet of the Minominee River (don't you just love those wonderful Native American names?).
The company was founded by Dr. Clarence Boren and a businessman named Max Hellerman in 1942 (yup - during WWII). These smart men knew naval construction was going to be in great demand.
They started out with cargo barges - made from the lumber of the beautiful forests of Wisconsin and Michigan - and made many, many contributions to the war effort. During that time the Navy honored them for their excellent work by giving them an "E" for excellence flag and a Minuteman flag to fly on the company's flagpole.
Marinette Marine had to diversify after the war but the federal government never forgot the great job they did during the war and eventually they started awarding the company more contracts. The company continuously worked to improve and evolve but there was one constant and that was the workers; it became a family affair to work at Marinette. A mechanic who started out in 1942 worked his way to the position of president. His name was Harold Derusha and he was followed by his son Roger.
You will need to read the chapter for yourself to learn all the particulars of the work which Marinette Marine has done and continues to do. There are lots of pictures, too.
The next chapter: the U.S. Coast Guard.
To be continued...