Remembering our Mariners: Elmwood Cemetery at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Silver Bell Awards
Liam Smith
Last September, Elmwood Cemetery was proud to host a program honoring the Merchant Marine. The Merchant Marine serves a vital role in transporting goods and materials around the world. They help supply resources to the military, support international trade, and transport disaster relief, among other responsibilities. The United States Merchant Marine is managed by the United States Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. The Merchant Marine plays an essential role in moving cargo and people in times of peace and war. Although the Merchant Marine has played an active role during military conflict as far back as the Revolutionary War, the Merchant Marine is not technically part of the military. Therefore, merchant mariners are not awarded veteran status. The only exception to this was granted for those who served during World War II.
During World War II the Merchant Marine saw more deaths per capita than any branch of the US Military. About 9,300 mariners died, 12,000 were wounded, and over 1,500 ships were sunk.The mariners of World War II, given their significant role in the war effort and the fact that they put themselves in harm's way during the conflict, had lobbied to be recognized as Veterans, or at least receive the same benefits that veterans receive. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had seemed to express his desire for the mariners of World War II to receive these benefits, but he passed away before the conclusion of the war and his suggestions were disregarded. In 1988, the mariners of WWII would win a court battle allowing them to be granted Veteran status.
In honor of the three known merchant mariners of World War II remembered at this cemetery, we at Elmwood Cemetery held Deeds, Not Words: A Ceremony Honoring the Merchant Marine on September 30, 2023. The program was one of our larger undertakings. At the center of the ceremony were audio clips of three New Jersey mariners from the Rutgers Oral History Archives. These audio recordings show the selflessness and service of local mariners during the war.
One was so committed to helping the war effort that he enlisted with the Merchant Marine at the age of sixteen. Another proved his devotion to the Merchant Marine by continuing to sail after the Pearl Harbor attack. The other saw his fellow sailors make the ultimate sacrifice as he was stranded floating at sea for 31 days after his ship was torpedoed. The Rutgers Oral History Archives staff were quite helpful in assisting our research and procuring the recordings for us to use at the event, for which we remain very grateful. Also of great help during our research was the American Merchant Marine Veterans organization, which provided us books and pamphlets to help develop the program.
The second portion of the event was a thought provoking discussion panel featuring Anthony Tocci and Rick Japinga, who served in the Merchant Marine during Vietnam, Joe Wilson, whose father and uncle served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and who has in the past given a presentation about the history of the Merchant Marine in World War II, and Dennis Ng, President of the D.A.R. Chapter and Vice President of Region 3 for the American Merchant Marine Veterans. The panel discussed the sacrifices that mariners had made throughout history as well as personal stories of service.
Mr. Ng was a great resource in helping to develop our program and was gracious enough to be the master of ceremonies for our event. Mr. Ng’s father served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and it is evident how much it means to Mr. Ng to honor his father’s service. In recognition of the work we did to recognize and remember the merchant mariners of World War II, he kindly extended to us an invitation to the 46th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner, hosted by the Seamen’s Church Institute.
The Seamen’s Church Institute was founded in 1834 as the Young Men’s Church Missionary Society, which was affiliated with the Episcopal Church. By 1843 they would be renamed the Protestant Episcopal Church Missionary Society for Seamen in the Port and City of New York, becoming a missionary society entirely focused on mariners. Since then, their work has evolved to much more than that. Inarguably the largest organization representing mariners in North America, today the SCI provides, in addition to their pastoral care, training and educational resources, legal advice and advocacy, relief for sailors in crisis, and lobbies on behalf of mariners to the United States government, the United Nations, and other maritime organizations.
We at Elmwood appreciated the education we received on their efforts when we attended the awards dinner on Thursday, June 13. It is fair to say that we, and many without a connection to the maritime industry, were unfamiliar with the work of the Seamen’s Church Institute. Certainly, despite being founded before the Red Cross, the relief efforts of the SCI are less known comparatively. Just in the last year, the Seamen’s Church Institute provided aid to the sailors aboard the DALI, the ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and, closer to home, the mariners aboard the the M/V Grande Costa d’Avorio, the ship that caught fire in Port Newark. While these stories made local and national news, the SCI’s efforts received little attention.
Still, that night, the gratitude for the singular work of the SCI permeated the evening. One could not come away from the dinner without admiration for this supportive, close-knit community. On that note, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the two awardees for the night, Bethann Rooney, who received the Distinguished Service Award, and John C. Hadjipateras, who received the titular Silver Bell Award.
Mrs. Rooney has served since 2022 as the Director of the Port Department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, overseeing the operations, management, and development of the marine terminal facilities in the Port of New York and New Jersey. She has worked for the Port Authority for three decades, beginning in 1993. She has had an accomplished career, serving in many positions. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, she was manager of port security, a position she would hold for 14 years. In 2019 she would become the Port’s deputy director. Other awards she has received include the US Secretary of Transportation's 9/11 Medal and the US Department of Homeland Security's Distinguished Public Service Award, which she has received twice.
Mr. Hadjipateras is the Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of Dorian LPG Ltd. He has been involved in shipping company management since 1972. Until 1992, Mr. Hadjipateras was the Managing Director of Peninsular Maritime Ltd., in London and subsequently served as President of Eagle Ocean. Additionally, he has served as a member of the board of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee and has been a member of the Baltic Exchange since 1972 and of the American Bureau of Shipping since 2011. In his speech, he spoke towards his efforts to increase the hiring of women in the industry, something he was clearly proud of.
We at Elmwood were quite grateful to Mr. Ng for inviting us to this event. Since then we’ve been reflecting on the mariners in this cemetery. We have, of course, our veteran merchant mariners buried here as well as cenotaphs to sailors who were lost at sea. One mariner, Donald Rockhill, had half of his ashes spread at sea. It’s an interesting dichotomy. For many sailors, the sea is a fitting final resting place. It is where they made their life and livelihood. Still, to their family who remain, there is a desire to leave some monument, some memorial, to remember these seamen at home. To honor both desires is the goal of a cemetery and I think in either case it reflects a respect to the sailor and honors the important role they play in our community.
Sources:
“American Merchant Mariners’ Struggle for Veteran Status.” American Merchant Marine at War, February 2, 2002. http://www.usmm.org/strugglevetstatus.html.
“About AMMV.” American Merchant Marine Veterans. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://ammv.us/about/.
“Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know about the Merchant Marine.” Veterans Breakfast Club, July 24, 2023. https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/everything-youve-always-wanted-to-know-about-the-merchant-marine-but-were-afraid-to-ask/.
“Fire, Fire, Fire! Abandon Ship!” Seamen’s Church Institute, December 20, 2023. https://seamenschurch.org/fire-fire-fire-abandon-ship/.
Maldonado, Zinnia. “Port Newark Fire: What We Know about Cargo Ship Grande Costa D’Avorio.” CBS News, July 6, 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/port-newark-fire-what-we-know-about-cargo-ship-grande-costa-davorio/.
“Mariner Advocacy.” Seamen’s Church Institute. Accessed June 19, 2024. http://seamenschurch.org/programs-services/mariner-advocacy/.
“Military to Mariner.” U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, May 12, 2023. https://www.maritime.dot.gov/outreach/military-mariner.
Nestlehutt, Mark. “What’s in a Name: The Seamen’s Church Institute Of...” Seamen’s Church Institute, January 20, 2023. https://seamenschurch.org/whats-in-a-name-the-seamens-church-institute-of/.
“SCI and the Container Ship Dali .” Seamen’s Church Institute, April 25, 2024. https://seamenschurch.org/sci-and-the-container-ship-dali/.
“SCI Mission Areas.” Seamen’s Church Institute. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://seamenschurch.org/mission-areas/.
“U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II.” American Merchant Marine at War, January 31, 2007. http://www.usmm.org/ww2.html.