00:00:00.740 - 00:00:23.060

Well here this morning. It's Saturday, the Panama Canal Re union, and we're with Captain Wilder. And first of all, I want to thank you, Captain Wilder, for agreeing to be interviewed. I really appreciate you taking your time out. Um, I wonder if we could start If you wouldn't mind telling me when and where your involvement with the Panama Canal in the canal zone first started.

00:00:23.740 - 00:00:49.840

Alright, what do you want me to start? Um, maybe when you first arrived, or did your parents have any involvement? Or did it? Being with your generation or well, Im e had been sailing the Pharaoh line for eight years, and there was, uh, skipper with fire lines.

00:00:49.840 - 00:01:24.150

About five years from 19, 1940 to 1958 years. Five of those years was master of a ship going toe off. A few ships go into West Africa on a little run, which was a requirement in Panama coming out to become a pilot and be have an unlimited license and then sale at least one year's master.

00:01:24.440 - 00:01:55.010

The notion going ship. So I e. I left Caroline's in 1950 and during the Korean War when on active duty in the Navy. Lieutenant Commander, Operations officer on the ship. Yeah, a thorn brother who had also sailed with Caroline's had been masters roughly the same ships that I've been master of.

00:01:55.020 - 00:02:19.360

He he was still saying it was paralyzed. Hey, put in an application for the Panama Canal because there's a mother says Mother whose kids said the Children need a father. So I didn't go to see for three months a stretch. Hey, put an application and so did I.

00:02:20.140 - 00:02:47.840

He happens to be my twin brother. So where his name was after my name was Albert and his application was accepted and Southern ships that he had been on this as master a swell was cheap and third made second mate. And so on on, they got my application and it was a wilder.

00:02:48.640 - 00:03:08.670

And he's about the same ships that had been master had been master. Uh, so they put mine in the round file. This whom I thought it was a duplicate. Okay, they throw it away way. But anyway, the Navy wouldn't release me until about six months later on.

00:03:08.680 - 00:03:32.030

My brother said you're gonna reply. I said, Yeah, well, so I did. And That's how I got the job. In October of 1952. We went. I went out of Pana Panama with my family. Uh, okay. Can you talk a little bit, Captain Walter, about your earlier earlier life?

00:03:32.030 - 00:03:51.850

Did your parents father have any involvement in the Navy? Or was that something? No. No, He was in the National Guard during the war, but never gonna go to see didn't across. Thank you. Stay in the United States. But he was in the National Guard. Tre 19 timeto World War One.

00:03:51.860 - 00:04:14.050

Uh, that Zafar as see Gordon's concerned e think I think I had an Uncle Feeney asses. We went to see it one time. That's about it, Brother E. When we graduated from high school and Weymouth mash, uh, we decided, Didn't want to sit behind the desk.

00:04:14.640 - 00:04:39.270

So actually went to see first in 1936 Is cadets with months of line. I was junior in high school. I went to South America and back. There's cadets, uh, and then that when he graduated from high school, we both want Thio Massachusetts. They called it the Massachusetts Nautical School.

00:04:39.290 - 00:05:09.510

It was a three masted barque sailing ship uh, we spent two years on that and got a three, uh, sad before the local inspectors in 1939 and got a mace license Unlimited. Uh, on both of us. Shipped out a Xabi Thank you. Two ships I think of as we're both both on the same ship as I was funny.

00:05:09.520 - 00:05:33.550

I was on. I was on the 8 to 12 watch, and he relieved me at midnight. And his second mate, What was coming on white suit after about 20 minutes is he looked around and said, Did you get relieved yet? E Oh, yeah. Oh, that's right.

00:05:33.550 - 00:06:02.650

You guys are twins. E o While on the school ship, though we've got a short way made a boys share. Alright, Europe on this three masted barque the Nantucket and we called had a exhilarating engine coal burner. And we were cold and shipping in Norfolk and Monnin cold ship in Norfolk.

00:06:02.660 - 00:06:32.810

So by the nice, I would go ashore and get tattoos. So we did. So we went toe of the name of Coleman was on East Main Street tattoo artist. In fact, he has an exhibition in the new book News Maritime. Uh, wow. my time. Whatever it is over there in Newport News.

00:06:32.820 - 00:06:54.570

Anyway, we're looking for an anchor. And here's the anchor that you put on May on. My brother got the same thing. Uh, and the one enough of wanted initials. Who should? I don't know. Just the anger in those days. In 1938. What do you think that cost?

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Oh, I can't even imagine $10. 25 cents. Zook Fei 50 cents with 50 cents with initials. Okay, A nickel? Yeah, E anyway, yeah. To stop. Oh, again, We had a uniforms similar to the one in the navy. Maybe a Muslim man on dso We came back.

00:07:27.520 - 00:07:47.800

What ship? E cost. The news has spread around the ship before we got there. Oh, the twins got tattooed. Now we can tell them apart. So the deck medicine. The gangway says I understand you two boys got tattooed. Yep. I see yours pretty good. Let's see yours.

00:07:47.810 - 00:08:11.240

E s didn't work anyway. That's a part of the school ships that we had fun on and being trends because we didn't get hazed too much simply because they didn't know which one they were using to be to be hazed. So we didn't have a class one.

00:08:11.240 - 00:08:35.320

Didn't bother us too much. We left the school ship in 39 graduated with mates licenses, but had to sell a because there's no jobs made. So you know when you say sell a B A seaman. Okay, uh, Able Seaman, Uh, we both were on the beacon at one time.

00:08:35.320 - 00:09:05.250

About six months of tanker from New York Trick Aruba. Um, Boston. And so on course lies mostly in the form of Goto. What is turning? Thio were places. Uh, but then he got we both ended up on the olga and he got to sort of mates job while I was boasting on the and we made short trips.

00:09:05.250 - 00:09:32.730

His little coals over cold bowl running from New York Thio? Uh, no. Fuck. Or Virginia either. Newport News are truth the other place. Anyway, sometimes I has boasted sometimes I had him in a crew member and sometimes he was on the bridge. I got even with him when he was a crew member.

00:09:32.740 - 00:09:59.860

Anyway, about that, we both shipped out time and he had sale at least a year on your relations. So we both had time enough for second mate's license surgery. South Boston Before the local inspectors, he got a second mate's license, went the 1942 and the second made on the William Hooper Liberty Ship.

00:10:00.440 - 00:10:29.490

And I got one second mate on the Daniel Morgan Way loaded. I made my ship in Wilmington and way I went to New York and loaded was, uh, airplanes. And so on the ammunition that was a Liberty ship ship? Yeah, Onda here was in You got what?

00:10:29.500 - 00:10:53.850

Port he loaded. But anyway, we went in the out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, waiting for a convoy. And who should come in the next day was William Uber. So I waved him as he went by the anguish and basically a Bedford basin. And then he took off England and I took out for Iceland.

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Andi, we had a gun crew boy, and we tear in far way. We put what they call the fog boy streaming back after so that the ship is stern. When you're in convoy, you could see the fog, Roy shooting up a big plume of water. You couldn't see the ship, you could see the plume of water and that that's 11 day around four o'clock in the afternoon, he was fog set in.

00:11:29.540 - 00:11:57.360

Okay. Over the night. What was that? Ocean there? Way had a gun. Crew followed with a three inch 50 gun. They had a about on before the May could stop because shot There was a farm boy. They fired two shots and one of them hit the farm boy, which is down good shooting, because the common blank does that.

00:11:57.360 - 00:12:22.050

What's the problem? And they they got a crew. Uh, commander, bring back. We just shot the fog boy was Well, he's a good shooting eso. Anyway, we got into Iceland on get just outside of Reykjavik er, and who should come in the next day? But William Cooper s so he anchored.

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Be honest. And at that time, we had no walkie talkies or anything. We did mostly by signal light, so I haven't watched them see what it was anchor. So both he and I stood the standing 12 to 4 watch in the afternoon in the morning. So around midnight, I get this belong to have a sort of a trigger on the end of it.

00:12:47.830 - 00:13:15.670

Had a light in it now the payment. William Hooper and speaking Sunday's Thio My brother on, We'll talk back and forth half a mile away way. Uh, we got underway. Finally. I think it was July 1st somewhere there and on the way to Russia, we got attacked by submarines.

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I forgot how many ships were starting. We ran into fog. Hey, had 2026 ships or he was more or less along with heaviest protected, uh uh, convoy that ever left Iceland bound food memories and Arcangel Uh, and we proceeded till July 4th when we got attacked by, uh, squadron of torpedo planes.

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Way sell to chop Peter's coming. My ship was second made skipping. He headed into the same course is Aziz to pieces When you could see him down one side of the other e looked over and I saw William Cooper. William Hope you got hit by the injury.

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Um, drifted back so I could see us Hatch Brothers ship. So we were July 4th in the afternoon where it came from, the British animal teen who was in charge of the convoy? Uh, probably, uh, but the escort, which is about I'm 15 naval ships, including an aircraft carrier.

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Where to leave the convoy and the convoy was to proceed his destination of his utmost speed while a liberty ship on it as about 10 knots of these Williams. So that's what happened when we separated. So were attacked by, uh, to to dive bombers. A soul ship were, uh the Fairfield City was one of the ships that was unarmed.

00:15:06.350 - 00:15:34.610

We had a 350 forward to go there on aircraft ground after we had a four inch, which is just surfaced but useless for airplanes. So we have this good gun crew for that shot that so to dive bombers come in and dropped three bombs apiece and they're dropping once and try to straddle this ship because capital since the start Oh, they're zigzag on.

00:15:34.620 - 00:15:57.360

They missed us. And I think we got one of those planes with three and 55. And then, about two hours later, who comes for dive bombers on? I think we got one out of that one. But all of the rest of mist, Andi, I think the last attack was about three hours later.

00:15:57.840 - 00:16:18.090

Was daylight like that all the time? So e think it was about five of them came over. The last one got in there, miss back ass simply because when they tried to seat the shell into the 350 barrels so hot, the the shelled expanded the barrel contracted or something.

00:16:18.090 - 00:16:50.800

But anyway, it was sort of going in Thio being set good about two inches. So I went back after get a picture of a merchant crew, but we tried to help the gun crew got a picture of cold water to pour down the barrel with work s last guy got a near miss back after and run the engine room and run the steering gear room on, uh, with no rudder way were helpless.

00:16:50.810 - 00:17:13.070

Eso word came to abandon ship, so we're still underway, but she's not steering. So Chief made. He launched his boat before the water was given. He got kind of excited. He launched his boat and tried to get into it before it got into the water and he was crushed.

00:17:13.740 - 00:17:39.670

Society. The ship of the boats. You lost that man. And then when I was a charge of way, uh, my boat went down, but I wasn't in it, so I pulled the toggle on a life raft and jumped in the water after it on, uh, that water was the injury amount usually takes the water temperature every morning.

00:17:39.670 - 00:18:12.010

Every even water was 36 degrees. I was swimming in it. I practically walked. Walked to the raft from here. That plan of water out of it come and did. Lifeboats got back in and took over the steering. Or and there were about five seamen. And the things I said, Okay, man, he was rolled back to the ship because this ship is still floating lost way.

00:18:12.020 - 00:18:38.620

So we went alongside and climate aboard went up to my room soaking wet. I took my clothes off and somebody said, Okay, abandon ship it. Then I e put on a pair of past the shirt and so on, uh, got back into the into the lifeboat, and Captain had all his papers, his logbook and so on.

00:18:38.620 - 00:18:59.350

He put in and wrapped a lifetime cork lifetime around so it wouldn't sink. You throw it over the side, we're going to go pick it up. When all of a sudden torpedo hit ship boom. And she went e still see it? She just broke in half.

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She went This man cushion went down on the old forage forage gun. Fired a zit, uh, short circuited, Whatever it waas another thing. Fires she sunk and the submarine come up. Uh oh. Debris around there. So on weigh against 23 life boats, one had a motor in it, and, uh, we're gonna hook him up.

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Which we did. Yeah, the third one third light, but was all holds from machine guns that fired at us on the attack from from the from the torpedo planes on. But she was floats. She was wasn't sinking. What? She had a lot of holes, but anyway, uh, got shot.

00:19:49.940 - 00:20:25.190

We sat ahead in the submarine surfaced and captain came on the conning tower on. Uh, you yelled over. Who's the cat was the captain of the ship. Sullivan, who was captain? Hey, Saw Captain. What was your What was the name of the ship? He says the Daniel Morgan Liberty ship, And he says, what was Chicago and so says hospitals, supplies, rubber tires, uh, some requests.

00:20:25.190 - 00:20:52.890

When it wasn't laughing, we weren't laughing. Some, uh, skipper says, I don't believe you. Now watching eso someone quickly changed. The subject is, uh what's The company is outdated Thio any good? Which is the direction nearest land? Of course he pointed, uh, no way. Which is Which was occupied by the Germans, you see?

00:20:52.900 - 00:21:20.240

And so thank you. Thank you. So just follow me. So of course we Sullivan turn and towing two boats a motor Salemi status for the submarine. And he was caused speedier than we were so suddenly and I suddenly But eventually he was out of sight. So we went We're gonna try Thio, make novas Mbalula, which is an island.

00:21:20.240 - 00:21:45.380

They're off the White Sea. There have been a couple of days sailing, but anyway, there comes a ship, okay? And by God, he's coming towards us. And it was a Russian tanker. So, um, you slow down. We got a board. He had a crew already have been sunk off Hatteras.

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So now is three cruise for one set of lifeboats s. Oh, man. We could suck on this thing. Well, no, it way got aboard on, uh of course, it's captain myself in the third. Mate went up to the bridge and one of the abs went up.

00:22:07.140 - 00:22:33.690

Communist. What everybody's equal. And the old man said of the hay Says, Who are you? The Russian captain spoke with English. He says Who? You said, I'm gonna get back afterwards. Long, Uh, that wasn't any socialist there. So anyway, uh, they had to Three inch fifties, one forward and one half.

00:22:33.690 - 00:22:58.070

Well, our gun crew have been up since the 1st, 1st of July. Now, this is the fifth. So they went forward. The answer was charged. They had empty shells all around doing going, doing the convoy gets have been battling away shooting. So anyway, he had him clean up the place that she shelves over the side and so on.

00:22:58.940 - 00:23:29.270

You got that? Can ready. Russians were non competitive. They figured Well, we're close to Russia. Problem on their comes to airplanes. Andy. Andy. Andy. Yes. Yeah. And all of a sudden they start dive. Yeah. Uh, gone forward. Power, power, power. Fast as they could load that three inches.

00:23:29.270 - 00:23:48.540

15 fire or something, and they got one. So we're going this When we got aboard the ship, it was supposed to been twin screw. We hear rumors. Twin screw. And she was fastest. She did 10 knots. the same, please. On she was loaded with the Lasses.

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I was probably wasn't exposed. Maybe, but it would sink. So anyway, they missed this nine o'clock in the morning. That waas nine o'clock in the evening suit. They like it comes to more way kept those up. I don't know if we got one of those or not nine o'clock.

00:24:11.940 - 00:24:30.360

It was apparently their time because nine o'clock the next next night same thing. Nine o'clock in the morning. The same thing to dive. Bombers come over and drop the load and believe never hit us. But boy, they come close, you know, remember was Captain and I was standing on the bridge.

00:24:30.340 - 00:24:46.650

And if you could see them, If you could see the bombs coming then they need to go inside together. But if you couldn't see him I mean if you missed them, man. Yeah, You hear him coming? You know, I looked over and borrow Celie. What? Selvan?

00:24:46.650 - 00:25:10.850

Mr Missed seeing them this time, man. E just missed e s. So anyway, the old man is skipper of the Russian. Oh, you've got a board first. Just that selling Well, you know the place. You know you know, you take over, Gotten someone said No. No way.

00:25:10.850 - 00:25:29.310

It's your ship because you think this guy was gonna go straight? You know, when I was zigzagging zigzag across the guy with the planes, Couldn't get a good baron on, you see? So Well, that's how the Saturdays, Exide. Yeah, that's what saved us to. Anyway, we come in tow way.

00:25:29.310 - 00:25:53.480

Picked up. There was 32 days way picked up land and came into a nice shelter. Basin Harbor dropped the anchor daylight cars, and everybody went to bed, including the lookout. The made the skipper and everybody eight o'clock in the morning. The cabin Sullivan woke up like nobody's around.

00:25:53.490 - 00:26:26.360

Everybody's asleep. Oh, well, in Russia, I mean, why? Why bother? So we're getting underway, and here comes a full motive job. Oh, that's Russian group forward. We're not Russians, you know. They were Americans. Assumes. I think I'm close. They fired on. It is an American plane, and the plane veered off, and somehow or another he looked up and see crosses on the wings.

00:26:26.440 - 00:26:47.560

Not surprised a German. Yeah, I'm gonna We're gonna drop something, you know, But the Russians know that we're rushing out like hell. Way got out of what port was that or went? It was a small bay. I don't know what it was a part of. Nobody went to show.

00:26:48.140 - 00:27:19.080

Well, we're next days and everybody got arrested. E always when it was. But then we went into the white seeing and anchored and anchor didn't arcangel before docking. So they had to rescue ships in the convoy was rattling. I forgot the but rattling angered about half a mile away.

00:27:19.200 - 00:27:44.790

Unless about a quarter of a mile. But you could allowed Helen with a lot of hair way you guys yell over. So when once the ration got anchored, someone got a loud hailer on, uh, yellow. And you got any survivors aboard? He says yes. Forgot. Three ships, three ships, survivors, three crews.

00:27:44.800 - 00:28:10.870

Wrathall was built toe carry rescuing to rescue sunken ship. So the crew, anyway, you want to have the crew of the William Hoper border, So Yeah, we dio uh, have you got his Mr Wilder there? I said, yeah. We'll tell him his brothers over here way gotta show in Arcangel.

00:28:11.540 - 00:28:38.660

And they told us to take a close off way. Only had 11 suit of clothes. Didn't put any way, didn't put any two cases in in the, uh, Lifelock. Let me throw them, came out of clothes and so on on gonna wash him and iron them or whatever they did.

00:28:39.140 - 00:29:00.350

Well, we they give us pajamas and we had caught. So I think they put out we went to the Intourist Hotel on they they had cuts out for us and so on. And two days later, come close and then pile them in the corner about the highlight suitcase.

00:29:01.040 - 00:29:24.680

Your clothes. Jeez, I don't know. I got the same pants or not. Hey, went and grabbed what he could. Uh, and uh, my brother had been ashore. He got a hey, gotta show before I did So he went around to restore and picked out here through high school.

00:29:24.680 - 00:29:50.660

I played the guitar, he played the mandolin and we used to play it dances in doing the and the mission Attn. High school dances and so on. So hey, picked up a mandolin and I picked up a guitar. I didn't pick it up. The the cadet aboard ship, uh, traded the cabinets sweater for a guitar.

00:29:50.670 - 00:30:08.470

So now we are. And I had that he had a mandolin guitar. So there were about five hospitals there. So we're anywhere in Russia about two months. Thea. Interesting Will go every other day. And so I would go to one of the hospitals and given given son.

00:30:08.940 - 00:30:32.690

And they sent a girl woman up from Moscow to teach us a couple of Russian songs, which she did. She, uh, talk said the words and and I wrote it down the way I wear it sounded remember him eso we had We lived in Mexico at one time, six years, both of us.

00:30:32.700 - 00:30:57.860

We knew Spanish and we had Cielito Lindo ranch around in a couple of hours that we sang tona on. Uh, I guess the people liked it. Most of the, uh, casualties were frostbite. Wow. And there was one pork, that British color. He had his foot come on with.

00:30:57.870 - 00:31:17.800

He Russians didn't bother trying to cure. They just crossed by. She cut it off. You didn't have a foot and this one didn't have a leg from there down, he had I said I think he had these two fingers left on the left hand. I think he had these two fingers.

00:31:18.180 - 00:31:36.920

He's only about 17 years old, kid, but they had good spirits. And I remember one way we're playing one time and this guy come in who had lost his legs right there, Both of them on, uh, yelled over. He was, of course, laying in his bunk.

00:31:36.920 - 00:32:10.000

Couldn't too much. But he's yelled things contest. Hello. Hey, why don't you get off your knees? E left anyway, It was also a Cuban, and I I I played Spanish arm was around one of them, and he had both hands cut off. He was because he tears coming because nobody spoke Spanish just rushing.

00:32:10.010 - 00:32:40.610

So So he was incommunicado. You know, you could talk to anybody, understand anybody when he had Spanish Spanish songs really brought him back. But anyway, first we were going toe, insist the fires out of there, and after two weeks, uh, he insisted that we go back on the navy ships, and after about a month, we're gonna find out how long it take us to walk across Siberia.

00:32:40.620 - 00:32:59.790

Oh, they do what they were gonna dio double us up on. The ship's going back. Okay, so he had How many ships did you lose on the on the convoy? About 26. 26 out of 36? Wow. So it's almost It was disaster. Oh, yeah? Well, the worst convoys ever hit P Q.

00:32:59.790 - 00:33:16.260

17. He wrote a book about it. Yeah, on. So what they did. They double us up on the ship's going back. Some poor guy's got sunk on the way up and sunk on the way back. That's not for the way back way had an escort finally on the way back.

00:33:16.260 - 00:33:38.240

So it wasn't too bad, but it was still way. Most of the ship's been sunk without the escort on the way over. Yeah, we'll escort left us a scattering procedure. Most scatter and proceeded. You are at most speed, which was about 10 knots. What? You could run that fast?

00:33:38.250 - 00:33:59.950

Yeah, so you're almost like sitting down way. We're on some of those ships. Didn't ever have a Well, the Fairfield city that got bombed right alongside of us. They said, Please stay with us. We're unprotected. They had 2 50 caliber machine guns one by 111 on the other.

00:34:00.140 - 00:34:27.760

So I throw potatoes. E did no good So they got some. But some of them had some good, uh, guns on him, but some were under front. Just un arms. Anyway, we doubled up permission. Thio brother and I come back on the same ship, which she did, in fact, was a British ship.

00:34:27.760 - 00:35:00.850

Nothing out in the name of it. But they brought us back Thio Glasco And we stayed there two weeks in a small town. Hamilton, I think, was outside of Glasco. I think it was some liberty course much merchant ships when the when the ship is sunk or, uh, your pace stops because your job is gone in the navy, your money continues your salary continuous.

00:35:01.240 - 00:35:25.730

So it actually broke more or less. We got to Scotland. I think the Red Cross gave us some money. Anyway, we doubled up after two weeks. You put us aboard the Queen Mary. About 10,000 troops call him going back home. And well, it was only a cabin for two.

00:35:25.740 - 00:35:49.770

They put six of us in one cabin And like the British hours who the hell always have a sing song? Eso I had guitar Mandolin Way had a sing song Way has to play and sing. So we did. So we sang in the main lines of the Queen Mary A crew s Yeah.

00:35:50.040 - 00:36:15.960

Oh, By the way, when we were in Moscow that we made recordings, they the gather taught us the Russian songs had had his record about three or four hillbilly talk. Billy Lee Way we're broadcasting on the radio. I don't know. Way got England, uh, grass girl.

00:36:16.410 - 00:36:40.630

They sent fellow down from the BBC and we made a couple of records for them, whether they broke on broadcasting or we don't know. Wow. So he got bored ship and second mates with a license second mate. So we both shipped out easily afterwards. Ship came into Boston, were originally from Boston.

00:36:40.630 - 00:36:59.460

So the folks of their members I'm down in New York and shipped out again. I shipped out of second made on the African Dawn, paralyzed at the time it was the American South African line instead of about her, until I got a chief mates time in for chief mate.

00:37:00.600 - 00:37:26.910

Then I went on the Liberty ship of chief make for a year going toe Europe and so on, and then had time in 1944 for master's license. Got a master's license right off the bat and three day examination for Master's license on, then shipped out as Master e.

00:37:26.910 - 00:37:50.170

Get married at the same time. Admit the scale chief right in New York. Brooklyn had a date Friday. Saturday, Sunday, she said she had a We'll see girlfriends, I say, on Monday for six months from the New York around around South Africa, up through the Red Sea and back.

00:37:50.180 - 00:38:17.460

Took six months, came back and were married two weeks later on. Then I was lasted 44 years. Yeah, and for for everybody says how? Maney, Of course I was 33 years running his master Thio, West Africa. We had about 15 ports down and back. Mm. So everybody asked me how many kids you got.

00:38:17.460 - 00:38:46.590

I says four to speak off. Hey, don't you miss the ocean? I said no. I missed the porch. I know the ocean. There's a wave I saw last trip E Wow. Wow. Did you ever keep in contact with any of the other members of the any of the other survivors of the convoy over the years?

00:38:46.590 - 00:39:11.710

Did you, uh, some a couple, maybe but faded. I mean, e died or whatever, because we spread spread always scattered soon. Forget ashore. Yeah. And the crew, Of course, on the not the officer, but they include themselves that ship out from the hall. And then you get a different companies and different ships.

00:39:11.710 - 00:39:35.760

And so on a track. Quickly. Three officers across the usually shipped out the year. At that time. The companies usually try to keep the officers aboard ship. So but the only problem then goes different now. But the only problem then they give you two weeks vacation a year and being matched to the ship.

00:39:36.420 - 00:39:58.970

You would What? If you want to take you to to retrieve, cap will go in but three month trip, You will be off a little shit. Come back. We ain't gonna ford it. Yeah, So that four left. I had three kids, so I couldn't afford a vacation way.

00:39:58.970 - 00:40:18.330

Come back, come back from West Africa and is probably start with the New York. So you beat about two days in New York. So you go home, have a grand time for two days and then ship it. Goto Philadelphia, Baltimore. No, Fuck. Back up the coast of New York and sale.

00:40:19.810 - 00:40:47.980

So it was much time a home time enough to get the girl wife pregnant, pregnant S E C my kids about three years apart e on being a toy in And he said, My my father was married. First year the boy. Then I had gotten married and I had a girl.

00:40:47.990 - 00:41:04.450

You had a boy. I had a girl. He says, I don't want any more of these roughnecks sequence. So another girls to see, See what happens. You got all the girls I got two boys. So he got down on the Panama earlier than I did about a year and a half.

00:41:05.460 - 00:41:27.520

And I have to say, 66 weeks later after I got six years later, after I got there. Guess what? My right became pregnant. Wow. And the brothers left handed on. My kid was born in fact, college called me from the hospital. Cook saw the hospital about three in the morning.

00:41:28.010 - 00:41:56.310

Your wife just gave birth to a baby boy. You know, they're the States. He wouldn't tell it what sexy was E. But I'll tell you everything on the phone. And I said, you sure you got the right one s. Oh, guess what? He grew up, and not only is he left handed, but he looks like his uncle.

00:41:56.570 - 00:42:20.240

Really? Wow. Strong family resemblance. Surely workers here because I'm a 20 s. So we were both e My twin brother is a good looking fella. You can't tell us apart. Yeah, e I tell that a party. You know, e had all the girls way got down together here, and all of a sudden life gets, um boy, my wife would laugh Like how?

00:42:20.300 - 00:42:48.050

Because she knew differently, But his wife, she didn't think that was funny. It all. Oh, Anyway, no joke. Yeah. Hey, now is president of this outfit, uh, of the Society of Society Todd Weiler. Wow, that must have been something. I mean, you must have had a lot of stories to tell each other about that.

00:42:48.060 - 00:43:15.470

The convoy and the war. And yeah, we're quite fortunate and get killed. You know, that was the only time we get shot at, uh, tacked on the east coast of Africa. Go in the Indian Ocean. Uh, attacked by submarine heading convoy heading north of the Red Sea way put nets over.

00:43:15.480 - 00:43:38.030

Chief made Liberty ship. Well, you put on a submarine nets or something on each side. Put a move of the booms. Dragged them when there was the idea of the submarine around and ship brought. That's the boarding time. He didn't have his torpedo hit, hadn't exploded.

00:43:38.040 - 00:44:08.010

Eso he got to the Red Sea, and, uh, the navy came aboard a Navy ordinance. Whatever. Waas He took the submarine and gave me a receipt. Park a receipt. One chairman's have Chim Tapio delivered to the Navy. A pretty good Well, life is a as a as a pilot on the on the canal.

00:44:08.390 - 00:44:25.910

Sounds like it may have been a little less dramatic. No, there's more. There's more dramatic. Every transit was to met because entering the locks You don't know what you know what? I'm not You know you gotta the difference in the politics in Panama than any other place.

00:44:25.910 - 00:44:43.140

Boston bottom Rooney pilot comes aboard a C boy most ports, and he just said Okay, full. I had no slow or whatever. There's no time limit. He could do it for two hours, or you could make it an hour. Get in our staying in the speed limit.

00:44:43.140 - 00:45:04.600

Of course. The Panama Canal, especially south bound you they called you. In fact, we had a chauffeur driven cars to pick us up at the house and delivery. See, there's the boathouse or toe appear to take a ship, and you were given a time to be a gateau.

00:45:04.610 - 00:45:29.680

Now, you better make that time. If you're five minutes late, they call you on the phones. They What's the matter with you? Got a 700 ft ship. Now that's three football fields or whatever. You gotta make it. Make sure that you get there on time. Otherwise the locks and idle and wasting time and then the the company's you're holding back a whole pile of ships and so on.

00:45:29.690 - 00:45:51.850

So you have your schedule, you have to maintain it. Maybe you can pick up a couple of minutes, brother. And I always did. Anyway, in fact, I got to the cut one time that six o'clock at night, I guess, wasn't e past gam boy that you take your time a gamble going through the cut seven mile thing.

00:45:51.860 - 00:46:13.390

They dug through the rocks and competing good locks, and I passed gam Boy. Now we're approaching Cool garage. Been. Anyway, I hear the dispatch of scholarship spending. He says you're gamble a time, you know, capitals such. But don't forget your following Wilder. Now, there was a lot to be waiting for.

00:46:13.390 - 00:46:35.900

A nice compliment. My brother and I always tried to make a game time. I'm just drifted. Sometimes I'm late here and there and everywhere. They called down about it, but we had to make a skin. We had to make a certain time to be there, and we had to be there.

00:46:36.380 - 00:46:59.140

Mm. Otherwise? Well, you rode. You rode with somebody a senior parents for the first three, three months. Then you're let loose on a yacht or something. Well, then you got 350 ft. I guess it was the first limit, and it went upto well, the biggest ones in 9 950 ft.

00:46:59.140 - 00:47:24.310

Long ships Moses called Panamax Panamax size. And that's the biggest little fit right now because they're building a bigger now. But a new set of locks won't be ready for another 10 years. We'll take that long. Uh, but anyway, yes, more or less. But every time you approached the and either the locks.

00:47:25.780 - 00:47:53.840

I'm in 10 ft and you've got 70 ft beam. So you only got what? 20 figure it out on the other side. 110 Food. Uh, why'd you got 70 ft? So that's 44 20 ft inside if you're in the middle. Yeah. And if you've got a singles cruise ship te Irvine, you have to wait for the moment thing to build up.

00:47:53.850 - 00:48:13.970

What? You want to speed you on your stop? Same thing. It takes a while to stop the damn turbine on. She's a little drift and you figure she's in balancing the wind, blowing it one way or the other. It's quite it's quite a job. Get in and out of a lock without hitting anything.

00:48:13.980 - 00:48:43.820

Uh, the fella says a successful trances, no matter how you did it, you didn't touch anything. E o. How on earth could you do that? After a while, I put without counting ships that they used to say. Sometimes they have a shuttle or you, when you have a watch in our watch, more or less kind of how long it took.

00:48:43.820 - 00:49:05.230

You know you'd lock up. Two ships were locked down two ships that cat tuned any day. Then you go home, and I didn't count those, but I did count my on my transits. And I kept a record of them in the 2554 trances. Wow, period. About 30 years.

00:49:05.240 - 00:49:27.580

Uh, that you got to say, You know, there was a certain type you got to know practically every ship, because Liberty Ship, you knew that everything was full ahead of full of stern. You know, you're rough with them. Uh, motor ship. You couldn't do that because they were very sensitive.

00:49:27.670 - 00:49:45.020

You put it on a half ahead. You really get the thing going and a half ahead of motive stats quickly. So, yeah, he didn't have to wait too long for you. Maneuver. Then you had to slow down. No. At that time years ago, they only had the old order.

00:49:45.020 - 00:50:06.400

Moses. One single wire on if you got over. They told him too much, which is about us. Uh, they used to have men walking on the side on the senate alongside lines in case of welcome motor failed or something. They could put a line out and make it fast to evolve before you hit the concrete on?

00:50:06.410 - 00:50:31.880

Uh what? Uh, you come in. And if you're over overran your locomotive No used thio, so he had to get speed of two knots or less. But you have to keep it coming on on. If you kept it too much over speed, you kick her up, She's begin to set one with.

00:50:31.890 - 00:51:08.580

She won't see her to not, you know, so cheap. E. You gotta figure that when you're going into a lock or leaving and you got some of these big Panamax sized ships or 600 ft ship stay with 100 extreme beamers that you could go through 106 ft another 2 ft on the side, 2 ft on either side of a 700 ft ship and you're looking down the side As soon as you see daylight disappear, you tell that local most toe stop coming here.

00:51:08.580 - 00:51:33.310

So I wanna break or whatever. Get Thio. There's no place for the water to go. It's all confined. You can't squeeze water. You won't compress you going your three chambers coming into the lower chamber. That's not too bad. Of course you got a current coming out because the saltwater freshwater mix on the surface about 10 ft down on.

00:51:33.310 - 00:52:03.150

From there, it might be slack or whatever, because the ship star on 36 ft. You gotta figure on that. Anyway, You come in, you you make the damnedest minority. You know, Thio first guy first skipper transferred. You know he's nervous. And when he sees you heading for the side wall and then bringing her in this way towards the center where he's 11 ticket, you know, But you have to do that to stem the current.

00:52:03.160 - 00:52:23.780

You can't Can't do that. You lied to the sidewalk. I'll get right into Santa Wall anyway. You get used to do this, you get one of these big ones. There's no sense to trying to get smart with them. Just get her up against the wood. You call it on the center wall and slider and well, she wants to go off about.

00:52:23.790 - 00:52:37.770

Stern wants to go off and hit that knuckle over there. But you got a local soon locomotive find. So you break on him breaking. So you finally get into the lower chamber on now you're gonna watch her give the water because there's a lot of turbulence.

00:52:37.770 - 00:52:56.880

You may set one side or the other. They give you water on both sides. Well, if there's another ship that's got Drabble comfort, you only get one side. So she's gonna set the other way. And, uh, anyway, that's half the battle. So you get up in the going into the middle chamber, everything's fine.

00:52:56.880 - 00:53:23.970

All the water is still, but you're going from deep water into a shallow water in another way. So what you dio coming in and you got a ship on a half ahead? She's drawing 36 or 39 ft whatsoever, and she begins to slow down. You got around half ahead and half ahead of C on this ship, sets and would say, should be doing 10 knots.

00:53:24.350 - 00:53:49.590

But right now you're only doing about 2.5. So anyway, she's slowing down. So I did it. I do it on Jap ships A lot. Japanese had a lot of bulk carries there, 900 ft long. They got instant quarter plating for about 800 ft. A battleship. Forget it.

00:53:49.600 - 00:54:11.870

A battleship is tapered so that the extreme being is not is 109 ft but it Z I'm a plating about about 40 ft. So that bangs against the wall. You don't care. Uh, but it's the quarter. You're gonna get a dent or a whole eso You gotta watch it.

00:54:11.870 - 00:54:32.980

And it is about 7 700 ft of that, his interest in water plate until the power comes around. So I'm pushing her in and she's on half ahead. The old man's stand on wing with you and you're watching. You see, you're slowing down. You can't really say, but I full captain, Full ahead.

00:54:34.340 - 00:54:49.640

Planet the planet Three gates, The gates. It's all right, Captain. Put on full. So you put it on full and you could see the water going up on the gate like this because there's no place for it to go on the side, say, or the bottom.

00:54:49.680 - 00:55:08.790

So it president, it goes up about three or 4 ft. Oh, on the engage, that ship would come up, and by God, you're going full ahead and she begins to go back. She goes back about 20 ft. She charged her when she's going back about 20 ft.

00:55:08.790 - 00:55:30.790

You say the old man. Hey, Cap, you got See speed Never cease. He is all you've got full of God. A full of their out e way never hit him. Cal, you chuckle to yourself. It's all even precious, all even. But she's There's no place for the water.

00:55:30.800 - 00:55:58.990

So the man is going down the sides. Nothing neo even out a lot of fun. Uh huh. Z going down the cut have seven miles of cut where they dug. The rest is flooded. Got thio. Uh, you can't get out. You can't get out of the channel.

00:55:59.000 - 00:56:28.120

You hit the rock first E a Navy ship one time Way lost. We lost the plan. There was somewhere on time below the everything stopped. She's heading for the bank. Uh, man, uh, pilot, uh, pilot would e go to anchors E? What's that? I said, Well, that's wrong.

00:56:28.130 - 00:56:57.180

You know You don't hit it. E sand. Yeah. Fine sweats. You got sand on the inside? E Panama. Panama was rock? Yeah. Did you ever have, uh, incident where the ship did hit the side and, uh, sunk. Um, in fact, just lately the ship leave coming in, I guess Waas coming in.

00:56:57.180 - 00:57:20.240

And she lost the plan right under the bridge and hit with it. Drove ashore, right right by the bridge must have hit the whatever it is they put fulfill the bridge structure to go down to the bedrock or something. She was cross race 704 ship That's good sized get crossways.

00:57:21.060 - 00:57:42.720

But she lost the plan according to the paper. Yeah, but any time, well, you figure that puts about 13,000 ships through a year. That's not kind of a little yacht or something. That's kind of anything over 300 ft on. Uh, you figure 1%. They have an accident.

00:57:42.730 - 00:58:14.210

1% of 3. 13 1000 is 130 ships or less. Time like that. But it is only about 1%. They don't have accidents. And he's never What was the name of the ship is Who's the pilot? Who's the pilot with? Yeah, the old man takes you when the old man brings the ship in.

00:58:14.210 - 00:58:39.660

Poor guy. He's gonna watch this pilot because the pilot is experienced. But you never know. You know, you make mistakes, but the old man it's his ship. But he better not interfere because you could put him ashore Is a part of the Panama Canal is the only place in the world except going into a dry dock where the pilot is solely control in charge of the navigation.

00:58:39.660 - 00:58:59.060

The vessel, the Skip US stands by. And there's a is that ever witnessed the accident, but he can't take over. If he does, he's put ashore. Take a train over, pick this ship out on the other side. Cap, did you ever have to do that? I never had to know what was going on with skippers.

00:58:59.070 - 00:59:26.900

I've had some nervous ones. Yeah. Get all types for 0, 2000 ships. Yeah, a lot of the ships. Especially me. Where? Oh, I see you're back, Pilot. I'm very I know what's happening. Brother had never been here before. I had a guy on the Grace Line made.

00:59:26.910 - 00:59:47.490

What are you talking about? You here last trip? Not me. Well, your name is Wilder than it. Yep. Well, you he'll ask your sister in law book. Look at the initials. Yeah. Hey, Wilder, look at mine. You know what's the middle initial? L What's our T?

00:59:47.500 - 01:00:08.060

Oh, you must be twins. We are a matter of fact going into Katou on the big ones. The bridge is usually even with the controlled house, which is on the upper level. And they controller controllers, operators, guy that opens the gates and so on after the lock master tells them to open.

01:00:08.070 - 01:00:27.830

So, uh, when he has nothing to do with the ship's going into the upper chamber, the bridge is just about even with. We got a balcony there on the control allies operating music comes out and talks to the skipper. If he talks to the pilot, he knows him.

01:00:28.210 - 01:00:53.440

You're right. You're watching them inside wall and doing work in your local motors, and, uh, he'll come out and he's only from here to the wall, away from you. So this one, Rocky Erickson. A very, uh, student gentlemen, uh, pilot. Good friend. Good pilot. Anyway, control our races.

01:00:54.310 - 01:01:19.290

Hey, Captain Robinson. Robbie says, Yeah. How's it going? Pretty good. Hey, by the way, he says they work in the hell out of Wilder. We had about 300 pilots when I was there when I left before I got there when I got there. There's about 75 but they got 300 anyway, You say working on hell out of while that Robbie says very blankly.

01:01:19.440 - 01:01:47.990

Uh, what are your names? Well, see that shit that just went thio just just just cleared and going over the anchor. He's on the ship coming up here. Bobby says they're twins. I got a twin e your heart for three years. My brother been there for five e twins.

01:01:48.000 - 01:02:04.620

E wondered how you could be in two places at one time. Well, I wanna bought this Grace boat. Of course, the guy pulled out the logbook, You know, different initials. You know, he was a bit that I've been there before, but how did you communicate with the locomotive?

01:02:05.300 - 01:02:32.260

Uh, first, when we got there is all Hansons. They call it a silent, silent blockage. This was toe. This was point Milica Motor back to break. Uh, stop breaking. So on A locomotive always watched you supposedly on. Uh, they couldn't talk to you. You could talk to them, but they had to listen.

01:02:32.270 - 01:02:51.120

They couldn't talk to you there. Locomotives on either side or one. Well, most ships the average side had six local motors to forward to. To is a sort of a string line. Bring them about one way. You can control the stern with the rudder and engine, but you can't control the bow.

01:02:51.500 - 01:03:15.520

So with with four locomotives, forward your tone on one tone on four. Then you bring these two back to break and still still have tight wires on the force of bowel flop around. And when you break, you break up at least four locomotives. Or you could bring the blood about welcome back break with six millions.

01:03:15.520 - 01:03:34.940

Just break with four and send send these waters ahead. The two are always breaking back out there. I was breaking position to Kanto and two for ones you used. Thio. Two middle ones used to tow a break, but you don't want a rhythm forward, not midships, because pull the thing over bodily.

01:03:35.400 - 01:03:56.120

So using for a control about, uh, But now they got the new locomotives there, simply symbol of the handle they've got to buyers on. You could just put too forward and to act. What types of changes did you see as a pilot over your three decades of service?

01:03:56.120 - 01:04:21.330

Did things change much in terms of time? So so mostly the job is is the same as far as the locks of concern. Of course. The dredging, all the time. Especially the cut and a little bit in the late. How much? But mostly in the cup you get, you have slides in the cut this second, Graner Hills grain.

01:04:21.330 - 01:04:41.150

You know, you get to steeper thing, and it just flows in. So I am stretching all the time in the cut, you know, comes here. Did you have I've heard a couple of folks talk about pilots Association. Was that that that And that was your association?

01:04:41.160 - 01:05:09.030

Uh, the Panama Canal Pilots Association. I was president one time, 1972. I think it was, uh, but you couldn't do much because the government job couldn't strike, but you could slow down way didn't slow down one time, uh, 100 ships anchored outside way. We're doing our job because his job said this'll is how you did it.

01:05:09.040 - 01:05:35.000

You brought it in, you tied up to the center wall, and then you wait you Then you put your local motors on, and then you moved up and picked up your side wall. And with that, you went in, uh, under local motor speed so they could have traction and when you get up there, you wait to the gates, opened and recess before you told again That takes time.

01:05:34.990 - 01:05:59.210

So what, you dio you come in, you pick your boat promoters up on the fly on. Then you get in. Assume your toe. If it's a small ship, you keep going in until you watch the rock block Master won't give you the water to get your clothes naturally, so you look at when you see the gates closing, you could quickly break.

01:05:59.220 - 01:06:25.490

Get the chips still in the water and it gives you the water. When you gates, you see them crack the when the it's all gravity. There's no pumps, Saul. Gravity so in the water from the upper chamber comes down in the lower chamber, and it's such a it's such a speed that it builds up about a two inch to inch high level on this side.

01:06:25.750 - 01:06:46.540

Jamie, you're filling than the other. That's your empty, and it'll crack the gate because the motor that operates the gates only about 40 horsepower on look out to see the gates crack. In other words, the locks off the gates of floating now. So a very little resistance.

01:06:46.550 - 01:07:14.610

So that's when they start open. You're not supposed to totally get set inside walls, but you can time and so that, in other words, you don't wanna have a wire hang up in a halfway open gate. Mhm. So you can time it so that when you she just recessed the wires from the locomotive right there, you didn't waste the second time was the second.

01:07:14.630 - 01:07:41.610

Well, And what was the when you said you slow down? Um, well, it was that over a new issue involving workload or no, You see, way always had in contention with, uh, governor of the Marine Director. Our wage couldn't be over more than the directors of the company or the governor.

01:07:41.610 - 01:08:08.490

Of course. So are wages were kept below then, but we were the highest paid employees in them of the canal of side of the government and the directors. Yeah, so we'd like toe had more. All the every other pilot, Another pilot, any important, the United States, twice as message we're getting on their job is to get the ship no time schedule.

01:08:08.500 - 01:08:27.180

Just get her in there. There's no stopping the starting most. Sometimes it go to anchor some things that go alongside the pier on. There was no time set. You sent the pilot out. You've got a board and took the ship in. That was his job north of Virginia.

01:08:27.660 - 01:08:53.350

They used to pirates. They used to the see pilot come in off the pier. Tugboat Skipper would come aboard. He was the docking pilot on the guy that brought in from Caesar. Set back waiting for the gang. We go ashore, so the job was finished south of south of the fucking gets for us.

01:08:53.390 - 01:09:18.740

Hey, did his own dock into but Northern peers. They didn't use the docking pilot, but there's no time schedule in a pilot with the board you got there. Took ship in? Not much, but the Gap Tunes ship of saying there were five minutes late going in the gap to him.

01:09:19.670 - 01:09:41.220

The next ship, maybe 10 minutes. Lee, it's another third ship. He's about 15 minutes of 20 minutes behind schedule on. He is still get a ship in there, but he still be late. Yeah, so yeah, it was pretty stressful. Job Well did. And did anything come out of the slowdown?

01:09:41.230 - 01:10:04.160

Did Oh, no. I forgot How does how? That that time it fired the I wasn't president of the time, but they fired the president of the association as well as the two other fellas around there. They were, but they hired him back the next day s o they retaliated, You guys?

01:10:04.170 - 01:10:38.700

Yeah, growing in the morning. You know, you called in sick. E you don't want to sit pilot. Yeah, exactly. Um, what year did you retire, Captain Wilder? 1980. Wait a minute. You think? 1980. But I went back in 82 in January 82 for another year because they found out too many senior pilots and retired running out of pilots so you could go back.

01:10:38.710 - 01:10:59.610

62 was the was the, uh, cut off date. In other words, I come home one time. My wife says, Well, you retired. I said, what are you talking about? She's just finished filling your papers out and send him back in. You retired, E cheese. Thanks a lot.

01:10:59.620 - 01:11:24.090

Anyway, that's how it happened. E when you reach 62. That was it. But then two years and I are, uh, are not assistant port captain. And what the hell was e was in North Carolina that on one of you know how they doing that? They're looking for a re pilot.

01:11:24.460 - 01:11:50.470

Pirates. Oh, my name or you wanna go back? Sure. So I went back and I worked for another year. Eso total of about 30 years. Yeah, What time? I would never left. Oh, hadn't been mandatory retirement. Yeah, because even even in my day, there was something that couldn't Good.

01:11:50.470 - 01:12:21.610

No, didn't. I'm doing my job in the canal. So they made him assistant port cabinets. They got the same pay on, went on the red drafts to make sure that ship went, went overdraft. And they sat in on investigations on the ship, Had an accident. And so so after aboard ship stated 200 of course, if you going through the canal, have been climbing the ladder court down a ladder or whatever.

01:12:21.620 - 01:12:38.300

Sometimes the gangway. Not often, but sometimes the gangway, mostly the pilot ladder. I have a friend of mine and grew up with high school. He came down to visit me. So you want to make a transit? Yeah. Come on with me. So we got a first vote.

01:12:38.310 - 01:13:01.140

Merced vote is about 600 some odd feet. She got a free board about 30 ft. Look like, anyway, you know, e Can Al Crew came aboard, get him with bad boy. They're supposed to get out from the basis that was just smooth water. And he's looking at Oscar.

01:13:01.150 - 01:13:21.730

His name was awesome. Looking at the poet's cheese looking that I said, Yeah, you can't him doing that. Well, what do you think? You can do it when you get up in the sea. What? Yeah, that's what you're gonna be doing. Eso But I did. I got on the ladder first.

01:13:21.730 - 01:13:46.080

I said, Come on. So he got on between me and the ladder and see, and we went down that way. And then, of course, I stepped out of the boat and I told him, I said, if you don't make anyone jump, make it into, grabbed his arm and pulled him, Uh, and another brother, my brother in law went through one time on he smartest young fella.

01:13:46.090 - 01:14:14.470

So he come down the ladder, and instead of putting his hand on the pilot launch, he puts his hand on the ship. I said, leave that. I said get your hand out of that. That thing is leaving. Moving. You have a lot of fun. Wow. Well, Captain Wilder, I know you have a lot of things to do at the re union, and we spent about an hour.

01:14:14.470 - 01:14:30.740

I really appreciate your go on forever. Well, I was gonna ask you if you had any other stories that you hadn't had a chance to talk about. You have a few accidents? Uh huh. Okay. One was I never forget the name of the ships of him.

01:14:30.740 - 01:14:55.850

Um, actor. She was a shell tanker 555 ft long, turbine loaded. And I'm clearing the locks of Miraflores. And she's trying about 36 ft deep. Turbines stole thing low water. I didn't even know, you know, You say you had a little one. Okay, I'll have it.

01:14:55.860 - 01:15:13.250

But you don't you forget that when somebody calls you on the radio. Since, hey, uh, call me ab Twin brother couldn't pronounce Albert. You went from habit, Dahab. Anyway, call me. Have e have a whole the jitney for you If you get a show before 6.

01:15:13.250 - 01:15:40.990

30. Well, that's about a quarter of six now, so Okay, full I have. Mhm. Oh, what a mistake. Talk. I'm going. Thio going appear 18. You gonna take bunkers? So, uh, well, I'm getting up to about 10 knots now and then Piers coming into sight. Very proud, Skippers is where we going?

01:15:40.990 - 01:16:07.250

Pilot? I said right over there. I'm sure he's running. E put it back. I'm slow ahead. Around in the basin, when the ship is inshore water, she tends to take a bigger circle. That pressure, water pressure and so on Sense to make a bigger circle is she couldn't coming around.

01:16:07.630 - 01:16:39.020

Oh, very 18. And Balboa is heading this way. We have docks here, here, here and here. I'm going on this side, so come around. Oh, my, I'm standing myself on. They send out 115 100 horsepower tug, and I'm looking for a $2000 part, you know. So, anyway, you come around and she's come around full astern.

01:16:40.030 - 01:17:14.840

Stand by to anchors. E got the anchors down, and she's still coming. And she's still coming. I'm watching on, uh, peer into the pair. Disappears under the booth on there she is on God had made a mess of that bow. It didn't disturb the bed of the winch forward that he's the anchors and make fast with alliance, but didn't disturb the bed of the winch.

01:17:15.530 - 01:17:37.100

But it sure made a stamp anyway and put a big big not in the concrete pier at the end of it. Ah, jeez e I ended up alongside the end of it like this. I finally got her around next next day and they put me on Dorrance.

01:17:37.100 - 01:18:01.940

Vile. I was two months. E guess it was a month, maybe longer than a dock foreman. No philosophy. I report to the office at eight o'clock in the morning and, uh, threat chips there. You wanna tie? I want your bow here, Captain. Your bridge here. So I won Cristo e about a month for the following.

01:18:01.940 - 01:18:32.900

Let me back in the now, uh, 11 British skipper gone past the ship when it was alongside discharging. Missed it. Zoi e think it's loaded with not gasoline, but oils anyway, Just added on inside. No, the ship. You could see the ball from the canal. Smooth scared British skippers since the bottle is that going buys it?

01:18:32.910 - 01:18:51.740

My grandpa a sure knocked the hell out of that bow of the ship. What happened? Only coming around too fast, she says. And, uh, a pair. She with notch on the papers. He said, Well, he said, Just looks like he never lost to drop a cargo.

01:18:51.750 - 01:19:20.110

And I didn't e a l etoile it just freshwater. What the scriptures say, e Well, skip a e was on. He was upset of it. I said, I'll see you tomorrow, Captain. Investigation on that did, uh but, uh, that was the worst one I had. Well, shoot out of 20/20.

01:19:20.110 - 01:19:56.690

500. Yeah, that's not bad. Yeah, that's 1%. Yeah. Did you did you, pilot, after you retired anywhere. Any other port or piloted is local knowledge. I'm not qualified pilot. Anybody else because a report piloted local knowledge. Okay, that's one reason, you know, put a pilot because the old man coming from see, everything looks awful narrow.

01:19:56.700 - 01:20:22.640

S o. E. Was have a pilot. Most part reports to I know West Africa, you know, and no. And, uh excuse me, angle. We'll beat in Luanda. Didn't have a pilot. That's the nice concrete docks. And you could talk alongside mhm, ever young fellow. I went to skip with 26 years old and young fellow.

01:20:24.110 - 01:20:50.270

You take a lot of the chances. You don't know what you're doing, But you hope you don't sink the ship. And I managed to put her alongside the piers. I didn't know how to do it. But after 30 years in Panama, I know. Yeah, fact, I always tried to dock it without you the going alongside any of the piers and decide ship.

01:20:50.280 - 01:21:30.770

You always had a drug or two. If you If you're going alongside the starboard starboard side of the pier when you back a single screw the sternal really walk away from the pair, especially ships loaded. I usually ask for two tugs. She's chair buying with on the port side to she went back into the pier Stern will fall into the picture rotation of propeller on use just one e tried thio every dock and I ever did trying to use it without using the tug was alongside charged to the vessel.

01:21:30.780 - 01:21:53.930

But I wouldn't use them or China my years, A little more engine movements on the ship that cost anything trying to get in there without figuring that what happens is that it's the tug loses its power or breaks apart parts of line, which happens. All right, you're doing it without the top.

01:21:54.810 - 01:22:12.340

Well, you're trying to put it in without the tax, so, you know, that's exactly what the loss. But if you try toe, push her in, seeing a lot of them get alongside about 20 ft off, push the whole thing in. What if the check is in there, or what if he's lost his power?

01:22:12.340 - 01:22:46.500

So you're out the middle of the stream cracking without a paddle. E went from there after retiring. I went from there, the Maritime Institute, and, uh, when think I'm watches it in Virginia. I was instructing and ship Hammond on to simulators. They had their had their So I was 8 16 years working that after I left the canal, it was the same thing about simulated work.

01:22:46.500 - 01:23:13.050

And e just have fun, you know, with classrooms in their thio working working ship from where we're sitting in the control room on working ship alongside appeal speeding back Thio, Did you ever go back? Thio Panama? Yeah. Wife died after 44 years of marriage. Your wife died.

01:23:13.060 - 01:23:40.580

We took her ashes over town 91 on, uh, spread the ashes in the Moon Bay Way Won a prize last year from society here, wife and I So second wife. So we went down for four days on the three. We're supposed to stay at the Hotel Coronado, but, uh, it was for young people.

01:23:40.580 - 01:24:07.690

So way have I have three daughters that took down in 52 they're still there. Way. Stay with them. Way a fine time. I didn't recognize the damn thing. Assure I knew the canal. Gacy. Oh, yeah. But a lot of things have changed, man. I'll say we're in Coca Soler or someplace and just didn't look like Coca Cola.

01:24:07.700 - 01:24:30.510

May. Yeah. Everything has changed down there now that the buildings and made rose improvement. Uh huh. I hope to continue. Yeah, we're but if I was given a panic another way hours burns me with, somebody said, Well, we gave it back to him. They never had it.

01:24:30.990 - 01:24:54.210

We built the canal. We established a Panama A Z a country. We built a canal and then we gave it to him. We gave them the docks. We gave him the buildings we gave, uh, everything that's there and, uh, even moved. The graves are the cemeteries.

01:24:54.790 - 01:25:17.320

People who died there and relatives. One of the graves way promoted on our expense. Not not Panamanian expense or anything. When we gave it, when we gave it to him, we didn't They didn't get it back. We gave them. They didn't have it to start with.

01:25:17.330 - 01:25:52.420

And don't you forget it. Uh, yeah. Great place things. Just so you know, that it was hard to fire you unless you did something. Really running such a murder or, uh, something accuse you taking his wife or something. But outside of that, it's pretty tough to find a government job, give you a slap on the wrist, but outside that you're pretty secure job.

01:25:52.890 - 01:26:20.200

A good place to raise kids. Well, Captain Wilder, thank you so much for taking time toe to the interview. I really appreciate it. Enjoy, uh, twin brother way. Anything over 80 ft beam that put two pilots on split the thing you know, one guy goes to gamble on there.

01:26:20.200 - 01:26:43.960

We gotta take from that 1st and 2nd half to call it. But anyway, got about this having a tanker about 600 ft. Uh huh. Going halfway through the lake, I had the first half brother to stand outside the wing, enjoying the sun shines and then by the skipper had come up from the bridge and looked.

01:26:43.960 - 01:27:14.190

Was this Mr Bilott E? Is that your brother out there? I says no, no, no relationship. Oh, I make a mistake. I guess so. A year later, he's coming in. Same ship. I had forgotten about it and I go aboard. He's going to go to this Pierce I got from alongside appearing in 19.

01:27:14.200 - 01:27:28.000

0, hello. How is your brother? Find cap. E 00 That's funny. Mhm.