Slow Boat to China
Because the Elmer A. Sperry was docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, Herman was issued orders to travel across the country to join his ship.
If the Merchant Marine carried war materiel and personnel by sea, the railroads did the same by land. Trains rolled night and day, many of them carrying soldiers, sailors, airmen and merchant seamen to embarkation points. Commercial flying was uncommon and Herman almost certainly went by train from Seattle to New York to join the Sperry.
One had to change trains at Chicago, and one of the eastbound routes was the then-mighty Pennsylvania Railroad. In one of the patriotic ads for which it was famous a train is "Rolling to Victory" past a fiery steel mill symbolizing America as the "arsenal of democracy."
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The pass below was printed for the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but the inked-in "Bayonne Annex" indicates that the Sperry was located at the new Military Ocean Terminal. Because the Sperry had ferried troops across the English Channel to Normandy for D-Day, she may have been in drydock for repairs.
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Historical note: After more than half a century as a major repair and supply installation the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal (MOTBY) became redundant and was closed in 1999. The area has undergone redevelopment ever since, including construction of Cape Liberty cruiseport. The last "MOTBY" buildings were imploded as recently as 2021 to make way for a UPS terminal.
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When work on the Sperry was finished she sailed across the harbor and up the East River to Pier 15, as noted in the first entry of the "Purser's Expense Account" (below) meticulously kept by Herman throughout the voyage. A purser had to be a good typist; there are only two strikeovers.
Below: Herman's shoreside expenses allow us to look over his shoulder at some of the responsibilities of a purser-corpsman, while the PORT column lays out the Sperry's itinerary: From New York the first stop was Balboa, Panama, administrative center of the Canal Zone, where Herman handed over the ship's papers, later retrieved them, and signed on three crew members.
One of Herman's sleeve patches displays the crossed quills symbol for the purser rating, long used by the Navy for its nearly identical "yeoman" rating.
The Sperry set out across the Pacific on June 2, arriving at Manila September 4, three weeks after the Japanese surrender.
On November 15 she dropped anchor in Shanghai's Whang-Poo River, a branch of the Yangtze delta, and for the first time we are given a look at one of Herman's ships in this photo by a Shanghai photographer.
Whang-Poo is now spelled Huangpu following the new romanization standard for Mandarin implemented in the 1950s. Peking became Beijing, to give the most familiar example.
Shanghai was recovering from the years of occupation which suddenly ended with Japan's surrender. The Sperry may have been delivering goods, medical supplies, perhaps even food, for civilian relief. Another Liberty ship is visible beyond the Sperry's stern.
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The heart of Shanghai's business district, called the Bund, was this impressive row of western-style buildings (below) built from the end of the 19th century to the 1930s during the heyday of the French, British and American "concessions" - the virtual occupation of central Shanghai by foreigners that came to an end in World War II.
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The Sperry's anchorage was around a bend in the river from the Bund so Herman had to go by water taxi or launch to present the ship's papers at the Custom House and report in at the War Shipping Administration and the American consulate.
The tall clock tower of the Custom House is near the center of this Thirties photo, just beyond the domed building.
The Bund is now a preserved historic district. Seven decades after Herman registered the Sperry there, the Custom House and its clock tower are still a prominent feature of the waterfront. Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank (HSBC) is at the left.
Herman's account notes that he returned to the ship on November 15 "with the money drawn," went ashore a week later to draw money and pay bills, later paid for laundry done ashore, and on December 8, obtained approval from the War Shipping Administration for other payments.
After going ashore on December 11 to retrieve the ship's papers, the Sperry left for a trip to Tsingtao (now romanized as Qingdao), some 400 miles north on the Yellow Sea.
Tsingtao was a port for the U.S. Navy's Asia fleet in the Thirties until Japan occupied the city in 1938. After the 1945 surrender U.S. Marines came to the city to help Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government disarm holdout Japanese troops. Tsingtao also served as headquarters of the U.S. Western Pacific Fleet until relocated to the Philippines in 1948.
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The 1945-46 year-end holidays occurred as the Elmer A. Sperry made her way north into the Yellow Sea, arriving at Tsingtao (Qingdao on the map) on January 2, perhaps to bring supplies to the Marines or the Navy or both. Once again, we do not know what the Sperry was delivering and whether it was for military support or civilian relief.
The Sperry stayed in Tsingtao for only a week. While there, Herman made the usual trips to and from the American consulate with the ship's papers, accompanied the ailing Third Mate to a hospital and went back to check on him two days later. That he used a taxi indicates that the Sperry was not anchored offshore.
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The name Tsingtao will be familiar to viewers as a beer offered at Chinese restaurants, but with a surprising German pedigree. Tsingtao was a German treaty port from 1898 to 1914 with many German residents, and the influence of their culture and architecture was pervasive. The Tsingtao Brewery was founded in 1903 by German entrepreneurs and has been in operation ever since, though long under Chinese ownership.
Today Tsingtao/Qingdao is a booming port, a major business center, and one of China's most livable cities, with over six million inhabitants. Its temperate climate, clean air and good beaches make it a popular vacation destination.
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The Sperry left Tsingtao January 8, dropping anchor in Shanghai's Huangpu River again on the 18th.
One would like to know what was behind this entry in the log: "Taxi from Shanghai Water Works to WSA (War Shipping Administration) to meet Master, a distance of 6 miles."
On the 19th Herman had to stay at a hotel because he couldn't get back to the ship anchored six miles from the Bund.
After he came aboard the next morning, the Sperry left for Manila, arriving eight days later. The usual duties are noted, and for the second time Herman had to stay in a hotel because he couldn't get a water taxi to the ship's "outer anchorage."
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On January 30, 1946, Voyage #8 of the Elmer A. Sperry left Manila, arriving in Portland March 8, thirty-seven days later. Herman immediately began preparing his reimbursement claim which three quarters of a century later gave us the itinerary while listing some of his purser/corpsman tasks. The last expense (below) was for lunch and supper on March 10 while preparing the ship's payroll. His total reimbursement claim for the ten-month voyage was $61.75.
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RECAPITULATION OF THE SEAMAN'S WAGE ACCOUNT
A Tour de Force of Arithmetic, plus Flawless Typing
More complicated - and far more important - was the purser's calculation of pay for 49 officers and men for a ten-month voyage: wages, bonuses, overtime, allowances, tax withholding, and other items. Herman prepared it with a mechanical calculator and an oversize manual typewriter designed to handle a 22-column chart on paper two feet wide.
Below: The first 21 lines of the chart are shown in three segments, and the first seven are self-explanatory. Numbers 8 through 11 are Able Seamen (AB), experienced deck hands who man the helm, stand watch, make repairs and keep rust at bay with paint.
No. 12, the Acting Bos'n, or "Deck Boss," was in charge of the Able Seamen. Nos. 13 and 14, OS (Ordinary Seamen), were apprentice ABs.
Nos. 16 to 21 list Engine Room personnel, starting with the Chief Engineer. Oilers were responsible for lubrication of the huge steam engine, lighting, and the water system.
Among the lines below No. 21 (not shown) are the all-important meal preparation crew: Steward, four cooks, and seven messmen.
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Below: The third segment shows Total Earnings and Balance Due after deductions. Ten-month earnings ranged from $6896 for the Master and only slightly less for the 1st Mate, to around $2500 for the lowest ranks. Herman was in the middle at $3782, far below the Chief Engineer and his three subordinates, who ranged from $5500 to $6500.
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Two columns merit special attention: Slop Chest and Fines
Slop Chest is an old maritime term for the inventory of clothing, foul weather gear, and footgear maintained aboard ship from which seamen purchased what they needed. Traditionally it also included blankets and tobacco.
Only five Fines are listed, and one wonders why the 2nd Mate incurred a fine of $599.34 - a lot of money in those days - and the 3rd Mate was fined $107.74. Had the two Mates (the 3rd- and 4th-highest ranking petty officers aboard) been punished for inability to work together, perhaps for resorting to fisticuffs?
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The last word relating to Herman's duties is this letter from an agent at Shepard Steamship Co. regarding his last paycheck before returning to Minnesota, marking the end of his employment with the company and the U.S. Maritime Service.
The letter ends, "Good luck and have fun at college."
We may speculate that he was returning to Virginia Community College in his home town, which he had left to join the Merchant Marine.
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This is not the end of Herman Pederson's story, however. We will hear from him again in the concluding section after examining two more items in the archive.
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