The North Carolina Shipbuilder from Wilmington, North Carolina • Page 4

Page 4 THE NORTH CAROLINA SHIPBUILDER September 1, 1944 Whitworth Tells Of Fleet's Major Role In Invasion Former Welder Served Aboard Vessel In The Channel .1 i i 1 szfts Defense Workers To Get Maximum Jobless Benefits Are Expected Because Of High Earnings "During The War There's considerable discussion these days, especially in Washington, about unemployment benefits for war workers. The most concrete information we've received deals with the situation from the standpoint of North Carolina's Unemployment Compensation commission. According to Chairman A. L. Fletcher, of Raleigh, most war workers under the state system, will probably be able to draw maximum benefits for the maximum duration if they are without jobs during post-war readjustments.

"Benefit payments under our state systems of unemployment insurance, up to the maximum fixed by law, are determined by the wages the worker has earn i Til rt AT DRYDOCK LAUNCHING The U. S. S. ARDC 5, large floating drydock built at the plant of the Tidewater Construction company, was christened recently under the sponsorship of Mrs. S.

E. Liles, wife of Lieut. Col. Liles, formerly vice-president of the Tidewater company and now serving in the South Pacific. Shown above, left to right, are Comdr.

B. Buse, (CEC) USNR, Mrs. W. S. McMahon, matron of honor, Mrs.

Liles and Lt. Comdr. Paul D'Jurhuus, (DM) USNR. James M. Whitworth, of Bessemer City, formerly a welder here and now a Shipfitter, Third Class, in the U.

S. Navy, visited the yard early last month and brought us an excellent description of a part of the fleet's great role in the invasion of Europe. Whitworth didn't land on French soil but he experienced many thrilling moments in his "grandstand seat" of the war's biggest show. Among the highlights were his ship's participation in the rescue of part of the crew and troops from the burning, sinking troopship, U. S.

S. Susan B. Anthony. Whitworth's vessel was the last to go aldng'side the distressed craft and the rescue work was handled so well that only six men were lost. A short time later, he watched the U.

S. S. Rich go down. According to Whitworth, Sunday, June 4, found his ship leaving the English coast in company with a large number of cruisers, destroyers and destroyer escorts, all steaming toward the general invasion area. For about 24 hours before the actual landings, in Normandy, Whitworth's ship patrolled some eighteen miles off the coast to protect the battleships' rear flank from enemy submarines and E-boats.

He watched thousands of planes and the mighty guns of the battleships, lying just off the coast, blast the Nazis. He was, of course, unable to identify many of the battlewagons participating in the mighty bombardment but he did recognize the U. S. S. Texas, the U.

S. S. Arkansas and U. S. S.

Nevada. Each night, he related, the German bombers came over and managed to sink some of the ships in Whitworth's group. His own ship was untouched and was in excellent condition when it was provided the opportunity of helping in the U. S. S.

Anthony rescue. Terminating May 10, 1943, to enter the Navy, Whitworth has made seven trips across the At Strange Makes Rapid Advance During Midshipmen's Training ed. Consequently, workers re-! leased from war jobs, who have been earning high wages and overtime pay will probably be in a position to draw the highest benefits when their war jobs cease," Mr. Fletcher said. "The program was designed to pay benefits as stand-by income at the rate of about one half of wages.

In North Carolina the maximum payment is $15 a week, which may be paid for 16 weeks, if no new job is found in the meantime. Both this maximum benefit amount and duration period could be extended by the legislature. "With little unemployment during the war years, the unemployment compensation trust funds have been accumulating large reserves. At the present time. I know of no state ad ministrator in the country who does not feel that his fund can meet, its post-war liabilities.

Our North Carolina reserve is now $85,000,000 and is still growing. "On the basis of this present reserve, we could pay an average weekly benefit of $10 which is $2 more than the present average benefit to 500,000 workers for the present maximum duration period of 16 weeks. This figure of 500,000 is far greater than any of the estimates as to the number of workers likely to become unemployed in North Carolina. It represents over 86 per cent of the covered workers currently employed. "Most of the workers on war jobs in this state are covered by our employment compensation program.

Workers employed by the Federal government are excluded by the terms of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, but our commission is prepared to cooperate with the Federal government in extending coverage to them if congress gives us the permission to do so," Mr. F.letcher said. 86 More Veterans Employed In Yard Sixty-six more servicemen, practically all of whom are veterans of World war II, have been employed here during the May 29 to August 15 period, according to statistics made available by the Employment office. Length of service of these men ranges 'from six years for one former Sailor to as short as a few weeks for others. Many have seen action in North Africa, the South Pacific and on other; Allied war fronts.

As they enter, the yard, they join scores of others who, having done their part on the fighting fronts, are now serving as well on the production line. Mrs. S. E. Liles Sponsors ARDC 5 Fourth Large Drydock Is Christened By Tidewater Co.

Wilmington has two great maritime construction our yard and the Tidewater Construction Corhpany, which is producing large concrete floating drydocks for the U. S. Navy at its plant one-half mile above Hilton bridge on the Northeast river. On August 10, it christened the U. S.

S. ARDC 5, its fourth drydock, with Mrs. S. E. Liles, of Norfolk, as sponsor.

Her matron of honor was Mrs. W. S. McMahon, wife of the assistant to the general manager and vice-president of our Company. The third drydock to be built by the Tidewater company was christened and commissioned on July 3.

The ocean-going drydocks are 289 feet long and 84 feet wide. The hull of each is constructed entirely of reinforced concrete with fore and after fair-waters of steel plate. They are self-contained and are capable of being towed anywhere on the high seas, the purpose being to lift from the water disabled Naval and other craft needing repairs and contain them while such work is being carried out. Each drydock has complete living quarters for its crew, and is designed to be accompanied by independent floating work-shops, or to be supported by work-shops ashore. Bing Farrar Officer In Army Transport Service A.

P. (Bing) Farrar, who ter minated from the Hull Construction staff early in uly to enter the Army Transport serv ice, sailed early in August for Europe as First Mate aboard a tanker. On the return trip and thereafter, Mr. Farrar will be assigned as a Master with this branch of the service His address is Army Trans port Service, Water division, Charleston Port of Embarkation, Charleston, S. Care of Har bor Boat office.

'cd'yyA-- Teamwork wins work safely! Climbs From Awkward Squad To Battalion Chief In 90 Days From Awkward squad to Battalion commander one of the highest honors in the school in 90 days was the outstanding record achieved by Robert Strange, formerly employed in the Hull Outfitting department and now a Cadet Midshipman in the U. S. Merchant Marine, during his attendance at the U. S. M.

M. Midshipman's school at Port Miss. Bobby visited his home in Wilmington a few weeks ago while en route to New York to begin six months training at sea. We didn't have the opportunity to talk with him but his father said the training and experience he received while employed in the yard from June 27, 1941, to March 25, 1944, had an important bearing on his fine record at Port Christian. "He learned a great deal about ships while in Hull Outfitting and this knowledge placed' him in good stead while at school," his father reported.

Qualities of leadership were also shown by Cadet Strange during the time he was here and when he terminated to enter the Mer chant Marine he was a super visor. Cadet Strange is, according to 69 Men loin Services And Merchant Marine Sixty-nine more employees turned from the yard to Army, Navy and Marine training camps and stations and the Merchant Marine during the July 15-August 15 period. In addition, one young woman entered the Cadet Nurse Corps. The Army received 36 of the men, 25 entered the Navy, five joined the Merchant Marine, two will become Marines and one will be a Coast Guardsman. The Fitters lost 17 men to the Armed services and the Welders were second with 12.

Report every accident at once. LIS Cadet Robert Strange, Jr. the latest reports, at sea aboard one of the vessels built here. Recently he wrote friends at the yard: "Fortune has definitely smiled on me. I have been assigned to a C-2 built at the N.

C. S. Co. for the Grace Line. Officers are all young and sev eral are Cadet Corps graduates.

You should see me swabbine decks and soogeeing bulkheads!" following the six months at sea. he will return to the Mer chant Marine school on Long island and hones to be Graduated and commissioned as a Deck of ficer nine months later. Dixon Improving From Tinian Battle Wounds Major Ben F. Dixon, of the U. S.

Marine Corps and son of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Dixon, was wounded in the battle of Tinian about July 25 and is now receiving treatment on Saipan, according to information received by his parents.

According to latest reports, his condition has improved considerably and he was recently discharged as a full-time patient at the hospital. Mr. Dixon is Resident Auditor of the U. S. Maritime" commission here.

You can do more to prevent accidents than any other lantic. During his visit to re new acquaintances with friends and former shipbuilding mates, he was on a well-earned leave. He was unable to tell us of his immediate plans but he did say he hopes to pay another call to the states and the yard in the not too distant future. RIDES WANTED Patricia Nelson, First shift, 805 Ann St. Emily Ann Koester, First shift, 110 Forest Hills drive.

Ext. 185. RIDERS WANTED H. P. Batton, 92012, First shift, Route No.

1, Winter Park. C. D. Cozart, 72689, First shift, 1915 Woollcott Ave. R.

W. Roper, 3OQ04, First shift, 82 Pinecrest parkway. S. C. Hall, 69170, First shift, 2103 Klein road.

R. B. Williams, 64107, First shift, No. 7. North Lumina Wrightsville Beach.

W. L. Lanier, 75531, First shift, Wrightsville Beach. The Rev. J.

F. Colley, W. J. Sloane, First shift, 208 Dawson St. B.

F. Barnhill, 61346, First shift, 612 Peachtree Win-. Park. M. J.

Gurganus, 86275, Second shift, Pinecrest parkway. H. J. Holmes, 85269, Second shift, 812 Chestnut St. RIDES.