My father graduated from Wilson High School in Long Beach, Califoria. I think he graduated in the class of 1932. The country was still mired in the Great Depression. Work was very hard to find, so he signed up for the crew of the Grace Line freighter, Santa Cecilia, bound from the west coast down through the Panama Canal and then up to New York.

According to an entry in Wikipedia, the ship was built in 1913, the same year my dad was born. It was taken over by the Navy in 1919 and used as a troop transport, making four round trips between New York and Europe during the year. The Santa Cecilia was then returned to commercial service. It was ultimately scrapped in 1935.

My dad was assigned in a crew of oilers, whose job it was to oil the engine parts and other machinery below decks. The group apparently referred to themselves as the “Black Gang.”

The ship left a harbor in Southern California, made its way down the Pacific Coast, went through the Panama Canal, and then proceeded up the coast to New York, I believe. My dad didn’t talk about the experience much, and I don’t know whether he stuck around for the return trip or not.

I enlarged a section for a closeup of the Black Gang. My dad appears to have been the kid among more experienced oilers.

But he sure looks happy!

When I get home, I’m going to try to clean and sharpen this image, although I suppose that detracts from its authenticity. Such are the tradeoffs given the availability of the new generation of photo software.