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 Ron Gilson
No profit was made in the creation or presentation of this blog. Its content is presented for educational purposes only and is not for sale. The material herewith, either in whole or in part, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form. Ron Gilson WHY THIS BLOG? The following blog is intended to define Gloucester's fishing industry and its people over our 400 year history. It is true and factual as I witnessed the daily activities in my lifetime.
Ron Gilson, February 9, 2019 ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ GLOUCESTER CELEBRATES 400th ANNIVERSARY 1623 ~ 2023  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ WHAT MEMORIES!  F/V Estrela WHAT MEMORIES!  F/V Curlew WHAT MEMORIES! “LEW” KNICKLE AND BERT CLUETT… SEAFARING FRIENDS From 1993 annually for eight years, “Lew”Knickle and I made road trips to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where “Lewie” was born. The trip took about 12 hours. As I drove, “Lewie”’s job was to keep me awake. We played march music, sang songs, (my friend had a decent voice) and, of course, “Lew” told great sea stories. He retired after a 40-year fishing career out of Boston and Gloucester. “Lew” was a licensed diesel engineer. After all our road trips and Lew’s” telling his great sea stories, I asked him if he had a favorite shipmate in his long fishing career. Without hesitation, “Lewie” replied…..”Yes, Bert Cluett”. He then explained the reason for his choice. They were both shipmates on several Gloucester vessels over the years. “Lew” told me that “Bert” was an excellent fishing skipper, twine man, and a bona fide marine engineer. “Lew” went on…. Cluett’s disposition was always even keel, upbeat, positive, and most importantly, a friendly shipmate every day on a long trip. He was well respected by his fellow shipmates. They came together once again when approaching retirement. “Lewie” Knickle was the chief engineer on the new National Marine Fisheries research vessel, Delaware II. However, on this research vessel, “Bert” Cluett was the cook! The government scientists aboard the boat raved over his delicious gourmet-style meals. I remember, Capt. “Bert’s” first command was the F/V G.N. Soffron, launched in 1943 from the John Prince Story Shipyard in Essex. The Soffron was managed by John J. Burke’s Sherman B. Ruth outfitting wharf when I met Capt. Cluett in 1944. I was 11 years old. The waterboat that I worked on operated from “Burkie’s” wharf also. We filled the Soffron’s tanks. Years later, as a high school student, I dated Capt. “Bert’s” oldest daughter, Lorraine! “Bert” and his wife Beulah raised 4 children in their small house at the end of Perkins Street.. I have so many wonderful memories of the Cluett family. Those were great times up on the hill!! “Lewie” Knickle’s story about Capt. “Bert” Cluett only confirmed what I already knew. He was a highliner in so many ways. Ron Gilson  WHAT MEMORIES! SLAFSKY’S PAWN SHOP Harry Slafsky’s Pawn Shop was located on the west end of Main Street, approximately where Bananas is now located. Harry and his wife (Dr. Pett’s sister, Ida) ran the small shop. Their son, Freddy was a friend of mine, a saxophone player in the ROTC band with me. In the 1940s, there were 3 jewelry stores on Main Street: Art Jewelers, Blanchard’s Jewelry Store, and Sandler’s Jewelry Store. The Sandler brothers also gave music lessons on the second floor – sax and clarinet. They also sold records and had several soundproof booths in the rear of the store where high school kids could listen to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” before they bought it. In the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, Gloucester hosted annually 15 to 20 southern fishing vessels. Harry Slafsky would monitor the Gloucester waterfront beginning in May when the southern fishing vessels started to arrive in Gloucester. Harry would leave his shop at 6 a.m., wearing watches up and down his forearms. The crews lived aboard the boats between trips and were ready customers for local pawnbroker, Harry Slafsky. Waterfront observers said that Harry sold more watches before 9 a.m…..that’s when the Main Street jewelry stores were just opening!! (As the saying goes, “it’s the early bird that catches the worm!”) Ron Gilson (to be continued….) WHAT MEMORIES! DR. MORRIS PETT On a hot summer night, my dad found our family dog, “Rags”, lying on the front lawn with his neck torn open, bleeding profusely. Dad, in panic, called our one local veterinarian, however, it was Friday; the vet was closed for the weekend. Dad, remembering that Dr. Pett was a dog lover, called his office. Dr. Pett answered the phone. He told my dad to bring “Rags” to the office. “Do not come in the front door”, he said, “go around back, I’ll be waiting”. Dad took “Rags” by taxi to Dr. Pett’s Middle Street office. The waiting room was filled with patients as dad passed by outside to the back door. Dr. Pett laid “Rags” on the table and sutured his neck wound. The good doctor saved our dog, refusing any pay. He told dad not to mention the incident, because he was a medical doctor. That was the summer of 1945. Two years later, I was a G.H.S. freshman. There was Dr. Pett, every Saturday afternoon with coach Nate Ross on the sideline of Newell Stadium, volunteering once again as official doctor to our champion “Fighting Fishermen” football team! To Gloucester citizens, Dr. Pett was a legend in his own time.  Ron Gilson (to be continued….) WHAT MEMORIES! THE LINSKY FAMILY Everyone knew the Linsky family on Cape Ann.. From “Sam”, the jovial trash collector, to clothing salesman, “Lenny”; “Ben”, the junk dealer, et al. Linsky’s Service Station on Maplewood Ave., was owned by “Ted”, “Maddy”,and “Steve”. The entire Linsky family were hard workers. Linsky’s gas and repair station was more than just a “garage”; it was a special place! From hospitality and friendship, expert auto repair, the whole operation was held together by expert mechanic, manager, public relations guru, son “Steve”. No one at Linsky’s garage worked harder than young “Steve”. Early Saturday mornings, “Ted”, “Steve”, “Monty”, and Janet would often have breakfast at Union Hill Coffee House. I would stop by the garage later in the morning and sometimes Uncle “Lenny” and “Steve’s” aunts, Beatrice and Mildred, would be there. Beatrice worked at Gorton’s office and Mildred, worked for the Bell’s at Mighty Mac. Mildred also did trouser alterations on the side, and shortened a few of mine! The girls were good sports; we had so many laughs – fond memories decades later.  Ron Gilson (to be continued….) WHAT MEMORIES!
BOB’S HABERDASHERY, 247 Main St., Gloucester, MA
Bob Kramer’s Suit Club was a big part of his men’s clothing business. For $1 per week, with the drawing every Friday, club members had a chance to win a men’s suit. After 35 weeks, I questioned Bob - would I ever win? Bob Kramer, a great guy, when put on the defensive, would stutter nervously in his reply. “I’ll c-c-c-check into it H-H-Herbie (my dad’s name, also a member of the suit club).
The following Monday, Bob came into the bank where I worked, to collect his weekly dollar. He announced loudly that I had won the previous week’s drawing!
When selecting my new suit, Bob said he was also including a shirt, tie, and a Dobbs felt hat….because I had waited so long for my name to be drawn. He then suggested I march in the upcoming Easter Parade on the boulevard. I wore my new outfit that Easter Sunday and was selected “Best Dressed Man In The Easter Parade”. My picture appeared on the front page of the Gloucester Daily Times: you guessed it, Bob was one of the judges!  Ron Gilson (to be continued….) .WHAT MEMORIES! THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF CAPE ANN One of my favorite local authors is Sarah V. Dunlap who wrote a wonderful history of the Jewish community of Cape Ann.
I have no desire to return to the old days. However, Dunlap’s writing brings back so many wonderful memories of our Jewish community and their contribution to Gloucester. Here are a few personal stories involving some of my Jewish friends.
Familiar names surface after only a few pages into Sarah’s book. Irving Kline comes to mind when he writes succinctly about the plights of the early Polish and Russian Jews longing to immigrate to the golden land – America.
In 1972, it was a short walk from my office to Bob Parker’s Beef and Bun Lunch on Main Street. Most every weekday Irving would join Betty Ramos and me for lunch there. Irving’s wife was on a vacation in her native Germany for a month. I asked Irving if he cooked his own supper? “No, I eat at the Blue Roof, sitting at the bar, every night. I’m home for the 6 p.m. news hour.”
“What then?”, I asked. He said, “After the news, I go down cellar and count my money. I finish counting about 11 p.m., then I go to bed.” Irving Kline was such an entertaining man, always having a funny story to relate.  Ron Gilson (to be continued....) WHAT MEMORIES! 1923 – PRESENT - GLOUCESTER’S GREATEST CENTURY
The roaring ‘20s ushered in Gloucester’s golden age of fishing. The industry enthusiastically welcomed the diesel engine. It would allow our modernized fleet to harvest fish by labor-saving net dragging. Becalmed mackerel seiners and sword fishermen could finally chase their prey! The Essex shipyards responded to the increasing demand for modern wide-stern draggers. Individual and family-owned vessels were entering the fleet and the industry changed dramatically from corporate ownership to individually owner-operated vessels. Gloucester’s fishing industry through the 1920s and 1930s was positioning itself for a phenomenal transition. Clarence Birdseye, in the late ‘20s, invented the quick-freeze process. This one factor enabled fresh fish processing that would replace antiquated salt fish production of the first three centuries. There was no turning back! The decade of the ‘30s, the great depression, found the industry moving forward. A modern-day community fish pier (dedicated in 1938) was created, utilizing Five Pound Island in Gloucester’s inner harbor. A freezer, ice-making plant, processing stalls building, and eventually two dehydrating (gurry) processing facilities provided the necessary infrastructure to support the newly developing redfish industry. Soon all the elements, including “product demand”, would come together to create Gloucester’s golden age of fishing – 1940 - 1955. Community Fishing Pier, 1945 Our modernized fleet brought safer fishing vessels, smaller crews, and increased landings. The dragging method also caught lesser known previously unharvested fish species, i.e., redfish and whiting. It would dramatically change future consumer supply and demand. TIMING IS EVERYTHING - THE GREAT BUILDUP The 1940’s era (World War II) arrived, placing huge demands on our industry to supply our armed forces. The U.S. Army was the purchasing agent for all U.S. services. Supplying and servicing military and civilian consumer demand ignited the great buildup.  F/V Emily Brown, 1944  F/V Benjamin C, 1946 During the first eight years of the 1940s, Essex shipyards launched 28 offshore fishing vessels. William A. Robinson Shipyard, Ipswich, MA, in one year (1944) working 24/7, supplied nine architecturally designed offshore vessels for Gloucester’s expanding fleet. Gloucester’s Montgomery Shipyard supplied five inshore vessels and Melanson’s Boat Yard supplied three inshore vessels for the local fleet. New vessels were arriving into port weekly. Seven steel draggers, sister ships, were constructed from war surplus steel at a southern Massachusetts’ shipyard. Dana Story Essex Shipyard, 1946 From Maine to Florida shipyards were building vessels for Gloucester’s continually expanding fleet. THE GOLDEN AGE had arrived! War surplus vessels were also purchased and converted to commercial fishing. Gloucester was on fire! Everyone wanted to invest in the business….doctors, attorneys, banks, and absentee owners all came together to create an era of prosperity, never before witnessed in the history of Gloucester’s fishing industry. In the year 1945 production continued with millions of pounds of redfish and whiting being landed annually by 250 offshore and inshore vessels. There were two thousand wharf workers, two thousand fishermen, 6 machine shops, 3 railways, a second ice-making plant under construction in the Fort…..and the beat went on! This activity would continue unabated for years. General Seafoods Wharf, 1946 INDUSTRY CHANGE
The year 1954 brought sudden change to our fleet. In a two-week span, five of Gloucester’s newest highline offshore draggers, i.e., F/V Mother Ann, F/V Edith and Lillian, F/V Felicia, F/V Benjamin C., and F/V Mary and Josephine, were sold to Newfoundland interests. Gloucester’s anchor industry was transitioning; our future was once again in question! F/V Mother Ann F/V Edith and Lillian F/V Felicia F/V Benjamin C F/V Mary and Josephine POST SCRIPT – 1954 – 2023
Diesel power, side trawling (dragging), revolutionized Gloucester’s fishing industry in the 1930s. Unlike our immigrants and citizens of the first three centuries, our modern-day fishermen no longer accept the past as a way of life. Our industry has changed again.
In my YouTube video, “The Golden Age of Fishing, 1940 to 1955, Part 2”, interviewees John Nicastro (Felicia Oil Company), Michael Calomo (F/V Ida and Joseph), Clifford Adams, and Joseph Mello address Gloucester’s fishing future first hand.
I invite interested viewers to watch this video and the responses of these life-long Gloucester industry participants. Gloucester's Golden Age Of Fishing: Part 1 (1623 - 1923) - YouTube Gloucester's Golden Age Of Fishing: Part 2 (1940 - 1955) - YouTube Ron Gilson WHAT MEMORIES!
PREAMBLE TO_GLOUCESTER’S GREATEST CENTURY
From 1623 to 1923, Gloucester fishermen caught fish by baited hooks. Gloucester achieved industry greatness by adding more vessels requiring more fishermen. More hooks in the water resulted in increased landings. By 1850, records indicate Gloucester’s fishing fleet numbered 500+, all sailing vessels owned and operated by approximately 40 fish processing firms.
 Sch. “Oriole” 1908 Bow Sprit…Widow Maker Thomas M. Hoyne, artist Marine architect Thomas F. McManus, father of American fishing schooners, long an advocate for shipboard safety, had this to say about the age of sail: “The vessels were cheap to build, fishermen were abundantly available, safety features were of no concern to the vessel owners. Sadly, the vessels and the men that sailed in them, were considered EXPENDABLE!”
With only sail power, absence of radio communication, and national weather reporting, there was no substantial safety advancements in Gloucester’s fishing industry for three centuries. Rudolph Diesel’s internal combustion engine invention arrived in the late 1880s and relegated the 300-year age of sale (hook fishing) to “horse and buggy” status! The genie was out of the bottle!
The refined diesel engine of the 1920s would facilitate/hasten acceptance of McManus’ life saving, knockabout vessel design., i.e., Sch. Helen B. Thomas, 1902; Sch. Catherine, 1915, Sch. Shamrock, 1923; Sch. Marjorie Parker, 1923; and Sch. Adventure, 1926.
 By the 1920s, the life-taking (widow maker) bow sprit was finally eliminated and every vessel launched from Essex yards was equipped with auxiliary diesel power and pilot house enclosures over the steering station.  In the year 1921, McManus delivered plan #417 to “Honest Dave” Waddell’s shipyard, Rockport, MA. It was a new concept (diesel-powered side trawler) F/VBlanch Ring. This vessel design produced a remarkably different fishing platform, and would become the wave of the future, well into the 1970s. F/V Blanch Ring
The year 1923 marked the official end of the age of sail when Ben Pine and associates launched the last all-sail racing schooner, Columbia, from the A. D. Story Shipyard, Essex, MA, April 17, 1923. 
 AN ISLAND NO MORE Memoir, The Gloucester I Knew By, Ronald H. Gilson Readers of An Island No More will immediately recognize this memoir as no routine historical account of Gloucester. It is a deeply moving essay of an author’s experience of the fishing industry as it affected the everyday life of its citizens. Gilson transports the reader into decades that cover depression, war, prosperity and, finally, decline. Gilson’s story is a poignant personal insight into many vignettes of the characters which fill his historical account. Using the fishing industry as a metaphor for life, Gilson reveals the life of a city over four decades. This historical approach is the strength of his work. Only a native of Gloucester could have written such a memoir. As I read Gilson’s history, having been away from my home-town over fifty years, I was immediately taken back into time. Gilson’s account rings with such an authenticity, a virtual new experience of that time and place came back to me. In short, this history will engage the reader at all levels of emotion. Dr. Richard J. Elliott Professor Emeritus University of New Orleans ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  March 28, 2012 A large crowd was treated to an outstanding talk by Ron Gilson, author of An Island No More, at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum on Wednesday evening. Ron introduced his slide illustrated reminiscence of an eight-day trip on Adventure when he was 17 years old in 1951 with random vignettes of Gloucester Harbor. Someone once said something like, “We experience life only once — as a child. All the rest is memory.” At age 79, Ron brought us back to the days of his youth. With some emotion, he evoked all of the excitement, adventure and sense of awe that many of us feel when we search our own memories of growing up. His respect and love for an era now gone by enveloped the audience and made us all feel privileged to share his experience and memories. Posted by Ron Gilson at 8:24AM. No comments. Labels: 2012, posted on GMG by Marty Luster on March 29 ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ YouTube subscriber compliments Additional Historical References Are Available on YouTube Regarding documentary “GLOUCESTER’S GOLDEN AGE OF FISHING, PART 2; 1940~1955”: "Thank you, Ron Gilson! Gloucester's Golden Age of Fishing - Parts 1 & 2 - was extraordinary. I loved being taught about the fascinating history of fishing in Gloucester - viewing the beautiful schooners, learning about important contributing individuals, and enjoying the bustling busyness of the waterfront, imagining the joy the author experienced participating in the fishing life of Gloucester. As a teacher, this is the kind of documentary students need to appreciate not only history but also all their other subjects." Connie Chapin ⚓ “Thank you for this amazing labor of love - bringing the history to life for those of us who were not there but care about those courageous and innovative people. This is such a gift for generations to come. Well done.” MaryTess Crotty ⚓ “The 2-part series should have hundreds of thousands of views, and every New Englander should view this.” ⚓ “What an incredible memory of Ron Gilson (narrator). He’s like a computer. I can barely remember the names of 12 people! He remembers hundreds, along with details of all their lives.” ⚓ “Absolutely a great great story, thanks so much for taking the time to share with us.” ⚓ Regarding documentary “GLOUCESTER’S GOLDEN AGE OF FISHING, PART 1; 1623~1923”: I’m an old Dutch fisherman. I really love this film… thanks.” Dirk Van der Toorn ⚓ Gloucester's Golden Age of Fishing: Part 1 (1623-1923) Gloucester's Golden Age Of Fishing: Part 2 (1940-1955) ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  Prosperity builders in Gloucester's Golden Age of Fishing ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  1933 ~ RICHARD J. ELLIOTT ~ 2021 My Life-long friend "Thanks for the memories" Ron ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  “You can take the boy out of Gloucester, but you can’t take Gloucester out of the boy” "There's No Place Like This Place" As Joan and I prepare to leave our Gloucester "place", we do so with mixed emotions: excitement and dismay. Where else can you find a place like Gloucester? From the snobbery of gated communities to Harbor Terrace; from the Beauport Hotel to Maggie Wallace’s Wayside Inn, and Jerry "pack 'em in" Quinn’s orchestra at Mae Silva’s Paramount Cafe; “Portagee Hill” to Beach Court; the Fort and Judy Miller’s Parlor; those Laneville girls and the pits... it’s all here, it’s our Gloucester. What politician in the world would come up with a platform of “ hot-topping the Harbor” as a solution to the scarcity of downtown parking? How about an elderly retired spinster English teacher riding into Kelleher’s bar on horseback! From Sarah Vaughn at the upscale Delphine in the heat of summer to local song bird Lee Doucette at the downtown Savoy Hotel in the dead of winter... from summer boom to winter bust. From fish cutters to poets; from immigrants to natives... there’s no place like Gloucester. I mean it: “it’s all here”... Ron Gilson “We’ll miss this place!” February 2021 ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ OMEGA PROTEIN COMPANY VISIT  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ REFLECTIONS OF A LIFETIME As Gloucester approaches its 400th anniversary year, I offer these final thoughts of a longtime waterfront experience. Our first 300 years established Gloucester as a world fishing leader while repeating the same life-taking fishing tragedies year after year. In a way, Gloucester stood still. To quote New England’s fishing vessel preeminent naval architect, Thomas F. McManus, “Vessels were cheap to build, fishermen were abundantly available, safety features were of little concern to the vessel owners, and sadly, the vessels and men that sailed them were considered “expendable”! The emphasis being… volume production. This stark reality was the corporate attitude of vessel owners during our first 300 years of industry progress. To our immigrant fishermen arriving from foreign lands, it was “their way of life” - take it or leave it! It gave rise to a tragic chapter in Gloucester’s early years of industry progress. This history is graphically chronicled on cenotaphs in front of Gloucester’s iconic “Man at The Wheel…Fisherman’s Statue”. Thousands of our men went “down to the sea in ships”, leaving behind thousands of widows and orphans. Gloucester paid a monumental price in this life-taking fishing business! Our early 300-year history, romanticized annually on Labor Day’s “Tall Ships” weekend, is a public relations invention. This Romantic P.R. Spin ironically is a reminder of a tragic period in Gloucester’s fishing industry. Our city moved on in the pivotal year 1923 as we entered “my time”, the ‘30s, ‘40s, and '50s. ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ THE BEGINNING On the threshold of our 400th anniversary, 1923, Gloucester’s fishing fleet welcomed wide stern diesel-powered draggers. In the late 1920s, Clarence Birdseye invented the quick-freeze process. Our modernized fleet entered the 1930s equipped to harvest and process, in volume, the newly discovered bottom dwelling redfish. Gloucester was poised for an INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATION. ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ THE BUILDUP   Dana Story Shipyard, Essex ~1946 OVERBOAD! The 1940s saw a continual increasing of boat building along the eastern seaboard, even before the ending of WWII. New fishing vessels were arriving in Gloucester weekly! Fishermen, professional investors, and other absentee owners were financing this building renaissance within the local fleet. Trade magazines, “Atlantic Fishermen” and “Fishing Gazette” profiled these vessels as they came on line. It was a phenomenal period of growth! ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ THE FLEET  Our fleet doubled in size. It was commonplace in the ‘40s and ‘50s for Gloucester’s offshore and inshore fleets to land millions of pounds of redfish, whiting and mackerel on a daily basis. Gloucester has always been a seasonal fishing port; volume landings were from April to October. Only our larger offshore vessels fished during the winter months. Our Portuguese fleet of medium-sized offshore vessels fished off New York, landing their fares at Fulton Fish Market during the winter months. (They would return in the spring for swordfishing). In the summer season, our rejoined local fleet also hosted 10-12 southern vessels from as far south as Norfolk, Virginia. ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ THE NEW ERA Gloucester has changed, volume fishing is no more. Today, 2022, our 250-vessel fleet of the ‘40s and ‘50s is reduced to five or six occasional visiting offshore vessels. Only two or three fresh fish processing plants remain, all family owned. Small day boat fishing, tuna fishing, and lobstering are now the norm. Fresh “off the knife” local fish is available to retail consumers. ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ GROTON’S OF GLOUCESTER…TRUSTED SINCE 1849 Groton’s is our country’s leading producer of prepared seafood. Country-wide consumers enjoy excellent prepared seafood in easy-bake/microwaveable products, all prepared at Groton’s local Seafood Kitchen.     The Gorton's logo, a fisherman in a yellow slicker, in reality is a modern-day fish broker in a business suit, buying seafood around the world via computer! ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ CHANGE IS THE CONSTANT Today, on the threshold of the fifth century our fishermen are landing quality seafood @ dollars per pound. In my day, our fishermen landed millions of pounds @ two and three cents per pound. Fishing has changed. The consumer has changed. The old days are gone!! ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ The Gloucester I Love ~ 2  Susan Chapin, consultant; Ron Gilson, Publisher; Joan Gilson, contributorGino Mondello’s Dory Shop, Harbor Loop “Saturday Afternoon Music, 2019”  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ GLOUCESTER’S 400TH ANNIVERSARY   1923 1944 GLOUCESTER'S GOLDEN AGE OF FISHING SHOULD BE REMEMBERED 1623 ~ 2023 (Reflections by Ron Gilson 2022) As Gloucester's 400th anniversary committee plans our 2023 birthday celebration, looking back over a lifetime, our fishing heritage is central to our past. It is this Golden Age of Fishing - the decades of the '30s, '40s, and '50s Gloucester and its citizens witnessed our own Industrial Revolution. It was an "electric era". I was fortunate to have witnessed this phenomenal industry transformation, especially understanding the IMPORTANCE of the era, as a teenager! While it will never be repeated; it must always be remembered!  General Seafoods Harbor Cove 1947 Gloucester, its industry, and its population existed and prospered entirely on what sailed around Eastern Point. Fishing was Gloucester! In the 1930s, we were introduced to the refined diesel engine that allowed Gloucester's adoption and universal acceptance of the otter trawl, enabling immense volume harvesting.  Outer Trawl Haulback Aboard F/V Joseph and Lucia Starting in the 1930s, modern side trawlers (draggers) replaced all our outmoded dory trawlers. Vessel construction in the 1930s, (during the Great Depression) expanded rapidly. A new modern fish pier came on line in 1938. Redfish wharves from Harbor Cove General Seafoods, North Atlantic, etc., to American Fillet's modern processing plants on the North Channel were built. Also, a new Rocky Bay Fish Co. property was developed in East Gloucester. Two dehydrating, rendering plants also were constructed on the new fish pier, so necessary to process the ever-increasing fish waste, generated during our peak production years.  American Fillet's modern processing plant on the North Channel F/V Mary Rose ~ discharging trip 1947   1944 James Yard, Essex, MA  Jonathan Story Shipyard, Builder 1945, Essex, MA  Capt. Russell Grinnell, Owner 1946  Gloucester Community Fish Pier 1945   Fish scaling machine 1950  Pogey seiners at fish pier Circa 1950  Community Fish Pier 1947  In background, United Fisheries Complex    Spinola Family Vessel 1951    Gorton's Cold Storage Harbor Cove   Now TD Banknorth Harbor Loop Before the end of WW II, beginning early in 1944, new vessels arrived, often one and two per week - investors, fishermen, their families, fish companies, private absentee investors, doctors/lawyers, all wanted to cash in. We lived in an unbelievable economic era!    Dana Story Shipyard Essex, Mass 1946  L to R: builder, Dana Story; Capt. Joseph Ciaramitaro; sponsor, Mary Curcuru; and owner Benjamin Curcuru 1946   (off to Gloucester) towed by Gloucester tug "Mariner"  Would establish himself as a highline captain of the F/V Benjamin C   Parisi family vessel 1946  Melanson Boat Yard Parker Street, Gloucester Launched 1946  Capt. Salvatore Nicastro ~ redfish highliner 1948   F/V Thomas J. Carroll American Fillet Co. Owner  Fisheries Leader ~ Photo courtesy of Harrison Golden ~  F/V Yankee Capt. Cyril Dyett 1947  Both vessels built at Montgomery Shipyard Ferry Street, Gloucester, MA  F/V Immaculate Conception Circa 1945  F/V Columbia Capt. Matthew Sears 1942  F/V Edith and Lilian Capt. Frank Rose, Sr. 1947 F/V Judith Lee Rose   The last Gasper family vessel over four decades 1920-1950  Erik Ronnberg, Jr., Maritime Curator ~Ron Gilson's lifelong friend~  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓     Capt. Leo Favaloro 1946  F/V Our Lady of Fatima  General Seafood Wharf, Harbor Cove 1945 TIMING IS EVERYTHING Gloucester was on the threshold of its own industrial revolution! "Golden Age of Fishing", 1940-1955 Gloucester was positioned to move into the productive all-time record breaking '40s and '50s! We had the fishermen, the vessels, the market demand and huge supply of red fish and/whiting (silver hake). The ocean was full from Ipswich Bay to the Grand Banks - there for the taking - we had it all. I thought Gloucester's fishing dominance would never end! Ron Gilson ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  1623 ~ 1923 GLOUCESTER'S GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL
1923 THE TURNING POINT Gloucester's 300th birthday brought pivotal change to our anchor industry. On April 17, 1923, the last all-sail schooner Columbia was launched from the A.D. Story Shipyard in Essex, MA. It marked the end of an era. Essex records indicate that fishing vessels launched from that date forward were all auxiliary diesel powered.  THE ANSWER WAS . . . With the launching of the McManus designed side trawler, Blanche Ring in 1921, "the genie was out of the bottle". Side trawling, dragging, was made possible by the refinement of the diesel engine. Dragging provided a safer, more efficient (less crew), quicker method of harvesting much larger volumes of ground fish. There was no turning back! Capt. Matthew Sears (1939) was the first redfish highliner in the F/V Ramonde. It was just the beginning. "Down The Road".... Gloucester will always be fishing. The "old days" are gone - change is the only constant.... it's inevitable! Our fishermen no longer routinely land millions of pounds for pennies. Instead they deliver thousands of pounds for dollars! Today’s fishermen are constantly evolving. They will not accept the past as a “WAY OF LIFE”! Ron Gilson ⚓ ⚓ ⚓   Carla Grillo is the author of “The Past Is A Present”, a book profiling 28 seniors from the Gloucester senior community. All proceeds will benefit The Gloucester Council on Aging and the Rose Baker Senior Center. The book is sponsored by the Friends of The Gloucester Council on Aging. TO PRE-ORDER THE BOOK, USE LINK: https://pastisapresent. ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ TRIBUTE One of Gloucester's waterfront legends has castoff. Ray Chandanais, Gloucester's resident Caterpillar master mechanic for over 50 years, faithfully served our fishing vessel owners with expertise and professionalism. Ray was a valued member of our waterfront community, a devoted family man and my long-time friend... a straight shooter to all who knew him. Ray... until we meet again, smooth sailing... Ron Gilson ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ GLOUCESTER’S "CATERPILLAR" MASTER MECHANIC  1933 ~ RAY CHANDANAIS ~ 2022 My friend and a great guy Looking back over 50 years ago, when I first met Ray, we both were so young. Ray had teamed up with “Ozzie” Howard and after a few years, they moved their successful marine repair business to Pond Road. At that time, I had just opened my Gloucester Marine Insurance Agency. Ray and Ozzie both serviced our fishing fleet, and in a way, complimented each other’s work. Ray approached his Caterpillar customers with the tools and expertise of a brain surgeon. His partner, Ozzie, serviced his customers with his “jack of all trades” experience and a sledge hammer! IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF ONE ERA AND THE END OF ANOTHER!  As our business relationship grew, our friendship intensified. In my life, the friendships I’ve made along the way, are all important. Ray Chandanais is my good friend, along with his family: wife, Helen; son, Jay; sister, Theresa Wilkins; mother, Mary, and their own family relatives come to mind.  Opening Day at Union Hill Coffee House When our coffee house opened in 1981, the first daily breakfast customer was Ray! No one supported our business more than Ray, and on weekends, his entire family. Our friendship went far beyond business. Ray, Helen, and their family were our family. Joan and I were invited to their wedding at the Surf in Magnolia. Family birthday parties, Veteran’s Day and Marine Corps (10 November) annual restaurant birthday celebrations, when Ray loaned his sons’, Randy and Michael, Marine Corp portraits for display above our restaurant dessert case. Ray was so proud... GREAT MEMORIES!  Gilson’s 60th Wedding Anniversary  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ GLOUCESTER’S "GENERAL MOTORS" MASTER MECHANIC  SEBASTIAN “BUZZY” PARISI Joe G... F/V St. Peter says "He kept us running!" Sebastian “Buzzy” Parisi, now retired, was a Number One diesel mechanic, just like his dad, Joseph “Three Finger Joe” Parisi, before him. “Buzzy” Parisi possessed the same mechanical genes as his father, Joe, who was the legendary Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Master Mechanic from the Golden Age of Fishing 1940 - 1955. I can’t resist offering this memory of the 1940’s. As a 12 year old boy in 1945, I sat on the threshold of the engine room companionway looking down at the initial starting of the Catherine Amerault’s big six-cylinder 400 H.P. Atlas Imperial diesel engine. As the Atlas Company representative checked all the operating systems and the Lister auxiliary engine pumped up the air, I watched Walter Davis, Alec Grimes, and “Slim” Cook ( Groton’s Machine Shop employees) doing their thing in preparation of starting this monster AWESOME (to a young boy) green machine!  Unlike the stream-lined Cooper Bessemer, the Atlas had a Rube Goldberg character - the push rods, rocker arms, valve cages - moving parts were exposed! When the Atlas rolled over, belching the sound of escaping air, gears engaging, chain drives rattling - in unison, all responding to engine room bells and buzzers - it was a MIRACLE beyond words to a young boy! That was the world of “Three Finger Joe” Parisi. I’ll never forget it! Joe’s son “Buzzy” would follow his dad into the GM "General Motors" era only a few years later. As the 1950s faded, more and more the heavy-duty slow turning engines were being replaced by small Buda’s, Cummins, and GM 6-71s, etc., especially in the day-boat fleet. Many old timers thought that horses were being replaced by ponys! That the small high-speed engines would not last - not true.  Three-Finger Joe's Son, Buzzy Parisi, a GM man His father was a heavy-duty Atlas genius! Buzzy Parisi’s era was dawning. He would be in on the ground floor. The fleet quickly adapted to these smaller high-speed GM’s and Cats. Buzzy would be the waterfront’s “go to” GM diesel man! In a 1999 GDT article by Peter Prybot, he mentioned the F/V Serafina N., St. Jude, and Diane Carinhas, as a few of Buzzy’s engine customers. They were all my insureds! I can see Lakeman’s Diane Carinhas loaded, coming like a train down the North Channel, thanks in part to Buzzy Parisi’s expert maintenance. The fleet - at least 50 - 60 boats equipped with Detroit GM diesels - depended on Buzzy Parisi. Like his dad before him, MASTER MECHANIC SALVATORE “BUZZY” PARISI had no equal when it came to GM diesels! ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ Presented by Ron Gilson and Erik Ronnberg Arthur D. Story Shipyard Essex, MA Circa 1947 DANA A. STORY ~ BUILDER
The following history is the story I promised, from the year 1947, when Gloucester's Fishing Industrial Revolution was in full swing.
It is presented here from my memory as a 14-year old working on the Gloucester waterboat, "Wenham Lake". This F/V Kingfisher story is recounted from official Essex shipyard records; Dana Story's Kingfisher construction photos; my personal records and interviews with E. Lewis Knickle, Kingfisher's startup chief engineer; and lastly, my early advisory contribution to Erik Ronnberg, Jr., the model builder of the F/V Kingfisher.
Ronnberg is a nationally acclaimed vessel model builder, currently serving as Maritime Curator at our Gloucester Cape Ann Museum.
This in-depth presentation is for historical purposes. The facts as presented are done so in hopes that this history will live on in Gloucester's fishing industry annals.
Ron Gilson
June 2020 ERIK'S REQUEST Ten years ago, Erik called me and asked "in my opinion" what vessel was the most innovative, modern in concept, architecturally designed, "easern rigged side trawler", built in an Essex shipyard in the 1940's era.
As Erik listed the desired characteristics, there was only one vessel that qualified. . . the F/V Kingfisher! Owned by business partners Larry McEwen and Thomas Hudgins, the 109' Kingfisher was launched from the A.D. Story Shipyard, Dana Story, Builder, Essex, MA on Marc 25 1947.
Illustration April 1947 feature aticle of Fishing Gazette
The Kingfisher ahead of her time, was destined to be a proven highliner. . . she would be the flagship of the Gloucester fishing fleet of the 1940's and 1950's!
 ~ Due to COVID-19, we unfortunately needed to suspend blog production for nine months! ~ Up and running again! December 5, 2020 BUILDING THE FISHING VESSEL KINGFISHER Dana A. Story, Essex Shipyard 1946-47 ~ All photos taken by Mr. Story ~
 Reviewing Kingfisher Plans Larry McEwen was the N. E. Eastern Seaboard Sales Representative for Cooper-Bessemer Diesel Engine Corp. The Cooper-Bessemer heavy-duty marine engine was considered the Cadillac of H.D. engines in the 1940s era. Larry McEwen was a vessel owner/operator - McEwen also owned two other successful highline fishing vessels i.e., Curlew and Golden Eagle. Kingfisher would be his third and largest vessel. It was a phenominal era - Gloucester's Golden Age "1940-1955" 1947 the year of Kingfisher's launching was a banner year!   Upside Down - Shoe on Top  Framing Stage Assembled      Two Huge Timbers - Future Engine Bed  Starboard Side   "Bow" Section        Rabbited into Keel - Driving Trunnels   Planked & Trunneled  Whaleback & Stanchions   on Staging Driving Oakum  Bow & Whaleback Framing    Framing Deck  Interior Before Decking is Installed  Interior Installing Ceiling  Band Sawer  Break Beam Clamped Down  Fwd. Decking & Fo'cstle Hatch Combing  Whaleback Begun  Break Beam After Deck & Stern Circle  Fwd. Closed in Whaleback & Starboard Gallows  Shaft & Rudder  Quadrant Assembly  Port Side View From Essex Causeway  Deck Assembly Coming Together  Hatch Work   Fwd. Crews Quarters With Coal Fired Stove      Fo'csle Locker Area  Shaft & Rudder  Starboard Side Gallows Frames in Place  Final Coat of Paint  As construction of the Kingfisher progressed over the months of 1946 into winter and early 1947, McEwen and his highline skipper, Bob Fralic, of McEwen’s second vessel, Curlew, made frequent inspections of the progress. It was expected Fralic would move into the larger Kingfisher as a reward for his highline performance as captain of the Curlew. The Kingfisher was nearing launch time, when Fralic announced that he would prefer to stay in his smaller Curlew. He was reluctant to move into the larger, more expensive vessel, not wanting the pressure to produce more, longer trips at sea, etc. Besides, the Curlew was like an “old shoe”, an excellent, comfortable vessel and the fastest vessel in Gloucester’s 200-vessel fleet at the time. . . . THE SEARCH WAS ON FOR A NEW SKIPPER . . .       Owners and Their Wives Ready        East Main Street, Gloucester, MA     425hp Cooper Bessemer     Gloucester Harbor June 30, 1947   July 3, 1947  Maiden Trip July 3, 1947 Capt. Michael "Mickey" Densmore Operating from the Sherman B. Ruth Wharf was the F/V Leretha, a smaller, older vessel built in the Essex James yard in 1929. Her skipper was a young rising star, Michael “Mickey” Densmore. Capt. Densmore was breaking records in his Leretha. He was a young, ambitious skipper, well-liked in the fleet, married with a large family to support - the perfect candidate for McEwen's Kingfisher! The break of a lifetime... Capt. Michael “Mickey” Densmore would take command of the beautiful 109’ Kingfisher! She would sail on her maiden trip July 3, 1947.   Chief Engineer E. Lewis Knickle My lifelong friend, “Lewis” Knickle emigrated with family from his native Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in the 1920s. Graduating from Gloucester High School in the early 1930s, he attended Peterson’s Diesel Engine School in Boston and became a licensed diesel engineer aboard General Seafoods’ growing fleet of Cooper Bessemer powered beam trawlers in Boston during the 1930s-40s. Interrupted by WWII, Knickle served as a Lt. Commander in the USNR. Returning from naval service, he was attracted to the redfish bonanza then playing out in his hometown. While his father served as a cook on the highliner, F/V Benjamin C., “Lewie” was recruited to serve as Chief Engineer on McEwen’s new F/V Kingfisher. He paired up with Capt. “ Mickey” Densmore to the delight of owner McEwen, as Knickle was a licensed marine engineer and had considerable Cooper Bessemer experience - all, I might add - on the engines sold to the General Seafoods by Larry McEwen previously... get the picture? Everyone knew each other; it was a unique situation. E. Lewis Knickle would sail as the Chief Engineer of Larry McEwen’s new F/V Kingfisher.  July 13, 1947 General Seafoods Wharf Harbor Cove, Gloucester, MA   Landing First Redfish Trip ~ 10 Days Later... Just the Beginning! ~ ⚓ ⚓ ⚓
A Time for Reflection and Remembrance 
This weekend we celebrate a time-honored tradition. My friend and shipmate, William A. R. "Bill" Chapin, comes to mind.
In the early '80s, we met as directors of Adventure, Inc., a fishing vessel historical restoration project. We both shared marine backgrounds and a mutual pride in our families.
I am pleased to post this piece.
 2015  
Bill and Ron aboard Adventure on return sail from
Bath, Maine to new homeport Gloucester
1988
Bill loved his children unconditionally, three lovely daughters, Liz, Suz, Annie, and his son, Jack, a former Navy Seal.
Jack will be the principal speaker at the Hingham Memorial Day service.
Bill would be so proud.
 U.S. Navy SEAL  Chief Warrant Officer Chapin is a U.S. Navy SEAL serving over 30 years combined service in both the Active and Reserve Components. He is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving multiple tours of duty in South West Asia 2005-2010.
CWO Chapin officially retired from Naval service in 2014, and is currently employed as a Detective with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Environmental Police. He resides in Hingham with his wife, Mary, and two daughters, Erika and Samantha.  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ FROM LEGEND TO COUNTERPRODUCTIVE!! Steve Jobs 2005 Standford Commencement Address ⚓ ⚓ ⚓
May 15, 2020
FISHERMAN'S WHARF, GLOUCESTER:
AGAIN, REINVENTS THE WHEEL
Seafood delivered daily from their boats to their newly acquired
MOBILE SEAFOOD RETAIL VAN. . .
the freshest seafood known to man!
    
Four Giacalone brothers and their young wives answer the call during this coronavirus pandemic. Business is "off the wall". The wives and husbands are making it all happen at Fisherman's Wharf on Rogers Street.
   
To me, this is the Gloucester I love! Young waterfront entrepreneurship finding a way, "rolling the dice" with masks and gloves, delivering the freshest local seafood! These young risk takers are stepping up, answering the call!
Ron Gilson
⚓ ⚓ ⚓ Coming soon to a blog near you... a fascinating story from the Gloucester waterfront you don't want to miss! "It all began in 1947....."  RELEASE DATE EARLY ☛ 2020 ☚ stay tuned! ⚓ ⚓ ⚓  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓
Our Holiday Wish For You
Life is all about connections and friendships. 2019  Thank you for being part of our memories! The Gloucester I Love ~ 2 and its extended family wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!
  Vero Beach, Disney Cruise 2019    Pat and Joe         selfie     ⚓ ⚓ ⚓            2019      ~ Two Old Timers ~ Graduates of Harry Cusick's Finishing School  "THEY DO IT ALL"     1951     His father was a heavy-duty Atlas genius!  2019  Young Ronnie Cluett; Ron Gilson; and Bob Rudolph  Larry Collins, Drum Major (down Main Street) Field Day, June 1, 1949  Daughter Miriam Clark with her mother ("Ma" Clark) at soda fountain. In the foreground is young Harvey Rudolph, Bob Rudolph's brother. Circa 1945 (Photo courtesy of Barbara Clark Arnold    "An American Success Story"  Leanne and Keith Lohnes  Richard and Lana Hurst   Mark Ring     The Executive Partner  A good guy who bailed me out years ago!   Highline Fisherman out of Capt Joe's Wharf, Gloucester, MA As the old timers would say, "Freemantle Doctor is a Home on the Ocean"     with their yougest grandson, Nicholas  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ A GRATEFUL NATION SALUTES ALL VETERANS  
A GLOUCESTER HOME OBSERVES VETERAN'S DAY 
''STANDS TALL'' for his Dad,
Master Sargeant Ethan J. Gilson, USAF
 Observing Veteran's Day
with oldest Great Grandson, Wyatt,
and his Dad, Ethan
VETERAN'S DAY WEEKEND PERFORMANCE
AT
AMERICAN LEGION HALL
GLOUCESTER, MA
            
Chorus Director, Wendy Betts
           
Veteran's Day, 2019
MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY
November 10, 2019
Established 1775 ~ 244th Anniversary
    It was the proudest day of my life! Ron Gilson  ⚓ ⚓ ⚓ THE LAKEMAN'S... A FISHING FAMILY DYNASTY
In the early '70s, Edmond W. Lakeman and his four sons appeared on the Gloucester waterfront. They were new to Gloucester's waterfront. They created an undercurrent of curiosity among the locals. They were outsiders, asking many questions, quick studies, eager to learn and willing to work. They were undaunted.
The Lakeman family: Edmond, mother, Jacqueline, and their sons, Edmond III - "Ned", "Larry", "Fred", and "Jack", were poised to write a new chapter in the history of Gloucester's fishing industry.
Capt. "Ned" Lakeman
The Lakeman's acquired "Jimmy" Madruga's small day boat "Belinda" and renamed it "Four Brothers' ... as Cody would say at the time, "watch those Lakeman's - they're "comers"! Much to the chagrin of established waterfront highliners, the newcomers, guided by their parent's leadership, worked hard, prospered, invested wisely, and over the years owned and operated the F/Vs Silver Lining, Curlew, Essex-built Kingfisher, and the traditional southern pogy seiner Dianne Carinhas. The Lakeman's would become knowledgeable, experienced captains/engineers...highliners all! The family became very successful utilizing old, tired, obsolete fishing vessels for their fish carriers!
Local retired lumper, "Joe" Mello recalls unloading the F/V Dianne Carinhas, and other Lakeman carriers twice in one day! The Dianne Carinhas loaded with 500,000 pounds of pogies presented an exciting spectacle as she steamed "like a train" down the North Channel. Capt. "Ned", Sr., his four sons, and University of R.I. fisheries students as supplemental crew members routinely "ran the mail" in delivering pogies to Gloucester's By-Products plant on the state fish pier.
Sadly, along the way, the family lost Capt. "Larry" and Capt. Frederick W. Lakeman. Their oldest son, "Ned", resettled in Belfast, Maine, and continues fishing on the F/V Western Sea and other vessels. Capt. "Jack", the youngest son, owns and operates the modern F/V Kingfisher, a steel 100' pogy seiner that fishes out of New Jersey in the spring and summer seasons. In the winter, "Jack" resides in Florida.
Capt. "Jack" Lakeman
F/V Kingfisher
F/V Kingfisher
This year, 2019, after the pogy season, Capt. "Jack", with downsizing and approaching retirement in mind, ventured to Blanc Salblon, Quebec, to purchase a 50' Hobble Built Clark's Island, Nova Scotia, herring seiner. F/V Atlantic Traveller, is powered with a 3406, 365 h.p. CAT. The new vessel is currently hauled out at Rose's Marine in Gloucester, undergoing modifications to her wheel house, installation of winches and rail rollers in preparation for the 2020 pogy fishing season.
F/V Atlantic Traveller
 Bow of F/V Atlantic Traveller
Jack's son, John, who continues to fish with his father is currently overseeing the conversion to pogy fishing on the new vessel Atlantic Traveller. A new generation steps up to the plate.
 Son John Lakeman, the New Generation
REFLECTION
After 50 years of highline fishing out of Gloucester, the Lakeman family are in the twilight of their fishing careers, Capt. Edmond and Jacqueline, now in their 90s, are enjoying retirement in Florida near son "Jack's" home. Capt. "Ned", still fishing, resides in Belfast, Maine with his family. "Jack's" son, John, is minding the family vessels Kingfisher, Ugly Duck, and the newly acquired Atlantic Traveller.
As winter approaches, all lines are doubled up at Rose's Marine.
F/V Kingfisher - Tied Up for the Winter
Ron Gilson, October 2019
⚓ ⚓ ⚓  UNION HILL COFFEE HOUSE
~ Opening Day 1981 ~ When our family - sons Brent, Blake, Joan and I opened our restaurant, September 17, 1981, our lives changed... our new family, our Union Hill customers led by the Chandanais, became our life!  
U.H.C.H. Ready for Business, 1981
On September 17, 1981, Union Hill Coffee House, 284-286 Main Street, opened its doors to Gloucester's breakfast community at 6 a.m.; by 8 a.m. it was bedlam! The Gilson family: our son Brent (the prime mover) and more importantly, the cook; Blake, when home from a Merchant Marine voyage.
 Joan and Ron were embarking on a life-changing twelve-year family adventure.  Son Brent, Joan and Ron – office photo 1981
For starters, we worked six months totally renovating the building. When we opened, we worked seven days a week for the first 18 months. We were closed only Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Looking back, ignorance and tenacity were our salvation. From the first day, Union Hill Coffee House prospered beyond our wildest expecations. Our opening day dining room capacity was 60 seats. With lines of customers both inside and up Spring Street, we had to get these customers seated! A panic call to Eastern Baker's Supply delivered 10 tables and 40 chairs after we closed the first day. Now the trouble was a slow kitchen. We couldn't cook fast enough. Eastern Baker's again delivered duplicate kitchen appliances, doubling our ability to serve our waiting customers. Our plumbers worked into the night. By October 31, after many changes, we finally had it together.
From the very beginning, we wanted to provide a different breakfast experience. We came up with our popular "Lumper's Special" (our super breakfast) and we served "S.O.S." (creamed chipped beef on toast) on the Marine Corps birthday (11/10) and Veteran's Day (11/11). We baked our bread, muffins, etc.
 We squeezed our own orange juice, cooked our own home fries and served generous portions. We made sure the restaurant was the cleanest eatery in town. ….. Adding friendly hospitality and an experienced wait staff; we were off and running for 12 unbelievable years! Soon, we were featured in Boston Magazine as the “best breakfast place on the North Shore”. North Shore Weekender supplement also was complimentary to Union Hill. Our son Brent, having realized his dream, left Union Hill within two years for the big city and its culinary opportunities, leaving mom and dad with our new reality:
WE WERE IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS!   Newly Constructed Union Hill Bakery & Came On Line - Grand Opening, Flag Day, June 14, 1987
Looking back, none of the above could have happened without our long-time dedicated employees: Paul Spinola, Lillian Fortado, Peter Araujo, Michael Feeney, Nancy Cutting, Rhonda Goulart with Richard Mahoney, our maintenance man along with a host of part-time employees over the years. Union Hill became our life and our faithful customers became our family: Joy and Tarek El Heneidy, volunteers, donned aprons, and bussed tables on busy Saturdays in 1981. This new friendship would span 40 years with trips to Rome, Egypt and beyond. Helen and Ray Chandanais with family, the Chapin’s, the Hogan’s, our U.S. Marine Corps friends, and special summer visitors, Ann and John Radossich, annual visitors from Rochelle Park, New Jersey, guaranteed our ongoing success. John penned the following poem:
“ODE TO THE UNION HILL”
If heaven allows breakfasts….
And we gain entrance there,
Do you think the Lord would mind
If we asked Joan and Ron prepare?
Our morning meal,
Spiced with their
Love and friendship
in our memories still,
Of that wonderful earthly eatery
We all knew as the Union Hill
And just one more request Dear Lord,
We know you’ll understand….
We’d love to hear just one more tune
From the Union Hill Banjo Band! John Radossich
Union Hill Banjo Band 1988 
Ron setting up for rehearsal night
Joan and I continually strived to make Union Hill a different place, unique in its offerings of food and friendship. Locals and visitors were attracted to special annual celebrations on Veteran’s Day and the U.S. Marine Corps birthday (Nov. 10th). We also sponsored the Union Hill Banjo Band. Yes, our Union Hill Coffee House was indeed a special place. We are forever grateful for our loyal customers and immensely proud of our dedicated employees.
Joan and Ron Gilson
⚓ ⚓ ⚓ ST. PETER'S FIESTA JUNE 2019
St. Peter's Sunday Outdoor Mass
St. Peter's Square
June 30, 2019
   
St. Peter's Parade After Mass
         
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ST. PETER'S FIESTA - 2019
Since 1927, June is Fiesta time in Gloucester. Capt. Salvatore Favazza, a Sicilian immigrant, was a fisherman from our Fort section of town. As the story goes, Favazza commissioned a statue of St. Peter, patron saint of the fishermen, for his Italian fishing community.
Capt. Salvatore Favazza
This year, 2019, is especially meaningful to me as I recognize Sara Favazza, my friend for many years. Sara is synonymous with St. Peter's Fiesta. She is one of Gloucester's treasures, the last Favazza sibling. My connection to the Favazza family and their vessels has been close and ongoing over many decades.
While St. Peter's Fiesta is traditionally a June event, I am reminded everyday throughout the year of this Gloucester tradition, thanks to Sara Favazza. In my visits with Sara over the years, when researching Gloucester's fiesta story, I would always come away with a gift from Sara. As I sit in my recliner, looking down upon me is a pewter key chain of St. Peter. Throughout the calendar year, this gift reminds me daily of Sara Favazza.
 
Capt. and Mrs. Salvatore Favazza
   
Burnham, Linquata, Verga, and Gentile....Italian
Michael Linquata and Son
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NOVENA TO ST. PETER
Monday, June 17 - Tuesday, June 25, 7p.m.
American Legion Hall
           St. Peter's Sunday Morning Social Hour Gathering at St. Peter's Club, Rogers Street, Gloucester 2018                2019 St. Peter's Fiesta Vignettes 
Veteran Greasy Pole Winners
Ross Carlson and Proud Dad, Chris Carlson
        
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July 4th Parade, Manchester by the Sea
    
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Ron at wheel of Adventure August, 1988
Sailing seaward on Kennebeck River from Bath, Maine to new homeport Gloucester
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| William A. R. Chapin (Bill) Friend and shipmate crewing Adventure on our return sail 1988 |
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Composite photos of "Bill" Chapin crewing Adventure 1988
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| Portuguese Blessing of the Fleet, 1947 Community Fish Pier, Gloucester, MA |
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| Original F/V Joseph & Lucia Built 1944 at the James Shipyard, Essex, Mass. Capt. Giuseppe Brancaleone 
F/V & Lucia II
Brancaleone family vessel
of the 60s, 70s, & 80s
Capt. Antonino "Nino" Brancaleone
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| F/V Joseph & Lucia III Capt. Gaetano "Tommy" Brancaleone 70s & 80s |
Scenes of General Seafood's Wharf
Harbor Cove
Circa 1947
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Harbor Cove
Circa 1947
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Favaloro family vessel
Circa 1946
Of all the 1940s commercial fishing vessels (side trawlers) that were launched from the Essex building ways of John Prince Story Shipyard and later his grandson Jonathan Story, "in my opinion", the F/V Julie Ann was the best designed of similar hulls produced by both builders.
Ron Gilson - 2019
The F/V Julie Ann launched 5/5/46 for Capt./owner Leo Favaloro, measured 93'x22'x11.5', powered with a 350 h.p. Cooper Bessemer heavy duty marine diesel, equipped with Hathaway trawl winch, Hathaway deck gear, and the latest electronics. F/V Julie Ann was a highline addition to the growing post WWII Gloucester fleet of modern fishing vessels.
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Erik Ronnberg's model of the
F/V Bright Star
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 Last fishing vessel constructed at the James Shipyard - April 5, 1947 Builder Fred Head - 71.6' x 19.4' x 10.8' |
Recently, at the Cape Ann Museum, Ron and Erik Ronnberg, the museum's Maritime Curator, and a renowned ship model builder, discussed his 1947 era model F/V Bright Star that Erik created
Essex Shipbuilding Museum
Adventure lecture and slide presentation
Circa 2012
Gloucester's famous Greasy Pole
One of the popular sporting events of the annual St. Peter's Fiesta celebration. In the background is Gloucester's new Beauport Hotel facing the outer harbor.
Ben Pine's Atlantic Supply Wharf
Gloucester's urban renewal area of the 1960s
Wharf Street "Harbor Loop"
Site of Geno Mondello's Dory Shop
Circa 1944
United Fisheries background
Circa 1945
Gorton's Machine Shop Wharf
F/V Conquest - Capt. Joaquim Gaspar
Circa 1946
Today's location of the Cruiseport
F/V Benjamin C., Launching day 1946
Dana Story Essex Shipyard
Benjamin C. . . OVERBOARD!! . . . undertow
 
F/V Joffre, 1918
Builder - A.D. Story Shipyard
105' dory trawler converted to dragger in 1940, sailing under command of Capt. Simon Theriault and First Mate Donald Laurie, Sr. in 1945.
F/V JOFFRE TO THE RESCUE
On a Wednesday night, December 12, 1945, the F/V Gale, one of General Seafoods Corp. Boston vessels, went ashore on Sable Island Bar, known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. The Gale, Capt. Douglas Schwartz, with 17 men aboard, was feared doomed in a raging 80 m.p.h. snow storm, caught in shifting sands off Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The crew wanted to escape the powerful running tides and storming breakers that suck and break up a captured vessel. Capt. Simon Theriault and crew, steaming in the F/V Joffre 15 miles away, heard the Gale’s SOS and made radio contact. Theriault and mate Donald Laurie, huddled around their ship to shore radio telephone and convinced the 17-man crew to remain aboard the Gale……the winds will shift, the tide recede, and the breakers will abate hours later, allowing the crew to take to their dories in mid-afternoon and row to the rescue vessel, beam trawler Breaker, with Capt. Halley of their General Seafoods Corp. All 17 members of the Gale crew were saved. They all thanked God, Capt. Theriault and mate Donald Laurie for their sage advice.
Joe Cody was my lifelong waterfront friend, mentor, and business associate. Joe was a common sense, street smart, respected industry leader….a straight shooter. He was a kind, caring friend in the mold of our mutual mentor, Ben Pine, whose teachings would profoundly influence both of our lives.
 
Manuel P. "Jeff" Domingos, Jr., President of the United Fisheries
Portuguese Leader in the 1940s & 50s
My boyhood friend and waterfront mentor
Escaping Portugal in 1942 (WWII) arriving on a tramp steamer in Baltimore, MD made his way to the family home in Gloucester on Herrick Court arriving at 11:00a.m. DaCruz left that same night fishing on the family vessel at 6:00p.m. out of New Bedford, Mass.
MY BEST FRIEND
Highline Capt. Joaquim Gaspar
In my opinion, Gaspar was the most creative forward-thinking innovator in the developing fishing fleet of the 40s & 50s
Ron Gilson - 2019 
Highline Capt. Frank Rose
Recognized leader in the Portuguese fishing community 1930s & 40s
Sch. Edith L. Boudreau
Capt. David Ribeiro
Circa 1945
 
Richard Saulnier, Tommy Brancaleone, and Tony DaCruz
Career Waterfront Mechanics
Rose's Boat Yard
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1. The refined heavy duty diesel engine became available in the late 1920s.
Advanced version, heavy-duty diesel engine of the 40s & 50s
2. Redfish (bottom fish) were discovered in the 1930s.
Scenes of General Seafoods Wharf
Harbor Cove, 1947
3. Dragging (outer trawling) provided the means to catch this untapped species in volume.
F/V Joseph & Lucia II
Deck Load of Redfish
4. Birdseye's flash freezing, invented in the late 1920s, allowed volume catches of redfish to be processed daily. The fresh frozen fish market made salt fish products obsolete. Flash freezing refrigeration forever changed Gloucester's fishing industry.
General Seafoods
Grand opening, June 12, 1942
Gloucester's newest redfish processing plant began operation on Commercial Street, (formerly the Clarence Birdseye property). It would prove to be a major processor on our newly developing post depression waterfront, all part of the rise of the redfish era - GLOUCESTER'S GOLDEN AGE OF FISHING 1940 - 1955.
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Haulback F/V Maryanne
Capt. Ollie Palazola
St. Peter's weekend, time off for family outing
Haulback Off-Shore F/V Joseph & Lucia III
Haulback Scene F/V Joseph & Lucia III
F/V St. Peter
Capts. Joe Giacalone & Bike Scola
Launched A.D. Story Shipyard, Essex, Mass. 1927
Early example of diesel-powered transition vessel entering Gloucester's fleet in the late 1920s
F/V St. Mary
Capts. Dominic Spinola . . . son Emilio
Engineer Michael Spinola
Builder Harvey Gamage Shipyard 1951
F/V Hunter
Capt. Accursio "Gussie" Balbo & sons Danny and Joe
Day boat Whiting Fisherman
A typical fishing family
A typical fishing family
GLOUCESTER . . . A City of Immigrants!
We all come from another place. In early years, Canadian Maritime fisherman migrated south to Gloucester seeking better economic fishing opportunities. Portuguese fisherman, fishing the Grand Banks from their native Portugal and Azores homeland, soon found Gloucester as their second home. Irish in the early days populated our Fort section of Gloucester prior to our present day ~ turn of the century, Italian fishing community inhabitants .
Highliner . . . F/V Caroline & Mary
Capt. Joe Rose
Circa 1945
Fisheries Redfishing & Swordfishing
Ben Pines F/V Puritan
Capt. Oscar Ribeiro
1945
F/V Catherine L. Brown
Capt. Louis "Louie" Brown
Highline Redfisherman of the 1940s
As a general observation, the Canadian and Portuguese fishermen were offshore fishermen. The Nova Scotias and Newfoundlanders were very familiar with their North Atlantic fishing grounds. The Portuguese found Gloucester's closer proximity to their traditional fishing grounds "The Grand Banks" much more advantageous and eventually settled in our Ward II Portuguese Hill area.
The Italian fishermen following in their European tradition were more inclined to fish the inshore fishery. For decades in early years, they excelled in inshore fishing and gradually moved into mackerel seining, again following the inshore areas but venturing further south in the early spring to catch mackerel as they traditionally moved north as the climate/waters warmed. As we moved into the decades of the '40s & '50s, Italian fishermen ventured into the offshore fishery as well.
Traditionally, the Canadian fishermen were North Atlantic ground fishermen. The Portuguese were also offshore fishermen. They were considered expert in swordfishing, and fleet leaders in this fishery.
The Italian fishermen were always successful in the inshore fishery and excelled in the offshore mackerel fishery. They were the undisputed leaders in mackerel fishing in the '30s & '40s.
Italian Highline Mackeral Seiner
F/V Santa Maria
All-time highline mackeral seiner
Capts. Peter Mercurio and Peter Guarrasi
As a boy, I was intrigued by all the goings on. In 1944 at age eleven, I was introduced to our busy waterfront as an employee of John Wenneberg on the waterboat Wenham Lake.
Our customer base was located in the North Channel of our inner harbor. This included the United Fishery complex at the head of the North Channel; Gorton's Main Street complex; John J. Burke's ....; Sherman B Ruth wharf; and finally, Ben Pines Atlantic Supply Wharf at the further end entrance to the North Channel. In all, we probably serviced 120 vessels at the height of the summer season (there was also a southern fleet that came north in the summer months).
During these formative years at age 14 in 1947, I started fishing, it was an exciting time for so many male teenagers in the '40s era. I wanted to experience every facet of the industry: seining, dragging, and in 1951, I witnessed dory trawling in its waning years. My only remaining desire was to experience swordfishing. This meant extended trips, 30+ days minimum. My parents would not allow any such long absence from home. (Fishing was always discouraged by my parents.)
Highline F/V Evelina M. Goulart
Capt. Manuel Goulart
Typical Portuguese Swordfisherman
Circa 1930s
Swordfishing George's Bank
Joseph Mello, Lifelong Friend (at age 13)
Sailed on F/V Magellan, Swordfishing Summer of 1945
Highline Owner/Capt. Edward "Eddie" Silva
Chief Engineer Manuel "Manny" Mello, Joe's Father
MAGELLAN SWORDFISH TRIP 1945
Joe Mello made the trip swordfishing that I longed to do in my teenage years. Joe recalled recently of being gone 30 days wharf to wharf in the summer of 1945.
Capt. Eddie Silva was a highliner, at the top of his game, in those years. With a crew of eight men, the F/V Magellan arrived in Gloucester from Georges Bank with a banner fare of swordfish averaging 100, up to 400 pounds each. Some fish tipped the scales weighing 600 lbs. dressed weight, i.e., head sword and innards removed!
I asked Joe about Capt. Eddie and Joe had nothing but praise for his captain. Mello said the captain was always well dressed, neat as a pin. He was always in command. As a boy of 13, Mello knew who was in charge . . . the captain! Joe couldn't recall the striker's name and the other crew members, but he did say it was "all business aboard the Megellan".
Joe was 13 in 1945, I was right behind him in 1947. I would make my first trip seining on Ben Pine's Yankee, with Capt. Cyril Dyett. I entered G.H.S. that fall. One of my classmates was Helen Silva, Capt. Eddie's daughter. Helen was a wonderful, attractive, bright classmate. She was friendly, simply a nice person - just like her dad. Joe Mello agreed. About 55 years later, after graduating in 1951, Helen and her husband came east from their home in Eugene, Oregon and joined my wife and me at our class reunion dinner table. It was a wonderful evening recalling memories.
Classmate Helen Silva
Flicker Yearbook Photo 1951
F/V Tina B.
Launching Day September 23, 1945
Builder John Prince Story Shipyard, Essex, Mass
Owner/Capt. Simplicio Bichao
Ron Gilson's first launching with his Uncle John Sticklen
Cardinal Richard James Cushing, Archbishop of Boston (1944-1970)
Pictured on steps of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church with my boyhood friend, Louis Costa of Sadler Street, et al
F/V Our Lady of Fatima
Owner/Capt. Chris Cecilio, 1945
WWII minesweeper conversion
Owner/Capt. Chris Cecilio, 1945
WWII minesweeper conversion
5. Huge domestic and European markets for redfish developed from the depression of the 1930s to the post WWII era of the 1950s. These were a result of WWII military demands and post WWII Marshall Plan European commitments.
Launching Day F/V Judith Lee Rose
Owner/Capt. Frank Rose Jr.
Southboro Shipyard, ME 1953
Crew of F/V Ocean Life 1951
Capt. Manny Marques and his 11-man crew of the F/V Ocean Life - largest redfish dragger of Gloucester's Golden Age of Fishing, carrying capacity 500k redfish!
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REFLECTIONS
"The Good Old Days" are gone; the industry that I knew and grew up with is over. Gloucester and its people have moved on.
Circa, 1947
Circa, 1947
Harbor Cove
I witnessed the greatest period in Gloucester's 400-year history of fishing. It was a phenomenal chapter, Gloucester's own Industrial Revolution. I thought it would go on forever! Gloucester was fishing! We had the boats, the men, and we enjoyed a worldwide market for our fish!
We had it all!!
Launching Date was 4/17/45
Lyman James Essex Shipyard
F/V Villanova
Burnham's Railways
Capt./Owner Joaquim Gaspar
Last vessel built by Gaspar family
Circa, 1960
F/V Wild Duck
Capt. Cecilio
Circa, 1955
F/V Linda B
Capt. Rosario Testaverde - Cut Bridge
The family breadwinners of today will not accept what fishermen routinely endured only 70 years ago. Millions of pounds of whiting and redifsh were landed @ 1-1/2 to 4 cents per pound. Boats on trips for 7, 10, 14 days, away from their families. That's unacceptable today.
MOVING ON...
Gone are "button" fish
Gone are hyped brine tanks
Gone are "green fillets"
Gone is "rewrap"
Gone is the 10-lb. layer pack
Scaler Machine
1950 Vintage
American Fillet Company
1950
Fish Handling
Circa 1950
We once fished 200 offshore Gloucester vessels; today, 2019 we service maybe ten offshore local and visiting vessels. Day boats can be counted on one hand, and there is only one pogy harvester, Lakeman's Kingfisher.
The few vessels still fishing are landing only modest catches, compared to the '40s and '50s era. They are receiving exceptionally high prices for their landings and the product reaching the consumer is fresher and superior. Gloucester's diminished fishing industry survives, a shadow of its former self.
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FISHERMEN'S WHARF - HISTORIC PAST... AGAIN LEADING THE WAY
Fishermen's Wharf, an iconic leader on Gloucester's waterfront, dating back to Ben Pine's Atlantic Maritime Company of the 1920s, to the boat owner's Gloucester Whiting Association of the 1950s, is now enjoying its latest industry resurgence.
Fishermen's Wharf
Circa 1950
Fishermen's Wharf
2019
F/V Teresa Marie II
F/V Midnight Sun
Testaverde Family Vessel`
F/V Teresa Marie IV
TODAY'S FISHING 2019
Today's offshore vessels manufacture their own salt water slush ice. Sea water cooled to 1/2 degree above freezing temperature, produces a salt water slush resulting in unbruised, unmarred fish. The fish are individually processed by hand aboard the fishing vessel, no longer forked multiple times, arriving dockside in individual tubs in a superior unblemished condition Today's fresh fish are rock hard, vivid in color, and delivered absolutely fresh to the consumer.
Recently, I visited Fishermen's Wharf, 37 Rogers Street, owned and operated by the Giacalone Bros., Vito, Jr., Chris, Marc (investment counselor), and Nick representing three generations of Giacalone fishing family involvement on our waterfront. We can thank the vision of the Giacalone family for their investment and confidence in a diminished continuing local fishing industry.
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With the family patriarch, grandfather "Joe G." (Capt. Joe), I was treated to a guided tour of this amazing modern fresh fish facility, complete with its newest redfish culling machine, its pristine fresh fish stainless steel processing facility, huge cold storage capability, and modern day "no hands on" approach to unloading fresh fish.
Redfish Culling Machine
Redfish Cooling Area
Fishermen's Wharf utilitizes the latest computerized, visual monitoring capability, that allows the young, ambitious partners to be in constant touch with the day-to-day, minute-by-minute operation of their dockside facility. The Giacalone brothers have succeeded in reinventing the fresh fish processing industry. They are leading the way on Gloucester's waterfront!
GLOUCESTER HAS CHANGED AND ADAPTED. THE GIACALONE BROS. ARE SETTING THE INDUSTRY STANDARD, DEFINING THE COURSE, DELIVERING A SUPERIOR FRESH FISH PRODUCT!
Ron Gilson, 2019
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Father and Son
June 16, 2019
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