My father worked as a newspaperman on the New Orleans Time Picayne. He moved to NYC and worked for Dorothy Day. When World War II began he wanted to support his country but didn’t want to bare arms. He joined the Merchant Marine. His ship, the SS Pew, was torpedoed in  1943. He died at 38. 

In 1991 Marisol Escobar sculpted a moving tribute to these brave men.  The sculpture is off of Bowling Green in the Upper New York Bay. Three seamen are facing death and terrified. A fourth man is drowning in the water. He drowns twice a day. One of his mates extends his hand to him. 

The United States Merchant Mariner suffered more casualties than any other American service during World War II,