Ciro M Tarantino Investigator.

Kirklin Campbell & Keating was the largest maritime law firm in the country. They were the defense attorneys for the United States Lines.

As an investigator for the firm I had been assigned to meet the SS United States and the SS America on their return voyage from Europe. My duties were to investigate any injuries during the voyage by either the crew or passengers that might be serious enough to warrant a lawsuit.

Arrangements were made for me to board a coast guard cutter along with the pilot and FBI and customs agents. We had to be on the cutter by 6AM. The cutter met the ship in the New York Bay before it started up the Hudson River approximately under the Varrizano Bridge. It would be dawn at the time of the meeting, and it was an awesome sight to see this small cutter pulling along side these gigantic ships. Once along side the ship the side door would be opened by the crewmembers and a ladder would be lowered to the cutter. Once aboard each group took care of their assignment. I went to the medical department to review the medical log for injuries to passengers And Crewmembers. I looked for any injuries that should be investigated before the ship docked at the pier, and the injured person would leave the ship. The medical log entries explained the name rank injury and treatment for crewmembers, and the name injury, treatment and cabin number for passengers. After selecting the most serious injuries I headquartered myself in a stateroom. U visited the injured passengers to interview them as to place, cause and seriousness of their injury, If they cooperated I would take a signed statement. As for crewmembers I submitted a list of names to the section chief, and asked them to have the injured crewmember report to the stateroom. If they did not show up, I would track them down. I would interview them and ask them to sign a statement. In Some cases they would give me a card with their attorney name. Lawyers had runners on the ship. When someone was injured they would give the injured person attorneys cards. If you asked them about the injury they would tell you to contact their lawyer. The Jones Act covered ship injuries. You had to prove that the injury did happen or could have happened, Many crewmembers avoided talking to you about injuries.

I remember an oiler in the engine room who claimed he injured his back when he slipped on grease that was on the floor. TheChief Engineer informed me that U could find him in the engine room. I interviewed him, took a statement and asked him to read it and sign it. He did and the Chief Engineer was suprised. He told me that he did no know how to read. These are only some of the pitfalls that you are confronted with aboard the ship. You seldom find a witness that would help you in the investigation. This is understandable because the ship is like a city with everyone living on the same block, and very close knit.

Checking out crewmember injuries was not a one day job. I had to be aboard the ship every day is in port. Even the last day before it sailed because the crewmembers sign on for another voyage, and I could see them before the ship sailed. Sailing day was always exciting. Boarding passengers were excited, jubilant, and very happy. There were many bon voyage parties, with stewards and stewardess running around to serve passengers and their guest. It was at these departures that I met the movie actors and celebrities, such as Alan Ladd, Walter Pidgeon, the pianist Van Klyburn, the duke and Duchess of Windsor. Yes it was a very exciting day for them but also for me. Still looking for crewmembers, I had to be aware of the departure time. As I said before the ship was a city, and even through I was familiar with the staircases and decks, you had to know the fastest way to get off the ship. First you would hear the stewards saying, " All ashore going ashore". That was the warning, prepare to leave. So you started to make your way to the main deck gangplank leading to the pier. Then you heard the blast of the horn. This was the final warning to get off the ship. You didn’t walk to the deck, you ran. I got off the ship and watched the big ship pull away from the pier, and the passengers waving to relatives on the pier. They would through paper streamers. The ship would give a final blast of the horn as it was pulled into the Hudson River, heading for the Bay and another voyage across the sea.

   Another pleasant memory was when the tugs were on strike. The Captain brought the United States into the pier on it’s own. He sailed up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. Then backed the ship down, turning the ship backwards into the slip. Just like backing a car into the garage. Just before the end of the pier the engines were reversed, and I swear it brought everything that was lying on the bottom of the river to the top. I was standing on the bridge watching this magnificent maneuver.