Esso Gettysburg HAER No. CA-354 Page 10 The Upper Deck aft, just beneath the poop deckhouse, held accommodations originally assigned to oilers, firemen, wipers, deck maintenance men, and seamen plus galley storerooms, crew laundry, and other miscellaneous stores.27 Two fore-and-aft gangways connected the forecastle and two deckhouses. In the affectionate language of a writer for The Ships’ Bulletin, “the walkway between the poop and bridge will seem a half-mile long to a hungry man going aft for chow.”28 3. Cargo holds: As built, the Esso Gettysburg’s thirty cargo tanks gave the ship a total capacity of 13,344,030 gallons (317,715 barrels); just over 50 percent of this could be carried in the center tanks alone (6,720,294 gallons [160,007 barrels]).29 Considered in terms of weight instead of volume, the ship’s maximum deadweight capacity was 37,800 long tons when loaded to its maximum summer freeboard draft of 36'-9.25". In normal service, however, the ship had a designed operating draft of 35'-2"; at this level the ship’s deadweight capacity was reduced to 35,420 long tons.30 A small amount of dry-cargo space was designed into the ship’s forecastle, divided into an upper dry-cargo hold of 32,269 cu. ft. capacity and a lower one of 50,400 cu. ft. These were accessed through two 10' x 20' hatches and served by two king posts, each with a cargo boom. Designers positioned additional cargo- and equipmenthandling booms midships, forward of the poop deckhouse, and aft of the poop deckhouse.31 4. Crew accommodations: The Esso Gettysburg entered service with a crew of fortyseven. By 1971, this number had been reduced to thirty-five.32 These men were accommodated in a variety of simply appointed compartments distributed between the two deckhouses. In the words of The Ships’ Bulletin: The [Esso Gettysburg’s] well-proportioned after house rises sparkling white and contains quarters for the entire ship’s company except Deck Officers, the Radio Officer, Steward and Purser, who are housed amidships. Every man aboard has an individual room, insulated, sheathed and equipped with a built-in metal bed with four drawers and a locker underneath, innerspring mattress, built-in wardrobe, wash basin with hot and cold water, comfortable metal furniture and convenient accessories. At least one toilet and shower for each two rooms is provided. All quarters, in addition to the officers’ lounges, 27 ibid. 28 “Esso Gettysburg,” 3. 29 The no. 10 port and starboard wing tanks were piped to double as emergency fuel-oil bunkers if needed; “Esso Gettysburg,” 6. 30 “Esso Gettysburg,” 5. 31 “Esso Gettysburg,” 6. 32 “Large Oil Tanker Passes Sea Trials,” 39; “385,000 gallons of oil spill into sound,” 1.

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