# SS Cortland, Saigon, 1968



## swede (Apr 20, 2012)

I was on the Cortland the last six months of her operation, running between Kaoshiung and Saigon with cement (spent the last 2-3 months tied to a bouy on the Saigon river).

Company went bankrupt, crew was sent back to the US, except for me. Not being a US citizen, I was left in Saigon but managed to get on another ship out of there after a few weeks. It was some crazy times, the war was in full swing and Saigon not the place to be for an unemployed 20 year old.

I was wondering if anyone is around from that part of my life. There where 3 ships that got abandoned on the Saigon river, all owned by the George T. Bates Steamship Company of New York ( ss Cortland, ss Whitehall and ss Bowling Green)

Best Regards
Arne (the name I went by in those days)


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## Wallace Slough (Mar 21, 2009)

Hello Arne
I didn't sail with that company (fortunately), but I recall seeing their derelict ships laid up in Saigon. There were a lot of "fly by night" companies that came out of the woodwork to make a quick buck during the war, and it's a shame that you got stuck on one of them. I understand and sympathize with your statement that being a 20 year old in Saigon at that time was not the place to be. It sounds like you were fortunate to find a berth and get out of there.

I sailed for several years for Columbia Steamship Company. They were another small company that prospered during the war, and quickly disappeared at it's end. They were pretty good at the onset when they were making money, but got pretty flaky near the end when the easy bucks dried up. I was mate on a C-2 in San Diego wherein the ship was working and the rust had broken up all across the main deck at #3 hatch. You could follow the ship's working all the way down to the lower hold where the rust had broken off the plates. I was ordered by the Vice President of the company to feather in the rust and paint over it after we discharged the deck load of aircraft. I refused to do it, and ended up being asked to leave the ship in San Francisco. The end of the company was in sight, so I didn't contest the firing; something I regret to this day. I'm not a union man, but that was one case that should have been brought to it's attention. I took the ship through USCG inspection in San Francisco, and she was given a one way ticket to take a load to Vietnam and then straight to Kaohsiung for scrapping. It all happened a long time ago.


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## swede (Apr 20, 2012)

Hello Wallace

Thanks for your reply and you're right, there where many fly by night outfits operating during the war. I lost a little over US $4000, which was a lot of money back in those days.

Here is a link to the ship you probably saw on the Saigon river:

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/387455/title/s-2fs-cortland/cat/all

Best Regards


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