Life boat drill left to right: John Simkins, Elias “Charlie” Ryder, Eugene “OB” O’Brien, Harold “Ski”
Jastrzembski in his Scottish tam, 4 MSC crewmen, and Giacamo “Jack” Barrone. 

Charlie was an MSC messman who delivered some wonderful nuggets of life philosophy along with each of 
our daily meals.  Interestingly, he had one of the filthiest mouths I’ve ever heard.  Every other word was an
F-bomb, a GD-bomb or an A-bomb.  Dennis “Flash” Johnsey wrote a special article on Charlie in the
April, 1972 issue of our Bowditch newsletters.

Being the elder mentor, Jack introduced me to the smoothness of Spanish brandy one afternoon during
our inport in Malaga, Spain.  I woke up the next day in my rack with the tips of my shoes deeply skuffed. 
Couldn’t figure it out.  Well, I heard later that a cabby pulled up and poured me out of his ride that evening on
the pier by the ship.  My shipmates apparently dragged me up the brow face-down.  If you’ll remember,
there are little raised cross-pieces along the brow that scrubbed my shoe polish off right down to the leather.