Seymour Wittek
| Seymour Wittek | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 1921 |
| Died | 2010-01-03 Ossining, New York |
| Occupation | sailor, furrier |
| Known for | heroically fought a fire, on a ship loaded with explosives, in NYC, during World War 2 |
Seymour Wittek was a Coast Guard sailor who heroically fought a fire on the El Estero, a freighter laden with explosives, in 1943.[1]
At the time the enlisted sailors who fought the fire received no recognition, other than a parade, organized by the City of Bayonne.[1] Wittek lobbied for recognition for himself and his peers, for decades. Finally, on memorial day, 2008, the Commandant of the Coast Guard awarded him a medal. Wittek died just over a year later, on January 3, 2010.
Not only was the El Estero contain explosives, but so did the ships moored nearby.[2] Railcars loaded with explosives were parked nearby. According to The New York Times there were 5,000 tons of explosives on the burning ship, or stored nearby, which would have all exploded if the ship had exploded.
Oil that had leaked into the El Estero's bilge ignited.[2] Wittek said that when officers asked for volunteers to fight the fire every single man in his unit stepped forward, without hesitation. Wittek and his fellow volunteers stayed aboard the burning ship, to fight the fire, for hours. Fireboats succeeded in towing it away from the wharf. Finally enough water was sprayed on board that the burning vessel sank.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richard Goldstein. Seymour Wittek Dies at 88; World War II Hero at Home, The New York Times, 2010-01-03, p. B7. Retrieved on 2022-03-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clyde Haberman. Time Ebbs for the Heroes Who Saved the Harbor, The New York Times, 2008-05-27. Retrieved on 2022-03-21. “He was Seaman Second Class Wittek back then, all of 22 and barely into his three-year enlistment in the Coast Guard. 'That,' he said on this holiday weekend dedicated to remembering military sacrifice, 'was the day that tested who I was.'”