Dear Friends of our Port Community,

How many of us have sailed past a dredge on the Delaware in the middle of winter and thought from inside our warm wheelhouse, I’m really glad I’m not out on that pipeline, all the while knowing just how essential this rigorous and often dangerous work is to the vitality of our port? For me personally, too many times to count.

You may also have had thoughts of gratitude when everything seems to come together each day and you make it home safely to your family after your hitch. Sadly, on the evening of December 2nd, this scenario was not to play out for three men and their families. A derrick barge working in support of the Dredge Essex capsized in the Christina River. While two of the men were saved, a 28 year-old single father of a little girl, Emanuel Gatling, was unable to escape the enclosure and drowned. The emotional toll that this tragic accident has and will continue to take on Emanuel’s family, friends and colleagues will only be made more difficult during this holiday season. And the financial hardship placed on his family to raise his daughter without him, will no doubt affect them for years to come.

The Mariners Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the Seamens Center of Wilmington, is sponsoring a fund to help Emanuel’s family in their time of sorrow and need. We are asking that when you are considering your holiday giving, to please remember the Gatling family and let them know that our port family cares.

Checks can be made out to EGMF, Emanuel Gatling Memorial Fund, and mailed to:

EGMF
c/o Seamens Center of Wilmington
P. O. Box 405
Wilmington, DE 19899

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season,
Sincerely,
Capt. Stephen Roberts
Pilots Association for the Bay & River Delaware
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