Sieling & Jarvis Inc. was a shipping company that operated tanker ships and some cargo ships. Sieling & Jarvis was started by David B. Jarvis and Dick Sieling in New York City. Later David B. Jarvis was the company president and later became the sole owner of Sieling & Jarvis Inc. Mr. Sieling was the vice president and a partner in Sieling & Jarvis. Sieling & Jarvis supported the World War II effort by operating United States owned ships.[1]
World War II
Before starting Sieling & Jarvis, David B. Jarvis was with the Three Star Line, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, starting in 1921. Three Star Line had passenger service to Spain, North Africa and Marseilles from the Erie Basin, Red Hook Brooklyn. Before the Three Star Line Jarvis was with Callaghan, Atkinson & Company, a tanker firm, that was founded in 1914 in New York City. Sieling & Jarvis fleet of ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II Sieling & Jarvis operated Merchant navy ships for the United States Shipping Board. During World War II Sieling & Jarvis was active with charter shipping with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. Sieling & Jarvis operated fuel tanker ships for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its Sieling & Jarvis crew and the US Navy supplied United States Navy Armed Guards to man the deck guns and radio.[2][3][4]
Post war
Sieling & Jarvis were shipping agents for the United Tanker Corporation in 1949, United Tanker was founded on December 10, 1947. Post war Sieling & Jarvis became agents for Collin & Gissel's tankers.[5] Sieling & Jarvis became operating agents for ships for the Soviet Union in 1949, to take fuel to North China. Sieling & Jarvis used the tankers: SS Kettleman Hills and SS St. Christopher. In April 1950 Sieling & Jarvis the United States Department of State told Sieling & Jarvis that US ships could not be used to support the Soviet Union or China, as Economic Cooperation Administration funds were involved. The Korean War started June 25, 1950, and China was supporting North Korea. Sieling & Jarvis transferred to a London company. the Sieling & Jarvis as operating agents China shipping was discussed in a Sale of Government-Owned Surplus Tanker Vessels Hearings before the United States Congress in March 1952. David B. Jarvis testefided that the charter was routine commercial operation made with the complete knowledge of the State Department.[1][6]
Tanker ships
For World War II, Sieling & Jarvis operated 20 tankers by 1943. Most tankers were type T2 tankers and a few T1 tankers.[7]
Some of the tankers were:
SS New Hope at T2-SE-A1 tanker
SS Cacalilao (1943–1946) built by Bethlehem Steel in 1919[8]
SS Bradford Island (1945–1947) T2 tanker built by Kaiser Company at Swan Island in 1945[9]
SS Kingston, built as SS Reginald A. Fessenden, (1948–1950) Liberty ship[10]
^World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007–2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, MD [1]
^U.S. Ship operators Defend Soviet Trip; Delivering Cargoes Between Russian Ports in Far East Called 'Routine' Matter, New York Times, October 13, 1949