The Gribbin Family Resource Center

I received an email from Jeff Jones of New Jersey, USA, looking for any information about William Joseph Gribbin.

Hoping to use the power of the internet to help in his search, I’ve added a new regular feature to The Gribbin Family Resource Center: Looking for Family! This new page can be reached from a link in the right column of the Home page. Jeff’s email plus all other previously published Looking for Family! requests can be found there.

Looking for lost or distantly related Gribbins, Gribbens, or Gribbons? Send me their information and I’ll add it to the previously posted requests from Gribbins and others.

Hello all,
I am looking for any info on William Joseph Gribbin of New Jersey, USA, who passed away early of 1983. He was in the Navy and served twice in Vietnam. I know his father died around the same age and believe he had a brother, but I am not 100% sure. There is a very solid chance his mother, Gloria, has passed as well. I know he worked at the Vet Center in Northern NJ as a counselor for Vets. Does anyone here know who I am talking about? Please email if you know anything. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
J Jones
NJ USA
jeffreyjonesw@hotmail.com

In August of 2008, I published a lengthy post tittled  Gribbin Head. It was mostly about the Gribbin Head Daymark Tower that was built in 1832 on the Southwest coast of Cornwall, England. Almost lost in all that  information was a small story about the Tug Gribbin Head. Since I had not found many details about her in my searches, I could only write a brief history and asked if anyone else had more to add. Recently retired Fowey Harbour Master Mike Sutherland read the post and commented that there was history and pictures of the tug on the Fowey Harbour Commissioners website. He also mentioned he was re-writing her history and would let me know when finished.

I visited the Fowey website and found that the information was missing, so after contacting them, they sent me a PDF – it’s 2.08 MB in size and 22 pages in length with lots of pictures: Tug Gribbin Head PDF.

Because of the length of the Tug Gribbin Head PDF, I have only summarized her story here. If you want to know more, please download and view the complete history.

Tug Gribbin Head on buoys at Milford Haven

The Ingelby Cross, which the Commissioners bought from Tees Towing, Middlesbrough, England, arrived at Fowey Harbour on the 10th of June 1968 and after being re-named Gribbin Head, she started work immediately. This tug was 87 ft long, had a bollard pull of 10 tons and was 132 GRT. She could be dually operated from both flying bridge and the bridge.

Gribbin Head provided increasing towage service until June 1986, when the Commissioners agreed that a more powerful and newer tug was needed. By then the port was handling ships of 17000 tons DWT and 164 metres/538 feet in length and when the Astrea, the largest ship handled, had an accommodation fire while in the port, it was apparent that handling a dead ship of this size was not possible.

Tug Gribbin Head bringing in M.V. POLLUX, the 2nd largest ship to enter the port.

On the 17th of November 1987, the Gribbin Head suffered major engine failure caused when the holding bolt on the counter weight broke. This happened when she was towing barges for the dumping of dredged spoil. The weight smashed the crankcase and other terminal damage was caused to the engine, making it uneconomical to repair.

Given the age of the vessel, the commissioners decided to acquire another vessel that was capable of handling the largest ships. With the insurance and her sale they were able to finance a replacement.

Tug Gribbin Head waiting at the harbour mouth for a ship with Gribbin Head Daymark Tower in background.

Gribbin Head was sold to Haven Marine of Milford Haven and she left the port on 17th February 1988 under the tow of Dunheron, owned by Carmet Towing. Dunheron was a sister ship of Gribbin Head, being one of the three identical tugs built for Tees Towing in 1955. Gribbin Head was eventually re-engined in 1990, named Tuskar and headed first to Ireland and then Spain.

Happy New Year 2012 to all who visit this site. I usually take time at this new yearly beginning to reflect on some of my favorite past moments. There are many to choose from but these two are near the top for now.

Sunset in Kenai, Alaska

The picture is so spectacular that I’m using it as the screen saver on my computer. It’s an example of what’s still right about this crazy world we live in and also reflects a very important turning point in my life.

In 1995 I visited Alaska for the first time and fell in love with the beauty and spaciousness of the place. I sat on a hilltop looking out over Cook Inlet and felt - for the first time ever – complete and utter peacefulness. I remember the warmth of the sun on me, the clear blue sky overhead and so quiet I could hear the chug, chug, chug of the engine of a boat even though I could only see it in the distance as a slow moving dot on the water.

The following year I returned to that same spot and again experienced my wonderful peaceful feeling. It was in that moment of clarity I knew I could choose to return to Seattle and resume my stressful and chaotic life, or try to keep this new peaceful feeling alive. I chose the later and made myself a promise to change my life.

That was August of 1996 and when I returned to Seattle I kept that promise. I sold my printing business in November of that year and opened a door to a much simpler and happy lifestyle that continues today.

***

Every year at this time I remember the story of my father, Harold Frank Gribbin, and mother, Thelma Morrison Gribbin, driving from San Francisco California to Los Vegas Nevada – a distance of 570 miles - in a heavy snowstorm just to get married on New Year’s day. California had a long waiting period before they would issue a marrage license and in Nevada it was only one day.

This was January 1, 1934, so cars and roads were not the wonderful driving experience they are today. They took my dad’s brother, Oral Gribbin, to help shovel if they got stuck in the snow and to be a witness to the marriage if needed.

I wish I knew more about the events of that trip - maybe it helped them stay together for almost 50 years until dad passed away in 1982.