Title
Frank, Gabriel (Gabe)
Type (Physical characteristics and technical requirements)
.wav
Description (Scope and Content)
Interview with Gabe Frank who served in the Merchant Marine during the final year of World War II and through the Korean War. Gabe also worked at Seamen's Church beginning in 1967.
00:01 Childhood
Enlistment in the Merchant Marines
01:27 Training at Sheepshead Bay
02:28 First voyage in 1945
Picked up troops for invasion of Japan
03:28 Dropping of A-bombs on Japan
04:00 End of the War in French port
04:30 Sinking of freighter Exanthia in ‘47
05:32 Typical workday onboard
06:34 Employment with Seamen’s Church
08:30 Growing up in the Lower East Side
09:41 Proficiency in other languages
11:03 Seeing the world with the Merchant Marines
15:58 Returning to Germany in ’47, Japan in ‘46
16:32 Korea and child labor in India in ‘45
19:01 Beginning of the Korean War
19:50 Visit to Nagasaki in ’50, rebuilding
20:24 Mayor of Nagasaki greets his ship
21:14 Picket Captain in San Francisco in ‘46
22:57 Membership with National Maritime Union
and fight for worker’s rights
27:22 Life at sea, fights with shipmates
34:18 Work at Seamen’s Church
36:00 Marriage and daughter
45:34 What he has gotten from service with the Merchant
Marines
Status of Merchant Marine Veterans
Rights (Terms governing use)
Seamen’s Church Institute provides digital access to materials from its Archives for educational and research purposes. Responsibility for determining copyright status of and securing permission to use an item rests with the person desiring to use the material.
Creator
Frank, Gabriel (Gabe); Thayer, Johnathan
Date
2011 December 1
Item Relations
Citation
Frank, Gabriel (Gabe); Thayer, Johnathan, “Frank, Gabriel (Gabe),” SCI Digital Archives, accessed October 31, 2025, https://seamenschurch-archives.org/sci/items/show/7.
