Jack Silva, Mary Whalen Engineer
Jack Silva was an engineer aboard the Mary A Whalen while she was active oil tanker delivering fuel.
Jack shared many stories with us about the engine, the fidley, and also about our vintage Webb Perfection galley stove. A highlight of our audio tour of the galley is his story of how he added peas to many meals since the Captain didn’t like them, He and the Captain did not get along. Jack was doing the cooking, because the boats in the towing industry lost cooks as a result of The Big Strike of 1988-89. He was aboard when the Mary’s crank shaft was scored in 1993 and still cared about that loss decades later.
Section of galley audio tour where PortSide NewYork's founder talks of Jack Silva and peas
Being an engineer on a boat such as the Mary Whalen meant he was in charge of making the engine run (forward and reverse, fast and slow as the captain ordered) and for its basic maintenance. The Mary Whalen is a bell boat, which means that a simple code of bells and jingles rung by the captain, told the engineer told the engineer the desires speed and direction.
Jack was the Asst Engineer and so he did the cooking in the afternoon. He would cook while answering the bells... he made a remark, "imagine the hygiene, you go from the galley to the telegraph..." The telegraph are the remote engine controls in the fidley.
Jack Silva passed in December 2019 but is still remembered. A 2025 Facebook post by PortSide NewYork honoring Jack Silva along with comments from his colleagues is included here. We would love to hear from anyone who has more to add to this story or has their own stories of the Mary A. Whalen.
Comments from the Facebook post
Billy Morrissey
Nothing but a few laughs !!! Ball busting all the time Worked with Jack on the Reliable II and the Gowanus Trader .
Eklof Marine Corporation
Pete Silva
From our family, thank you for this... didn't expect to see it scrolling fb in the galley of the tug and it definitely packed a punch lol... we miss the old man and always will
Pete Silva to Mary A Whalen
the amount of times across my life I sat there wishing I could record him and his friends sitting around telling stories is unfathomable... the world doesn't know what it has lost as those great men take those stories with them.
Mary A Whalen to Pete Silva
ain't that the truth. I so wish we had funding and time to record old-timers who worked on the boats. It's a race against time...
Harry Boyce
I was Capt on Reliable 2 for 3 yrs. Jack was the engineer for most of that time. Good shipmate and engineer and a great cook. After I left the business, Jack and I would stay in touch and occasionally get together whenever he was in the area.
Mary A Whalen to Harry Boyce
We'd like to collect more memories of Jack Silva - if you want to share specifics in an oral history or emails - so that we can add an entry about him in our virtual museum section about the Mary Whalen at https://redhookwaterstories.org/items/show/1739
Arrow Mueller to Harry Boyce
I am shocked to learn he knew how to boil water. Arlene Silva seemed to always be behind the fire.
Maria Silva
As my brother said Thank You for sharing this story! I truly don't remember hearing this before, doesn't surprise me at all! Definitely something he'd go out of his way to do. What a character! Everyone always has at least one Jack Silva story. Miss hearing them.
Mary A Whalen to Maria Silva
One other anecdote from Jack: I remember talking to him on the phone the first time - a long call - and he said "Is that POS shelf next to the galley stove still there? I put that in." It IS, and we use it all the time.
Kyle Silva to Mary A Whalen
he has so many of those old POS things that are still around and holding strong.
Gerry McGovern
Jack was working as Port Engineer in Philly in November of’90 when I joined the John J Tabeling. Many sit downs and talks on Pier 98 between trips. On New Years Eve of ‘90, we left Philly and sailed back to New York via Cape May Canal with Jack sailing as Engineer. Quite a few stories told on that trip too!
Jake Dimmock
I worked aboard the tug Odin when I was with Eklof. Jack was the Port Engineer. We spent lots of time laying lazy at pier 98 and wandering around the mummer parade warehouse. Jack told great stories and pulled no punches. He told it like it was. Great memories of Jack. I remember Eric Silva as well. Sorry for your family’s loss. Jack was one of a kind.
Mary A Whalen to Jake Dimmock
thanks for sharing those memories! Let's hear more about the mummer parade warehouse! We'd like to collect more memories of Jack Silva - if you want to share specifics in an oral history or emails - so that we can add an entry about him in our virtual museum. Our 2012 interview was lost when the minidisk was erased. Loved the Mighty Odin! Here's a photo I made in 2000 when I was a photojournalist. Regards, Carolina Salguero
Pete Silva to Jake Dimmock
whats funny is I remember very well being at that pier as a kid but could never remember why I was there so much hahaha
Jake Dimmock to Pete Silva
Pete, do you know Eric?
He worked for Eklof as well.
Eric was a Tankerman. Eric and Jack spent time rebuilding the diesel engine on an old VW Rabbit. That beat up car already had 300,000. Miles on it but Jack insisted he could rebuild it and get 300k more!
VW Rabbit parts were scattered all over Jack’s work area which was also a scattered mess. Jack was not intimidated at all about rebuilding an engine he knew nothing at all about. He’d say, “if you can take it apart, you can fix it and put it back together.
Anyway, Jack knew mechanics.
A genuine good engineer and boatman.
I gotta think Eric Silva followed in his steps. Young Eric, equally as sharp just without as much experience.
Both, good guys.
Pete Silva to Jake Dimmock
you're referring to Eric Silva right? Lol, he's my older brother
Jake Dimmock to Pete Silva
yes…Eric Silva. He was probably about 23 or so
Pete Silva to Jake Dimmock
yeah, I'm the youngest of Jack's kids, I was very young during the pier 98 days, probably single digits young, but I remember being around there as well
Maya Silva to Jake Dimmock
Oh, man. I almost forgot about Jack's collection of VW Rabbits. For the longest time, I considered VW Rabbits as synonymous with Jack Silva.
William McKee
WHO WAS THE CAPTAIN? Lol
William McKee
ALF DYRLAND?
William McKee
I ATE PEAS WITH HIM! Lol
