James Plakias
Master Mariner

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James Plakias, Master Mariner and veteran of three wars, died on November 12, 1997, aged 87. He was born in Boston on November 4, 1910, to Apostal Plakias and his wife, Evgena Kogas.

At 18, James Plakias was accepted into the United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, CT, and graduated as a commissioned Ensign in 1931. He became a Lieutenant (jg) in 1934, and was made a full Lieutenant in 1936 when he also became a regular member of the United States Naval Institute. In 1940, Jim left the Coast Guard to join the United States Maritime Service. His first Master license is dated October 1940 and he was a dues-paying member of Masters, Mates and Pilots from 1945 until his retirement in 1971.

During his career he maintained the high standard of education he received at the Coast Guard Academy and stayed abreast of new technologies. He took a correspondence course in International Law through the US Naval War College at Newport, RI; learned to use and maintain gyrocompass equipment at Sperry Gyro in 1941; and maintained his signaling skills through the Maritime Commission and the United States Navy during his entire career. He took courses in Loran and radar operation in the late 1940s and again in the early 1960s.

His first Continuous Discharge Book (CDB) lists 84 of his early voyages as a merchant seaman. The first of these was in 1941 and the 84th in 1968. During his career he held every rank from Junior 3rd Mate to Chief Mate and Chief Officer, and was Master on merchant vessels at least as early as 1943. His second CDB begins in 1969 and ends (13 voyages later) in 1971 when he retired from merchant service. Jim had surgery to repair both knees shortly after taking this "early retirement."

His papers include discharge slips and shipping company documents that account for more than 30 voyages that do not appear in the CDBs. Undoubtedly there were other voyages for which he had no documentation. There are photos marked with dates and vessel names at foreign locations between 1953 and 1958, for which there are no discharge slips or entries in his CDBs.

During his career, Capt. James Plakias was Master on merchant vessels, delivering military cargo to U.S. and allied troops during three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He was off Guadalcanal, 32 days from safe harbor, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was in and out of Inchon harbor throughout the 1950s, and his album contains photos of howitzers being unloaded at Saigon as early as 1955. He was delivering cargo to QuinNon as late as 1968.

He was a deck officer or Master on twelve Liberty ships:

SS BJARNE A. LIA

SS CHRISTIAN BERGY

SS EDWARD S. HOUGH

SS FERDINANDO GORGES

SS FREDERIC W. GALBRAITH

SS GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN

SS HAROLD T. ANDREWS

SS JOHN F. ABBLEBY

SS JOSE MARTI

SS MILTON H. SMITH

SS SHERWOOD ANDERSON

SS WILLIAM H. CARRUTH

He was Master of a number of Moore-McCormack vessels and later for the "Steel" line of vessels belonging to Isthmian Lines. The license that hung on the wall of his sunroom in Ocala was for Master, any vessel, any tonnage, any ocean.

Models of two of Isthmian's "Steel" vessels were on prominent display at the Seafarer's International Union (SIU) Union Hall in Brooklyn, because they were the 'state of the art' merchant vessels of their day. Jim was Master on nine of these "Steel" ships:

SS STEEL ADVOCATE

SS STEEL AGE

SS STEEL DESIGNER

SS STEEL FLYER

SS STEEL MAKER

SS STEEL SCIENTIST

SS STEEL SEAFARER

SS STEEL SURVEYOR

SS STEEL WORKER

His last voyage had him delivering the SS STEEL AGE to Kobe, Japan, in March 1971, where Isthmian Lines sold it.

In 1942, Jim married Michelina Piacquadio. She added adventure to his life by relocating their residence frequently while he was at sea. In the 54 years they were together, she purchased ten homes in five states. Family lore has it that "Uncle Jim" would contact "Aunt Mickey" for directions to get home whenever he was due for shore leave at a "stateside" port.

Mickey sometimes traveled to meet him in foreign ports but the first time they lived together year-round was in 1971, after nearly 30 years of marriage.

In 1987, Jim and Mickey moved to Ocala, Florida, where they spent their remaining years relishing the warmth and each other's company. Within months of their choosing this new home, the first they selected together, the adjoining house was sold to another retired couple. By the most incredible coincidence, and a blessing to these two gentlemen, the new neighbor was also a lifelong seaman.

Ed Kelly is a "hard-hat" diver who worked on a few of the same vessels that Jim commanded, sometimes at the same time. Although they did not meet until 1987, they spent the next ten years on one or the other's front porch, discussing people, places and things they had in common for a lifetime. They worked for the same companies, knew the same port engineers, and walked the same docks for a lifetime. From their conversations they learned that while one was walking the deck, the other was repairing the "screws" of the same vessel. No one will miss Captain James Plakias more than his friend and neighbor, Ed Kelly.

Michelina died in May of 1996 and Jim was never quite the same. He followed her on November 12, 1997. Both are now interred at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Three nephews of his late brother, Paul, and two nephews of his wife, Mickey, survive the lifelong "seaman" and proud American, Captain James Plakias.