Ship’s parted line snaps back in Longview, ending two lives and impacting many more
ILWU Roots: Byron Jacobs, seen here in blue, was a fifth-generation member of Local 21. He marched in support of KEX workers in November 2017 along with his step-father, Local 92 member Billy Roberts, brother Michael of Local 21, son Phoenix on his shoulders, and mother Jill of Local 21.
At the peak of summer on the Columbia River, a ship’s mooring line snapped without warning in the middle of the night, killing two men on the job and injuring two others.
Our brothers who tragically lost their lives were Local 21 Longshore worker Byron “Jake” Jacobs, 34, of Longview, Washington, and Chief Mate Pingshan Li, 41, of China. Jacobs was a fifth-generation ILWU member and a respected activist in Local 21.
The incident happened when ILWU members were working the ANSAC Splendor at the Port of Longview on June 28, moving the ship along the dock at Berth 5 to secure it for loading.
At approximately 1:30 am, as the ship was being moved into position, the mooring line that connected the vessel to the dock parted, snapping back at a speed of about 750 feet per second. Without warning or time to respond, the line recoiled in two parts, whipping one half toward the dock and the other half toward the ship.
On the dock, the line struck three ILWU members. On the ship, the line struck Chief Mate Pingshan Li. Sadly, the force of the impact killed Jacobs at the scene. Li was transported to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, where he died later that evening. A Local 21 Longshore worker and Local 28 security guard suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Jacobs leaves his wife, Megan, and their three children: Harlow, age 8; Phoenix age 5, and Monroe, age 1. Li leaves behind his wife and their 13-year-old child.
Families and friends say goodbye
Less than 24 hours after the incident, approximately 200 people gathered next to the ship at Berth 5 to pay their respects during a candlelight vigil. Normally closed to the public, the port provided a podium and allowed Jacobs’ friends, family and fellow longshore workers to gather for two hours at the site. Li’s wife reportedly flew from China to escort her husband’s remains home.
Jacobs’ family and friends gathered again on July 6 at the Cowlitz County Events Center, where 500 people heard stories of his love for his family and his dedication to union.
His obituary read, “Byron was a devoted husband, father, son and brother who loved all of his family. He loved coaching his daughter in sports. Byron really enjoyed visiting and vacationing with his father and family in North Carolina, and learning about his Lumbee Indian heritage.”
At the July 12 Port of Longview Commission meeting, several commissioners spoke in favor of creating a permanent memorial, and Port CEO Norm Krehbiel recommended working with Local 21 to craft and site an appropriate tribute. After a moment of silence, Port Commissioner Jeff Wilson said, “We’re going to hurt for a very long time.”
EGT Activism
Jacobs was raised in an ILWU home, as his step-father, Billy Roberts, was a fourth-generation Longshore worker. Roberts had left the Longview area after high school to serve in the military, and returned home with his wife, Jill, and her two young sons, Byron and Michael.
Roberts joined Local 21 as a hardship as his new family settled in, and over the years, Jill and the boys came to work on the docks as well. After graduating from high school themselves, Byron and Michael Jacobs became fifth-generation members of the ILWU.
With his deep union roots, Jacobs stepped up in a big way when Export Grain Terminal (EGT) attempted to open a massive new grain elevator at the port without ILWU labor in 2011. He became an activist alongside hundreds of supporters in the Pacific Northwest and Coastwise in what became a painful fight to protect ILWU jurisdiction.
Byron Jacobs is survived by his wife, Megan, and their children: Harlow, 8, Phoenix, 5, and Monroe, 1.
Over the course of a year of protests, dozens of ILWU members, officers and supporters were arrested for standing up for the union – including Jacobs, on more than one occasion. Local 21 pensioner Michael “Kelly” Muller recalled an EGT protest at which he and Jacobs were maced, beaten and arrested by railroad police. The two Longshoremen had tried to protect members of the women’s auxiliary who were sitting peacefully on the railroad tracks leading to EGT when law enforcement started aggressively handling the women.
Associated Press photos of Muller and Jacobs being attacked by police in riot gear became a well-known image of the David versus Goliath battle. The union’s fight ultimately succeeded in securing ILWU jurisdiction at EGT, and Local 21 members have been manning the EGT grain terminal since 2012.
“I can tell you that there was no better fighter for the union than Byron,” Dan Coffman, who was Local 21 President at the time, told mourners at Jacobs’ service. Coffman also mourned Jacobs as the kid he had coached in baseball and who was his own son’s best friend. Current Local 21 President Jake Ford said, “Byron loved his union and his work and will be incredibly missed.”
Waterfront Dangers
The deaths of Jacobs and Li, and the multiple injuries, affected longshore workers in the community and beyond. In 2016, Longview suffered a loss when Local 92 Walking Boss Jim Meadows died while working at the Weyerhaeuser log export terminal.
Coastwise, it’s rare to meet a longtime Longshore worker who hasn’t had a workplace fatality or catastrophic injury hit close to home. The maritime industry has changed over the centuries, but Longshore workers and mariners have suffered from the threat of parted mooring lines since the dawn of shipping.
When synthetic lines part, they do so silently and at a speed which allows no time to prevent injury. Without proper use, maintenance and training, lines can pose a deadly threat. The June 28 incident remains under investigation by the Coast Guard, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, and the ILWU Coast Safety Committee.
Jacobs’ widow has filed a wrongful death suit against the ship owner and operators in the U.S. District Court in Portland.
“There’s not a single ILWU member who isn’t moved by the two families’ losses and the trauma suffered by the witnesses and survivors,” said ILWU International President Robert McEllrath. “This split-second snapback has changed the lives of four families and is a tragic reminder of the dangers we face on the docks.
“I remember Byron as a good man who worked hard for his family and his union,” said McEllrath. “We will continue fighting every day to make our jobs safer, because the most terrible news is when a parent doesn’t come home from work.”
A fund has been set up to support Jacobs’ family, and contributions may be made to the Byron Jacobs Memorial Account at Longshoreman’s Federal Credit Union in Longview.
Jacobs’ step-father, Billy Roberts, said, “On behalf of Byron’s family, I want to thank everybody in the union for their well wishes and support. I want to thank the ILWU for living up to its motto, ‘An Injury to One is an Injury to All.’”
