Please see the attached nomination document and photos that are being presented to have Capt. Thomas Cromwell considered to be awarded as an Early Pioneer in Seafaring for National Hero's Day 2021. It is felt that he was an honest, hardworking Caymanian who was instrumental in the early development of our seafarers and establishing the proud reputation that Caymanians have around the world for being exceptional in this profession.

Capt. Thomas Cromwell [Ebanks]

May 2, 1900 - August 23, 1975

Capt. Thomas Cromwell [Ebanks], son of Thomas Obadiah Ebanks Jr. and Mary Alice Parsons, was born

on May 2, 1900 in West Bay, Grand Cayman. Like many men of his generation, he officially changed his

last name (due to many ‘mail mix ups’) and his middle name became his surname; thereafter he was

affectionally known as Capt. Cromwell. He was married in 1925 to Nella Eugenia Ebanks, also of West

Bay, and they had four children- Woodrow, Constance, Alice Elizabeth and Nella Jane.

Like most young Caymanian men, Capt. Cromwell started going to sea early in his youth. He went to the

Mosquito Keys to catch turtle and shark, which was sold to make some money for their families back

home. In the early 1920’s, Capt. Cromwell worked on a geographical ship that was charting the coastal

waters of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, where he mastered the art of navigation.

After this, he returned home to sail as the Master Mariner/Captain of the schooner Veta Louise which

ran from Grand Cayman to the Bay Islands, Honduras and then onto Tampa, Florida. Just after midnight

on April 25, 1927, on one of these voyages the Veta Louise was becalmed in the Gulf of Mexico, and the

schooner was rammed and sunk by the steamship SS Heredia which was owned by the United Fruit

Company. In addition to the crew, there were 6 passengers on the Veta Louise- 2 women, 3 men and 1

child, and the schooner’s owner with his wife and 3 children were signed on as a part of the crew.

Loaded with cargo such as bananas, pineapples, plantains, raw rubber, and approximately $2,000, and

unknown amounts of money in envelops that were entrusted to Capt. Cromwell to deliver to persons in

Tampa, the Veta Louise sunk in 4 minutes. No lives were lost in that collision and the persons on board

the Veta Louise were taken to Havana, Cuba from there they returned safely to Grand Cayman.

According to depositions made to the British Consulate in Havana by Capt. Cromwell and Henry Ebanks

(a Mate on the Veta Louise), despite making all efforts to alert the oncoming steamship of their

presence, the collision was unavoidable as the SS Heredia did not see the schooner. Capt. Cromwell,

who was just a few days shy of 27 years old, ordered for the wheel to thrown in such a way that the ship

was only struck with a glancing blow. He instructed the crew to lower the life boat with the women and

children to be loaded first. With the Captain knowing that the rest of 4 or 5 of the men left on the vessel

could swim, the life boat was ordered to pull away; the men remaining on the ship eventually jumped

into the water swimming to the life boat. Capt. Cromwell instructed the remaining men not to enter the

life boat or it would sink all of them so they were left hanging onto the life boat until the SS Heredia

turned around and eventually picked them up. Family stories narrate that had it not been for a

missionary woman on the back of steam ship who saw the collision and reported it to the Captain of the

SS Heredia, it is possible that the entire crew and passengers of the Veta Louise would have been left at

sea had the Captain of the steamship not gone back for them.

After returning home from this ordeal, Capt. Cromwell, who had a wife and infant son by now, went to

Kingston, Jamaica to work as a Mate on a ship owned by Webster Shipping Company. He rose to Chief

Officer on one of their ships, and then he left this company in the 1930’s to start his own fishing

business where he would catch fish and lobster and sell them in Jamaica.

It is thought that Capt. Cromwell was one of the first Caymanians who were instrumental in recruiting

Caymanian seafarers in mass numbers to foreign lands. In 1938, things were economically rough in

Cayman, and it was at this time that he selected 28 seamen to accompany him to the United States of

America to crew three ships for the Suwannee Steamship Company. This helped the district of West Bay

and other parts of the island financially, as these men started receiving a monthly salary and did not

have to wait for 5-6 months to receive payment of their share for catching turtle or shark skins. After

this, there was a constant call for Caymanian seamen to work for U.S. shipping companies. This was

before the exodus of Caymanians to serve in the Navy in Trinidad and long before the recruitment for

Ludwig, which came after World War II and is mentioned in the history of the Cayman Islands quite

often.

Capt. Cromwell left Cayman in 1938 with the previously mentioned 28 Caymanian seafarers and headed

for the United States. In 1946, he obtained permanent residency for his whole family to be with him in

Jacksonville, Florida. As a result of this, and the fact that it was not financially feasible to maintain two

homes, he sold his home that he had built in West Bay. This house became later known as Rev.

Blackman’s home as that is where the Presbyterian preacher and his family lived later on.

Capt. Cromwell served his employers in the US honestly and faithfully from 1938 to 1970, when he semi-

retired. Prior to his retirement, he received an award in the late 1960’s for being the Captain of the

Cubahama, the vessel at that time that had made the most trips through the Panama Canal. On 23rd

August, 1975, he died of a heart attack in Jacksonville, Florida. Along with many others, Capt. Cromwell

was recognized in 2003 as one of the nation builders of the Cayman Islands during the Quincentennial

Celebration by having his name inscribed on the Remembrance Wall.

Please see the attached nomination document and photos that are being presented to have Capt. Thomas Cromwell considered to be awarded as an Early Pioneer in Seafaring for National Hero's Day 2021. It is felt that he was an honest, hardworking Caymanian who was instrumental in the early development of our seafarers and establishing the proud reputation that Caymanians have around the world for being exceptional in this profession.

Capt. Thomas Cromwell [Ebanks]

May 2, 1900 - August 23, 1975

Capt. Thomas Cromwell [Ebanks], son of Thomas Obadiah Ebanks Jr. and Mary Alice Parsons, was born

on May 2, 1900 in West Bay, Grand Cayman. Like many men of his generation, he officially changed his

last name (due to many ‘mail mix ups’) and his middle name became his surname; thereafter he was

affectionally known as Capt. Cromwell. He was married in 1925 to Nella Eugenia Ebanks, also of West

Bay, and they had four children- Woodrow, Constance, Alice Elizabeth and Nella Jane.

Like most young Caymanian men, Capt. Cromwell started going to sea early in his youth. He went to the

Mosquito Keys to catch turtle and shark, which was sold to make some money for their families back

home. In the early 1920’s, Capt. Cromwell worked on a geographical ship that was charting the coastal

waters of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, where he mastered the art of navigation.

After this, he returned home to sail as the Master Mariner/Captain of the schooner Veta Louise which

ran from Grand Cayman to the Bay Islands, Honduras and then onto Tampa, Florida. Just after midnight

on April 25, 1927, on one of these voyages the Veta Louise was becalmed in the Gulf of Mexico, and the

schooner was rammed and sunk by the steamship SS Heredia which was owned by the United Fruit

Company. In addition to the crew, there were 6 passengers on the Veta Louise- 2 women, 3 men and 1

child, and the schooner’s owner with his wife and 3 children were signed on as a part of the crew.

Loaded with cargo such as bananas, pineapples, plantains, raw rubber, and approximately $2,000, and

unknown amounts of money in envelops that were entrusted to Capt. Cromwell to deliver to persons in

Tampa, the Veta Louise sunk in 4 minutes. No lives were lost in that collision and the persons on board

the Veta Louise were taken to Havana, Cuba from there they returned safely to Grand Cayman.

According to depositions made to the British Consulate in Havana by Capt. Cromwell and Henry Ebanks

(a Mate on the Veta Louise), despite making all efforts to alert the oncoming steamship of their

presence, the collision was unavoidable as the SS Heredia did not see the schooner. Capt. Cromwell,

who was just a few days shy of 27 years old, ordered for the wheel to thrown in such a way that the ship

was only struck with a glancing blow. He instructed the crew to lower the life boat with the women and

children to be loaded first. With the Captain knowing that the rest of 4 or 5 of the men left on the vessel

could swim, the life boat was ordered to pull away; the men remaining on the ship eventually jumped

into the water swimming to the life boat. Capt. Cromwell instructed the remaining men not to enter the

life boat or it would sink all of them so they were left hanging onto the life boat until the SS Heredia

turned around and eventually picked them up. Family stories narrate that had it not been for a

missionary woman on the back of steam ship who saw the collision and reported it to the Captain of the

SS Heredia, it is possible that the entire crew and passengers of the Veta Louise would have been left at

sea had the Captain of the steamship not gone back for them.

After returning home from this ordeal, Capt. Cromwell, who had a wife and infant son by now, went to

Kingston, Jamaica to work as a Mate on a ship owned by Webster Shipping Company. He rose to Chief

Officer on one of their ships, and then he left this company in the 1930’s to start his own fishing

business where he would catch fish and lobster and sell them in Jamaica.

It is thought that Capt. Cromwell was one of the first Caymanians who were instrumental in recruiting

Caymanian seafarers in mass numbers to foreign lands. In 1938, things were economically rough in

Cayman, and it was at this time that he selected 28 seamen to accompany him to the United States of

America to crew three ships for the Suwannee Steamship Company. This helped the district of West Bay

and other parts of the island financially, as these men started receiving a monthly salary and did not

have to wait for 5-6 months to receive payment of their share for catching turtle or shark skins. After

this, there was a constant call for Caymanian seamen to work for U.S. shipping companies. This was

before the exodus of Caymanians to serve in the Navy in Trinidad and long before the recruitment for

Ludwig, which came after World War II and is mentioned in the history of the Cayman Islands quite

often.

Capt. Cromwell left Cayman in 1938 with the previously mentioned 28 Caymanian seafarers and headed

for the United States. In 1946, he obtained permanent residency for his whole family to be with him in

Jacksonville, Florida. As a result of this, and the fact that it was not financially feasible to maintain two

homes, he sold his home that he had built in West Bay. This house became later known as Rev.

Blackman’s home as that is where the Presbyterian preacher and his family lived later on.

Capt. Cromwell served his employers in the US honestly and faithfully from 1938 to 1970, when he semi-

retired. Prior to his retirement, he received an award in the late 1960’s for being the Captain of the

Cubahama, the vessel at that time that had made the most trips through the Panama Canal. On 23rd

August, 1975, he died of a heart attack in Jacksonville, Florida. Along with many others, Capt. Cromwell

was recognized in 2003 as one of the nation builders of the Cayman Islands during the Quincentennial

Celebration by having his name inscribed on the Remembrance Wall.