Identical twins Harold E. Small and Gordon E. Small, once well‑known boys around Norwood, have spent most of their adult lives at sea — and their matching faces have puzzled dockworkers from Boston to Singapore. The brothers, now veteran Merchant Marine officers, have sailed so widely that port officials on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts have mistaken one for the other more times than they can count.
Harold now makes his home in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, while Gordon continues his long career as a chief engineer with the Isbrandtsen Line’s fast‑moving “flying ships.” Their roots, however, remain close to New England: they are sons of Philip Small, a retired Boston trawlerman from Porter Street in Jamaica Plain, and grandsons of Dan McLain, an 80‑year‑old New Harbor, Maine fisherman who still hauls a respectable line of traps.
A Life at Sea — Together and Apart
Although both men graduated from Norwood High School in 1941 and went to sea almost immediately, their wartime experiences diverged sharply.
- Gordon survived the infamous Murmansk run in 1942 — one of only four ships in his convoy to make it through.
- Harold lost his vessel, the SS Honolulan, off the west coast of Africa around the same time. He spent a week in a lifeboat before being rescued by a British liner.
The brothers reunited briefly at the Merchant Marine Academy at Fort Trumbull in New London, Connecticut, before returning to convoy duty. Harold later trained at the Maritime Service’s Raise of Rates School, earning his second officer’s license and eventually serving as chief officer aboard the SS Lewis Lane, then commanded by Capt. James Ross of Roslindale.
Service in Korea and Beyond
When the Korean War began, Harold volunteered for active duty and was dispatched to Guam within 48 hours. He spent the war with Task Force 72, serving aboard a fleet oiler.
In recent years, Harold has been chief officer on the SS Steel Architect, completing:
- Three around‑the‑world voyages
- Two trips to Japan
- Two voyages to Europe
He reports seeing a growing number of Russian ships in East Indies ports, along with an influx of Soviet‑made machinery and automobiles. One Russian jeep, he noted, “a little larger than ours and about $200 more,” appears to be selling briskly in Indonesia.
Vacations Measured in Hard Work
The twins have not had a vacation together in more than two years. The last time they were both ashore — January through March of 1955 — they spent their “rest” building a 100‑foot dock at New Harbor.
What will they do when their schedules finally align again?
Harold laughed: “Probably try the life of a Maine lobsterman for a couple of months. Or we might build another dock.”
Text and images may have been created, edited, colorized, or digitally restored using AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini. All content is reviewed for accuracy and historical integrity before publication by the Norwood Historical Society
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