When Portland Pipe Line came to life in 1941, crude oil began arriving in Portland, to be sent underground to the Canadian refineries. The industry supported a plethora of related businesses, including ship agents, provisioning companies, ship chandlers, pilot boats, gaugers, inspectors, boom operators, environmental clean-up companies, and others.

Mark Usinger, owner and operator of the A.L. Griffin ship chandlery in South Portland. South Portland Historical Society photo

When Canada started developing its own oil supply, ship arrivals at the Pipe Line started to slow and waterfront businesses here have been significantly affected. One example of that can be seen in the ship chandlery field. Back in the 1950s, some of these companies included Brown Ship Chandlery, W.S. Jordan Company, Sargent Lord & Company, the Harris Company, Bernstein & Jacobson, A.L. Griffin, Inc., Dragger Management, and Nordic Ship Supply.

Only one ship chandler remains in business in Portland Harbor today: A.L. Griffin, which services ports in Maine and New Hampshire, with most deliveries concentrated from Searsport to Portsmouth.

Seeking to learn more about the business, I contacted Mark Usinger. Mark and his wife, Margo Greep Usinger, own and operate A.L. Griffin together. Mark graciously met with me to help us better understand the current state of the Port of Portland and, specifically, what the work of a ship chandler actually looks like.

A.L. Griffin was founded in 1955 by Arlton L. Griffin. Arlton had previously worked for the Harris Company, and then Brown Ship Chandlery, before starting his own chandlery. It was a family business. His son Arlton, Jr., and his daughter Betty also worked there.

The A.L. Griffin ship chandlery at 8 North Kelsey St. An old Charles S. Chase Co. sign still hangs on the building exterior, a nod to the former tenant. South Portland Historical Society photo

Around 1974, the company was acquired by Orrin W. Valente from Milo, Maine. It was while Valente owned the business that Mark Usinger first started working there. His dad worked there, too. In the late 1990s, Valente decided to sell the company; Mark and Margo Usinger took the leap and bought it.

Since its inception, A.L. Griffin had been operating from space on Custom House Wharf. Around 2001, the Usingers moved the business to Hobson’s Wharf. When the lease there came up for renewal 10 years later, they decided to move once again, to the building at 8 North Kelsey St. in South Portland, around 2012.

Mark Usinger was originally from New Jersey. When he first moved to Maine, he started out in the recycling industry. Other early work included working at a marina in Freeport, at L.L. Bean, as a clerk for the Marine Resources Committee (a state legislative committee in Augusta), and as a model (one noted gig was portraying a fisherman in advertisements for the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch.)

So, what exactly is a ship chandler?

In a nutshell, they bring supplies to tankers, container ships, cruise ships, or any other large vessels that have arrived in port. While there are “provisioning companies” out there, who locate and purchase provisions for ships, those companies don’t typically deliver the products. Ship chandlers can do their own provisioning, but the distinction is that they also deliver. If a ship is tied up at a wharf, this could be done by vehicle. More often, however, A.L. Griffin delivers by water – they own a 40-foot, 12-ton capacity launch that they load at Turner’s Island with a boom truck. Once they arrive at the receiving ship, they will direct the crew to haul pallets aboard using the ship’s crane.

Mark Usinger, posing as a fisherman in an advertisement for the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Courtesy image

The challenges faced in this business are many. It’s normally a ship’s home office that will reach out for a quote on any needed product. Since ships will stop at multiple ports, unless it’s an emergency, they can get their supplies at any stop.

The ship chandler needs to not only find the product, but they need to find it at a competitive price and have it on hand by the time the ship arrives in port. Even if they are chosen as the supplier, and after they have found and purchased the products, there is always the chance that the ship could get rerouted to another port, and there is no protection for the ship chandler when that happens.

There is no limit to the types of product that a ship chandler could supply. In addition to any of the ordinary items needed by a ship’s crew – items like food, coffee filters, toilet paper, laundry detergent – there will often be orders for specialized parts or tools. Food requests can vary widely since captains and crews come from all over the world.

Since A.L. Griffin has been in business since 1955, they know the products used on ships that come into Portland Harbor. There are certain types of cleaning brushes, radiator brushes, gloves, navigational lamps/light bulbs, bags of sawdust (used for spills) and other supplies that are commonly used on ships, but which could be hard to find on short notice. Ships that are carrying fuels might need safety-related items, like non-sparking flashlights.

A.L. Griffin will keep these types of supplies on hand so that they can fill a supply need in a hurry.

Perhaps the most interesting orders come from the crew members themselves. Crews on ships are from countries far away, and sometimes from countries where purchasing items isn’t as easy as it is here. So, when an order from a ship comes in, there are often personal items added to it. This could be specialty foods, laptop computers, or any other item imaginable. One ship alone could generate thousands of dollars of personal shopping needs. A crew member once wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse to bring home for his daughter for Christmas, so Mark and Margo headed out to local stores to fill this special request.

A.L. Griffin also has a sideline that helps keep business going. Mark has a permit for handling international waste (trash). There are strict rules for throwing away rubbish from a ship that has come from overseas. If a ship wanted to dispose of its trash, they could hire Mark to supervise that process.

In the past, A.L. Griffin also helped to transport crew. If crew members on a ship needed to go to the airport, for example, Mark would be the one to give them a ride. He would also follow them through the security checkpoints to make sure they made their flight. If there were a problem, he would help negotiate the process.

Mark had some interesting experiences with crew members trying to bring laundry detergent home with them (the detergent on the ships is so much better than the detergent that some had available at home). White, powdered laundry detergent in plastic bags was not something that was understood at a security checkpoint, however, so Mark would have to make sure the detergent got thrown away so that the person could make their flight on time. Crew transport is less common these days, as the types of ships in Portland Harbor have changed. The container ships have smaller crews, sometimes only 12 to 13 people, so crew needs aren’t as heavy as they used to be.

In the early days, there was a lot of business in Portland Harbor and A.L. Griffin had several people employed. Today, there is not enough volume to support a larger staff, so it’s just Mark and Margo working on their own. When I asked Mark what his definition of a ship chandler would be, he had a simple response, “We help people.”

That’s a great mindset to have in this business. I’m sure the captains and crews are grateful to have the Usingers still here. They are filling a need and sometimes even bringing a little joy and comfort to crew members who have been at sea a long time and are far away from their homes and families.

Note: South Portland Historical Society has many lectures, author talks and other programs planned through the winter months and into the spring. Historical society programs are free for current members, so if you are a South Portland resident and not already a member, we hope you’ll take this opportunity to start your membership, enjoy one or more of our programs, and know that your membership dues help support the historical society and its mission to preserve our local history.

A one-year family membership is only $25. Donations can be made through our Online Museum at https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com, or if you’d prefer to donate by check, please make it payable to South Portland Historical Society and mail to us at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106. Thank you. If you need to contact the society, we can be reached by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com or by phone at 207-767-7299.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.