Oakland's "Sea Remembrance" sculpture honors mariners

Mariners are some of the hardest-working logistics professionals in global trade, enduring weeks away from home, cramped living quarters, and howling ocean storms. Now, a metal sculpture has been erected to honor seafarers, serving as a tribute to both working mariners and to those who have lost their lives at sea, according to the Port of Oakland.

Unveiled in January, the abstract scupture, titled "Sea Remembrance," is a large braided metal ring that stands on a pedestal in Oakland's Port View Park. The sculpture is located next to the International Maritime Center (IMC), a nonprofit organization that supports passing seafarers, providing services such as counseling, meals, and transportation during their stay.

Appropriately, the ring was created by an artist who happens to be a mariner himself. Sculptor James Allen King is a member of the Sailor's Union of the Pacific and works as a ship's bosun, overseeing the team that maintains the ship's rigging, anchors, cables, and other equipment.

"Seafarers make costly sacrifices being away from home at sea for months at a time," IMC chapter director Capt. Margaret Reasoner said in a release. "The sculpture honors them for their hard work and perseverance, and serves as a memorial for the mariners who gave their life at sea."