Shipyard World Full Of Rumors, Rivalries

Few who work in Seattle's marine industry would contend that the Lake Union shipyards are a place of gentility.

Nor would they say that fishermen forgive slights with a smile and a shrug.

But the shootings at the Northlake Shipyard on Wednesday - which left two dead, two wounded and a gunman at large - cracked open a cache of ill will far deeper than those in the rough-and-tumble business ever suspected.

As police search for clues, fishermen and shipyard deans hunt for a reason. As detectives consider theories, workers ponder waterfront rumors. As investigators interview witnesses, friends console friends.

Like the police, those whose marine businesses line the north shore of Lake Union speculate that the gunman who walked through a warren of hallways and offices, into one where four men were having midmorning coffee, had not shot at random.

Many believe Peter Giles, Russell Brisendine and two others were targeted for a reason, they say, that might be rooted in the sometimes dark maritime world.

But after a day of dissecting the incident, more than a dozen industry leaders and co-workers keep coming to the same starting point: How could a company with such a good reputation and respected management land in a gunman's crosshairs?

"All the theories seem pretty perplexing and not that explainable," said Terry Gardiner, president of Norquest Seafoods of Seattle. "There are certain personalities that might create conflict and attract conflict, but these people are at the opposite end of the spectrum."

"It doesn't make any sense."

A fishing family

Northlake Shipyard is a small, family-run operation that primarily rents space to fishermen and other shipyards rather than perform repair work itself. Many fishermen like the shipyard because it allows them to bring in their own crews and save some money on otherwise pricey repairs, said Kris Fanning of Fanning Fisheries.

Although the shipyard has had a financially rocky past, enduring two bankruptcy proceedings with different owners, the two brothers who now own it are credited with stabilizing the business.

The owners, President E. Peter Kelly and his brother Richard Kelly, established Northlake Shipyard in 1994 from the remnants of the employee-owned United Marine Shipbuilding.

The Kellys come from a fishing family - their father was a vice president for one of Seattle's top seafood companies, Icicle Seafoods. And the two own fishing boats involved in Alaska's crab and salmon fisheries.

Peter Kelly, who is better known around the shipyards and among fishermen, is outgoing and very friendly, while his brother Richard is more businesslike, said George Neilson of nearby Lake Union Drydock.

"The Kellys have done a lot to keep that shipyard from going under," said Bob Scofield, president of Dorian Metal Fabricating in Seattle. Scofield has known the family and the business for years and flew up from Phoenix on Wednesday when he heard of the shootings.

`The wharves are full of rats'

The news has shaken those who run the local maritime community, a tightknit industry characterized by the same lifelong friendships, family histories and deep rivalries as a small town.

"Imagine Pittsburgh in the 1950s," said Seattle maritime lawyer Daniel Harris. "That's what's it like down there. You go to the bars near the auto factories. It's a close community and people know each other. The people who work down there recognize each other and don't like outsiders."

And like small towns, the marine industry is prone to gossip and rumors.

Yesterday, as mourners lay flowers on the steps of the Northlake main office, John Jamieson, a mate on the schooner Zodiac, and volunteer crewman Bruce Futhey watched from a distance.

The fishing industry is always seeking help, and some deckhands - particularly those hired as unskilled laborers - have no credentials, no resumes and sometimes are hiding from the law, Jamieson said.

"The wharves are full of rats, two- and four-legged," he said. "For years and years it's been a popular place to hide."

"It reminds me of the old American folk song, `What Was Your Name in the States?' " said Futhey.

The Russian rumors

Some point to the volume of Russian vessels that have repair work done at Northlake Shipyard.

Could Russian fishing interests, which have a reputation as being hardball business players, be connected to the killings? Or could a Russian vessel have been "stickered" by the federal marshal - a step in a shipyard's process of seizing a vessel to force payment of debts?

Many disputed that contention, attributing the rumor to anti-Russian sentiment or to scapegoating.

Still, others believe that a disgruntled, short-term employee or someone who thought he had been promised a job came back to get revenge.

As the labor market tightens, shipyards will often hire anyone they can find. Employees who leave one shipyard often show up at another. "Even the management employees tend to migrate in a very close circle," said Neilson, the Lake Union Drydock president.

"It's a bit of a throwback industry," said Neilson. "It's (made up of) hard-working, hard-living people . . . not known for being patient or polite."

But while Neilson said he has seen fights, broken up fights and even been in fights, never has he seen someone pull a gun to resolve a disagreement.

And even in the most competitive of fisheries, boats will cut their nets and lose their catch to assist a fellow boat in trouble.

Still, the shootings Wednesday aren't the first act of violence on the North Lake Union waterfront.

In 1992, David Tippett, founder of the Tippett Marine Services shipyard, was murdered as he ate lunch at the Fremont Dock restaurant. The gunman had been hired by a disgruntled ex-employee who had been fired for alleged drug abuse. Both men were convicted for the murder.

The speculation goes on

Only a few still believe that the Northlake Shipyard shootings were random. They just can't grasp what the motive could be.

A worker at Fremont Tug said disputes in the Lake Union maritime community generally become widely known, but that no one could think of any recent problems at Northlake Shipyard.

At Dorian Metal Fabricating, Bob Scofield said, "For the last 24 hours, I have been running everything through my head," adding that the shootings are dominating talk among everyone at his business and in the community. "We're just absolutely confused."

"It's really hard to comprehend, who would have a grudge to do something like that," said Scofield. "The two people who could possibly shed light on this are dead."

Seattle Times staff reporters Nancy Bartley, Mike Carter, Patrick Harrington and Steve Miletich contributed to this report.