"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today..." Maybe not leaving today, but we are leaving home in less than a month and heading to New York, New York. We will be leaving Baltimore on September 7th, the date that the BROWN was launched in 1942, and we will be arriving on the 9th. Returning to New York, her home for many years. The ship will be open for visitors from Saturday 9/10/16 until Saturday 9/17/16 from the hours of 10am-4pm. On both Saturdays, the 10th and the 17th, the engineering plant will be operating alongside the pier (Pier 36) and visitors can see the 135-ton triple expansion steam engine in operation at slow speed. This is a rare sight- to see an engine designed in the 1880's and built/installed in the 1940's, still operating and still capable of performing as a ship's main propulsion!
All of the BROWN's 13 wartime voyages either began or ended in New York. In this picture, the BROWN was returning to her new home for the next 36 years.
In 1946 the government loaned the BROWN to the city of New York, where she became a floating maritime high school, the only one in the United States. The ship served in that capacity from 1946 to 1982, where thousands of students graduated and then began careers in the merchant marines. While a school ship, the BROWN was meticulously maintained by the students and their instructors. As you can see the hull was painted black during these years.
Photo by Pete Kolln, 1965
Picture taken at Pier 73 by Mr. L. Tibaldi in the 1950's.
On Sunday, September 18th, the BROWN will have a Living History Cruise out of New York, from Pier 36. This will be the BROWN's 106th Living History Cruise! Passengers who have purchased tickets for the cruise can board the ship at 8am. The ship will leave at 10am and return to the pier at 4pm. For the next 72 hours we are offering a promotion. By clicking this link, you will get $20 off your ticket price. This promotion must be done online, using this link, and not by phone. This link should be all you need, but putting in the promotion code of NYNY2016 will also get you the discount for the next 72 hours. This is a once in a lifetime experience that you can take part in, as it's not everyday that the 74 year old Liberty Ship can come to New York City and have a Living History Cruise.
This is a great experience and it will be lots of work for the 65 crew members that are taking the ship from Baltimore to New York, and the many more who will be traveling from many states to stay for part or all of the time in NY. Crew will be sleeping, eating, bathing and working on the ship during this time. Crew members are 100% volunteer and are willing to do the work needed for this trip because they believe in our mission statement. "Our goal is the preservation and operation of the S.S. JOHN W. BROWN, the last surviving Liberty Ship on the east coast, and one of only two operational Liberty Ships remaining from the great fleet of over 2,700 identical Liberty's which were one of the keys to the Allied victory in World War II. The BROWN is being preserved as a museum ship and a living memorial to the men and women of the American industry that built the great Liberty fleet and the Merchant Seamen and Naval Armed Guard who sailed and defended these ships all over the world."
Painting of the ship is almost complete (hint hint...you may see an upcoming blog showing off the last few months of work) and we have a JWB Alumni and PLS Work Party weekend coming up to get everything ready for our New York visit. We hope to see lots of visitors while we're in New York, as well as passengers on the Living History Cruise. Help us spread the word about this visit to New York!
Project Liberty Ship, Inc is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all volunteer organization engaged in the preservation and operation of the historic ship JOHN W. BROWN as a living memorial museum. Gifts to Project Liberty Ship are tax deductible
