What's Been Going on This Summer

Not only has the blog been missing in action, but the ship was closed for a few weeks.  What the heck has been going on with the SS JOHN W. BROWN the last few months?!?!?  This is Part two of the painting job that started last fall where the house was power washed and repainted.  For this portion, thanks to a grant and lots of fundraising, we were able to have the deck professionally done, all at once.   Even with a crew of professionals working 5-6 days a week, this took a couple of months, and many man hours.  Sometimes a picture (or a few...) IS worth a thousand words.

In this gallery, you can see a lot of the work that was done taking things apart so that they could be better stripped of paint.  You can also see a lot of the pictures of bare steel.  Oh what a mess!   Now it makes more sense why we needed to close the ship to visitors for a bit. 

Each week a new signup sheet was generated for crew to come down to sit with the ship while work was being done.  Keep in mind that summer is when many people go on vacation, and not to forget that most days on a steel ship are pretty uncomfortably hot, and you can see the obstacles faced this summer.  But each day was covered and some crew members really gave tons of their time to see this through. 

By July, things were beginning to come together...

Finally, about two weeks ago, at the end of painting, the crew had to lower all the booms into their cradles so that they could be painted as well.  This is not something that happens very often; it's been about 10 years since they were lowered all the way.  But at least one pair needed to be brought back up into position in the following week, so that supplies could be brought on the ship in preparation for New York.  Here are a few pictures:

Check out the video of a small part of the process.  We ended up raising the booms on the #3 hatch last weekend so that we can use them to bring heavy things on board the ship, but we still have A LOT of work to do in the next month before we leave for New York.  Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for continuing information.

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

Nothing Else Like It Anywhere

The idea of the Living History Cruise aboard the JOHN W BROWN is to give guests a taste of what it was like for the sailors on board the Liberty ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1944, while raising much needed funds.   It's a way to keep history alive and to educate the public.  These ships carried troops and much needed supplies.  They were dangerous voyages with threats from the air and from the sea.  There are lots of things to do and see while on board.  There are several museums below deck as well as our Ship Store.   There is a self guided tour that takes you through the four levels of the ship. The Manhattan Dolls, The Ultimate Abbott & Costello Show and Calliope provide wonderful period entertainment all over the ship.   And of course, there's the air show.

The cruise starts at the Maryland Cruise terminal. When the Captain gives the order, the whistle blows and we're on our way.

Guests are welcome on the Flying Bridge and the Captain is happy to answer questions. There is a special silent auction and the winner gets to steer the ship from the Flying Bridge.

The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a service branch of the US Navy during World War II. They were responsible for defending U.S. and Allied merchant ships. During each cruise they perform a memorial service that includes a 21 gun salute and a wreath laying ceremony.

Veterans who are on board are invited to participate in a wreath laying ceremony.

The Manhattan Dolls sing their way through era favorites. They also take lots of pictures posing with cruise guests.

Guests and crew alike are often swept up in the music and enjoy dancing on deck.

The Ultimate Abbott & Costello Tribute Show is always a crowd favorite. Here they perform the perennial crowd favorite Who's On First.

Calliope are a Barbershop Quartet that wander the ship during the cruise thrilling guests with their harmonies.

There isn't a bad seat in the house for the air show portion of the cruise. The planes fly along both sides of the ship and overhead as well. You can stay in the shade and enjoy the show or take a front row seat on one of the gun decks. Crew members will man the guns to fight an attack by Japanese planes.

Guests shoot the Japanese planes as well but it's not quite as loud.

A 1945 TBM Avenger shows off its torpedo as it comes in to defend the BROWN.

You can just see the wing tip of the Avenger, She's the Boss, here as it chases the Japanese planes away from the BROWN. Photo Credit: Stephen Chapis.

The air show culminates with a couple of fly overs by Briefing Time, a North American B-25 "Mitchell" Bomber. There is no mistaking the sound this plane engine makes.

As the ship heads back into port at the end of the day we are happy to know that our guests have memories that they'll treasure for a long time to come.

Don't miss the ship....

To buy tickets for the May 9th cruise click HERE.

To buy tickets for the June 13th cruise click HERE.

To buy tickets for the October 3rd cruise click HERE.  

 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.