May 9th's Living History Cruise - A Great Time & Some Special Guests

The JOHN W BROWN hosted the first Living History Cruise of the season this past May 9th.  Typically a crew favorite, this was the Veteran's Cruise to honor those that served. We also had some special guests on board including a Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard worker who made his first weld on the JOHN W BROWN and lots of Liberty Ship Veterans in town from all over the country for the AMMV (American Merchant Marine Veterans) convention.

Chester, who will celebrate his 100th birthday in two months, came on board with his hard hat. He was more than happy to show crew members just where on the BROWN the first weld he made is located. He was a pleasure to talk to and he enjoyed being the center of attention. General Bradley stopped to talk with him and The Manhattan Dolls even sang a special song just to him.

Morris Harvey National president of American Merchant Marine Veterans was our guest speaker. The group was in Baltimore for a convention and a bus load of attendees were happy to be able to come on the cruise.

Lloyd graduated from Kings Point class of 1946 and was the 2nd mate on board liberty ships. He came up to the Flying Bridge to meet our 2nd mate and the captain.

Dr. Fred Lewis was one of two winners this cruise of the auction to take a turn at the wheel.

The Manhattan Dolls entertained guests throughout the cruise. The Ultimate Abbott and Costello Tribute Show, with Scoops of course, explained the fine details of horse racing and baseball player's names much to the delight of guests. The Calliope Barbershop Quartet roamed the decks and serenaded lucky ladies bringing smiles to all their faces. They also kept guests entertained as they waited in line to disembark. As a matter of fact they serenaded crew members before they even got on board. What a great way to start the day!

Reenactors enjoy sailing with us and interacting with our guests.

You will see people dancing. Once the music starts they can't keep their feet still.

Guests take time during the day to wander the ship on a self guided tour. The ship and crews quarters are maintained the way they would have been in 1941 and we have multiple museums and museum spaces to investigate. After a foggy start to the day, we had perfect weather to spend time on deck too. There are great sights that are part of the cityscape and some that are unique to each cruise.  Fort McHenry stands proudly at the mouth of the Inner Harbor and Fort Carroll by the Key Bridge.  The planes from the air show are a cruise highlight.  We had an osprey, complete with fish, fly over in between the planes and we passed a car carrier, which is a sight considering how big they are!  Passengers got to see the USS Savannah docked at Pier 13.  Finally one of the Moran tugs that brought us back to the cruise terminal greeted us in style with their water cannons.

Whether it's your first time sailing with us or you visit us many times we always see you smile. And knowing that our guests enjoy themselves makes us smile. Thank you all for joining us!  Next cruise is coming in June and we still have tickets available. 

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.

2015 Sea Trial

On Saturday April 25, the JOHN W BROWN left the pier at 9am and traveled from Clinton Street in Baltimore, Md (Canton) to about Chesapeake Beach.  It was an operational crew, limited by the Captain, to put the engine through it's paces and to allow for some required training.   While the ship was away for about 30 hours, not only was the engine 'worked' but so was the lifeboat and all of the crew.  About 2/3 of the crew held watch from the time we left, even earlier for the engine department.  When not on watch their time was with filled with scheduled cleaning, training and other educational procedures for both new and returning crew members.   

CPR and Security training were two of the big training sessions. Each required 2 sessions apiece to get as many crew member's training completed while working around the 8-12, 12-4, 4-8 watches. And there was an Abandon Ship drill and a Fire drill. 

Firefighters and electricians performed a tabletop exercise before the drill working with a scenario of a fire in the paint locker. Key points were reviewed like how to contain the fire and the CO2 system and the fire alarm.

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Above...2 shifts of CPR, on Saturday night...watching the American Heart Association video, and practicing with the manikins and training AED (automatic external defibrillator).  Even the Captain and First Mate are getting some practice and showing that this was not their first time 'round. 

Below...On Sunday morning we had 2 training shifts after breakfast (7am and 8am) for a security quiz and info session.   Good thing we all had our Wheaties.  Actually we didn't... Joe made eggs, pancakes, hash-browns, sausage, bacon, grits and oatmeal for breakfast, along with our endless pot after pot of much needed coffee. 

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On Sunday morning, after breakfast and the security training, we launched one of the lifeboats to run the newly reconstructed engine and to review the procedures for lowering and raising the lifeboat.  

As we were heading into the harbor, we had some final chances to look at and learn about our Lyle Guns and some of the other equipment we have but rarely use.   

Sea Trial 2015 was a success with all crew members walking away on Sunday exhausted and energized for the cruise season.   The ship and engine did well, everything is cleaner than its been all winter, and crew members received lots of training.  Here are some last random shots...

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.

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K9 Unit Training

Multiple K9 units from local, state and federal agencies engaged in several types of training exercises aboard the JOHN W BROWN on Monday morning. There were explosives searches on the forward deck and  other searches for 'narcotics' on the rear deck. The officers and their dogs worked on different drills and scenarios below deck, also. We were happy to be able to capture some of the action. The ship is multi-functional and can be used for different purposes. 

The day started early with officers from multiple jurisdictions arriving for their briefings. They looked over different areas of the ship and decided which would best suit their needs for the different exercises.

The forward deck was used for a search exercise. The dogs experienced a bouquet of scents they had not encountered before while searching for their target scent.

The team from Prince Georges Country brings the suits for the decoys on board. Several of the officers took turns being the decoy as part of the training.

Here is the officer and canine team waiting patiently for everything to be ready below.

The decoy is checked to make sure his suit is properly fastened. Can't have any accidents on the ship when our medical team is not on-board!

Then he is walked through the scenario by the training officers.

The BROWN's steep stairs are a good place to practice using a special harness. As impressively trained as these athletes are, they still are not 'ship/boat dogs' like our Jack who maneuvers around the ship like he owns it (and who, by the way is pouting and not speaking to us right now for allowing dogs on his ship without his permission) 

It's showtime!

The dog must clear the hallway first and then find the decoy in the other room.

The decoy is flushed from his hiding place and 'escapes' down the passageway with the officer and canine in pursuit.

When the decoy is out of sight again the dog is taken off his lead to search again. There are lots of dark, out of the way places on the BROWN.

There is a moment to relax after a hard day's training.

It was a pleasure to have the different K9 units train aboard the BROWN. They were very gracious in letting me tag along on some of the exercises to take pictures. It was interesting and informative to be able to see them train.

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.