NAVHISDET

While at the Inner Harbor last month, we had some of our members from the  U.S. Naval Armed Guard Detachment who also helped participate and explain the Naval Armed Guard in WWII.  In the gallery below, you can see them standing at some of their possible gun duty stations.  These crew members are part of the NAVHISDET, short for “Naval Historical Detachment” formed back in the 1990’s to help the Armed Guard veterans restore the Navy facilities aboard the ship.  The NAVHISDET is comprised mainly of re-enactors and history buffs from up and down the east coast and as far away as Iowa.  The men are portraying typical 1940’s era sailors assigned to the Armed Guard branch of the Navy.  We have members who are in their 80's and some that are in their teens, who are members of NAVHISDET and Project Liberty Ship.  Normally the group helps with living history cruises interpreting the life and roles of the navy men who served on board the merchant ships of WW2, man the “working” gun stations and perform honor guard duties.  They also help with the displays in the ship’s US Navy Armed Guard museum located of the port side of the #2 hold tween deck.

Over the years both the veterans and NAVHISDET crew restored the various guns aboard the ship. These stations include on the stern: One 5”38 dual purpose gun (originally she had a WW 1 era 5”51), two dual purpose 3”50 guns and two 20mm anti-aircraft guns. On the flying bridge are four 20mm anti-aircraft guns and the forward gun deck holds two 20mm anti-aircraft guns and one 3”50 dual purpose gun. Of the 12 gun stations on board the two aft 20mm and entire forward gun deck are built to simulate gun fire through use of various gas systems.

One last shot from this month.  The crew are always interacting with the public and explaining very specific parts of WWII history aboard Liberty Ships. 

Just in case we have not given you enough information...

The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a service branch of the United States Navy and was

responsible for defending U.S. and Allied merchant ships from attack by enemy aircraft, 

submarines and surface ships during World War II.  Starting in February 1941 with war

overseas, the U. S. Navy began reforming the Armed Guard to provide gun crews for

 duty aboard the country's merchant ships, just as it had done in World War I when crews

were assigned to some 384 U.S. merchant vessels.  The first crews were assigned to

ships on April 15, 1941.  Due to short supplies most of the armament initially consisted of

.30 and .50 caliber machine guns, World War 1 era deck guns and sometimes painted

telephone poles. It was not until 1945 when the supply of more standard 20 mm

cannon and  3”/50 AA and 5”/38 dual purpose guns could be supplied to all of the

Armed Guard crews, since that weaponry was provided to the capital ships first.

We've got SOOO much more to tell you about but we'll save that for another blog. For

now, here are some shots of the NAVHISDET during Living History cruises in the past...

Until next blog, "Fair winds and following seas..."

---

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

It's Pawsitively Exhausting being the Ship's Greeter

Pawsitively exhausting, but someone has got to do it.   Do you really think all my fellow crewmates could manage to greet so many people with so much style?  Yep... me neither.  I mean, they are all great men and women, but they are people.  They don't have the style, refinement and adorableness that a well mannered Australian Cattle Dog naturally has. Besides, I like people (they are easy to train, in my experience, anyway).

A while ago, it could have been two weeks ago or maybe 2 months ago (Dogs CAN'T tell time, cut me some slack) we took the BROWN over to the west wall of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore.  You might ask what MY job is, on a WWII Liberty Ship.   While we are underway, I tend to stay up on the Flying Bridge with the Captain and those pilots that talk on walkie talkies.  Everyone else seems to be busy at the bow and stern, so this way I can keep out of everyone's way while having a 'dog's eye view' of activities. 

Once we got to the pier, I needed to be on my game.  They say that I'm like the Walmart Greeter for the ship, so I have to happily pose to get my picture taken with visitors, give quick kisses and welcome all to the ship. 

View fullsize

I didn't let on that I was a bit creeped out about the green man.  I'm a professional...

View fullsize

I even thanked visitors as they were leaving by giving them some more of my time 

Sometimes crew members need a break from work, so I help them out too.   My dad (in the yellow shirt) also needs some 'selfie-time' with me.  Sometimes I know I've done a good job with training them, when they stop to give me water or even better, when they stop to play catch with me using one of my favorite toys, an empty plastic water bottle. 

But my biggest job is to keep the small miniature people happy.  Sometimes this means letting them play the 'throw the water bottle and I'll bring it back to you so you can throw it again' game with me.  Other times, they just want to pet me, and sometimes I can tell that they would appreciate one of my licks.   If they have recently eaten something, EVEN BETTER (because they are sloppy little people and taste good).  Adults seem to like having their pictures taken with me, too. 

So now you know what a ship's mascot does.   I need to be friendly, professional, and on my game at all times.  When the day is done, I try not to let them see how exhausted I am, and sometimes I can sneak up on the Captain's bunk or padded bench if no one is around.  But I can't wait until we do it again, because I'm the kind of dog that needs a job.  I wont bore you with my psychology, but I'm pretty smart and I like doing a job.   On the ship, I have two jobs...follow the Captain around, AND greet passengers.   Until next time, humans!   If you live near Virginia, I'll be on the BROWN when we go to Norfolk in May.  Here is more information HERE. Hope to meet more of you then. 

View fullsize

---

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.

Inner Harbor 2016

On Wednesday March 16 the SS JOHN W. BROWN moved from Clinton Street over to the West Wall of the Inner Harbor to get some much needed community attention and to coincide with the  annual joint conference in Baltimore of the National Council of Public History and the Society for History in the Federal Government.  We also were pleasantly surprised to find out that another convention was taking place that was a natural crowd for a WWII Liberty Ship with a triple expansion steam engine... APS Physics convention.  Between tourists, locals and those in town for multiple conventions, we could share the BROWN with lots of people. 

Over 1,500 people joined us for tours while we berthed at the West Wall. It would be hard to say who enjoyed the ship more, our older visitors or our younger visitors. And then the historians and scientists all had a blast too!

We were very happy to spend four days welcoming visitors in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. 

Among those 1,500 visitors some of them have special ties to our ship. "Sam" Hoirup (Van Loo) works for an airline and arranged a special lay over so that she could visit the ship. Her father, William Van Loo, served as principal when the ship was used as a vocational high school in New York. That is her father on the wall behind them...the larger pictures at the top...he is the one on the right.  

Chester sailed with us last summer. He is 100 years old and he worked at the Fairfield-Bethlehem Shipyard. His very first weld as an apprentice was on the SS JOHN W. BROWN! He made a special trip to see us when he found out we would be in the Inner Harbor. We were all happy to see him again!  He will be 101 in July and plans on coming back again soon. 

This is Shannon Ray Sewell.  Her dad William Ray was an amazing modeler.  Mr Ray retired from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, but was in love with anything maritime related.  Not only did Mr Ray build models, but he also built his own sailboat and sailed the east coast on it with his wife.  Not long before he passed away in 2014, Mr Ray came and gave us this wonderful model of the ship, which we show off in our saloon to this day.  Shannon had to come on board the BROWN to see the model and to remember her dad in a great way.  

We were thrilled to meet Pim, who writes the Museumships Facebook page, in person. He is a great supporter of ours and reminds us if the blog is a little late. It's nice to know someone is reading what we're writing!  We'll get you out here chipping paint and working on come projects before you know it, Pim!

Visitors enjoyed exploring the Tween decks. This family is looking through the window to the lower #2 hold to check out the fully restored truck, plane propeller and howitzer. 

The Engine Room Crew worked tirelessly giving tours throughout each day. 

Jack was busy greeting his many admirers. 

Long time volunteer Peter was able to give tours to the physicists attending the convention in Mandarin Chinese. Our volunteers are a wonderfully diverse and interesting group.

Peter, in the middle, with the impromptu tour group. 

Our members will do just about anything to get historically accurate shots.

We welcome guests to carefully explore the ship to gain an appreciation for what life was like on the ship in the 1940's.

We actually had pre-arranged for a local boy scout troop to take the trip on Saturday afternoon as we moved the ship from the inner harbor back over to Clinton Street in Canton. 

John Timmons from the Maryland Port Administration was working on the 19th floor of the world trade center when he heard the tugs whistle, turned and looked to see what was going on and was excited to see a WWII Liberty Ship in the Harbor.  He also has a connection to Liberty Ships, as his father sailed on them during the war.  He had to come down to say hi, showed us the cell phone shot he took of the boat with the tugs and then invited the ship's photographers  to take a picture of the ship from his office. What a view and a great experience. 

We were also were excited to have so many people from the various conventions come to check out our ship. Below is a shot of some NCPH convention participants and in the bottom shot you can see Francoise Bonnelle, director of the United States Army Women's Museum along with David Hanselman, Director of the US Army Transportation Museum, who were at the convention and came to tour the ship.  Check out both museums in Virginia, if you get a chance (we've added hyperlinks to their websites, and the Women's Museum also has a Facebook page).

As you can see, we packed a lot of activities into our 4 day visit to the Inner Harbor.  We also have material for multiple future blogs.  :)  In the next month or so, we still have lots of cleaning to do, repair work and spring maintnence before out next big trip to Norfolk, Virginia in May.   Always looking for volunteers (hey, did we also say that we got two new members/volunteers on this trip? It's very cool for us!) and always working to maintain the ship.  Come back and visit the ship (yes, you can come to the ship on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which are our work days and we are open to the public) and come back and read our Wednesday blogs.   Thanks for reading, liking and sharing, to help us get the word out!   Happy Wednesday everyone! 

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.