SS JOHN W BROWN Press Releases

February 2020

November and December 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

            Baltimore, Feb. 3—The World War II Liberty Ship SS JOHN W. BROWN, following a successful scheduled maintenance visit to a Virginia shipyard, will return to Baltimore Sunday, Feb. 9, and relocate to a new mooring site at Pier 13 on the Canton waterfront at Newgate Avenue.

The 78-year-old museum ship will resume its activities of pierside visits, ship-based educational events, and “living history cruises that feature 1940s-era entertainment and fly-bys by vintage aircraft. Three of the cruises on Chesapeake Bay are scheduled for the 2020 sailing season.

JOHN W. BROWN is being accommodated at the pier under a short-term lease while planning continues for a permanent base at a refurbished site at the former Bethlehem Steel Fairfield shipyard in South Baltimore, the location where the ship was built and launched on Labor Day in 1942.

The Brown will be co-located at Pier 13 with the NS SAVANNAH, the world’s first nuclear-powered combination cargo and passenger ship, built in the late 1950s to show the versatility of nuclear ship propulsion. The two ships thus demonstrate two important stages in the development of marine propulsion technologies.

The federal government-owned SAVANNAH, itself completing work in Philadelphia associated with decommissioning of its nuclear power plant, is expected to return to Pier 13 in mid-February.

Project Liberty Ship’s Mike Barnes, who is leading the efforts to keep the ship in Baltimore, said, “The JOHN W. BROWN has joined the SAVANNAH at Pier 13 several times in recent years to celebrate National Maritime Day. The new location fits our needs well. It provides the large commercial dock that our historic merchant vessel requires for maintenance and operation, and allows good public access for our ongoing educational mission.”

Dan Flamholz, principal of Greenspring Real Estate Partners, Inc., owners of the pier, said that “We are thrilled to be able to accommodate the SS JOHN W. BROWN at Pier 13. The Brown has a great longstanding reputation in Baltimore and we thank the many men and women who not only served our country on the vessel, but who have also worked tirelessly to persevere the history of the ship in Baltimore.”

SS JOHN W. BROWN is owned by Project Liberty Ship, a 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to the preservation and continued operation of the ship as a memorial to the wartime role of the U.S. Merchant Marine, U.S. Navy Armed Guard, and American shipbuilding workers, groups that were critical to victory in World War II as well as sealift operations in support of U.S. national security operations world-wide ever since.  The aim of the organization is to honor the legacy of all veterans.

JOHN W. BROWN is one of only two operating Liberty Ships remaining of 2,710 built nationwide during World War II. Converted during the war to a partial troop transport, it is the only surviving troopship which landed combat forces on an invasion beachhead. Named after a shipbuilding labor leader, it is listed along with the SAVANNAH in the National Register of Historic Places. The register designates objects and sites worthy of preservation in America.

The Brown is now completing a regular five-year maintenance drydocking at Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc., in Norfolk. The four weeks of work includes painting of the ship’s bottom and freeboard, propeller overhaul, refurbishment of sea valves not accessible with the ship in the water, U.S. Coast Guard inspections, and various internal work. A Project Liberty Ship volunteer crew will sail the ship north via Chesapeake Bay on the night of Feb. 8 for its scheduled arrival in Baltimore the following day.

The long-term proposal for a permanent base at Fairfield for SS JOHN W. BROWN envisions using federal and state funding, augmented by corporate and individual donations, to rebuild a fitting out pier at the former Fairfield shipyard.

The renovated pier would be owned and administered by a non-profit entity and would fall within Port of Baltimore zoning requirements. The 780-foot pier is currently under an option to purchase by Maryland Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC), which has a plant on the Fairfield site and designs and builds advanced technology systems for the Defense Department, as well as commercial projects such as Baltimore’s water taxi fleet and floating aquaculture systems. The revitalized pier could accommodate both JOHN W. BROWN’s education and training programs and expansion of MAPC’s operations, which include workforce development programs in Baltimore and an apprenticeship program.

In addition to the “living history” cruises, SS JOHN W. BROWN provides a fully operational training platform for an Anne Arundel County STEM program, U.S. Navy Sea Cadets, police and fire first responders, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Baltimore-based Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and others.

The ship also offers a popular “Steam School” and “Merchant Seaman School” program for public participation in three-day courses with overnight stays on the ship.

Since returning to Baltimore in 1988 and undergoing a three-year, all-volunteer restoration program, the ship has sailed more than 25,000 miles and visited 29 North American ports on its cruises.

It has been a familiar site on the Canton waterfront for 31 years, where it occupied pier space owned first by the Maryland Port Authority and then Rukert Terminals Corp., which gave invaluable support to the ship until commercial requirements made it unable to continue long-term.

The ship is operated by a 175-person all-volunteer crew which includes fully licensed ship masters, qualified ratings and entry-level deckhands and engineering workers drawn from an overall membership of about 1,200. Members have contributed more than 1.9 million volunteer service hours to the vessel.

JOHN W. BROWN was one of 384 Liberty Ships built at Bethlehem-Fairfield. It completed 13 wartime voyages carrying troops and cargo, then served as a maritime trades high school in New York City for 36 years before returning to Baltimore. More than half a million people have sailed on cruises or taken pierside tours.

Street address of Pier 13 is 4601 Newgate Avenue. Further information can be found at the ship’s website (www.ssjohnwbrown.org) and Facebook page.

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December Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Baltimore, Dec. 30 – Project Liberty Ship Inc., owner and operator of the World War II museum ship SS JOHN W. BROWN, and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. (MAPC) today announced an $18 million plan to revitalize a portion of the former Bethlehem Steel Fairfield Shipyard and provide a home base for the ship’s education and cruise activities as well as support for MAPC’s growing shipbuilding and maritime technology operations.

The proposal would utilize federal and state funding, augmented by corporate and individual donations, to rebuild a fitting-out pier at the former yard in South Baltimore. The pier would be owned and administered by a non-profit entity.

Project Liberty Ship (PLS) is a 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to the preservation and continued operation of the JOHN W. BROWN as a memorial to the vital wartime role of the U.S. Merchant Marine, U.S. Navy Armed Guard, and American shipbuilding personnel, three groups instrumental to victory in World War II as well as world-wide sealift operations in support of U.S. national security interests ever since. Its aim is to honor the legacy of all veterans.

The ship, a familiar sight on Baltimore’s Canton waterfront since it returned to the city in 1988, was launched at the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyard on Labor Day in 1942. Since restoration began, it has sailed more than 25,000 miles, visiting 29 North American ports with its trademark “living history” cruises that feature 1940s-era entertainment and fly-bys from vintage aircraft.

The JOHN W. BROWN is one of only two operating Liberty Ships remaining out of a total of 2,710 built nationwide during WWII. Converted during the war to a partial troop transport, the vessel is the only remaining troop transport which landed combat forces on an invasion beach. Named after a shipbuilding labor leader, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which designates sites and objects worthy of preservation in America.

MAPC designs and builds advanced technology systems and vessels for the Defense Department, as well as commercial products, such as the new Baltimore water taxis and floating aquaculture systems. It owns and has a plant on the land where the Bethlehem-Fairfield yard was located in the 1940’s. MAPC currently holds a 50-year lease, with an option to purchase the 780-foot pier that needs to be replaced to accommodate the JOHN W. BROWN and the expansion of MAPC’s business.

MAPC company has two workforce development partnerships in Baltimore and an active apprenticeship program with the state of Maryland. It employs welders, electronic technicians, machinists, engineers and naval architects.

Both PLS and MAPC see the innovative plan to restore pier space on the footprint of the historic fitting-out pier, one of the few remaining WWII era shipyard structures as a means of keeping Baltimore’s maritime heritage alive and promoting economic development of the port.

“By co-locating with MAPC, the reconstructed pier would promote growth in South Baltimore,” said Michael Barnes. “The presence of the JOHN W. BROWN in Fairfield, near Fort McHenry, would contribute to Baltimore’s tourism industry and enhance public knowledge of the importance of the port, which isn’t fully appreciated. It would also allow the ship to expand its numerous training programs with youth groups and maritime industry organizations.”

Barnes also pointed out that the implementing the plan is expected to take about two years and that the ship is working on interim dockage until the Fairfield pier is ready.

Mark Rice, President of MAPC noted, “The photographs on the walls of our present building remind us daily of the thousands of shipyard workers, men and women of all races and ethnicities, who did more than their part to win WWII. Our vision is that our Bethlehem Fairfield site will host rapidly growing numbers of skilled Baltimore workers and that the presence of the JOHN W. BROWN will remind our community and the citizens of Maryland of those who worked so hard to build the ships that saved the world.”

The estimated cost to rebuild the pier includes complete demolition of the remains of the 80-year- old pier, construction of a new heavy ship pier and repair of the bulkhead at the foot of the pier. Other types of replacement piers are also being considered, including floating piers.

Under the joint proposal, dual use of the rebuilt pier would meet Maritime Industrial Zoning Overlay District (MIZOD) requirements for deep water access at the working waterfront by combining the JOHN W. BROWN’s education and training missions with MAPC’s advanced maritime work. MAPC would turn over ownership to the new non-profit and in return receive a long-term lease for a portion of the pier. The MIZOD designation was created by Baltimore authorities in 2004 and renewed in 2014.

In addition to its “living history” cruise program, the ship provides a fully operating training platform for the an Anne Arundel county STEM program, U.S. Navy Sea Cadets, police and fire first responders, the US Customs and Border Patrol, the Baltimore-based Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and others.

The ship is operated and maintained by a 175-person all volunteer crew, ranging from fully licensed ship masters to entry level deckhands and engineering workers drawn from PLS’ overall membership of about 1,200. Since 1988, volunteers have contributed more than 1.9 million volunteer hours of service to the vessel.

The ship, one of more than 384 Liberty Ships completed at Bethlehem-Fairfield, completed 13 wartime voyages carrying troops and cargo. She then served as a maritime trades high school in New York City for 36 years before returning to Baltimore. More than 500,000 people have sailed aboard the vessel or taken pier side tours.

For more information, please visit us on facebook and www.ssjohnwbrown.org.

November Press Release

The Liberty Ship S.S. JOHN W. BROWN, the only surviving troopship from World War II, faces an imminent deadline due to the expiration of its pier lease and may have to leave its homeport in Baltimore, Maryland.

            The 440-foot gray ship, a familiar sight on the Canton waterfront and during its “living history” cruises on Chesapeake Bay, has conducted an unsuccessful search over the past several years for an alternate berth. Project Liberty Ship Inc., the organization comprised entirely of volunteers currently operating and maintaining the vessel, are now looking at the prospect of having to leave the ship’s present home at Pier C on Clinton Street by the end of the year.

            For several years the ship was housed at a Clinton Street pier owned by the state of Maryland, but that pier was sold and the lease arrangement that enabled the Brown to stay at that pier expired. The new pier owners generously offered S.S. JOHN W. BROWN an alternate berth at Pier C on a temporary basis and have been cooperative and flexible with Project Liberty Ship’s uncertain and ever-developing future. However, the current lease agreement, despite several extensions, is expiring at the end of 2019.

            Michael Barnes, a member of Project Liberty Ship who coordinated the pier search effort, reports that fewer than a dozen available commercial piers in Baltimore are large enough to accommodate the historic vessel. Many of these piers are already being leased to the federal government and most require security restrictions that hinder the educational and tourist activities the Brown frequently hosts onboard. The Project has considered buying a pier but found that available sites are in disrepair and would require lengthy—and costly—construction work. Given the expiration date of the current lease agreement and being a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, time and funding is very limited.

            As a last resort, the board is considering moving to another port, which would take the Brown away from Baltimore’s maritime heritage, the birthplace of the vessel and the home-base of a majority of the volunteers onboard. The 77-year-old ship, named after a  maritime labor leader, was launched at Bethlehem Steel’s Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore on Labor Day in 1942. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which designates buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects worthy of preservation in America.

            Since being restored by volunteers in 1991, the museum ship has sailed more than 25,000 miles and visited 29 ports in the United States and Canada. In recent years, the ship has expanded its community outreach from hosting cruises featuring 1940s-era entertainment and fly-bys from vintage aircraft, to acting as a classroom and fully operational training facility for the Maryland Port Authority, U.S. Navy Sea Cadets, high school-age STEM students, local police, fire, emergency responders, the Baltimore-based Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS-PMI), the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) and others. S.S. JOHN W. BROWN has long been recognized as a positive piece of Baltimore’s strong maritime history and has attracted tourists to the area from as far away as England and New Zealand.

            The primary mission of Project Liberty Ship is to educate people of all ages about the vital role of the wartime American Merchant Marine, Naval Armed Guard and shipbuilders, three largely unheralded groups that were instrumental in the Allied victory in World War II, as well as to world-wide sealift operations during all past and current conflicts by presenting living history aboard an authentically restored Liberty Ship. The aim of the organization is to honor the legacy of all American veterans.

            The Brown completed 13 voyages carrying troops and cargo during and after World War II. She then served as a maritime trades high school in New York City for 36 years. S.S. JOHN W. BROWN returned to Baltimore in 1988, where she was restored to her 1944 state by Project Liberty Ship volunteers. Out of a total of 2,710 Liberty Ships built during World War II, S.S. JOHN W. BROWN and one other, the San Francisco-based S.S. JEREMIAH O’BRIEN, are left sailing today.

To read the multiple TV stories and newspaper articles, as well as to sign the petition, click our recent blog where all the info is consolidate.