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Cruise into History on the Liberty Ship SS John W Brown
Last weekend, we went on a day-cruise in the Chesapeake Bay aboard one of two remaining Liberty Ships from WWII that is still afloat. The SS John W. Brown is one of 2,700 cargo vessels constructed as a result of an emergency ship-building program of WWII. It was later converted to a limited capacity troopship, ferrying troops as well as cargo to the theaters of war.
It was a very hot, humid, and hazy day that, combined with the 700 people who were onboard for this cruise, sapped all my energy for taking photographs, so these are little more than snapshots.
As with many vessels, this one has its own mascot - Brownie the Riveter.
During the air show, we had enemy aircraft attacking the ship. But no fear, the 20mm gunners were victorious.
This is one of the enemy aircraft. It is a replica of the Aichi D3A Type 99 Japanese dive bomber. These dive bombers were designated "Val" by the Allies. This aircraft was built for the filming of "Tora, Tora, Tora" in 1968, and carries the markings of a "Val" that flew from the carrier Soryu at Pearl Harbor. The original aircraft was lost when its carrier sank at the Battle of Midway.
This is the second enemy aircraft - replica of a Japanese Zero. It went spiralling down in a trail of smoke after it was "hit by the gunners," but I was on the wrong side to capture a photo.
And finally a B-25 bomber - arriving a little late to the party, but buzzed the ship really close (it appeared out of nowhere, hence I did not have time to move into a better position). This is the real thing - it participated in 126 combat missions during WWII.
Passage under the Francis Scott Key Bridge signaled that the end of the cruise was near.
I hope you enjoyed these "snapshots." Hope to go back and visit the ship on one of the days that it is open to visitors. There should be a lot fewer people on board and hopefully I'll pick a cooler day to go.
It was a very hot, humid, and hazy day that, combined with the 700 people who were onboard for this cruise, sapped all my energy for taking photographs, so these are little more than snapshots.
As with many vessels, this one has its own mascot - Brownie the Riveter.
During the air show, we had enemy aircraft attacking the ship. But no fear, the 20mm gunners were victorious.
This is one of the enemy aircraft. It is a replica of the Aichi D3A Type 99 Japanese dive bomber. These dive bombers were designated "Val" by the Allies. This aircraft was built for the filming of "Tora, Tora, Tora" in 1968, and carries the markings of a "Val" that flew from the carrier Soryu at Pearl Harbor. The original aircraft was lost when its carrier sank at the Battle of Midway.
This is the second enemy aircraft - replica of a Japanese Zero. It went spiralling down in a trail of smoke after it was "hit by the gunners," but I was on the wrong side to capture a photo.
And finally a B-25 bomber - arriving a little late to the party, but buzzed the ship really close (it appeared out of nowhere, hence I did not have time to move into a better position). This is the real thing - it participated in 126 combat missions during WWII.
Passage under the Francis Scott Key Bridge signaled that the end of the cruise was near.
I hope you enjoyed these "snapshots." Hope to go back and visit the ship on one of the days that it is open to visitors. There should be a lot fewer people on board and hopefully I'll pick a cooler day to go.
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Comments
It's nice to see the work so many have put into making these ships seaworthy and to be offering a chance to experience history.