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October 16th Recent Photos Page |
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I played hooky today and instead of polishing brass on the Battleship I took a living history cruise out of Baltimore on the Liberty Ship S.S. John W. Brown. The Brown is one of only two operational Liberty Ships, the other, the Jeremiah O'Brien, is on the West coast. This was a great day, being able to tour the ship while cruising around in the Chesapeake Bay, and seeing the ships triple expansion steam engine in operation, was awesome! The Brown makes this cruise twice a year, as well as a special cruise on Veterans Day, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in WW II history. My hats off to the crew of the Brown too, they did a spectacular job. They were everywhere, ready to answer questions and take care of the visitors. I would estimate it took 150 or more dedicated volunteers to pull off an event like this, and they all deserve a hearty Bravo Zulu for all their efforts. For more information on the S.S. Brown and the events she hosts, visit their website at www.liberty-ship.com. Below are a bunch of photos and a short video (with sound) showing the ships engine in operation, enjoy. |
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This was the scene when
I arrived at the pier. The cruise was sold out, I think they had close to 700 people onboard. |
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| Navigation Bridge. |
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| Engine Order Telegraph. |
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| Vintage equipment in the ships Radio Room. |
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| Gyro and other equipment in what I believe was the Chart Room. |
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First level of the
Engine Room, this large structure houses the engine's three pistons, seeing this engine running was awesome! |
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On the second level of
the Engine Room you get to see the exposed push rods and crank shaft that generate the ships power. She has only one shaft and if memory serves the engine generates 2,600 hp. If you would like to see a short video of the engine in motion, Click here. |
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| Also on the second level is the ships generator control power panel. |
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This is a shot from the
second level down to the engine control station on the third level. Generally visitors weren't allowed to go down to the lower level of the engine room. I however visited the engine room three times, and on my last trip, just as we were returning to the pier, one of the crew gave me a great behind the scenes tour of the second and third levels, and an explanation of how the ships triple expansion steam engine works, I loved it! It was pretty cool too because I got to see the engine reverse directions as the ship backed into the pier. |
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| After leaving the Engine Room, the Machine Shop was the next stop. |
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| More machinery in the Shop, looks like it is still being used by the crew. |
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| OK, I need a signalman to help me out, what do these flags mean? |
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| One of my fellow Jersey volunteers trying out one or the Brown's Orlekins. |
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| We passed Fort McHenry on our way out into the Chesapeake Bay. |
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Above were 2 photos of
the ships protected Navigation Bridge, but on these cruises they steer the ship from this open bridge on top of the superstructure. |
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A shot from the main
deck of the skipper up on the open bridge level. The protected Navigation Bridge is behind the windows one level below. |
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Here is shot of the
5-inch gun on the ships stern. It was interesting to see one outside of an enclosed mount, which is how I'm used to seeing them on the Battleship. The three cranks on the left side of the mount were used to set fuses for shells. Above this mount, on another level, are two 3-inch guns and there are also something like 8 Orlekins located in armored tubs on top the superstructure and in other elevated locations She sported a lot more offensive weaponry than I expected to see. These weapons were manned by sailors, while Merchant Marines manned the ship. |
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Here we see
General MacArthur,
the same gentleman we saw playing him on the Battleship on August 14th, posing with an admirer next to one of the 3-inch guns. Impersonating the General must be a lucrative gig, and he does it well! |
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| Keeping with the time warp they hoisted the 48-star flag for our cruise. |
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Sailors manned several
of the ships Orlekin mounts to fend off a simulated attack staged while we were out in the bay. |
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This is the first plane
that flew by, an Army Spotter plane. Because of the high winds there were only three planes that made the trip. |
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The next plane to
appear was this replica Japanese Zero, which the ships gunners greeted with fire from several Orlekin mounts. |
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The final plane was
this B-25 Mitchell, which made several low and slow passes, the last one with the bomb bay doors open, pretty sweet! |
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Here's a group shot of
some of the gang from the Battleship that made the cruise, posing in front of the Brown's 5-inch mount. A good time was had by all, for sure! |
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I've heard of fighters
and bombers having pin-ups painted on their noses before, but this is the first time I ever heard of a ship having their own pin-up. Her name is Brownie, and it's easy to see how she would be an inspiration to the crew. I was so inspired I bought a t-shirt in the ships store featuring her likeness! |
