THE SS JOHNW. BROWN: The Ship's People Speak by Michael Gillen Co-Director, Project Liberty Ship The wartime log books ,of the Liberty Ship John W. Brown provide only a rough outline of her voyages , participation in a number of invasions (including Anzio and Southern France) , a trip around Cape Hom , duty as troopship and POW carrier, and encounters with Nazi planes and artillery , and with Atlantic storms. Since Project Liberty Ship launched the effort to save the John W. Brown as a memorial-museum , with a Liberty Ship Seminar held at the Seamen ' s Church Institute in New York in 1978, many of the gaps of her history have been filled in by former merchant crew members and Armed Guard personnel who have joined the Project over the years . A selection of their recollections , many of which have appeared in the Project newsletter Liberty Log, are presented here to provide further insight into the history of the SS John W. Brown .
First Voyage ROBERT J. BLOXSOM , Second Mate: We sailed from Baltimore on September 9, 1942, and proceeded to Norfolk where we went through the degaussing procedure. * We sailed from Norfolk on October 3 and arrived at New York on October 6. We signed Foreign Articles on October 7 , loaded Army cargo at the Brooklyn Army Terminal and sai led from New York October 18 for the Persian Gulf. On the way we stopped at Guantanamo , Cuba , then transitted the Panama Canal (October 26-28) , proceeded around Cape Hom (November 13) for Saldanha Bay , Capetown before arriving at the Persian Gulf anchorage on December 25 . We moved up to Karamsha on January 23, 1943 and departed the Persian Gulf March 11 homeward bound. On the way we stopped at Bahrein, Capetown , Bahia, Paramaribo, Trinidad and arrived at New York May 26, 1943. *To protect the ship from magnetic mines. - ED,
Part of the bridge over troubled waters that brought Americans ashore to liberate the Continent of Europe from Na zi armies, the Brown offloads supplies f or the young soldiers she's put ashore at Anzio, halfway up the Italian boot, in 1944 . Her three-inchers returned the fire of German 88s sited in the hills overlooking the embattled beachhead.
The first trip of the SS John W. Brown is worthy of a book in itself; crazy, great and wonderful things happened on the maiden voyage of the SS John W. Brown .
Anzio and Southern France WILFRED GOSLIN , Able Seaman: I shipped on the John W. Brown as Able Seaman in early 1944. During the six months I spent on her we operated in The Med , mostly out of Naples with trips to Oran , Anzio , Bizerte and ferrying Italian prisoners of war from Sardinia to Naples (ten trips) . We also made the Invasion of Southern France at St. Tropez at 0600 hrs. , 15 August 1944, which was D-Day , H-hour, transporting 350 Gls of the 36th
An anonymous Liberty, deep loaded, waits near the Statue of Liberty. Th e ship is really at anchor; a wartime artist painted out the anchor chain and painted in the bow wave. But she really did sail, and to good effect, in the cause of Liben y .
Division . We were anchored for five days on the beachhead without anyone firin g a shot . On sailing day, one lone German recon plane flew over and was shot down . The John W. Brown, with every other Liberty in the armada , claimed the downing and painted a swastika on the stack . After the invasion we returned to Naples for bunkers, stores (cases of C-rations and Spam) and 350 German POWs which we transported to Newport News . HERBERT W. RITIER, Chief Mate: I was aboard the John W. Brown during her most hectic days in the Mediterranean . Sicily, Salemo and about a half dozen trips in and out of the Anzio beachhead and the invasion of Southern France. When her bottom was so overgrown with barnacles we were sent back to the States , because her speed was now reduced to about eight knots. Thank goodness it happened so I could finally sit for my Master's license. I took part in five invasions and thank the good Lord I am still alive . I have a very unique souvenir from World War II- a sliver of steel in the bone of my left leg. I was given this courtesy of the German artillery at Salemo. Always remember that the Liberty Ship won the war. When the supplies were needed the merchant seamen delivered them . VER NON H. JOYCE, US Navy Armed Guard Coxswain: Naples had not been in Allied hands too long when we arrived . In fact, some Fascist sympathizers took occasional shots at liberty parties. And the population was in terrible financial and moral condition. Small children were pimping for their mothers and sisters and US currency and cigarettes were at a premium. The only thing I have that was bought in Naples are three large cameos. I think I paid several packs of cigarettes for the lot, and they were reChief Mate Ritter (left) , ashore with Armed Guard officer Joe Humphreys, poses with a captured Germanfreight car. It will take the Allies another year of savage fighting to reach that railcar' s home yard.
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