The Brown 's boatswain takes a break on a cargo hatch. " Fortunately for me, he taught me a loJ of deck seamanship that l never forgot,'' says Vernon Joyce, remembering his days in the Brown 's gun crew forty-odd years ago . He knew thefiftyish Finnish seaman as ''Boats'' - the toughest title to win in a tough trade, and in on-deck situations, the most respected.
cently appraised at about $300 each. During one of the trips to Anzio we and several other ships were fired on by German 88mm artillery from the hills overlooking Anzio. We fired several rounds from the aft three-inch guns** but the Germans gave up firin g when US planes showed up . On returning to Naples from Leghorn, after Anzio, we loaded troops and equipment for the invasion of Southern France, and I recall Winston Churchill's boat going by close enough for us to see him and his " V for Victory" hand sign. We arrived and anchored off what we heard to be La Nartelle, France, shortly after the first wave went ashore . Vivid in my memory is the sight of US and British cruisers and battleships shelling the **The Brown received two additional Jin. guns when she was outfitted as a troopship in 1944. - ED.
beach with the projectiles passing over our ship. I can recall Captain (George) Brown and the First and Second Mates. However, the crewman who impressed me the most was the Boatswain. He was a Finn and about 50 years old, and a master seaman if there ever was one . As a 19year-old kid I idolized "Boats" and, fortunately for me , he taught me a lot of deck seamanship that I never forgot .
New York City Schoolship WARREN McCONNELL , Deck Teacher, 1946-76: To tell the story of th is part of John W. Brown's history would take a good size book . Students that walked her decks have not only gone into the merchant marine , but every branch of service that is marine related . The list of successful students is endless . To bring things closer to my home in Maine, the skipper and owner of the ferry to Monhegan Island is a graduate of the John W. Brown , Class of 1961 . . . . All these got their start training aboard the John W . Brown. KURT B. OSTLUND, graduate, John W. Brown Class of '70: I am disheartened that the NYC Board of Education has discontinued a viable maritime voca-
tional course of study, but am overjoyed by the prospect of flag hoist KHJL (John W . Brown's call letters) becoming a permanent memorial-museum highlighting the merc hant marine's sacrifices during World War II. Memories of my studies aboard John W. Brown include: Traveling from home at Staten Island in sub-freezi ng weather to a classroom in No. J upper 'tween deck where the temperature wasn't much warmer than the winter day outside . After two hours of textbook work the hours un til lunch were used working the booms , re-riggi ng, moving du mmy cargo off the pier with the booms and spotting it over the holds. When the ice of the Hudson finally melted, the Monomoys , which had been re-caulked during the wi nter, were put over the side with the ship's booms and we took up rowing and sailing. And lest it be forgotten , there were many hours of chipping , scaling and painting , of learning scores of knots, spl icing fiber and wire-things to be learned too numerous and wonderful to be fu lly described here . w NOTE: Mr. Ostlund is currently Second Officer on the USNS Redstone, T-AGM 20.
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