DECK LOG
LETTERS
It was a long way up to the fiddley overhead. A shaft of spring sunlight shone through the gratings from the skylight over the engine room of the Liberty ship john W Brownasshesteamedinto New York harbor in 1994 to honor the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy. The sunlight wavered and shifted as the ship rolled gently to the harbor swell while a volunteer oiler (all the crew are volunteers) weaved and dodged to minister to the thumping triple expansion steam engine that drives the ship. The oiler is part of the machine, in a way that just isn't true of today's ships with their push-button controls. Of the 2,751 Libertys built in World War II, 200 were sunk by enemy action. Their engine-room crews were at their stations far below decks. It was a long climb up iron ladders to open sky and the ship's boats and rafts .... Just being aboard the Brown in New York on that spring day in 1994 was to step into a vanished world of human endeavor. The ship's steaming keeps alive our connection with that world. And while she was doing this good work, on the far side of the Atlantic her sister LibertyJeremiah 0 'Brien was lying off the Normandy beaches where she had been fired on by German guns as she delivered the American soldiers who liberated captive Europe. The O'Brien's volunteer crew had steamed the big ship all the way from San Francisco to keep this commemoration of her and America's rendezvous with destiny. In this issue of Sea History, as the World Ship Trust of London honors the Liberty ships john W Brown and ]eremiah O'Brien, we look at how veteran seamen, bolstered by young people learning from the old hands, keep these ships alive, to open a vital experience to coming generations. Our friend Admiral Tom Patterson tells us that the 0 'Brien crew are preparing the ship for the lOOth anniversaryofD-Day in 2044. They don't all expect to be there, but their ship will, pursuing her mission of educating Americans in the challenge of their seafaring heritage.
The American Achievement by Sea The brilliantAthenian leader Themistocles, victor at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, said: "He who commands the sea has command of everything. " In the light of history he has been proven right over and over. Today our own economic life is nourished by the ocean's commercial sea lanes, and our ability to project military power in defense of the nation relies heavily on naval power. These twin realities of modern life unfortunately are obscured in today's media babble and academic political correctness. That makes articles like Peter Stanford's "The American Achievement by Sea" in the Winter issue of Sea H istory uniquely valuable for those seeking a rational approach to our own times in relation to history. RADMJOSEPHF . CALLO, USNR(RET.) New York, New York
A National Message In this Sea History we also look at further aspects of "The American Achievement by Sea." Your views are invited on this exploration of the meanings and outcomes of the American experience at sea. Help us shape a national message worthy of the sailing of the Libertys! PETER STANFORD
Editor at Large The John W . Brown returns to New York, May 1994 with the editor-at-large in the engine room.
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"The American Achievement by Sea" in Sea History 103 is great and founded on a great idea. One of my "missions" is to remind the American people of the contribution of our maritime heritage to national development. I applaud this good work and encourage you to continue your efforts. RAY H EITZMANN , PHD Vill anova University Villanova, Pennsylvania The United States is blessed with many maritime heritage museums spread across her fifty states. To toddlers and old seamen on the beach , they tell the story of how America came from the sea. Their models and displays teach visitors the importance of ships and crews to our global economy and defense. Now a new dimension is linked with our historic shoreside museums. These are the legacy ships. For many years historic sailing ships like USS Constitution and the US Coast Guard's Eagle have proudly carried the message ofour seafaring past. They have been joined by the memorial ships of World War II . These ships, provided by the Maritime Administration to qualified volunteer organizations, have gone back to sea to show their visitors how America's merchant marine preserved our liberty around the world alongside our other sea services. These legacy ships include the Jeremiah O'Brien of San Francisco,john W Brown
SEA HISTORY I 04, SPRING/SUMMER 2003