On November 1, my wife and I were part of the crew that sailed Liberty ship John W. Brown from her home port of Baltimore down the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk for a visit to dry dock, about a 20-hour voyage. We sailed through a ferocious storm, rain and spray, winds from the north at a steady 40 knots, gusts to 60 knots, rocking 20 degrees left and right. While on wheel watch, I had to maintain 15 degrees left rudder just to keep course. I know that's nothing for those of you who sailed the seas but it's unusual for the Chesapeake and certainly far out of the ordinary for me as an occasional mariner.
We were scheduled to go directly into the dry dock upon reaching Norfolk Sunday morning. But with the storm continuing, the tugs didn't want to try to manuever us through a narrow drawbridge and into a berth in those winds. They would take us only in winds of 20 knots or less, which weren't forecast to abate until Monday morning. So we went to a vacant berth at a cargo terminal for the rest of the day and night. A large part of the crew had to depart by chartered bus back to Baltimore, as originally planned, leaving us short-handed to move the ship Monday morning. Monday was sunny and chilly but calm. We pressed electricians and steward department personnel into working on deck and we were able to complete the move.
Our 20-year-old daughter attends college in Norfolk and she arranged to get a pass to enter the shipyard. She had asked my wife and me to bring her some winter clothing. So, we used a Liberty ship to deliver her warm clothes. And as the ship eased into the dry dock, there our daughter was on the pier, wearing a hard hat and safety glasses and chatting up the roughnecks who work in the yard. Our daughter is at ease in any setting.
A few hours later and the remainder of the crew departed in several 12-passenger vans for the 250-mile return trip to Baltimore. In four weeks we'll be back in Norfolk to bring our ship home. We'll hope for better weather for that trip.
So what did YOU do on the weekend?
Ron Carlson, Webmaster
Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website
www.armed-guard.com
and
Ordinary seaman
Liberty ship SS John W. Brown
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