Something Older Than Most Of Our Sailboats

[rardiH36]

I thought to post this because a few might have recollection of the WWII era Liberty and Victory ships. I myself am too young to have participated in the ~1941-45 time period, but in the early 1970's I did spend several college break summers as a Merchant Sailor on WWII built T2 tankers that were still being used by Chevron Oil Company along the West Coast of the US, Alaska and Hawaii. Although these WWII era ships sometimes were built from keel laying to launch in just a few weeks, they ships continued to trade until the 1970's.

Today was a wonderful day on the bay today. Moderate winds. Favorable current. Good temp. Blue sky.

When I was just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, about one mile out near Kirby Cove, the " SS JEREMIAH O'BRIEN" happened to pass fairly close to my position. The SS JEREMIAH O'BRIEN is one of two remaining fully functional Liberty ships of the 2,710 built and launched during WWII.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my real camera and the photos from my Blackberry are definitely several generations ago in quality. But a couple are attached.

Several hundred people at least were on the deck enjoying the memory cruise.

30 minutes later, when I was back in the bay and as I was starting the beam reach from off the Golden Gate Yacht club to Sausalito, I could see that the JO'b went out as far as Point Bonita before turning 180 degrees to re-enter. A large towboat accompanied it the whole way.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/

 

[Tim R.]

She was built right across the bay from us.

 

[DAVA390]

The other Liberty is here in the Baltimore Harbor. A few years ago I took my parents on a day cruise out into the bay. We steamed down to the Bay Bridge and back. Food, Big band era music and Abbot/Costello type entertainment aboard. B25 flyover at Bay Bridge. A (I believe) P51 had been scheduled also but weather had socked them in at their home airport. Parents loved the trip!!

 

[Merlin Clark]

Very cool, thanks for this Rardi.
We used to perform diving services on 2 Liberty ships, the USNS Redstone and USNS Range Sentinel, when they were in service as Eastern Test Range tracking ships, based in Port Canaveral in the 80s & 90s. I don't know when they we moved or decommisioned as I was long gone by then.
They were unique in that the frames were number aft to fore. Screwed us up the first time we looked at the plans....

edit: according to wiki, there were 2,710 Liberty ships built by American shipyards. Wow!

 

[Stu Jackson]

She (it, it???) almost ran me down in dense fog one morning.

Still a great ship.

Went ALL THE WAY to France for the Normandy celebrations.

Google "Carl Nolte", he sailed aboard. Great reporting.

 

[All U Get]

She was built right across the bay from us.

If I remember right they were usually named for women. Also the production techniques were modular-type construction with a majority of the work-force being women. Love the pictures of work being done in sub-freezing weather.

All U Get

 

[25yearslater]

That brings back memories. In the mid Seventies I was stationed at Ft. Eustis, Virginia on the USAV John U.D. Page. We had a Liberty Ship at the pier across from us that was used for training stevedores. There was also the James River Reserve Fleet where hundreds of Liberty Ships were awaiting final disposal for scrap anchored side by side in the river. Every day I wondered and stood in awe of what it was like to have served during that era. Thanks for posting.

 

[Ken Cross]

In the 1969 or 70 in Budd Inlet (Puget Sound) what was called "the mothball fleet" could be seen from Olympia. I understood them to have been scrapped in Bremerton, WA. but there were lots of them then. If memory serves they were rafted and anchored with no pier access.

 

[wickedwahine]

The other ship is the "John W Brown" along the pier on Clinton Street.

The other Liberty is here in the Baltimore Harbor. A few years ago I took my parents on a day cruise out into the bay. We steamed down to the Bay Bridge and back. Food, Big band era music and Abbot/Costello type entertainment aboard. B25 flyover at Bay Bridge. A (I believe) P51 had been scheduled also but weather had socked them in at their home airport. Parents loved the trip!!