[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 96 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S LIBERTY SHIPS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2000

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, between 1941 and 1944 over 2,700 Liberty 
ships were built under President Roosevelt's $350,000,000 shipbuilding 
program. These vessels were cargo ships designed to augment the 
enormous supply needs of the war effort. As the only remaining 
operational Liberty Ship and the last operational troopship of World 
War II, the S.S. John W. Brown is currently touring the northeastern 
coast and the Great Lakes to honor the troops and merchant marines who 
served in WWII.
  During the war, the John W. Brown served as a standard cargo ship 
and, after conversion, as a limited capacity troop transport ship in 
the Mediterranean Theatre and in the invasions of Salerno and Southern 
France. After the war, the S.S. John W. Brown served in unique and 
critical roles. The ship was first used to move cargo across the North 
Atlantic to rebuild European cities and nations. Then, in December 
1946, she was loaned by the Maritime Commission to the City of New York 
to serve as a high school. For the next 36 years she was cared for by 
students and teachers who operated the world's only nautical high 
school. Because of the ship's light use and regular maintenance by the 
school, the S.S. John W. Brown has remained in remarkable condition for 
a vessel of its age.
  In 1988, the ship was acquired by Project Liberty Ship, a nonprofit 
foundation dedicated to preserving the memory of the Liberty Ships that 
were so critical to the success of the war. Project Liberty Ship, was 
established as a volunteer membership organization with the goal of 
restoring the S.S. John W. Brown to its original operating condition as 
a WWII Museum and Memorial.
  Mr. Speaker, the S.S. John W. Brown is on a voyage this summer from 
Baltimore through the St. Lawrence Seaway and through Lakes Ontario and 
Erie. This celebration voyage is a fitting tribute to both our troops 
who gave their lives in the war and those who acted in support of them. 
I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to our soldiers, our 
merchant marines and to the members of Project Liberty Ship, who have 
given their time and energy to preserve the memory of those brave 
American soldiers who died for our liberty.

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