Report: Memorial Day Cruise
Chesapeake Bay
by Capt. Brian Hope
24 May, 1997

nother Winner!

There is no question that a day of perfect weather is a major factor in the success of one of our cruises. In this respect we certainly have been lucky, with only one rainy cruise out of a total of 20 to date. But that's not the whole story. Lots of things have to come together for a successful cruise, including good ticket sales, the BROWN being "in all respects ready for sea" and excellent performances by the caterer, the band, the historic interpretive groups, the airplanes, etc.

Well, it all came together once again on May 24th, with a sellout crowd aboard. Thanks to the usual dilligence by our Engine Department the ship was ready. That, in fact, has always been one of the least of our concerns. (weather being the greatest concern).

The BROWN has almost always performed flawlessly during our cruises and the engineers never get enough credit for that. The firemen watertenders, oilers, wipers and all the licensed engineers pour out their sweat down below and rarely get the chance to see much of what goes on during the cruise. It is fortunate that the Coast Guard allows us to bring passengers down into the engine room while we are underway. They can at least get some appreciation of the conditions under which our engine department volunteers must work.

OK, we admit it. It's exciting down there, but there's lots of excitement on deck as well. We make a real effort to bring something new and different aboard the BROWN for each of our cruises and the six hours of underway time is really getting filled up now, with all sorts of activities underway almost nonstop. In our effort to recreate the war years the mainstay of our entertainment has always been the music of the era and the Swing Fever Dance Band, in Authentic Army Air Corps uniforms, was outstanding. Complete with its own announcer and a splendid vocal group, the Band, an all-volunteer group from Reading, PA, kept the passengers singing and dancing throughout the trip. The conditions under which we expect our bands to perform are pretty unique and it can be real challenge to play well under the hot sun and wind of the open decks. This gig may well be one of the most difficult that this band, or any other, may be asked to do. Not only are they faced with all the problems of a shipboard performance, but they have to ride a bus for almost three hours in each direction!

The very good news is that they had a great time and have agreed to come back aboard for our Sept. 6th voyage. Our air show is equally spectacular. This year we began with the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's R4D, the navy version of the ubiquitous DC-3. One of the most famous aircraft in aviation history, this plane, which for years was the mainstay of American commercial airlines, is rarely seen in flight anymore, but we had a real treat as her pilot buzzed the ship half a dozen times.

Later in the day other WW II vintage aircraft made their scheduled appearances, highlighted by an attack on the ship by two Japanese carrier planes. As our gun crew battled the attackers with our 3" bow gun and 20 mm cannons a P-51 Mustang, its mighty Packard-Merlin engine whistling with power, swooped in to drive off the enemy, saving the BROWN for another cruise!

Our historic interpreters, U.S. Navy, U. S. Army (The Big Red One), medical personnel in the sick bay and our military vehicle owners ~ jeeps, motorcycles and even a Cushman Army scooter ~ all did their bit to lend an authentic air to the cruise. Arms displays, the chattering of machine gun fire, Brownie the Riveter and Red Cross donut dollies provide multiple diversions for the passengers.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was there too, in the form of Delmas Wood. From his exciting arrival in the 1936 Phaeton to his Declaration of War Speech, the President stirred the crowd and many, who remembered exactly where they were on December 7th, were moved to tears by his speech. Interestingly, Mr. Wood's secretary called several days before the cruise to discuss the schedule for the day. She asked, "Mr. Roosevelt wants to know when the Japanese planes will attack." If only that question could have been answered as easily in 1941, the Pacific war would have begun on quite a different note.

No cruise is complete without good food and Shawn Casserly's Bear Brothers Catering put on their usual excellent array of food and drink. Organizing the catering for eight hundred people, serving a continental breakfast and then an all-you-can-eat buffet luncheon aboard a moving ship is no easy task, but Shawn is accustomed to it by now and never fails to do a top quality job.

A final word of thanks to the tugboat crews and the pilots who guided the BROWN on her Bay journey. We have never yet paid a cent to any tugboat company or pilot association for their invaluable services and we cannot thank them enough.