The first home of the schoolship JOHN W. BROWN was Pier 4,
East River, New York City. By 1950 the BROWN had been moved to Pier 73, East
River (the former berth of the schoolship ST. MARYS) at the foot of East 25th
Street. Training on the JOHN W. BROWN commenced in December 1946. Some of
the students at that time were veterans of World War II who had dropped out of
classes at Metropolitan Vocational High School during the war to serve on
merchant ships or in the Navy. Enrollment increased and more instructors were
hired. Requirements of the instructors were that they be licensed Masters (any
ocean, any tonnage) and Chief Engineers (unlimited) with a teacher’s license.
Standard academic subjects were taught in the main building
of Metropolitan Vocational High School with the trade subjects, deck, engine
and steward, taught on the ship. In addition, courses in boat building, marine
radio, marine electrician and maritime business were taught at the main
building. Many of the students sailed on foreign flag ships during summer
recess. Initially the students spent a week on the ship and a week at the main
building, but this was changed to a half day on the BROWN and a half day at the
main building.
From 1951 to 1955, 80% of the graduates from the schoolship were
employed in the maritime industry and defense agencies of the government. The
record of BROWN graduates for retention in the maritime industry or the
government was not surpassed even by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings
Point for this period. The Coast Guard accepted graduation from the BROWN with
30 actual hours in lifeboats plus three months’ sea time as the equivalent of one
to two years at sea when approving a Lifeboat Certificate. In addition to those
who graduated, at least 40% of the 17-year-old "drop outs" either
went to sea or joined the Navy or Coast Guard.
An institution that was carried over from the days of the ST.
MARYS was the Maritime Educational Advisory Commission. The commission
consisted of representatives from the maritime community of the Port of New
York: steamship companies, maritime unions, colleges, the military and
government agencies. The group met aboard the ship and worked closely with the
staff in advising on programs of instruction, helping students get jobs,
obtaining gifts of needed supplies and fund raising. Some of the more notable
members in the 1950s were:
* Captains Frank
J. Taylor and Walter E. Maloney, Masters, Mates and Pilots Union
* Joseph Curran,
President, National Maritime Union
* Commodore John
S. Baylis USCG (Ret)., Former Supt. of the N.Y. State Nautical School * Vice Admiral,
L.T. Du Bose, USN, Commander Eastern Sea Frontier
* Rear Admiral
E.H. Smith, USCG
* Rear Admiral
Gordon McClintock, USMMA, Kings Point
* James A.
Farrell, Jr., President, Farrell Lines Inc.
* Captain Walter
N. Prengel, Port Captain, Grace Lines
* Captain J.J.
Topping, U.S. Lines
* Captain H.W.
Mason, American Export Lines
* Captain W.C.
Brodie, Socony Oil Co.
* James
McAllister, President, McAllister Bros. Towing.
* Eugene F. Moran,
Sr., Moran Towing
The BROWN and her graduates had a stellar
reputation in the maritime industry. Mr. Walter J. Maloney, upon his
retirement as president of the American Merchant Marine Institute in
1955, wrote the following:
"The shipping industry, working with the American Merchant Marine
Institute, is more than glad to play its small part in insuring that
this splendid schoolship develops. We are well aware of its service to
the maritime industry. A number of the Institute's fifty-five member
companies have employed graduates of the JOHN W. BROWN. Their records,
including two who served as masters with Farrell Lines, have been
uniformly splendid.
“The Marine Industry recognized in the
JOHN W. BROWN a unique educational experiment. The products of this
experiment have proved their salt aboard ships of the American Flag Merchant
Marine."
By late 1956 the schoolship was beset by the problems that
would plague it for the remainder of its career; not the least of which was
financial. Employment in the merchant marine had fallen off, and New York City
was having its usual budget problems. The ship was expensive to operate, even
though the students did all the maintenance and repair work. There were
expenses for fuel, dry-docking, maintenance materials and supplies. Another
expense was busing the students to the main building on a daily basis. The
city had to determine if it was practical to keep the maritime training program
going. The city had hoped to find a pier for the ship that was closer to the
main building so the students need not be transported and the cost of busing
could be eliminated. The Board of Education seriously considered closing down
the Maritime Training Department and returning the ship to the Maritime
Commission. It can only be assumed that the Maritime Advisory Board convinced
the city to keep the ship going, and ways to cut costs were explored. The
schoolship was granted a reprieve and continued on. One of the cost saving
programs that was initiated was to return to the schedule of keeping the
students on the ship for one full week, and then the following week they would
go to the main building for academic studies. This schedule, which went into
effect in September of 1957, did away with the need for busing but created
other problems.
