Famed World War II liberty ship needs financial aid to stay afloat

    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) -- San Francisco treasures its naval military history and is home to the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, one of the last remaining liberty ships that sailed into harm's way to help win World War II. Now it is facing another threat -- a financial one -- and they're putting out a desperate call to the public to keep the ship sailing.

When the Jeremiah O'Brien was launched in 1943, it became one of 2,700 liberty ships that transported soldiers and materiel to the war in Europe. The crew of 56 was constantly under threat from swarms of German U-boats trying to sink them and the O'Brien was front and center delivering troops to Omaha Beach on D-Day.

"This ship was right between the Texas and the Augusta, a cruiser and it was shelling the beach, the emplacements on the beach. So, they were right in the thick of it," said Jon Eaton, the ship's chief engineer.

He pointed to a 4-inch hole from a shell in the steel starboard railing and to dents in the hull from landing boats slamming into the sides on that fateful day. Eaton said you can feel the history as you roam the narrow passageways.

"Everywhere you walk here, you walk in the footsteps of people who have lived it for real," he said. "So, if you think you're having a bad day, just think about going to sea when they're shooting at you."

There is something very special about this floating museum. It can still sail -- one of only two liberty ships in the entire country that can make that claim. Its mighty steam engines still work, taking visitors out onto the bay during Fleet Week cruises.

"I like to tell people, you're on one of America's most historic vessels," said ship captain, Cevan LeSieur. "This is the only ship operating that was part of the D-Day invasion in 1944. So, as operating ships, I think this is the most historic operating ship in the United States."

Sailing this vessel requires a lot of maintenance and safety regulations and, as a result, money. That's where the problem lies.

"We've never recovered, in terms of visitors, like we had prior to the pandemic. We're basically getting about 35 percent of the visitor numbers that we had prior to 2020," said Capt. LeSieur. "The reality is, to keep this ship as an operating memorial to World War II veterans, we need that money. There's just no way around it."

The ship's keepers have put out an urgent appeal to the community. They're asking for donations and for more people to visit. They say it didn't help that, in the midst of the pandemic, a massive fire at the port caused the ship to be moved to Pier 35. It's not far -- just the other side of Pier 39 -- but many visitors simply don't see it as they pass by. As a result, the loss of revenue and rising costs of Coast Guard mandates have all but dried up the non-profit's savings. Within a few months, they will be out of money.

"To think that it would stop operating, especially considering everything it represents -- the history, our World War II veterans -- it's unimaginable that the ship might shut down," Capt. LeSieur said. "Our hearts and hands are open. We need help. We need to preserve this piece of American history."

Most of the old liberty ships were cut up and scrapped for steel. No one thinks that would happen to the Jeremiah O'Brien. More likely, some other city would take it as a fixed, floating museum. But it would be hard for those who have worked so hard to keep the old girl sailing, to see her engines silenced, tied up to a dock, never to move again.

For more information or to donate, go to the SS Jeremiah O'Brien website