Paul Esbensen
Master, 1988-2001

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Captain Paul J. Esbensen of Stevensville, Maryland, former master of the S.S. JOHN W. BROWN, died February 9, 2006, after a heart attack, at the age of 76.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 10, 1929, Captain Esbensen began his maritime career as an ordinary seaman on an Army transport before entering the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. After graduating in 1951, he sailed for ten years for Moore McCormack Lines, serving as third mate, second mate and chief mate on freighters and passenger liners. He received his Master's License at age 27.

Captain Esbensen worked for 20 years for Maryland Shipbuilding and Dry Dock and later was an marine investigator for 15 years for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Among the 25 major accidents he investigated was the 1986 sinking of the PRIDE OF BALTIMORE in an Atlantic storm. He retired from the NTSB in 1996.

An avid sailor and navigator, he participated in many sailing races on the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, including the Annapolis-Newport and Newport-Bermuda races.

Captain Esbensen became involved with Project Liberty Ship in 1988 and was part of the original crew that brought the BROWN to Baltimore from the James River Reserve Fleet. He was master of the BROWN from 1988 through 2001, commanding her for 45 voyages until he retired due to failing health. He always felt a deep personal responsibility to the ship, its crew and its passengers. In the words of one Project Liberty Ship volunteer, Captain Esbensen's greatest legacy to Project Liberty Ship is the way in which he upheld that responsibility and his constant efforts to improve the crew, the ship, and the Project. His principles still guide the Project and those who have taken his place.

Captain Esbensen is survived by his wife Lillian, two sons, two daughters, six grandchildren, and a brother and a sister.