“Between 1931 and 1946, Pan American Airways had 28 flying boats known as “Clippers,” These four radial engine aircraft were S-40’s and 42’s built in 1934, later replaced by Boeing 314 Clippers, that became the familiar symbol of the company.… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“People still said that “The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire,” even though the Commonwealth was starting to come apart. In spite of the obvious, it was unthinkable that the United States had a colony in Africa; well they had one, and that was where I was headed! World War II had been over for ten years and in… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“After a time I saw what I believed, at the time, to be a radio relay station located out on a desolate sand spit near Villa Bens. It was only later that I found out that it was Castelo de Tarfaya, a small fortification on the North African coast. Tarfaya was occupied by the British in 1882, when they established… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“Because he was leaving Liberia, Chris had tried selling his Italian made, Vespa motor-scooter. It had seen a lot of use and I know that he didn’t buy it new, but it ran and was transportation for him. ‘I’ll give you fifty for it.” I said. “The hell you will,” was his curt reply, “One hundred and fifty makes it… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“Flotsam Some people figuratively, although sometimes literately, washed up on the barren beaches of West Africa because they were unwelcome in most other countries. Adventurers, seamen, construction contractors, military mercenaries, as well as missionaries and professional government employees, found themselves here. Money was frequently the motivating factor for people who came to this third world country and most of the… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“On January 2, 1956 President Tubman’s staff informed the American Ambassador, General Richard Lee Jones, that the Soviet delegation had sent him a note stating that the Soviets wanted to exchange diplomatic relations with Liberia. His response was that the United States would be gravely concerned if the Government of Liberia accepted a diplomatic mission in Monrovia, and that such… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“During his extensive career as an airmail pilot with Aéropostale, Antoine served as the company’s station manager in barren Villa Bens. During the Second World War, although he was older than most, Saint-Exupéry joined the Free French Air Force. On July 31, 1944, as fate would have it, he disappeared on a reconnaissance mission flying a P-38 Lightning over the… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share
“It was to be the longest flight I had ever made in my young life and one of the most interesting. Having always been… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“I could not believe how fast the night went. It wasn’t anywhere near dawn when the blaring sound of Reveille was piped throughout the… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“Between 1931 and 1946, Pan American Airways had 28 flying boats known as “Clippers,” These four radial engine aircraft were S-40’s and 42’s built… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“In 1821, the United States government sent Dr. Eli Ayres to West Africa to buy, on what was known as the “Pepper Coast,” land… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“In most cases homeport for the sailor is the port where he feels most at ease. It’s the place he longs to be and… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
“James Monroe served as the fifth President of the United States between 1817 and 1825. He was from Virginia and the last of the… — Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two Copy Share Image
