In June 1944, the O'Brien made 11 round trips between Southampton, England, and the Utah and Omaha beachheads at Normandy. In June 2004, the O'Brien made one round trip from San Francisco's Pier 45 on a voyage into history.

After leaving the pier on a beautiful, breezy Sunday morning, the O'Brien sailed straight for the Golden Gate Bridge, escorted by a San Francisco fireboat in full justice. Along the way, a Coast Guard helicopter staged a search-and-rescue demonstration near the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Under the bridge, like so many ships steaming off to war over a half a century ago, the O'Brien made her way to Bonita Cove, near the Point Bonita lighthouse on the edge of Marin County. There, in rolling seas and a heavy breeze, the ceremony began.

Diane Dwyer of KNTV (NBC11) was the emcee. The San Francisco Chapter of the National Enlisted Reserve Association presented the colors. The East Bay Scout Band presented the national anthems of France ("Le Marseillaise"), the United Kingdom ("God Save the Queen"), Canada ("O Canada"), and the United States ("The Star-Spangled Banner").

The ship's chaplain, Father Jim Wade, delivered the invocation. After that, the podium belonged to the man whose vision made the National Liberty Ship Memorial a reality: retired Merchant Marine Rear Adm. Thomas Patterson.

Patterson spoke of the many World War II veterans who were aboard the ship, many of whom are now part of the O'Brien's crew.

"I thank you all for being aboard this ship this day," Patterson told those assembled on or near the No. 2 hatch as the sea rocked and rolled the ship. Nobody got seasick.

Patterson recognized Pat Jahn, the widow of George Jahn. Jahn had been a liberty ship master during World War II, undertaking the perilous Murmansk run, among other voyages. In 1994, Jahn was the master of the O'Brien for the return to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

Patterson also recognized his sons, Richard and Thomas. Richard Patterson is a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York and attended the ceremony in full dress uniform.

Patterson then turned over the mike to Frederic Desagneaux, the French consul general. Desagneaux spoke of his people's gratefulness to their liberators, of how the Allied invasion signaled "a rebirth of hope and freedom." The French presented the O'Brien with a plaque honoring the O'Brien's service in Operation Overlord.

Desagneaux was followed by his British counterpart, Martin Uden; Darcee Munroe, the consul and trade representative from Canada; retired Army Lt. Col. Stephen Yackley, recently of the 1st Infantry Division, aka "The Big Red One" (in World War II, this division had landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day); and Navy Rear Adm. Patrick Dunne, the superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.

All spoke of D-Day, of what it means, of why it's still relevant today. Then came the highlight of the ceremony. Desagneaux, with the assistance of Odette LePendu, presented Thomas Patterson with the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor.

A wreath was then laid in the waters of Bonita Cove by Capt. Patrick Moloney, the O'Brien's master, with the assistance of Patterson and dignitaries of the Allied nations of World War II. Roger Weed of the Royal British Legion provided the bagpipe music.

After the colors were retired, the ceremony ended and the O'Brien made her way back into the Bay. As always, Los Gatos restaurant CB Hannegan's supplied lunch to the passengers, who could also partake of the silent auction in the No. 2 hold and visit the engine room.

After returning to port, Desagneaux hosted a reception for the ship's crew in the No. 2 hold. The reception featured French hors d'oeuvres and champagne, as well as several speeches. At the conclusion, the O'Brien presented Desagneaux with a framed portrait of the ship sailing out of San Francisco bound for Normandy in April 1994.

Whatever our differences over current events, the bond between America and it's Allies forged in the cauldron of the Second World War remains as strong as ever. The people of France are grateful to the Americans, as well as to the British and the Canadians, for their part in the launching of the invasion that played a critical role in the fall of Nazi Germany just under a year later. The S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien helped make it happen.