John H. Wronowski was the son of Polish immigrants whose father worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. As a young man, he worked as a marine mechanic and electrician, all of which served him well when he became a partner in Interstate Navigation in the 1930s. Interstate Navigation, in a brief historical sketch of Wronowski, describes him as, “A forward-thinker, he saw the foundation of the fleet in vessels repurposed from military use.” A prime example of this was Wronowski’s conversion of the M/V Elizabeth Ann from a World War I submarine chaser into a ferry serving Block Island.Known on island by the name Lizze Ann, she faithfully served as the lifeline to the mainland during World War II. She was a narrow vessel, making for a rough ride. Edith Blane, in a recent interview, recalled the only safe spot in rough weather were two benches facing the exhaust stack, in which one could not only sit but also brace your legs against the metal stack, granting the rider two more points of contact with the swinging vessel. One resident, Barbara Dodge Hall, interviewed in 2000, recalled on one crossing in rough weather, “thinking she was more
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