Harry Russell Van Brunt of Tallahassee, Florida, joined the Navy upon the United States' entry into World War I in 1917.
At the close of the war, late in 1918, Van Brunt entered into the U.S. shipping service as supercargo of the S. S. Liberty Glo. Built originally as a troop carrier at Hogs Island in Philadelphia in 1918, the Liberty Glo served as a cargo ship carrying supplies to Germany in 1919 under the command of Captain John I. Stousland. On December 5, 1919, at 2:15 pm the Liberty Glo hit a German mine in the English Channel off of the Dutch coast. Though the ship broke in two, one half stayed afloat; both the crew and cargo were saved. The ship, after extensive repairs, served as a cargo carrier until 1950.
From the description of Harry R. Van Brunt, papers, 1919-1939. (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 658062306
