Correction: The print version of this story contained an error in the first paragraph. John Sledge debarked from Blakeley State Park’s Delta Explorer cruise vessel, not the Perdido Queen.
By Emmett Burnett
We caught up with John Sledge after he debarked from Blakeley State Park’s Delta Explorer cruise vessel. The historian, writer and lecturer led an excursion to the 1951 ocean liner, SS United States. The ship, once a symbol of American innovation and luxury travel, will soon become an artificial reef, but today it is the talk of Mobile and leading that discussion is John Sledge.
History is more than the Fairhope resident’s livelihood. It is his passion. In a sit- down interview among the artifacts of the museum, Sledge shared his enthusiasm for the past and optimism for the future.
Your tours of the SS United States quickly sell out. Do you see a renewed interest in history?
I am heartened by the amazing response the SS United States was greeted with. People want to connect to the glamour of that lost era of oceanic travel. The history becomes part of them in unexpected ways. For me to share that bit of history with them is a real privilege.
The luxury vessel is fascinating. One of the tour riders had a room key to the ship! That could have been Cary Grant’s key!
What brought you to Mobile?
I am originally from Montevallo, but as a child we visited Mobile relatives during holidays and other occasions. My grandmothers told these wonderful stories about Mobile. My dad (New York Times best-selling author Eugene B. Sledge) had an abiding love of sailing ships and the sea. He shared incredible tales that he had personally experienced.
I moved down here in 1985. It felt like home. Mobile was always my spiritual center and maritime history is my
first love.
As a writer, what is unique and fascinates you about Mobile and the Gulf Coast?
Everything in Mobile just seems more flavorful. You can chalk that up to the good food like our gumbo, shrimp, and jambalaya, I guess. But Mobile has a coastal vibration that I really respond to and enjoy.
You can smell Mobile in the air. You smell the salt. This is a different culture down here. We are the south of the south.
Mobile is like no other city in Alabama. To me, it is exotic. It is a seaport and a river town. It is a cross section of so many interesting things and colorful characters.
What is your writing process and do you ever experience writer’s block?
Typically, a book takes me three to five years to research and write. As for writer’s block, I find the answer is ‘give it time.’ The more time I spend reading and studying the material, playing with it, eventually it all falls into place.
In addition, my wife Lynn is my first reader and edits all of my stuff. I depend on her as my first reader. She is
a big help.
