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When one door shuts, an other one takes the photo
Il y a 13 heures
jeudi 31 juillet 2008
mercredi 30 juillet 2008
ABC Mercredi - "B" - Bows!
Bows!
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In "Stately", you saw the sterns (and if you enlarged the image, you could see the rudders) of the MARAD ships Gem State, Grand Canyon State and Granite State. Today, "Louis" shows you the other end - the Bows of these (ahem) STATELY ships.
mardi 29 juillet 2008
La mer et le cyprès
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The Pacific Ocean viewed through a cluster of Cypress at Land's End, San Francisco. The sea sparkles right at the shore where the sun has managed to burn through the haze.
dimanche 27 juillet 2008
Le Lundi «Odd Shots»: Alien Space Station?
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No, this isn't an alien space station. It is the Marin County Civic Center. OK, "Louis" knows what you are thinking about Marin County. We won't go there. At least not today.Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (8 June 1867 – 9 April 1959) and completed in 1957, the Marin County Civic Center was one of the last of Wright's designs completed before his death. The building is in San Rafael, on the east side of Highway 101.
samedi 26 juillet 2008
U.S.S. San Francisco
USS San Francisco (CA-38), a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco. She saw extensive action during World War II.
San Francisco was laid down on 9 September 1931 at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; launched on 9 March 1933. She was commissioned on 10 February 1934, Capt. (later Admiral) Royal E. Ingersoll in command.
With the outbreak of World War II, San Francisco saw service in the Atlantic participating in the "Neutrality Patrol." When war clouds rose in the Pacific, she was transfered to her new home port at Pearl Harbor.
On 7 December 1941, San Francisco was in Pearl Harbor and was awaiting dry docking and the cleaning of her heavily fouled bottom. Her engineering plant was largely broken down for overhaul. Ammunition for her 5 inch and 8-inch guns had been placed in storage. Her 3-inch guns had been removed to permit installation of four 1.1 inch quadruple mounts. The 1.1 inch mounts had not been installed. Her .50 caliber machine guns were being overhauled. Only small arms and two .30 caliber machine guns were available. Moreover, a number of San Francisco's officers and men were absent.
At 07:55 a.m., Japanese planes began bombing dives on Ford Island; and by 08:00 the surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor was well underway. The men in San Francisco, which was moored right across from "Battleship Row," secured the ship for watertightness and began looking for opportunities to fight back. Some crossed to New Orleans (CA-32) to help man antiaircraft batteries on that ship. Others began using available rifles and machine guns. Fifty caliber machine gun ammunition was transferred to Tracy (DD-214) for use.
San Francisco was not bombed or damaged during the Japanese air raid. After the attack was over, work resumed to make San Francisco seaworthy and combat-ready.
On 14 December, the cruiser left the yard; the scaling of her keel had been postponed in favor of more necessary repairs on other ships. On 16 December, she sortied with Task Force 14 to relieve Wake Island. The force moved west with a Marine Corps fighter squadron on board Saratoga (CV-3) and a Marine battalion embarked in Tangier (AV-8). However, when Wake Island fell to the Japanese on the 23d, Task Force 14 was diverted to Midway which it reinforced. On the 29th, the force returned to Pearl Harbor.
Following the Pearl Harbor attack and the fall of Wake, San Francisco served in many areas of the Pacific, as the Navy was stretched perilously thin in the early days of the war. San Francisco fought in the Battle of Cape Esperance at the beginning of the Guadalcanal campaign.
On 30 October 1942, Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan, the commanding officer of San Francisco when the United States entered the war, returned to the ship and raised his flag as Commander Task Group 64.4 (CTG 64.4) and prospective CTF 65.
On the 31st, the newly-designated TF 65 departed from Espiritu Santo; the ships headed into the Solomons to cover troop landings on Guadalcanal. Bombardment missions in the Kokumbona and Koli Point areas followed. On 6 November 1942, the transport group completed unloading, and the force retired, arriving at Espiritu Santo on the 8th. On the 10th, San Francisco, now flagship for TG 67.4, got underway again toward Guadalcanal. Just before noon, a Japanese twin-float reconnaissance plane began shadowing the formation. The force arrived off Lunga Point on 12 November, and the transports commenced unloading. By mid-afternoon, an approaching Japanese air group was reported. At 13:18, the ships got underway. At 14:08, 21 enemy planes attacked.
At 14:16, an already-damaged torpedo plane dropped its torpedo off San Francisco's starboard quarter. The torpedo passed alongside, but the plane crashed into San Francisco's control aft, swung around that structure, and plunged over the port side into the sea. Fifteen men were killed, 29 wounded, and one missing. Control aft was demolished. The ship's secondary command post, Battle Two, was burned out but was reestablished by dark. The after anti-aircraft director and radar were put out of commission. Three 20 millimeter anti-aircraft mounts were destroyed.
The wounded were transferred to President Jackson, just before the approach of an enemy surface force was reported. The covering force escorted the transports out of the area, then reassembled and returned. At about midnight, San Francisco, in company with one heavy cruiser, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers, entered Lengo Channel.
At 01:25 on the 13th, a Japanese naval force was discovered about 27,000 yards (25,000 m) to the northwest. Rear Admiral Callaghan's task group maneuvered to intercept in what became the first engagement in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. At 01:48, in almost pitch darkness, San Francisco opened fire on an enemy cruiser 3,700 yards (3,400 m) off her starboard beam. At 01:51, she trained her guns on a small cruiser or large destroyer 3,300 yards (3,000 m) off her starboard bow. Then in an attempt to locate other targets, San Francisco accidentally targeted the US light cruiser Atlanta. The San Francisco's gunfire caused extensive damage to the already damaged Atlanta, plus killing Admiral Scott and most of the Atlanta's bridge crew. Belatedly, San Francisco realized she was firing on a "friendly" ship and ceased fire. The green dye that San Francisco used to distinguish her shells from those of other ships, was later found stained on Atlanta's superstructure before Atlanta sank. Shortly thereafter, the battleship Hiei was sighted and taken under fire, at an initial range of only 2,200 yards (2,000 m).
At about 02:00, San Francisco trained her guns on a second battleship, Kirishima. At the same time, she became the target of Nagara off her starboard bow and of a destroyer which had crossed her bow and was passing down her port side. The enemy battleship joined the cruiser and the destroyer in firing on San Francisco whose port 5 inch battery engaged the destroyer but was put out of action except for one mount. The battleship put the starboard 5 inch battery out of commission. San Francisco swung left while her main battery continued to fire on the battleships which, with the cruiser and the destroyer, continued to pound San Francisco. A direct hit on the navigation bridge killed or badly wounded all officers except the communications officer, Lt.Cmdr. Bruce McCandless. Command devolved on the damage control officer, Lt.Cmdr. Herbert E. Schonland, but he thought his own efforts were needed to keep the ship "afloat and right-side up", so he ordered McCandless to stay at the conn. Steering and engine control were lost and shifted to Battle Two. Battle Two was out of commission by a direct hit from the port side. Control was again lost.
Control was then established in the conning tower which soon received a hit from the starboard side. Steering and engine control were temporarily lost, then regained. All communications were dead.
Soon thereafter, the enemy ceased firing. San Francisco followed suit and withdrew eastward along the north coast of Guadalcanal.
Seventy-seven sailors, including Rear Admiral Callaghan and Capt. Cassin Young, had been killed. One hundred and five had been wounded. Of seven missing, three were subsequently rescued. The ship had taken 45 hits. Structural damage was extensive, but not serious. No hits had been received below the waterline. Twenty-two fires had been started and extinguished.
At about 04:00, San Francisco, all her compasses out of commission, joined Helena and Juneau and followed them through Sealark Channel to sail to Espiritu Santo for initial repairs.
At about 10:00, Juneau's medical personnel transferred to San Francisco to assist in treating the numerous wounded. An hour later, the Juneau took a torpedo on the port side from the Japanese submarine I-26, in the vicinity of the bridge. "The entire ship seemed to explode in one mighty column of brown and white smoke and flame which rose easily a thousand feet in the air. Juneau literally disintegrated." San Francisco was hit by several large fragments from Juneau. Nothing was seen in the water of Juneau after the smoke lifted. The surviving ships were ordered to keep going without stopping to look for survivors. Unfortunately, the survivors of Juneau were forced to wait eight days for rescue while floating in the ocean, undergoing intense shark attacks. Only 10 survived.
On the afternoon of 14 November, San Francisco returned towards Espiritu Santo. For her participation in the action of the morning of the 13th, and for that of the night of 11 October–12 October, she received the Presidential Unit Citation. On 18 November, the cruiser sailed for Nouméa; and, on the 23rd, she got underway toward the United States. She reached San Francisco on 11 December. Three days later, repairs were begun at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, CA.
San Francisco served in many of the major actions in the Pacific after the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
During the November 1942 repair at Mare Island it was necessary to extensively rebuild the bridge. The bridge wings were removed as part of the repair and are now mounted on the promontory seen here at "Lands End" at Golden Gate National Recreation Area overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They are set on the Great Circle course from San Francisco to Tokyo. Admiral Callaghan Drive in Vallejo is named after Admiral Daniel Callaghan who died in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
On 27 November 1945, San Francisco headed home. Arriving at San Francisco in mid-December, she continued on to the east coast in early January 1946 and arrived at Philadelphia. Decommissioned on 10 February, she was berthed with the Philadelphia Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 March 1959 when her name was struck from the Navy list. On 9 September, she was sold, for scrapping and she was scrapped at Panama City, Florida in 1961.
vendredi 25 juillet 2008
Le Vendredi "Sky Watch" - Navigation par le brouillard
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A lone sailboat (left center) makes its way across a foggy Bay. If you look carefully, you'll see a cargo ship under the Golden Gate Bridge. Mark Twain wrote that the coldest winter he ever spent was July in San Francisco. Today was one of those days...
jeudi 24 juillet 2008
Le festival de la voile
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"Louis" was able to find a nice spot on China Beach in The City to see the Tall Ships sail under the Golden Gate Bridge at noon on le 23 juillet. Here a San Francisco Fire Boat leads the Coast Guard training ship Eagle under the bridge. It was a splendid, fogless (if hazy) day for the ships on the Bay.More photos.
Basse marée à l'aube
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The morning sun highlights some of the panels of Urban Art on Albany Point, seen from le balcon Chez la Vache. In the foreground, you can see it is low tide. Morning fog obscures the view of Angel Island, Marin, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Later, the fog burned off and we had a splendid day.
mercredi 23 juillet 2008
ABC Mercredi - "A" - Apollo Space Capsule!
Apollo Space Capsule!
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On the hanger deck of the U.S.S. Hornet is this display of the Apollo space capsules retrieved from the ocean by the Hornet.She recovered the second Apollo space capsule (left side of image), which was unmanned. Hornet made her most significant contribution to the Apollo program when she recovered the astronauts from the first moon landing mission, Apollo 11 (center), on 24 July 1969. President Nixon was on board to welcome the returning astronauts back to Earth, where they lived in quarantine aboard Hornet prior to transfer to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston. The first steps on Earth of returning moonwalkers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, with Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, are marked on her hangar deck, as part of her Apollo program exhibit. Hornet once again served in the space program with the recovery of Apollo 12 on 24 November 1969. Returning moonwalkers Charles Conrad, Jr. and Alan L. Bean, and command module pilot Richard F. Gordon, Jr., were picked up from their splashdown point near American Samoa. The Airstream trailer in the right of the image is the trailer in which the astronauts were quarantined after splashdown.
mardi 22 juillet 2008
Soirée
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San Francisco's summer 'air conditioner' is rolling in over The City and the Bay. If you click the image to enlarge it, you'll see the Dawn Princess is calling again.
lundi 21 juillet 2008
Le lundi "Odd Shots"
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Serendipity. What was intended to be a photo for the next round of ABC Wednesday turned into an Odd Shot Monday photo instead! "Louis" was trying to get a good image of the anchor on this MARAD ship at Alameda, the anchor being the "A" for ABC Wednesday. To get the shot, "Louis" had to put the camera lens through a chain link fence. The link didn't show up on the preview screen before the shot, so "Louis" thought he had the lens clear of the link. Wrong! And that, girlz 'n' boyz is how "Louis" got today's ODD SHOT.
dimanche 20 juillet 2008
Stately
Editor to "Louis:" Stately? This is a photo of a working scene. It is not a "stately" image. The word "stately" implies 'elegance.' There is NOTHING elegant about this image, "Louis!"
"Louis" to Editor: Well, the ships are the Gem STATE, the Grand Canyon STATE and the Granite STATE, so why are you yelling at me about titling this post STATELY?
Editor: (sighs, groans)
These (ahem) STATELY ships are part of the MARAD fleet at the former Navy base at Alameda awaiting their next call to duty.
samedi 19 juillet 2008
Hunter's Point
The crane at the former Hunter's Point Navy Shipyard is something of a landmark in the Bay Area. This view of it was shot from the stern of the flight deck of the U.S.S. Hornet, docked at Pier 3 of another former Navy base, in Alameda.
The Navy shipyard at Hunter's Point built the U.S.S. Horne. Hunter's Point was a vital shipyard for the Navy in World War II.
San Francisco Naval Shipyard–Located at Hunters Point was located on 638 acres of waterfront. As of the mid-1950s it employed 8,500 civilians. The Navy’s Pacific Reserve Fleet units were also located there. Established as commercial shipyard in 1870, it was acquired by the Navy 11 days before Pearl Harbor. Subsequently known as Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, after ceasing active operations in 1974, the Navy leased most of the shipyard to a commercial ship repair company that operated until 1986.
Naval operations at Hunter's Point began in 1941 near the start of WWII. The Navy increased ship building operations to quicken production of liberty ships during WWII. From 1941 to 1974, the principal facility activities were ship building; naval ships and submarines were also modified, maintained, and repaired. In addition to repair activities, the facility was used for base housing, and naval ordnance training exercises. Operational base closure was 1 April 1994.
The former Navy base is now being redeveloped, but there is a considerable amount of toxic waste cleanup that must be done. The amount of toxic waste has caused quite a lot of controversy in the Bay Area, giving the usual grievance mongers ammunition. The redevelopment plans call for the iconic crane to remain.
vendredi 18 juillet 2008
Le Vendredi "Sky Watch" - Soirée d'été
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jeudi 17 juillet 2008
TBM "Avenger"
A World War II-era TBM "Avenger" on board the U.S.S. Hornet, CV12, at Alameda. The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was a torpedo bomber developed for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world. It entered U.S. service in 1942. Douglas' TBD "Devastator," the U.S. Navy's main torpedo bomber introduced in 1935 was obsolete by 1939. Bids were accepted from several companies but Grumman's TBF design was selected as the TBD's replacement.
On the afternoon of 7 December 1941, Grumman held a ceremony to open a new manufacturing plant and display the new TBF to the public. Ironically, on that day, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor, as Grumman soon found out. By early June 1942, a shipment of more than 100 planes was sent to the Navy.
"Avengers" were present on Midway Island, as part of Torpedo Squadron 8, while the rest of the squadron flew "Devastators" from the Hornet (CV8). As this was the first combat operation flying the new plane, and the pilots and crews were inexperienced, all but one of the "Avengers" on Midway was lost in that action. However, the plane and its crews quickly aquited themselves admirably in actions following Midway, including the sinking of the Japanese super battleships Musashi and Yamato (which was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's flagship for most of the war).
Besides the traditional surface role (torpedoing surface ships), Avengers claimed about 30 submarine kills, including the cargo submarine I-52. They were one of the most effective sub-killers in the Pacific theatre, as well as in the Atlantic, when escort carriers were finally available to escort Allied convoys. There, the Avengers contributed in warding off German U-Boats while providing air cover for the convoys.
In June 1943, future-President George H.W. Bush became the youngest naval aviator at the time. While flying a TBM with VT-51 from the U.S.S. San Jacinto, CVL-30, his plane was shot down on 2 September 1944 over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima. Both of his crewmates died; however, because he released his payload and hit the target before being forced to bail out, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
The "Avenger" on the Hornet is like the one President Bush was shot down in and has been completely restored.
mercredi 16 juillet 2008
ABC Mercredi - "Z" - All Zipped Up!
All Zipped Up!
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All Zipped up on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Hornet is this Anti-Submarine Search plane that was used on the Hornet in her role in Anti-Submarine warfare in the 1950s and 1960s.
mardi 15 juillet 2008
Les bateaux historiques de la baie de San Francisco: Hornet
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Continuing his Historic Ships of San Francisco Bay series,"Louis" shows you today the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet (CV12), now a museum at Pier 3 of the former Navy base at Alameda, CA.
The U.S. Navy has had a Hornet since the late 1700s. Hornet CV12 replaced Hornet CV8 in World War II. CV 12 is the eighth Hornet in U.S. Navy history. The mantle is now carried by the F/A 18 'Hornet' jet, a recognition of the role played by aviation in the modern Navy.
The seventh U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8) was a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, notable for launching the Doolittle Raid, as a participant in the Battle of Midway, and for action in the Solomons before being irreparably damaged in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands and then sunk.
CV12, an Essex-class carrier, slated to be named Kearsarge, was being built when CV8 was lost. Because the Navy has not been without a Hornet since the late 1700s, CV12 was quickly re-named Hornet, and another Essex-class carrier, built later, became Kearsarge.
CV12 is docked at Pier 3, Alameda, in precisely the spot where CV8 took on the B-25 bombers used in the Doolittle Raid.
CV12 served in the Korean War. After Korea, she was modernized a number of times, reflecting the changing roles of aircraft carriers in the postwar Navy. In one modernization, she acquired a cantilever flight deck. One of her main missions in the post World War II era was as part of an antisubmarine force operating with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the south east Pacific. She saw service in Vietnam.
CV12 is famous for her role in the Apollo Space Program. She recovered the second Apollo space capsule, which was unmanned. Hornet made her most significant contribution to the Apollo program when she recovered the astronauts from the first moon landing mission, Apollo 11, on 24 July 1969. President Nixon was on board to welcome the returning astronauts back to Earth, where they lived in quarantine aboard Hornet prior to transfer to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston. The first steps on Earth of returning moonwalkers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, with Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, are marked on her hangar deck, as part of her Apollo program exhibit. Hornet once again served in the space program with the recovery of Apollo 12 on 24 November 1969. Returning moonwalkers Charles Conrad, Jr. and Alan L. Bean, and command module pilot Richard F. Gordon, Jr., were picked up from their splashdown point near American Samoa.
Hornet was decommissioned for the last time on 26 June 1970, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 July 1989. In 1991, she was designated a National Historic Landmark. On 17 October 1998, she was opened to the public as a museum at the former Naval Air Station, Alameda.
RELIEF
Potomac
Submarine Pampanito
The Tolling of the Boats
Red Oak Victory
Balclutha
lundi 14 juillet 2008
Le lundi "Odd Shots" - Mona Lisa d'Albany
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"Y" - Yell!
"W" - Wheel of Life!
"V" - Visions of Hell!
"U" - Urban Art
"Q" - Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Parc Jurassique?
A view of the crew
Cavalry!
Keeping Watch
Who are you staring at?
"P" - Praying "Louis" won't take his photo!
dimanche 13 juillet 2008
U.S.S. Horne
In Future Reef, "Louis" showed you the U.S.S. Horne, but at the time of that post, all he had been able to learn about her is that she has been decommissioned and will be towed to sea, sunk and become part of a reef. Subsequently, "Louis" has learned more about her.
U.S.S. Horne was named after a long-time naval officer, Frederick Joseph Horne. Horne (DLG-30) was laid down 12 December 1962 by San Francisco Naval Shipyard. Sponsored by Mrs. Frederick J. Horne, widow of the officer, the ship was launched on 30 October 1964 and commissioned 15 April 1967 with Captain (later Admiral) Stansfield Turner in command.
After shakedown, the new guided missile destroyer joined the Pacific Fleet and operated out of San Diego.
The warship served until decommissioned 4 February 1994 and struck from the Navy list that same day and towed to Suisun Bay. She is now at the Crowley Maritime facility at the Port of Richmond, awaiting her burial at sea.
DLG-30, a Belknap-class Guided Missile Destroyer, displaced 6,570 tons. Her length: 547'; beam: 54'9"; draft: 28'10" ; speed: 30+ knots.; complement 418 men and officers; armament: Twin Terrier/ASROC missile launcher, two 5-inch guns, four 3-inch guns, 8 21-inch torpedo tubes.
From the U.S. Navy website:
Frederick Joseph Horne was born 14 February 1880 in New York, N.Y., and entered the Naval Academy in 1895. As a Naval Cadet, he saw service during the Spanish-American War, before graduating in 1899. Subsequently, he sailed in various ships during the Philippine Insurrection, served as an instructor at the Naval Academy in 1905, and filled various posts ashore and afloat until taking his first command in 1914. Horne then rendered distinguished service as Naval Attache at Tokyo 1915 to 1919, and until World War II exercised command of many ships and shore installations. In 1941 he was a Vice Admiral serving on the General Board of the Navy Department, and in March 1942 he was appointed Vice Chief of Naval Operations. From 1942 until 1945 Admiral Horne had particular cognizance over matters of logistics, intelligence, and communications, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his outstanding service. He retired 1 August 1946, after over 50 years of active duty with the Navy. Admiral Horne died in San Diego, Calif., 18 October 1959.
"Louis" will add that Admiral Horne served with Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz in the Pacific.UPDATE: Vatican Council Issues Message for Sea Sunday
Hat tip to Dina
samedi 12 juillet 2008
MARAD and the U.S.S. Admiral William M. Callaghan
Scattered around San Francisco Bay are quite a few ships, hulls painted in battleship grey, with red, white and blue stripes on their stacks. Many of these ships are docked at the former Navy base in Alameda. Others are found at the southern piers of the Port of San Francisco. What are these ships?
The answer is that they are part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). The ships are kept in ready reserve state; able to sail on 48 hours notice. Many of these ships have very specialized functions, more about which in future posts. NDRF ships have ferried supplies and equipment to Iraq in both Gulf Wars. They have taken supplies and aid to places (such as Malaysia) after destructive natural events.
The ship shown here is the U.S.S. Admiral William M. Callaghan, berthed at Alameda.
Rear Admiral William McCombe Callaghan, born in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1897, was a U.S. naval officer and the first commander of the battleship U.S.S. Missouri (BB-63). The treaty ending World War II with Japan in the Pacific was signed on the Missouri, the U.S. delegation led by General Douglas MacArthur.
Callaghan graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1918. After commanding the U.S.S. Reuben James (DE-153) in 1936, he joined the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in 1939.
In 1944, Captain Callaghan was named the first commanding officer of the Missouri, the Navy's newest battleship.
On 11 April 1945, Missouri was struck by a kamikaze off the coast of Okinawa. The damage was minor, and no one died aboard this battleship except the Japanese pilot, believed to be second class petty officer Setsuo Ishino, whose body was recovered. Captain Callaghan insisted that the young Japanese airman had done his job to the best of his ability and with honor and deserved a military funeral. The following day, 12 April 1945, the pilot was given a military funeral at sea.
During the Korean War, Callaghan commanded U.S. naval forces in the Far East. He retired in 1957. Admiral Callaghan died 8 July 1991, at Bethesda Naval Hospital after suffering a stroke.
vendredi 11 juillet 2008
Nôtre premier anniversaire
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"Louis" and the future Mme. la Vache were introduced by a mutual acquaintance not long after "Louis's" return to California from France - on his birthday actually! "Louis," having been divorced for 28 years really, no longer considered marriage to be an option. Then he met Mme. la Vache!
Mme. la Vache was born and raised in China and had lived in Japan for about 15 years. She had worked as a photographer and journalist for a Tokyo newspaper. She published a novel, written in Mandarin, that became a best-seller in China.
She is a smart, funny, wonderful woman and "Louis" thanks God that she has come into his life. "Louis" says that she is the best thing that ever happened to him!
Today is the first anniversary of "Louis" and Mme. la Vache's civil wedding. Following their civil wedding, "Louis" and Mme. la Vache repeated their vows in a church ceremony on le 4 novembre. ("Louis" says, 'I'm glad she has a sense of humor, otherwise she'd kill me for calling her 'Mrs. Cow!' - and who would blame her?! He fears he'll wind up looking like THIS!. He can get away with it largely only because she doesn't want her name on the blogosphere.)
Le Vendredi "Sky Watch" - Coucher du soleil d'or
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jeudi 10 juillet 2008
Monochrome
San Francisco and the Bay Bridge as seen from Bay Harbor Island in Alameda, the Marin hills in the distance behind the fog that is enveloping the Bay. The highest point of the hills is Mount Tamalpais.
mercredi 9 juillet 2008
ABC Mercredi - "Y" - Yell!
Yell!
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Looking for all the world like a 'mouth full of gasoline in search of an ignition source' (like some people we all know) this painting on Albany Point seems to angrily Yell at us, in contrast to the tranquil-looking Bay and Golden Gate in the background.Le lundi "Odd Shots" - Sculpture
"W" - Wheel of Life!
"V" - Visions of Hell!
"U" - Urban Art
"Q" - Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Parc Jurassique?
A view of the crew
Cavalry!
Keeping Watch
Who are you staring at?
"P" - Praying "Louis" won't take his photo!
(Editor to "Louis": 'Two things: First, couldn't you come up with something more creative for the ABC Wednesday "Y" post?
Second, an image like this might more properly be a Sky Watch Friday entry. Have you confused your Wednesdays and Fridays?'
"Louis" to Editor: 'What? Would you be happier if I had used YELLOW, as in the color around the YELLing face?! Or the YELLOW streak down your back?! One thing I'm NOT confused about and that is that YOU have confused your role as Editor with Nag. So why don't you assume the aeronautical position and take a flying leap?')
mardi 8 juillet 2008
Les bateaux historiques de la baie de San Francisco: RELIEF
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Lightships were important aids to navigation and are an important part of our maritime heritage. They served mariners in this country for 163 years, from 1820 to 1983. Over the years, 116 stations were established along the three coasts of our country (Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific) and in the Great Lakes. That era peaked in 1909 when there were some 56 lightship stations along our coasts. The location of the first lightship station was in Chesapeake Bay, while the Nantucket station was the last to be automated.
Approximately 174 vessels were constructed to man these stations. Of those ships, 168 were constructed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service (1789 – 1939) and six by the U.S. Coast Guard, which absorbed the Lighthouse Service in 1939. Overall there are only 12 lightships remaining in this country. All lightships in the United States have been retired and many replaced by buoys, LNB's (Large Navigational Buoys), or Texas Towers. The lightship has passed into history along with the coasting schooner and the whale ship.
Lightship stations, with their aids to navigation, were established to show the entrance to a harbor or bay such as the San Francisco station.
At other stations, they warned of dangerous underwater obstructions such as BLUNTS (reef). Because lightships often served on several stations during their service life they are officially known by their hull number, in our case the number is LV 605, which stands for light vessel #605. When assigned to a station the vessels had the station name painted on the side, such as BLUNTS or OVERFALLS. The name RELIEF was painted on vessels assigned to spell a station ship when she came in from her station for maintenance.
Station locations were such that construction of a lighthouse was impracticable because of such issues as water depth, currents or expense. They were, in fact, floating lighthouses. One unique attribute of lightships is the large mushroom anchor (weighing 6,500 lbs.), which extends out from the bow. This anchor allowed the vessels to maintain their station in all states of weather, even when other vessels sought safe haven during gales or hurricanes.
LV-605, one of six lightships constructed for the Coast Guard, was built by Rice Brothers Shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, in 1950.
She was commissioned on 15 February 1951 as OVERFALLS, a lightship station off Delaware. In 1960 she was transferred to the BLUNTS (reef) station off Cape Mendocino, California. Finally, in 1969 she became RELIEF, relieving all west coast lightships.
The ship was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1975 and given to the city of Olympia, Washington in 1976. Olympia was unsuccessful in making the ship a museum and sold the vessel to Mr. Alan Hosking of Woodside, California in 1979. In 1980, he sailed the ship from Olympia to Oakland, California and dry-docked the vessel. After completion of dry-docking, the ship was sailed to Half Moon Bay, California, where she remained anchored off Piliar Point. He in turn donated the ship to the United States Lighthouse Society on 31 December 1986.
In February of 1987, Society volunteers sailed the ship under her own power from Half Moon Bay back to Oakland and docked her at the Ninth Avenue Terminal in the Oakland Estuary.
She remained at that location for a period of 15 years, undergoing maintenance and restoration to her 1951 appearance. The ship was dry-docked in July of 2000 during which time repairs were made and the hull was painted. After the yard work was completed, the ship’s topsides were painted and a new non-skid deck applied. The ship was designated listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
In June 2002, the ship finally opened to the public at Jack London Square in Oakland, California. As of that date, over $400,000 and 19,000 man-hours (mostly volunteer) had been expended on the ship. In 2003 the Society was honored to receive the California Governor's Historic Preservation Award for restoring the RELIEF. The LV 605 is the last known RELIEF lightship remaining in this country.
Potomac
Submarine Pampanito
The Tolling of the Boats
Red Oak Victory
Balclutha
lundi 7 juillet 2008
Le lundi "Odd Shots"
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What do you do with left over bicycle fenders? Of course! You make 'sculpture' with them on Albany Point! The antennae in the background are on Point Isabel, frequently seen in "Louis's" balcony shots."W" - Wheel of Life!
"V" - Visions of Hell!
"U" - Urban Art
"Q" - Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Parc Jurassique?
A view of the crew
Cavalry!
Keeping Watch
Who are you staring at?
"P" - Praying "Louis" won't take his photo!
dimanche 6 juillet 2008
Presque à la porte
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Although the smoke from the fires in Northern California has cleared from the Bay, our friend the fog is never far away! Moments after "Louis" took this shot, he had to close the balcony door as the fog was literally rolling into the living room of Chez la Vache!
samedi 5 juillet 2008
Les bateaux historiques de la baie de San Francisco: Potomac
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The U.S.S. Potomac (AG-25), formerly the United States Coast Guard Cutter Electra, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential yacht from 1936 until his death in 1945. She measures 165 feet in length, 376 gross tons and is now berthed at Jack London Square in the Port of Oakland. She is a National Historic Landmark.
Originally built in 1934 by the Manitowoc Ship Building Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin as the United States Coast Guard Cutter Electra, she was converted to serve as a presidential yacht and commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 1936 as the U.S.S. Potomac. The Manitowoc yards also built submarines in World War II. Because of the location of the Manitowoc yards on an inland waterway, ships built there are launched sideways.
President Roosevelt used the U.S.S. Potomac frequently for fishing trips and informal political meetings.
On le 3 aout 1941, President Roosevelt left Washington to board the U.S.S. Potomac at the submarine base at New London. The U.S.S. Potomac then sailed for Appogansett Bay where the President did some fishing and entertained guests including Crown Princess Märtha of Norway. Eventually the U.S.S. Potomac anchored in Menemsha Bight in Vineyard Sound, where the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Augusta already lay at anchor. In the early hours of le 5 aout, the Potomac came alongside the Augusta and the President and his party transferred to the warship. The U.S.S. Augusta then proceeded at high speed to Newfoundland for a clandestine meeting with Winston Churchill. During this meeting, Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter, already signed by King George VI, agreeing the principles of the Allied partnership during World War II.
In the meantime and for security purposes, the President's flag continued to be flown from the Potomac while she transited the Cape Cod Canal to New England waters. A Secret Serviceman, approximating the President in size and affecting his mannerisms when visible from a distance, played a starring role in the drama. Press releases issued daily from the Potomac led all who read them to believe that the President was really embarked in his yacht on a pleasure cruise. After the meetings, the U.S.S. Augusta returned the President to the U.S.S. Potomac on le 14 aout.
After President Roosevelt's death, the Potomac was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy in 1945. She subsequently served with the Maryland Tidewater Fisheries Commission and was used as a ferry boat between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In 1964 she was purchased by Elvis Presley for $55,000, his sole intention being to bequest it to St Jude's Hospital in Memphis as a fund raiser. The Hospital, in turn, sold it for $75,000. By 1980, she was involved in drug smuggling and was seized by the U.S Customs in San Francisco. She sat in drydock in Sausalito for many years before being towed to the U.S. Navy base at Treasure Island, where she sank in 1997.
After being refloated by the U.S. Navy, the Potomac was sold to the Port of Oakland just two weeks later for $15,000 and underwent a major restoration. She is now preserved by the Potomac Association, and berthed adjacent to Jack London Square in waterfront Oakland. She is open to dockside tours and regular cruises on San Francisco Bay.
Submarine Pampanito
The Tolling of the Boats
Red Oak Victory
Balclutha
vendredi 4 juillet 2008
Le 4 ème Juillet: Colombe, aigle ou dinde ?
(Hat tip to The Pink Flamingo)
(Click to enlarge)
* San Francisco Bay Area readers will understand this reference
Don't forget that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States. Here is a model of "Lady Liberty" in la Seine in Paris, near la tour Eiffel. Gustav Eiffel engineered the supporting structure of "Lady Liberty". French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site in New York Harbor. In case you missed it previously, here is a photo "Louis" took in Paris of the model for Lady Liberty's flame.
Le Vendredi "Sky Watch" - Coucher du soleil fumeux
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jeudi 3 juillet 2008
Here today, gone to Maui
The Matson cargo ship Maui, homeported in Honolulu, at the Port of Oakland. The cargo cranes hovering overhead look for all the world like origami birds.The cargo crane was invented in Oakland in 1958. In fact, the very first one is still in operation - at the foot of 7th Street at the Port of Oakland. The Port of Oakland took to the cargo crane and containerized shipping like (forgive "Louis" for this) a duck to water. Shippers, seeing the advantages, also quickly adopted containerized shipping. Across the Bay the Longshoreman's Union in San Francisco, always a "Union Town", bitterly fought the move to containerization. Well, the Longshoremen in San Francisco both won - and lost. Big time. The Longshoremen kept containerization out of San Francisco for years. So shippers moved across the Bay to Oakland. The Port of Oakland thrived and became one of the most important and busiest ports on the West Coast. Shipping volume in San Francisco dried up like a raisin. Containerization was finally allowed in San Francisco, but the damage had already been done and the Port of San Francisco has never recovered - and hundreds of jobs in San Francisco were lost because of Union intransigence. Ironically, many of the Longshoremen in San Francisco who so bitterly contested containerization wound up working at the Port of Oakland as shipper after shipper moved across the Bay.
Related: The Matsons and Filoli
mercredi 2 juillet 2008
ABC Mercredi - "X" - eXpatriate
eXpatriate!
The model for the flame of the Statue of Liberty at Pont de l'Alma, shot on une nuit pluvieuse de Paris en octobre when "Louis" was an eXpatriate in Paris, La Tour Eiffel in the background. Besides his famous tower, Gustave Eiffel also designed the framework for la statue de la Liberté.
mardi 1 juillet 2008
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