Tag: history

Restored Wildcat fighter lifted onto USS Midway.

Wildcat fighter plane arrives at Navy Pier.
Wildcat fighter plane arrives at Navy Pier.

Every so often a new plane is added to the Midway Museum collection.  The historic aircraft carrier USS Midway, active from 1945 to 1992, now has a couple dozen restored airplanes among its exhibits.  Today the latest addition was hoisted up onto the dockside elevator by crane from the pier below!  I was there to snap a few cool pics!

The last time I saw an airplane brought over from North Island, where the restorations take place, it was by barge.  So I was surprised this time when a plane arrived on the back of a truck.  This F4F Wildcat is a specimen  of the small carrier-based fighter that helped to win the Battle of Midway during World War II.  This particular plane was salvaged from the bottom of Lake Michigan.  Restoration in a special hangar at Naval Air Station North Island, across San Diego Bay, took three years.  You’ll notice the wings are missing from the fuselage.  They came in on a second truck!

The first photo shows the Wildcat arriving on the opposite side of Navy pier.

Historic airplane transported by truck to USS Midway.
Historic airplane transported by truck to USS Midway.

The truck has pulled alongside USS Midway’s dockside elevator, which is lowered and ready to receive the new exhibit.

Preparing to lift Wildcat onto USS Midway's elevator.
Preparing to lift Wildcat onto USS Midway’s elevator.

A small crane waits off to the left to lift the airplane.  Here we see some preliminary preparations.

Crane begins to lift F4F Wildcat onto USS Midway.
Crane begins to lift F4F Wildcat onto USS Midway.

Up it goes!  Everybody was extremely careful that no mishaps occurred!

Aircraft is placed on USS Midway while people watch from flight deck.
Aircraft is placed on USS Midway while people watch from flight deck.

And finally the F4F Wildcat is aboard its new home!  This plane will be part of a three dimensional theater exhibit called Battle of Midway Experience.  I can’t wait to see it!

The Headquarters opens by Seaport Village.

The Headquarters shops by Seaport Village.
The Headquarters shops by Seaport Village.

Several weeks ago a cool new small shopping center opened up adjacent to Seaport Village on downtown San Diego’s waterfront.  It’s called The Headquarters at Seaport District, and it’s located in the old police headquarters.

I remember visiting the San Diego Police headquarters here back in the early eighties, before it moved.   For a couple decades these historic and beautiful buildings sat empty and unused.  I’m glad that they’ve finally been restored!

Looking through festive arch at The Headquarters.
Looking through festive arch at The Headquarters.
This was the location of the old police headquarters.
This was the location of the old police headquarters.
Historical sign shows location of old San Diego barracks.
Historical sign shows location of old San Diego barracks.

Across Harbor Drive to the north you can find an interesting historical marker. First established as an Army supply depot, this was the location of the San Diego Barracks from 1850 to 1921.

A farmers market is held on Sundays at The Headquarters.
A farmers market is held on Sundays at The Headquarters.

I took the above photo on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

Art at Santa Fe Depot shows San Diego history.

Check out this cool public art!  A series of beautiful, detailed scenes from San Diego history decorate ten columns just north of downtown’s Santa Fe Depot, where they can be viewed by trolley riders as they head toward Little Italy.  The handmade tiles which form the exquisite sculptural mosaics were pieced together by Betsy K. Schulz in 2008. Located on the west side of downtown’s Sapphire Tower residential condominium, the artwork is titled The Tracks We Leave Behind.

As one proceeds north one moves forward through time, from the earliest days of San Diego right up to the present day.  I sorted these photos in such a way that you move backward into the past…

01 san diego arts and gaslamp
San Diego arts and the Gaslamp.
02 san diego on the move
San Diego on the move.
03 san diego a generation ago
San Diego a generation or two ago.
04 palomar telescope and bay bridge
Palomar telescope and Coronado Bay Bridge.
05 tuna fishing and ship building
Tuna fishing and ship building.
06 lindbergh and san diego zoo
Lindbergh and the San Diego Zoo.
07 half a century of history
Half a century of history.
08 sagebrush to city
From sagebrush to city.
09 an american town
An American town.
10 citizens of old san diego
Citizens of Old Town San Diego.
11 san diego's californios
San Diego’s Californios.
12 spanish missions and settlements
Spanish missions and early settlements.
13 cabrillo discovers bay
In 1769 the Presidio and Mission San Diego are established.
14 early explorers
Cabrillo and early explorers map San Diego Bay.
15 native americans in san diego
Native Americans in San Diego.
16 wild nature and wide open spaces
Wild nature and wide open spaces!

World’s oldest active sailing ship ready to go!

ready to board the star of india for yearly sail

Today a 150 year old tall ship was spotted sailing in the wide Pacific Ocean off Point Loma, just beyond the historic lighthouse! Was it a ghost from the past?  How is it possible?

It’s possible because San Diego’s own Star of India, the oldest active sailing ship in the world, departed from the dock today for its yearly sail!

I thought about buying a ticket for the historic event, but unfortunately I’m feeling a bit under the weather. This morning I did manage to amble down to the Embarcadero to watch and take some photos of the colorful preparations that are required for the beautiful ship to get underway.

In the first pic, you can see Maritime Museum members and some passengers gathered, getting ready to board or lend a hand.

star of india gets ready to sail

The guy hanging from some ropes just finished decoupling electrical and other lines from the black wrought iron hull of the docked ship.

climbing into the rigging of the star of india

Volunteers carefully climb up into the rigging to get everything ready for the sail!

volunteers work at end of yard arm

Some hardy folks were already up on the yard arms working at the rigging. Once the Star of India is pulled out of San Diego Bay, the sails are unfurled and the tall ship is completely free to run before the wind!

volunteer disengages ramp

After a bit of work, the ramp was finally disengaged from the ship and pulled backward onto the sidewalk.

volunteers prepare to release star of india rope

One by one the ropes holding the Star of India to the Embarcadero were cast off.

tugboat ready to pull star of india to sea

Here’s one of the two tugboats, ready to tow San Diego’s pride and joy out of the harbor. The classic figurehead of the Star will soon be facing the open sea!

star of india pulls away from the dock

Pulling away from the dock… A pair of museum volunteers look on wistfully…

star of india is tugged out of san diego harbor

The lady heads out into the bay’s deep channel… Aircraft hangars at Naval Air Station North Island can be seen on the left. Point Loma stretches in the background.

Definitely very cool!

Silver Line trolley at City College station.

silver line trolley at city college station

This pic is definitely cool!

I happened to be at the Smart Corner building, the location of the City College trolley station, when a historic car belonging to the Silver Line came through! It was servicing the downtown loop.

This shiny, beautifully restored Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) trolley car was built just after the end of World War II. A whole fleet of electric trolleys like this one traversed San Diego until 1949.

Here are more pics of the same trolley taken on different days:

Cool restored Silver Line trolley at Fifth Avenue station.
Cool restored Silver Line trolley at Fifth Avenue station.
Silver Line trolley near the Convention Center.
Silver Line trolley near the Convention Center.

Shakespeare lives at the Old Globe Theatre.

old globe theatre in san diego

Now back to our walk in Balboa Park!

You’re looking at the Old Globe Theatre. It’s modeled after the original Globe Theatre in London, where Shakespeare enjoyed watching many plays that he’d penned. This beloved building is a popular San Diego landmark.

The Tudor-style building was originally constructed in 1935, and was first used for the California Pacific International Exposition to stage Shakespearean plays. In 1978 it was burned down by an arsonist. A nearby festival stage was quickly erected so that performances could go on, then the Old Globe was rebuilt with the generous help of many San Diegans.

Since 1949, The Old Globe has hosted an annual summer Shakespeare Festival. During the summer and winter, the theatre puts on about 15 different shows including modern plays, comedies, musicals and classics.

Many productions that originated here have gone on to Broadway. These shows have won nine Tony Awards and almost 60 nominations!

Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center near Old Globe Theatre.
Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center next to Old Globe Theatre.

Beer, headhunters, and instruments of torture.

beer, headhunters, and instruments of torture

What’s that? Huh?

Check out these two banners! They’re hanging in the courtyard in front of the Museum of Man, at the west end of El Prado in Balboa Park.

The first advertises an exhibition about the history of beer. Beerology seems to include the study of imbibing pharaohs and thirsty headhunters. Drink up!

The second depicts a chair covered with sharp spikes. Presumably one of those can be found on display in the museum, along with other delightful instruments of torture. A quite memorable cultural experience!

People walk through plaza in front of the Museum of Man.
People walk through plaza in front of the Museum of Man.

Peek into the San Diego Firehouse Museum.

sign at the firehouse museum in little italy

If you’re ever in the Little Italy neighborhood in downtown San Diego, you might want to check out the small but jam-packed Firehouse Museum.

Shiny red fire trucks, interesting historical photos, old fire fighting apparatus, memorabilia and even Smokey Bear are on display. And excited kids can climb into one of the cool fire engines!

This sign by the sidewalk invites tourists and passersby to take a peek into the firehouse.

a peek at a cool firetruck and smokey bear

I took a photo from outside, aiming left.

old firetrucks in san diego firehouse museum

And then the above photo aiming right.

The next pic was taken on a later day, in the early morning when the museum was still closed…

The San Diego Firehouse Museum in the early morning.
The San Diego Firehouse Museum in the early morning.

A plaque appeared on the museum’s exterior in mid to late 2015!

Old Fire Station Number Six. From 1915 to 1970, San Diego Fire Department's original Fire Station 6 proudly served the community of Little Italy.
Old Fire Station Number Six. From 1915 to 1970, San Diego Fire Department’s original Fire Station 6 proudly served the community of Little Italy.

The plaque includes this fascinating information:

In the workshop on this site some of America’s most significant fire service innovations were created by the specialty trade-skilled firefighters who worked here, including the world’s first gas engine powered fireboat, the Bill Kettner. In 1963 the National Fire Protection Association declared the national standard thread the official fire hose thread of the United States of America. The machine which enabled this federal legislation was invented here six years earlier by inventor and battalion chief Robert Ely. The common thread allowed thousands of American firefighters to connect their fire hoses together, allowing them to work as one. As a result, countless lives and priceless amounts of property and the environment have been saved.

…

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Tattered, ghostly sails of the haunted Star!

tattered sails of the haunted star of india

As Halloween approaches, I’ve noticed some changes during my walks about San Diego. A few scary decorations have begun to appear here and there among houses, shops and offices. One change in particular is difficult to miss.

The Star of India has put on her tattered sails!

A spooky Star of India makes a very cool October sight on San Diego Bay. This year, visitors who experience Haunting Tales from our Seafaring Past, in addition to touring the venerable old ship, will hear ghost stories and scary legends about life at sea. Kids attending are encouraged to dress in costume. In the days ahead, I’ll probably see a lot of pint-sized pirates shuffling along the Embarcadero!

The Star of India, owned by the San Diego Maritime Museum, recently turned 150 years old. The world’s oldest active sailing ship, she was originally named Euterpe, after the Greek muse of music and poetry. During her lifetime she’s made 21 circumnavigations of the globe, and has hauled cargo, emigrants and even fish in Alaska. Various people have died on board, including her first captain, and there have been reports of ghostly sightings. Some visitors say they feel the touch of a cold hand when they stand near the mast where a young sailor, a stowaway, fell from the rigging to his death in 1884. Step aboard if you dare!

UPDATE!

Here come a few more pics from October 2014…

Morning pic of a sail in tatters for Halloween's spooky Star of India.
Morning pic of a sail in shreds for Halloween-themed Star of India.
Torn sails befit the spooky Halloween spirit.
Torn sails befit the spooky Halloween spirit.
October sign on historic tall ship reads Haunted Tales on the Star of India.
October sign on historic tall ship reads Haunted Tales on the Star of India.

Photos of San Diego County Administration Building.

san diego county administration building

This unmistakable landmark has been photographed a million times. Now make it a million and one.

Yes, it’s the San Diego County Administration Center.

Finished in 1938, designed by several renowned local architects including William Templeton Johnson, Richard Requa and Louis John Gill, the historic building is Spanish Revival/Streamline Moderne in style with Beaux-Arts classical touches.

It stands overlooking the Embarcadero, just across Harbor Drive, not far from the Star of India.

For several decades it also served as the Civic Center of San Diego. Today, a large public park is being developed on either side of the building, where parking lots recently existed. I considered posting a photo of the construction, but all you’d see is dirt and bulldozers.

County Administration Building seen from Pacific Highway.
County Administration Building seen from Pacific Highway.

The first two pics are of the building’s east side, which faces downtown’s Little Italy. The other pics from the very similar west side I took during a walk along the Embarcadero on a later day…

Looking up at the west entrance of San Diego County Administration Building.
Looking up at the west entrance of San Diego County Administration Building.
Tiles depict fish, Navy ships on the bay, Mission San Diego, Balboa Park and an airplane.
Tiles depict fish, Navy ships on the bay, Mission San Diego, Balboa Park and an airplane.
Ornamental column near entrance with eagle on top.
Ornamental column near entrance with eagle on top.
View from the west, across Harbor Drive.
View from the west, across Harbor Drive.

UPDATE!

Here are a couple more pics. I took these with a newer camera many years later. These are on the east side of the building, where there is a plaza, shady benches and two fountains. Domes featuring a beautiful tile mosaic in the American Southwest style attract the eye at either end of the building. I’m looking north in the next photo…