We really didn't go out to sea today but spent the day aboard several vessels.
In the morning, we finally got Tate on West Coast time and so we all slept in until around 9AM. Man, that was nice.
Once we got packed, we picked up some food and ate dinner down by the bay on Shelter Island. The kids thought it was fun to feed french fries to the seagulls while Jennifer fretted about them getting too close.
After lunch, we found a place downtown to parallel park our car and trailer (man, were we lucky) and made way for the USS Midway (CVA 41). The Midway is a late WWII era aircraft carrier that has been converted to a museum in downtown San Diego.
This ship is named after, obviously, the battle at Midway Island during WWII that was the turning point in the battle of the Pacific with the Japanese. If you don't already know, I am a big military history buff. I just finished reading a book titled "Miracle at Midway" by Gordon Prange. It was an excellent narative of the battle in which the US Sortied 3 carriers (one of which was already crippled from the battle of the Coral Sea) and sunk four Japanese carriers: the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, & Hiryu, while only losing one: the Yorktown. While this did not come close to equalizing naval forces in the Pacific, it showed the Japanese they could no longer expand and conquer at will. Their 6-month push (starting with the Pearl Harbor bombing) to expand their sphere of influence was over and during the remainder of the war they were on the defensive; all because of this battle. I could go on and on........
The Midway was only recently (4 years ago) turned into a museum so it is in excellent shape. They also had numerous aircraft ranging in age from vintage WWII to present day. Unfortunately, we were one day early visiting the ship as the Declaration of Independence was going to be on board for the 4th of July. Guess we'll have to see that in Washington DC!
Next, we ventured back down the wharf to where there are some historic ships parked together in a "Maritime Museum". We visited 3 of the 5 ships.
The first was the "Star of India". It has been parked along the bay for as long as I can remember. It's the oldest steel hulled ship of war in the world and has logged over 1,000,000 miles. It still sails out for special occasions. I remember seeing it sailing a time or two during past trips to San Diego. I don't think I have ever been on it.
The second ship was a schooner called the "Suprise". I'm not quite sure of the history on this ship but it was refitted and used as the main ship for the movie "Master and Commander" starring Russell Crowe. They had a pirate exhibit on board so the kids enjoyed this quite a bit; they just finished watching Pirates of the Carribbean so pirates were on the mind.
The third ship was a Soviet "Foxtrot" class submarine. The sub was purchased from the Soviet Union at the end of the cold war by some San Francisco businessmen and then ultimately transported to San Diego for use as a museum. It was a diesel-electric powered but capable of carrying nuclear armed torpedoes. It was really neat to climb all the way through the sub.
After our tour of the various ships we departed San Diego for the drive to Anaheim.
Me and the kids by the bay after lunch.
The USS Midway
The kids and I on the bow of the Midway. In the background you can see two more present-day carriers in port: The USS George Washington (CVN 73) & the USS Nimitz (CVN 68 - shrouded in plastic for re-painting of the island structure).
Dawson piloting an A-7 Corsair II Attack Aircraft. He has told us he wants to be a fighter pilot when he grows up.
Jennifer and the kids practicing for an ejection.
Me and the kids in the galley of the "Star of India"
The B-39 - a Soviet "Foxtrot" class attack submarine
The kids and I on the B-39
Jennifer climbing through one of the water-tight doors on the B-39. There were four of these we had to negotiate during the tour. I can't imagine serving on board one of the vessels for an extended period of time.
Abby & I in the galley of the "Surprise"
With gas prices continuing to go up, we've decided that on our next road trip we'll pack into one of these. We figure some creative seating and a package of bungee cords and we're good to go. I wonder if this will tow the trailer???
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