20 replies to this topic

[Rogue Leader]

I went to San Diego with my brother who served in the Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier Midway 1988 to 1991. The Midway is now a floating museum in San Diego. It was commissioned in September 1945 and didn't see battle in WWII. They did have an Avenger, a Dauntless and a SJN on board besides the jets that served on the ship. The staff includes men who served on the carrier and other carriers. While I was there, one of the staff was a veteran of the Bunker Hill. He flew a Corsair. For those who don't know or forgot, the Bunker Hill suffered the greatest loss of life to kamikazes. Almost 700 of the 2400 aboard where killed, injured or lost at sea. If you're in the area, it's worth the visit. These veterans who really used our "toys" won't be around much longer.

The Midway was the lead ship of the class after the Essex. Who has visited the Essex survivors ?

Yorktown in Charleston
Intrepid in NY
Hornet in Bay Area (Alameda)
Lexington in Corpus Christi

[Sven Drake]

Rogue Leader, on Sep 8 2009, 09:58 AM, said:

I went to San Diego with my brother who served in the Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier Midway 1988 to 1991. The Midway is now a floating museum in San Diego. It was commissioned in September 1945 and didn't see battle in WWII. They did have an Avenger, a Dauntless and a SJN on board besides the jets that served on the ship. The staff includes men who served on the carrier and other carriers. While I was there, one of the staff was a veteran of the Bunker Hill. He flew a Corsair. For those who don't know or forgot, the Bunker Hill suffered the greatest loss of life to kamikazes. Almost 700 of the 2400 aboard where killed, injured or lost at sea. If you're in the area, it's worth the visit. These veterans who really used our "toys" won't be around much longer.

The Midway was the lead ship of the class after the Essex. Who has visited the Essex survivors ?

Yorktown in Charleston
Intrepid in NY
Hornet in Bay Area (Alameda)
Lexington in Corpus Christi

Sad to say, I haven't visited any of the WWII era ships--and I'm in San Bernardino, about 100 miles north of San Diego. I did, however, visit the USS Constitution when I was stationed at Fort Devens MA. 'Old Ironsides' is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

[Earthling]

http://www.battleshi....com/index.html

"The World's Largest Collection of Historic Naval Ships"

My Daughter, My Father and I visited Battleship Cove in Fall River, Ma. this past summer. It was my 2nd visit to the Cove and my Daughter's first. A great place to take in lots of history. The USS Massachusetts is the showcase of the cove:

The Battleship Massachusetts went into action on November 8, 1942 as part of Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. While cruising off the city of Casablanca, Morocco, the Battleship engaged in a gun duel with the unfinished French battleship Jean Bart, moored at a Casablanca pier. In this battle, Massachusetts fired the first American 16" projectile in anger of World War II. Five hits from Big Mamie silenced the enemy battleship, and other 16" shells from Battleship Massachusetts helped sink two destroyers, two merchant ships, a floating dry-dock, and heavily damaged buildings and docks in Casablanca.

The Cove also has several other ships including a Sub (USS Lionfish), a Destroyer (Renamed to Joseph P Kennedy), two PT Boats, and a Russian Missile Corvette. There is a Landing Craft display, a couple of planes and helicopters from Vietnam, the largest PT Boat Museum, a tribute to CMH winners and much, much more to see...... I recommend highly if you live anywhere close. Also nearby (one minute walking distance) is a beautiful carousel that has an awesome view of the bay (only $1 to ride!!!!) and a railroad museum on the other side of the block.

My mother and father have also visited Pearl Harbor and brought back lots of pictures for the family. My dad was able to meet several survivors from the USS Indianapolis that day. They were having a reunion during the 60th anniversary of the bombing. I got choked up just looking at the pictures of the vets in their shirts that commemorated the vessel (USS Indianapolis). The pictures were amazing. A place I certainly want to visit in my lifetime.

[Mahdi]

I was part of the re-commissioning crew for the USS Wisconsin BB-64, the last Battleship. She was a fine lady!

[Doctor Strangemind]

A couple years ago I spent the night on the USS Silversides in Muskegan Michigan. It's the Submarine that the movie "Destination Tokyo" was based on. My son and I slept in the Aft torpedo room in the top bunks. Not a lot of room and the place smelled like diesel fuel. Great fun though.

A couple other great WWII museums are the Aberdeen Proving Ground Ordnance Museum near Baltimore, Maryland. They have acres of tanks and artillery just sitting in a field. Also the largest collection of German Tanks still around as well as a German 15" rail gun. The USS Intrepid in New York Harbor is good but the best I've been to is Duckford Field Museum in Ducksford. England. They have the original Memphis Bell with a huge collection of WII aircraft. They also have a great army museum there.

I love talking to old vets as well. I have known a lot of them (a lot of them were family and unfortunately most are no longer with us). I still have an old timer in my hunting camp that was a waist gunner on a B-17. Flew 40 missions over Germany. Earned a medal (not sure what) for kicking an armed bomb out of the bomb bay that got caught in the bomb rack. He never got to shoot at any aircraft but had to fly through flak fields every mission.

[Rogue Leader]

Sven Drake, on Sep 8 2009, 05:26 PM, said:

Rogue Leader, on Sep 8 2009, 09:58 AM, said:

I went to San Diego with my brother who served in the Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier Midway 1988 to 1991. The Midway is now a floating museum in San Diego. It was commissioned in September 1945 and didn't see battle in WWII. They did have an Avenger, a Dauntless and a SJN on board besides the jets that served on the ship. The staff includes men who served on the carrier and other carriers. While I was there, one of the staff was a veteran of the Bunker Hill. He flew a Corsair. For those who don't know or forgot, the Bunker Hill suffered the greatest loss of life to kamikazes. Almost 700 of the 2400 aboard where killed, injured or lost at sea. If you're in the area, it's worth the visit. These veterans who really used our "toys" won't be around much longer.

The Midway was the lead ship of the class after the Essex. Who has visited the Essex survivors ?

Yorktown in Charleston
Intrepid in NY
Hornet in Bay Area (Alameda)
Lexington in Corpus Christi

Sad to say, I haven't visited any of the WWII era ships--and I'm in San Bernardino, about 100 miles north of San Diego. I did, however, visit the USS Constitution when I was stationed at Fort Devens MA. 'Old Ironsides' is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

When is the last time you went to the Chino air museum? It has the only flying Zero with a real japanese engine. The is another on the coast, Santa maria? It has an american motor in it. The Japanese did buy half a dozen or so american engine to test. They put some of them in the Zero. I've heard they are restoring the B-17 that was out front. They have quite the collection, with most still being flown.

[Sven Drake]

Doctor Strangemind, on Sep 8 2009, 02:30 PM, said:

A couple years ago I spent the night on the USS Silversides in Muskegan Michigan. It's the Submarine that the movie "Destination Tokyo" was based on. My son and I slept in the Aft torpedo room in the top bunks. Not a lot of room and the place smelled like diesel fuel. Great fun though.

A couple other great WWII museums are the Aberdeen Proving Ground Ordnance Museum near Baltimore, Maryland. They have acres of tanks and artillery just sitting in a field. Also the largest collection of German Tanks still around as well as a German 15" rail gun. The USS Intrepid in New York Harbor is good but the best I've been to is Duckford Field Museum in Ducksford. England. They have the original Memphis Bell with a huge collection of WII aircraft. They also have a great army museum there.

I love talking to old vets as well. I have known a lot of them (a lot of them were family and unfortunately most are no longer with us). I still have an old timer in my hunting camp that was a waist gunner on a B-17. Flew 40 missions over Germany. Earned a medal (not sure what) for kicking an armed bomb out of the bomb bay that got caught in the bomb rack. He never got to shoot at any aircraft but had to fly through flak fields every mission.

I remember my uncle used to talk a lot of smack about his submariner days. He was XO and navigator of the USS Charr (SS-328). He said that he actually took his boat (submarines are properly called 'boats' and not 'ships') into Tokyo Bay, and that Destination Tokyo was based on that. Typical Swedish BS. He was never in Tokyo Bay. First war patrol, Dec44-Mar45, was off the coast of Vietnam. Second patrol, Mar-May45, the Charr operated in the Flores, Java, and South China Seas, and helped sink the Japanese cruiser Isuzu (hmmm...Isuzu...) Third patrol, Jun-Jul45, was in the Gulf of Siam. I do know my uncle got the Silver Star, because I remember seeing the citation, but I haven't seen his name in the website.

[Predator]

Most of the vets have passed on which is a shame as we owed them so much. My wife's grandmothers ex-husband who still comes to all the familiy gatherings served during the war. i am a huge WWII buff and collect memoribilia from the war and I spend most of my time during these gatherings picking his brain and listenings to his stories. He was a pilot and flew supply missions "over the hump" as they called it. It is a shame that period was so long ago as i feel our country is quickly forgetting the lessons we learned and the morales we valued during that time....

[Saint Michael]

Predator, on Sep 8 2009, 08:32 PM, said:

Most of the vets have passed on which is a shame as we owed them so much. My wife's grandmothers ex-husband who still comes to all the familiy gatherings served during the war. i am a huge WWII buff and collect memoribilia from the war and I spend most of my time during these gatherings picking his brain and listenings to his stories. He was a pilot and flew supply missions "over the hump" as they called it. It is a shame that period was so long ago as i feel our country is quickly forgetting the lessons we learned and the morales we valued during that time....

My father was one of the many sailors that were assigned to occupied islands in the Pacific (Radioman 2nd, Seaman 1st class). Talked about being bombed every day for a long period of time. WWII is also my favorite period to study but I am branching out.

I visited the Mighty Mo(Missouri) when it was in Bremerton long before she moved to Hawaii. Even mothballed, she was so impressive. I also visited the New Jersey on her last voyage when she was in Portland, Oregon for the Rose Festival (the fleet is there with full tours-I highly recommend the trip). I wish I could tour more ships and it is my hope to continue to try. I have been on several other ships & boats. This is our heritage,and I am very proud of it.

[Hersir]

Rogue Leader, on Sep 8 2009, 09:58 AM, said:

I went to San Diego with my brother who served in the Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier Midway 1988 to 1991. The Midway is now a floating museum in San Diego. It was commissioned in September 1945 and didn't see battle in WWII. They did have an Avenger, a Dauntless and a SJN on board besides the jets that served on the ship. The staff includes men who served on the carrier and other carriers. While I was there, one of the staff was a veteran of the Bunker Hill. He flew a Corsair. For those who don't know or forgot, the Bunker Hill suffered the greatest loss of life to kamikazes. Almost 700 of the 2400 aboard where killed, injured or lost at sea. If you're in the area, it's worth the visit. These veterans who really used our "toys" won't be around much longer.

The Midway was the lead ship of the class after the Essex. Who has visited the Essex survivors ?

Yorktown in Charleston
Intrepid in NY
Hornet in Bay Area (Alameda)
Lexington in Corpus Christi

Back in 1998 I have visited the Intrepid. I remember walking on the deck and noticing the SR-71B was in fact a more slender and smaller airplane than I thought from all the pictures I had seen. Also the massive hangar was very impressive walking through , which was bigger than my expectations. It was also the first time I took seat in a jet fighter, a F-14 Tomcat. Hats of for those guys who have to fly 6 hours+ sorties in such a tiny space, I mean I really do respect that. I believe in wartime these long missions are all too common. And in retrospect to the WW2 veterans, the Corsairs or Hellcats wouldn't have given much more space for the pilot than a Tomcat. Add to this complicated missions, difficult navigation, enemy, endless seas, tiny spot in the ocean as your save haven and you see one needs a special breed for actually being a naval pilot.

[chairman lar]

Predator, on Sep 8 2009, 08:32 PM, said:

Most of the vets have passed on which is a shame as we owed them so much. My wife's grandmothers ex-husband who still comes to all the familiy gatherings served during the war. i am a huge WWII buff and collect memoribilia from the war and I spend most of my time during these gatherings picking his brain and listenings to his stories. He was a pilot and flew supply missions "over the hump" as they called it. It is a shame that period was so long ago as i feel our country is quickly forgetting the lessons we learned and the morales we valued during that time....

QFT!

One of the things that amazes me about RTG is the quality & depth of it's participant's, but this thread surprised even me. I would share this with you:

If you're ever in Reno on the first Tuesday of the month, I can put you in a room with 'Boots-on-the-Ground' Veterans of 5 different wars. They share two common ideas. First, they're Republicans almost to a man. Second, they don't wish to be hugged or thanked; just remembered.

BTW: The beer's 6 bucks a pitcher and the first one's on me.

[Race Pilsner]

The North Carolina (BB-55) can be toured in Wilmington, NC. It's a pretty cool walk around and was the first of the fast battleships. I went on that back in the 1980's but I just checked and it's still open to tour.

The Intrepid (CV-11) was a very cool tour with all the different aircraft on her deck and hanger area. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the New York City area.

The U-505 tour at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is very interesting. Dang was the U-505 tiny inside.

Two other good air museums are:

The Air Zoo of Kalamazoo, MI which among other attractions has a B-25J (still flyable), and a P-40N, plus a lot of newer and some older planes.

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario which has a lot of planes including one of only two remaining Lancaster bombers still in flyable condition. It's quite impressive and Hamilton is a beautiful area just an hour north of Niagra Falls. Highly recommended.

Race Pilsner

[Hamish]

I'm not such a WWII guru, but last May (on Holland's liberation day) I saw one of the 2 last Lancasters that can still fly circle above Arnhem. Awesome sight and sound, I must say....

[General_Mullini]

I will be in San Diego Nov 6th-11th sadly i wont be able to walk on the Midway as of this post but i will post pics of it along with other Navel ships in the harbor as i take one of the harbor cruises..

[Slicer]

Sven Drake, on Sep 8 2009, 10:26 AM, said:

Sad to say, I haven't visited any of the WWII era ships--and I'm in San Bernardino, about 100 miles north of San Diego. I did, however, visit the USS Constitution when I was stationed at Fort Devens MA. 'Old Ironsides' is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

I've been to the Constitution. Still floats and they turn it around every 6 months (?) so it weathers properly. My former boss once held a court martial aboard her (in the late 80s) when he was a Navy Trial Judge. I am waaaaay to tall to have ever served aboard that friggin' frigate.