[] * [] (meant to be a Canadian flag... on this CNADA DAY (our national
holiday).
Watch for the "historic military vehicles sailing by - 1 wheel only? The
steering wheel. :-)
As I recall the US Coast Guard sail training ship "Eagle" was a war prize
taken from the Nazis and she was a German WWII training ship (aka Historic
Military Vehicle!). Many years since I read about it though so I hope I got
the name right.
The USS Missouri is now decommissioned and permanently in Pearl Harbour I
have been told (and shown photos). Friends have visited her there. Although
she is now moored near the hulk of the USS Arizona, she was not built until
after the 1941 Dec 07 Pearl Harbour attack - in 1944 I believe. She visited
Vancouver, BC, Canada after the 1991 Gulf War. I saw her anchored in the
harbour here and took photos from a distance but I was unable to go on
board. Now I shall have to go back to Honolulu to do so. I am glad that she
was saved. By the way, there was a Canadian officer on the deck there in the
group surrounding the surrender ceremony in 1945. :-)
USS Arizona hulk is now sacred to Americans. I have visited the site and it
is very moving. I am glad they left her 'in situ'. I think of my vist to her
whenerver I see TORA TORA TORA or other movies about Dec 7 1941. Apparently
the Arizona's superstructure (or part of it) is preserved near the entrance
to the harbour.
Did you know that the US government tried to scrap the USS Arizona? After
the above attack, they salvaged (refloated etc.) what they could of the
damaged ships and scrapped the rest. I believe the Arizona was the last. As
I recall reading, they succeeded in cutting off / lifting off everything
above the water (ever wonder why she has barely got anything above the
water? It is NOT because of the rust, but becuase of the salvage crews!).
They apparently lost several divers who were below water trying to cut up
the hull for scrap. Apparently their torches ignited something explosive and
the blast(s) killed them. So they gave up trying to scrap her and later
decided to dedicate her hull as a monument. I am not mocking the validity of
making it a monument for many dead still lie within her and she serves that
purpose extremely well. I do find it ironic however that they tried to scrap
her, failed, AND THEN dedicated her as a monument. It would have been nice
if they had left the whole ship untouched (she would have been a great
reminder to look-outs to stay awake on duty!) -- but better late than never.
Mystery cannon barrel. A giant US battleship (?) cannon barrel dated USN
1941 is probably still sitting alongside the highway at Canadian Forces Base
Suffield in southern Alberta. (North side, just west of the entrance to the
base, visible and accessible from the highway). I found it there while
driving by. It was probably acquired for test firing space shots (launching
sattelites etc. not shooting down Sputniks) and ended up not being used, or
being dumped after use. Somewhere I have a photo I took of the breech
markings. No breech block, just the barrel. Too big to mount on my jeep! I
told a maritime museum director locally about it and he was going to inform
some US museums of the West Coast in hiopes that they would salvage it.
The Argentine cruiser (?) BELGRANO that was torpedoed and sunk by a British
sub during the Falklands (Las Malvinas to the Argies) War (1982?) was
apparently a former US cruiser that had survived the Pearl Harbour attack.
It makes one wonder what other historical treasures are still out there
under different names and flags (no I'm not trying to start another flag
discussion!).
In that same war, the British lost HMS Sir Galahad to air attack - with
heavy casualties. I have slides I took of her tied up at dockside in
Vancouver, BC, Canada loading/unloading Land Rovers, Ferrets (Mk. II with
dayglo red turrets for range control on live fire exercises with British
Army at CFB Suffield, Alberta.) APCs, ARV and tanks. The armour was on flat
cars and was being of loaded to be loaded onto the ship.
My father's office was right on the waterfront and he told me of the story
of a British tank being delivered (1970s?). They tied a barge to the ship
(Landing Ship Tank type?) and drove the tank out of the bow doors (?) onto
the barge. Unfortunately someone had not secured the barge properly, and
like the famous comedy routine of someone with one foot on the dock and one
foot on the boat/canoe which is not tied to the dock, the result was the
same. Gurgle ... gurgle... into Vancouver Harbour. The tank was apparently
later salvaged.
By the way, the ex-Soviet sub is still alongside (in front of a
paddlewheeler casino ship) in New Westminster, BC as of last Thursday. They
have changed the markings. There is now an authentic looking crest instead
of the pseudo U-boat markings. I did not have time to see if she is still
open for tours through her. An interesting experience especially as I served
on an anti-submarine destroyer escort in 1969.
Enough rambling!
Colin Macgregor Stevens
MVPA Member 954 (since 1977)
Editor MAPLE LEAF UP (Est. 1977) newsletter
of Western Command Military Vehicle Historical Society
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada
E-mail: colin@pacdat.net
Personal web site: http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net
1944 Willys MB
1942 BSA airborne bicycles (2)
----- Original Message -----
From: <CERANTHIA@aol.com>
To: Military Vehicles List <mil-veh@skylee.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2000 5:33 AM
Subject: [MV] Parade of Tall Ships!!!
> Hey Everyone, I hope all are in good health and spirits. I just wanted to
> remind all my brothers and sisters in New England of the tall ships and
all
> the events surrounding them. On sunday morning we're leaving Plymouth,
early,
> for Newport--RI. The tall ships will be parading in line formation under
> the Newport bridge and through the east passage,past Portsmouth and
> Jamestown, and then back around again. It should be magnificent!!! Full
> rigged warships are the ultimate military vehicles,to me anyway. I'll be
> there with my M-35,we'll be next to pier # 1 where the aircraft carriers
> Forrestall and Saratoga are mothballed. Rumor has it that Newport will be
> the home of a new naval museum with the Saratoga--Forrestal open to the
> public and the battleship Missouri may be the centerpiece. I always
wanted
> to see the plaque and stand where the Japanese signed the "unconditional
> surrender". Also the SeaBee museum is coming along fairly well from what
my
> Dad says,he was one of the first over at Davisville, they restored the
"BEE"
> and he looks great especially that pissed off look on his face--he's the
> perfect symbol for the fighting SeaBees. Take care all.
>
>
> Mike and the bunch in Plymouth,Ma.
> MVPA # 20487
> 1969 Kaiser M-35-rumble buggy
> God Bless America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Aug 07 2000 - 22:15:52 PDT