Bob Fish

Paving the Road to Mars

May 8, 2014 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

In mid-April, the Bay Area was treated to a rare lunar eclipse of a full moon. Those who stayed up late to view the red-hued moon also saw a smaller reddish orb in the same area of the sky. That was Mars, which had ventured to its closest position with earth for the past six years. Since America placed humans on the lunar surface 45 years ago, many citizens believe our next deep space journey should look beyond the moon… and focus on Mars.

Foremost among them is a person who is uniquely qualified to have his informed opinion heard. Buzz Aldrin, the Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 11 and one of the first two humans to set foot on the moon, is a major believer in aiming our next space-faring effort for Mars.

Last year he published a book called Mission to Mars. In it, Buzz details a vision of the steps needed to plant an American flag on the red soil of the 4th rock from the sun. Even with a well-funded, highly-focused program, he believes it will be a decade before we can get there.

NASA, however, doesn’t usually get all the funding it needs nor all the focus it wants. They believe a human landing mission will more likely take around 20 years of effort, with an “earliest date” of 2032.

Reaching Mars safely is far more difficult than putting a human on the moon. The moon is only 240 thousand miles away from earth, around which it orbits, so that distance remains constant. It can be reached in roughly three days using modern spacecraft technology. Lunar-based astronauts could be retrieved or resupplied relatively quickly if an illness or injury were to occur. Lunar explorers are also not subject to serious health risks that come with long-term solar radiation exposure.

However, the average “closest distance” Mars stays from the earth is around 48 million miles! Since it revolves around the sun, this only happens every 26 months, such as we saw this past April. For the rest of its 687 day cycle around the sun, the Mars elliptical orbit takes it as far as 250 million miles from earth. At a minimum, it would take a human-rated spacecraft six months just to reach the planet and, once there, the return journey would be difficult if not impossible to make until the next close approach.

Hence, a Mars exploration program will involve a 2-year journey to a hostile land rather than just a 1-week hop to our nearest heavenly neighbor. The logistics for a Mars landing are orders of magnitude more complex than the Apollo effort. A habitat of some sort will have to be erected; water, food and fuel will need to be carried with them (or have periodic resupply missions from earth), the atmosphere requires spacesuits to be worn at all times, and the temperature extremes must be dealt with.

In terms of our present day science and technology, how we enable a successful Mars expedition by 2032 is not completely clear. The Apollo program required an army of scientists, engineers and technicians, using slide rules, chalk boards and calculators, to work almost a decade to achieve their success. The Mars landing program will require a similar army of science-savvy people, although armed with sophisticated computers, data mines, neural networks and autonomous robots.

A major reason America won the 1960’s space race was the vast number of college graduates with degrees in science and engineering. The Apollo program, and the people involved, created a significant technological advantage for the U.S., generating political and economic power that has lasted for almost a half century.

The current U.S. work force has a deficit of this type of knowledge and skill (even in Silicon Valley). Hence, there is major national effort underway to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in high school and college. These are not only the key skills needed to build a successful Mars landing program, but the necessary foundation for continued economic prosperity in the U.S.

Danville’s own shuttle astronaut, Leroy Chiao, expressed his views at a recent Senate hearing, calling a Mars mission important not only for developing technologies beneficial to humans on Earth but for boosting national prestige and inspiration. “Human space flight has become woven into the very fabric of our identity, as a nation of explorers, innovators and entrepreneurs,” he said. “It was exactly the endeavors of the Apollo and prior programs that inspired me and my generation. We must do the same and more for our children and grandchildren, and to help maintain our position as the world leader.”

The USS Hornet Museum in Alameda has offered various types of STEM youth programs for many years. As part of this initiative, on July 26th, the museum is holding its 45th commemoration of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Called Splashdown 45, it will feature astronaut Buzz Aldrin and other space-exploration personalities. In addition to reviewing the Apollo effort, it will also explore some of the technologies and sciences needed to create a successful Mars landing program.

The first humans to walk on Mars have already been born and are quite likely in junior high school right now. The Hornet Museum hopes that one of them may have been inspired by attending this commemoration event, and be the featured speaker of Splashdown 70 in 2039, following their successful journey to the Red Planet!

The Bay Bridge Enters the 21st Century

November 3, 2013 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

We all know the basic function of a bridge is to span a gap between two locations, enabling citizens to travel between them more easily. But certain bridges in key locations also span a gap in time – it connects past, current and future generations together. Once in a while, a signature bridge of great architectural design becomes an inspiration to its community. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is this type of structure.

In the early 1900’s, California road builders felt the bay water that separated the two metropolitan communities was too deep and wide, making a bridge an engineering impossibility. For decades, commuters piled onto a fleet of ferry boats, whether by foot, automobile or trolley, to leisurely cross between the East Bay and the city of San Francisco.

San Francisco and Oakland grew up as separate communities, even with the constant, but measured, flow of goods, services and people between them. During the year of 1928, ferries carried over 46 million passengers between the two shorelines. Finally, with the exploding popularity of the automobile, it was determined that a bridge was necessary and such a structure could financially support itself with tolls.

The challenges of building this bridge were monumental. California State Highway Engineer Charles C. Purcell was put in charge of organizing the design and construction of the Bay Bridge. Fortunately, Yerba Buena Island was located about halfway between the two shorelines. This allowed for two independent spans that would meet at the island, connecting via a tunnel.

Spanning the western section between the San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island required ingenuity on a grand scale. The water, 100 feet deep at some points, and the underlying soil conditions, required new techniques for placing bridge foundations. The solution was to build two consecutive suspension bridges using the same basic architectural design as the Golden Gate Bridge.

The eastern crossing from the Oakland shoreline to Yerba Buena Island was also an immense feat of engineering, although less difficult than the deep water crossing on the western side. This bridge span was designed as a double cantilevered section (adjoining Yerba Buena Island) connecting to a double-deck truss bridge leading to the Oakland shoreline. The cantilevered section was 10,176 feet long, the longest bridge of its kind at the time. It also employed theworld’s deepest bridge pier, sunk 242 feet below water level.

Construction took three years, and was completed six months ahead of schedule. The bridge had consumed over six percent of the total steel output of the nation in 1933. Total costs were $77 million, including the construction of the Transbay Transit Terminal. The bridge opened in November, 1936, about six months before the Golden Gate Bridge. While an efficient vehicle transport system, cantilevered and truss bridges were a common style for dozens of railroad bridges built in the US at that time. Architecturally, the eastern span seemed to echo the demographics of Oakland, a working class community, and was nowhere as inspirational as the Golden Gate Bridge or the western span of the Bay Bridge!

In its early years, the bridge carried three lanes of auto traffic in each direction on the upper deck. The lower deck was reserved for truck traffic and inter-urban railways. This included the Key System street cars that ran through many communities in the East Bay and carried commuters to San Francisco throughout the day.

But automobile traffic increased greatly over the post-WWII years. In 1958, the railway system was removed and the upper deck was re-aligned to carry five lanes of westbound truck and auto traffic. The lower deck carried five lanes of eastbound traffic.

The Bay Bridge became the work-horse for the inter-city automobile traffic, with 270,000 vehicles crossing it each day. It was a crucial support element in the economic growth of the Bay Area. There were a few minor bridge closures, mostly for accidents or maintenance, until the Loma Prieta earthquake struck in 1989. There was an inherent design flaw in the eastern span, where the cantilevered section abutted the truss section. This caused a portion of the upper deck to fall onto the lower deck. Further study indicated the bridge had narrowly avoided a more catastrophic failure. The Bay Area would experience significant economic disruption if the Bay Bridge ever suffered such a cataclysmic failure.

Caltrans determined it would be less expensive to build an entirely new eastern span than to seismically retrofit the existing one. The initial design proposed was an elevated viaduct or skyway, consisting of reinforced concrete columns and roadway segments. The seismic design criterion for the new bridge required it to survive an 8.5 magnitude earthquake. The replacement bridge was authorized in 1998 and construction of the skyway segment began in January, 2002.

However, an extensive amount of political infighting and financial squabbling followed for various aesthetic, financial, and political reasons. In the end, it was decided to build a “signature” section as part of the new eastern span. For various reasons, this design of this section is based on an asymmetric, single-tower, self-anchored suspension architecture, which is very rare yet quite elegant. Construction on the “signature” span, which is located above the shipping channel and connects the skyway portion of the bridge to Yerba Buena Island, began in September, 2007. The entire bridge was completed in mid-2013 at the phenomenal cost of $6.4 billion. The grand opening was held immediately after the Labor Day holiday with very little fanfare.

While it will carry about the same amount of traffic as before (five lanes in each direction), it’s much safer for many reasons. The seismic design goal of the bridge is to withstand the largest potential earthquake the Bay Area might have in 150 years! For drivers, there are now shoulders on the roadway where one can pull over if they run out of gas or have a mechanical vehicle issue. For pedestrians and bicyclists, there is now a walkway attached to the side of the bridge. For night driving, the lighting on the bridge and in the Yerba Buena Tunnel is much brighter.

Most of the span was designed to be causeway style – very open with all supports underneath the bridge on the skyway segments. This creates a very “open feel” for drivers crossing the bridge, especially in the east-bound direction where before, they were enclosed within the lower deck of the prior double-deck bridge. For west-bound drivers, the views to the north and west are open and expansive (unless the fog is in). One does not get a claustrophobic feel when stuck in heavy traffic!

My initial drive across the new eastern span was one of mixed emotions. I was locked in the back seat of a Highway Patrol escort car at the time, so that may have affected things. It’s hard to get the full visual effect of the new suspension architecture when looking thru bars.

However, I was inspired by the new “signature” span. It is a work of art and will have a lasting positive impact on every tourist’s initial impression of Oakland, when one drives easterly in to the east bay community. It also imparts a sense of awe for drivers and passengers driving westerly into San Francisco because of the awesome view from Berkeley to Alcatraz to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Whether the cost of construction will end up being worth it, this new Bay Bridge definitely has the cache to become one of the most highly regarded in the world.

Diving In Palau

June 1, 2013 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

For a scuba diving enthusiast, the Micronesian Republic of Palau is near, if not at, the top of their lifelong “bucket list.” It is a 100-mile long archipelago, with six small groups of islands surrounded by a reef in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean. The majority of these are the world famous, and uninhabited, Rock Islands.

Palau is an exceptional destination for the adventurous soul. Foremost are the pristine reefs and over 100 dive locations teeming with a wildly diverse array of marine life. It also has an interesting cultural history, dating back to 1,000 BC when the first inhabitants arrived from Indonesia. My primary interest revolved around actions that occurred during World War II when Palau was used as a major base by the Japanese until the US captured it in a vicious fight in September 1944. In recent years, East Asian tourists come for a brief vacation to get a tan on the beach or have a tropical wedding.

My wife Jennifer and I decided 2013 was the year to check this one off our list. However, just locating Palau on a map is not a simple task, while getting there involves many hours of flying. Fortunately, her brother, David, and his wife, Judi, had been there before and coordinated the process. In the end, we made arrangements for a special two week liveaboard cruise on the M/V Tropic Dancer, a very comfortable catamaran dive boat with an excellent Captain and crew.

After our 18 divers boarded the boat in Koror, we steamed leisurely north to some rarely explored locations. On most days there were four one-hour dives. The the first one began around 7:15am and sometimes, the last one would be at sunset. The water temperature was roughly 83 degrees so we were able to wear relatively thin wetsuits, which allowed great freedom of movement for taking pictures or swimming with larger fish that came our way. While Palau is prized by scuba divers, I snorkeled the entire time and enjoyed hanging out on the shallow reef tops.

Over the course of two weeks, as our boat wandered from north to south, we visited a wide variety of sites including steep walls, pristine tropic reefs, deep caves and complex tunnels. One of the most famous dive sites in the world is called Blue Corner, a wall that juts out into deep water. It has a rich concentration of marine life including an abundance of grey reef sharks, barracudas, sea turtles, napolean wrasse, humphead parrotfish and manta rays. At times, it looked like an underwater movie set with all the camera flashes popping off! German Channel and Peleliu Express are two other world-famous dive sites that provide an amazing experience, even for the veteran diver. Of course, the southern-most island in the group is Peleliu, where a significant WWII battle was fought, so there were numerous aircraft and ship wrecks to investigate and photograph.

It is impossible to describe the number, color and types of marine life we encountered. Each day was filled with many wondrous sights, from the large pelagic cruising near us all the time, to cute little clown fish, hovering over their home anemone. There was a fantastic display of soft and hard corals as well as reef dwelling creatures like moray eels, and giants clams with shockingly blue mantles. Two favorites of mine were the royal blue starfish and clown triggerfish found in the shallower water.

When the current got too strong for free swimming, divers would place a small hook into the reef and hover in one place while the sea life came rushing by on the undersea tide. On one such occasion, a 20-minute long school of bream (many thousands) zoomed by, transiting through Palau on their way from the Philippine Sea to the Pacific Ocean. On another occasion, we visited a manta ray cleaning station, where small wrasses and butterfly fish entered the manta’s mouth to eat various parasites in there.

We also did a land tour of the island of Peleliu one day and visited some of the key WWII battle sites. In addition to exploring the invasion beach and the airfield we spent time in a huge cave that once housed 1,000 Japanese military personnel. Many of the artifacts left over from the war (tanks, landing craft, aircraft, heavy guns, etc.) are slowly being reclaimed by the jungle but there is enough still available to make the visit interesting and educational. Our boat was moored in a small mangrove-lined lagoon not far from the home of a large saltwater crocodile. Needless to say, none of us swam to shore that day.

The final day proved to be a very unique and rewarding event in its own way. Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake located within the world famous Rock Islands, a group of small, rocky, mostly uninhabited islands in Palau’s Southern Lagoon. Of the 70 marine lakes in the area, Jellyfish Lake is the most famous and the only one open to tourists. It is about 12,000 years old and is notable for the millions of golden jellyfish that migrate across the lake every day.

Although the jellyfish living in the lake have stinging cells (nematocytes), their potency has lessened over many generations and rarely causes harm to humans. I can personally attest, however, that it is possible to feel the stings on sensitive areas, albeit very mild. People with allergies to jellyfish should consider wearing protective clothing for their swim, such as a rash guard or dive skin.

Each day, roughly four million golden jellyfish pulse through the water in rhythmic motion.Their bodies rotate counter-clockwise as they swim to the surface, presumably to provide even exposure to the sun for the symbiotic algae in their bodies.

To reach the lake from the main boat dock, we had to endure short hike over a ridge that separates the lake from the ocean lagoon. Upon arrival, we saw a massive number of jellyfish milling around, vying for their place in the sun on its journey from east to west across the sky. Jumping into the water to join them for a brief snorkel/swim require a test of faith, since virtually all humans who have ever played at the beach during summer vacation have been painfully stung by a jellyfish at least once.

Most of our group “took the plunge,” but only a few of us swam slowly into the throng of reddish/brown jellyfish. We had to swim very carefully to ensure we didn’t damage their delicate bodies, especially with our fins. Even then, on occasion, we felt a little claustrophobic when a particularly large group completely surrounded us as they pulsed along on their migration path. In order to not hurt them we could only tread water and wait for the throng to pass.

At one point, Jennifer and I each gently held a jellyfish in our hands, much as one would hold a small kitten. They really do feel like holding an undulatingbatch of jello!It was a truly amazing experience – one we highly recommend for anyone wishing to get closer to the miracles of nature.

Photos Courtesy David & Judi Willis

A Personal Remembrance of Neil Armstrong

October 9, 2012 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

By my calculations, the moon rose in the earth’s heavens roughly 15,730 times from the time Neil Armstrong first set foot on its surface until he died on August 25^th of this year. During those 43 years, I’d often look up at night and spot the Sea of Tranquility. A momentary thought would form, reflecting that man had walked upon it and the universe seemed a whole lot “smaller” as a result. It made me feel comfortable somehow, and proud to be an American.

Like all baby boomers, my formative years revolved around two great opposing national agendas, which were flip sides of the same “Cold War” coin. One was the Vietnam War, which polarized the nation in dramatic and often violent ways. The other was the “space race to the moon,” a grand competition for world technological dominance over communism, which unified the nation.

From the NASA space program arose a new crop of national heroes called astronauts, leading the charge with ever more daring exploits. Of these larger-than-life space jockeys with the “right stuff,” Neil Armstrong clearly occupied the top spot. A former naval aviator and civilian test pilot, he was the first human to walk on a planetary body other than earth. Many members of my generation hailed him as an icon for the ages. In hindsight, much of this adulation was crafted by NASA to keep its programs funded. But Armstrong didn’t buy into the hero label one bit despite the constant media and public adulation.

Neil’s quiet dignity reflected his solid mid-western values. These were rooted in the Great Depression and World War II eras, when the survival of democracy was under tremendous pressure and Americans worked together to achieve success. He was humble but determined to find the answers he sought. He believed that education and hard work are the keys to personal happiness and professional success. There was also a dash of pocket-protector geek in him plus a dab of calculated risk-taking when he thought the rewards outweighed the risks.

Neil was a diehard aviation enthusiast. His heroes were pioneers from the early days of American aviation such as the Wright Brothers and Jimmy Doolittle. As a youngster, he was enthralled with flying, and took his first flight in a Ford Trimotor before he turned six. Armstrong earned his flight certificate at age 15, before he had an automobile driver’s license. He was active in the Boy Scouts, eventually earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Neil graduated from Purdue University in 1955 with a Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and later was awarded a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Armstrong initially served his nation as a naval aviator during the Korean War, flying 78 missions from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Essex. After the war, his career blossomed as a civilian test pilot for NACA (the predecessor to NASA) in the 1950’s, including seven flights in the supersonic X-15.

Finally, in 1962, he was selected in the second group of NASA astronauts and the first civilian. In 1966, Neil flew his first space mission in Gemini 8 as the Command Pilot. He demonstrated his coolness under pressure by making a safe emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean when the space craft suffered a major in-flight malfunction.

Of course, in 1969, he was the Commander of the epic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission and became the first human to walk on the moon’s surface. His extraordinary composure under difficult circumstances saved the mission. As the lunar module was descending into a boulder-strewn area, Neil manually took control of the ungainly craft and made a safe landing with only seconds of fuel to spare. Hundreds of millions of people around the world breathlessly watched TV on July 20, 1969 as the Eagle landed on the moon and Neil calmly set foot on its surface. We didn’t exhale until four days later when the spacecraft Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, and was recovered by the USS Hornet. He was overwhelmed by the outpouring of public demand for his presence. Instead of embracing the trappings of wealth, he chose to become a college teacher.

My connection to Neil Armstrong begins with the USS Hornet Museum in 2008, while writing the book called Hornet Plus Three. I needed information that could only be provided by one of the astronauts inside the spacecraft as it descended into the earth’s atmosphere. I mailed a letter to Neil’s “generic” post office box in Lebanon, Ohio, seeking clarification on a specific issue about the Apollo 11 flight.

I waited many days for a reply, sometimes taking the mail directly from the hands of the postman. On May 6 (my 60^th birthday), I turned my computer on in the morning and did a casual glance through the emails. Lo and behold – there was one from Neil Armstrong! I was as excited as a small child on Christmas morning and could hardly wait to open it:

“Hello Bob –

The recovery, from my point of view, went extremely well. The command module had come to rest in the “stable 2” (inverted) position, so we had the experience of going through the procedure to bring it to an upright position. Clancy and his gang did an excellent job of securing the CM, getting us safely out of the spacecraft, completing all the procedures for safeguarding earth from lunar pathogens, and getting us into the basket to be lifted up to the recovery helicopter. The helicopter gave us an excellent ride and smooth landing on the Hornet. And the welcome by the Hornet and its crew, and the welcome by President Nixon, was memorable. We were convinced it had been a perfect recovery.

As a matter of fact, I didn’t remember that the return to Pearl was 2 and 1/2 days. Dr. Carpentier took good care of us, the food and drink was excellent (compared to our rations during the flight) and we had a great deal of work to do (getting our thoughts recorded as preparation for all the post-flight debriefings for which we were obligated).

The quarantine (in Houston) was a necessary nuisance but valuable for providing an atmosphere conducive to completing all our post-flight paperwork and interaction with later Apollo flight crews, systems specialists, flight controllers, etc. The quarantine process, while a nuisance, provided us the opportunity to do the work that needed to be done. In view of the intense public interest in the flight, that would have been very difficult without the quarantine requirement. And the quarantine was a constant reminder that Apollo 11 had been a success in reaching the national goal of landing men on the surface of the moon and returning them safely to earth.

All the best, Neil”

From that day on, Neil generously gave his time in helping me understand the flight and recovery issues of Apollo 11. He shared a significant amount of personal information, only asking that I respect his privacy and not give out his personal contact information. He even volunteered to write the foreword for the book, but pressing issues about new Orion spacecraft caused him to just write a cover blurb.

The highlight of my museum career came a year later, shortly before we launched the new book (with fellow moonwalker Buzz Aldin aboard the Hornet Museum) when I unexpectedly found this email in my inbox:

“Hi Bob – I returned to my office from some travel and found HORNET PLUS THREE awaiting. I must say, it is an exceptional job. And it fills a gaping hole in the Apollo history. Dick did a fine job on the foreword. Thanks for your tenacity and perseverance. Well done !! Neil”

Occasionally, our conversations would stray into other areas. This past May, the Hornet Museum was planning a major event to pay tribute to General Jimmy Doolittle and his Tokyo Raiders. I emailed Neil to see if he would like to make a contribution to our event guide. He immediately responded:

“Thanks, Bob – I had the great pleasure of knowing and working with General Doolittle. In addition to his many military achievements in war and peace, he was, in intellect, character, thoughtfulness and wisdom, also four star. He was, by any measure, a great American. My best, Neil”

After numerous emails and telephone conversations over the years, I finally met him in person at the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on Capitol Hill in November 2011. He was a humble and caring individual with a very sharp mind, a true “grass roots American” who sloughed off all the fame and celebrity that everyone wanted to heap on him. Even though he was surrounded by the rich and powerful in Washington, his face lit up when he saw the USS Hornet recovery team and stole away to have a private moment with us.

I am proud to say that Neil Armstrong remains one of my heroes. He will be held in high esteem throughout human history, not because he was a celebrity but because he was a great human being who dared to explore new horizons in the service of mankind.

Godspeed, Neil.

Fleet Week 2012

September 3, 2012 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

Early in October, during the waning days of summer, the windows of San Francisco’s skyscrapers will again rattle as the Navy’s Blue Angels roar into town for Fleet Week 2012, scheduled to run October 4 through October 8.

For thirty years, Fleet Week has celebrated the young men and women who gallantly serve in our Armed Forces. It has traditionally been the largest maritime and aviation event in northern California (although the America’s Cup race in 2013 may rival it).

It has been estimated that a million people are attracted to the Bay Area during this four day celebration. Regardless of the actual number, this event generates a lot of patriotic pride and rings the cash registers for a large number of businesses throughout our communities. There are numerous festivities associated with Fleet Week but the most popular is the air show over the bay and the parade of ships along the City waterfront.

This year’s event kicks off on Thursday afternoon when the six powerful F/A-18 Hornet jets of the Blue Angels conduct a one hour reconnaissance and practice flight over the bay. On Friday, other planes involved in the weekend air show also rehearse, along with the Blue Angels. The air show itself, featuring heart-stopping, high-speed encounters between planes, takes place over the bay for safety reasons.

Saturday typically has the busiest schedule. To comfortably follow the day’s action, visitors should arrive early to stake out a great viewing spot, wear a warm fleece and bring a good pair of binoculars. In the late morning, thousands of spectators normally line the northern City waterfront around the Marina Green to watch the parade of ships. The exact number and names of the ships has not been revealed yet, but they will be led by vessels from the U.S. Navy’s Third fleet, based in San Diego. Later that day, the ships open for public tours at their berths, usually from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

That afternoon, at 12:30 p.m., the initial air show will be presented, with interesting aircraft flown by the Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force and many others. Last year, the Marine Corps V-22 Osprey put on a particularly awe-inspiring demonstration of its vertical hover capability. But the ambient noise and crowd excitement level escalates severely at 3 p.m. when the Blue Angel jets make their appearance after taking off from San Francisco International Airport. For an hour, using various formations, the aircraft scream across the bay, making several high speed passes directly in front of the spectator stands (and over a myriad of private and commercial boats cruising the bay). Like a NASCAR fan, if you like the adrenalin rush that comes from the noise and speed of high performance vehicles, and dare-devil maneuvers, this is a dream come true.

On Sunday, the aircraft perform their final flight appearance, a repeat of the Saturday schedule. The naval ships remain open for free tours along the waterfront. Air shows and practice flights may be changed or canceled if the weather turns bad, such as one of last year’s Blue Angel demonstrations that was overcome by our fabled fog, creeping in through the Golden Gate in a not-so-subtle manner (did I mentioned you should bring a fleece jacket)?

The Sunday air show also competes for attention with the 144th annual Italian Heritage Day parade (aka Columbus Day Parade). This is the City’s oldest civic event and the nation’s oldest Italian-American community celebration, as the floats and bands wind their way from Fisherman’s Wharf to North Beach.

Of note, this year the Commander of the Third Fleet has requested that Fleet Week also reach out to East Bay Area communities. Other exhibits and events will include:

October 5-7 from 9 AM – 5 PM: The Marine Corps (13th Marine Expeditionary Unit) will display equipment and weapons exhibits at Alameda Point adjacent to the USS Hornet Museum located at Pier 3, Alameda, CA.
October 5 – noon: A “Salute to East Bay Veterans” Navy Band Concert near the Oakland City Hall.

All things considered, the first weekend in October promises to provide serious excitement and entertainment for the citizens of the SF Bay Area courtesy of the US Navy and US Marine Corps.

Editor’s Note: Bob Fish, a Trustee of the USS Hornet Museum and frequent contributor to ALIVE Magazine, attended the University of Virginia on a Naval ROTC scholarship and served his active military duty in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. So, he is “somewhat” passionate about the Fleet Week events!

A Whale Tale

July 7, 2012 by Bob Fish Leave a Comment

Karma – A small word with a huge impact on our lives.

All my adult life, I have felt an attachment to those majestic creatures of the sea called whales. To me, they seem more “civilized” than a few people I’ve met! Not the least of which is the patience they’ve shown towards humans over the course of written history. During the whale days of yore, it’s amazing that more of them didn’t rush headlong and crash into the chase boats to disrupt the sailors who were sharpening their harpoons and preparing to slaughter numerous fellow whales.

My English ancestors, three brothers from Northumberland, landed in Massachusetts in 1630, just ten years after the initial group of Pilgrims scrambled onto Plymouth Rock. Over the next few decades, my branch of the family tree migrated to Connecticut and settled in towns along the north shore of Long Island Sound. One of these villages, called Fishtown, was located on the west side of the famous Mystic River. It was renamed Noank in 1840 for reasons I don’t know, although their cemetery is still called Fishtown Cemetery and it contains many of my ancestors. Just across the river was another village of seafarers called Mystic Seaport, which now houses one of the best maritime museums in the United States. For many centuries, people along the seacoast of New England made their living from the ocean – whether fishing, commerce trading or whaling. Many of my forefathers were whalers, which is where the karmic part comes in.

Whaling was an exceptionally dangerous business – both physically and economically. For those who chose this profession, injury and death were commonplace on the multi-month ocean voyages. Due to raging storms often encountered in whaling areas, many vessels and crews were lost at sea. Few individuals got rich and most of those were owners and agents, not the brave men who battled the elements in small boats.

So, why did they do it? Before the advent of gas and electric energy sources, oil from whale blubber was highly prized for house and street lighting as well as making high quality soap. Baleen was commonly used for fishing poles, buggy whips and women’s corset stays. Whales died by the hundreds each year to provide everyday conveniences for American life in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Much of my family’s history during this period involved interactions with whales.

Hence, for that reason, I have always wanted to meet a whale, eyeball-to-eyeball. My fascination (obsession?) has led me to many places in the world, from New Zealand to the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii to Mexico, and Maine to Alaska. Each time, my wife and I saw some interesting sights, but none really met the “bucket list” experience I was seeking.

Two years ago, a friend of my brother-in-law informed us about a scuba diving boat in the Caribbean that gave her an opportunity to swim with whales. Three small boat operators have permits that allow guests to get into the water and snorkel with humpback whales in the Silver Bank area of the Dominican Republic for three months every year. This is a small, shallow area with a unique formation of coral heads that provides protection from the pounding winter seas for mother whales and their calves. It is now a sanctuary where all North Atlantic humpback whales are protected from hunting. Less than 500 people can be accommodated each year since the dive boats only carry 16 to 20 guests per week-long trip. Though the waiting list was more than a year long, we signed up immediately with that same dive boat operator, Aggressor Fleet.

In mid-March of this year, we flew to the Dominican Republic and boarded our boat, the M/V Turks & Caicos Aggressor II, at Puerto Plata. We sailed in the evening and woke up the next morning as the boat was being moored to a buoy in the Silver Bank. We immediately saw several whales spouting at various distances around us. After breakfast, we boarded two small Zodiak chase boats and, armed with digital cameras instead of harpoons, we zoomed off to find some friendly whales.

Within an hour we found a mother and her calf resting on the bottom in 20 feet of water. Several of us, following a prescribed procedure, carefully entered the water and slowly approached their resting area. Within two minutes, the 15-foot calf nuzzled it’s mother as if to say “ma, can I go play with those silly-looking creatures” and swam up to greet us. For ten minutes, it did loops, swirls and head stands in front of us, hamming for the cameras. After completing each gymnastic move, it returned to mom as if to gain approval. Finally, the 40-foot long mother glided slowly up to our group and looked at each one of us from only an arm’s length away. Even though she was as big as a large truck, with powerful fins and a tail that could smash us into eternity in a second, she was as gentle and calm as any “wild creature” could ever be. After satisfying herself that we were no threat to her calf, she surfaced, breathed in new air, and returned to her resting position on the seafloor. The calf, of course, was now really excited to have his playmates “approved” by mom and its antics continued unabated for more than half an hour.

And there it was – just one hour in the water, and my lifelong bucket list desire had been fulfilled!

So it went for five more days. There were lots of whales spouting, spy-hopping, breaching, singing, and otherwise showing off for the other whales (as well as us humans) in their winter-time rest and recreation area. We even saw a few street brawls, as a few rowdy males vied to win the right to mate with a fertile female, slapping each other with pectoral fins or smashing one another with a tail smack to the head.

To those people who would say “well, I can see all this in an Imax theater,” let me say it’s not the same experience at all. For instance, we encountered a singing whale and swam with him for over an hour. When you are in the water with a loud sound source, it does not enter your “hearing” consciousness via the ears but via the entire body. In this case, the sound waves activated every cavity in our body so it feels like being inside a giant speaker – we became “one” with the whale’s song.

Even more so, I’m pretty sure that mother whale not only looked into my eyes but into my soul. When a 40-foot long, 45-ton creature swims towards you in the water, there’s a natural instinct to flee – fast! But I felt a great sense of calmness and peace that allowed me to stay where I was and let the whale swim right up to me and stop. I knew she meant no harm. It’s one of those experiences that defies explanation, but you know it when it happens! I wanted to apologize for the harm my ancestors had done to hers, but it’s very difficult to speak with a snorkel in one’s mouth. At the end of the encounter, however, I think she got the message anyway.

USS Iowa – Farewell Salute to “The Big Stick”

November 6, 2011 by Bob Fish 4 Comments

USS Iowa (BB-61) was the lead ship of a class of battleships built during World War II. The four ships of this class, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, were designed to operate as an integral component of a “fast carrier task force.” This meant their primary focus would be defending aircraft carriers against surface and aerial attacks, providing gunfire support for invasion forces storming a beachhead, and interdicting enemy supply and transportation systems along coastlines. While they were not designed to be “heavyweight brawlers,” they carried the armor and firepower needed to fight toe-to-toe with the capital warships of the Axis powers.

The 887-foot long ships could steam at high speed (33 knots) yet, having a 45,000 ton displacement, were protected by heavy armor. The main gun battery consisted of three turrets, each with three massive 16-inch guns, which could hurl crushing salvos of nine 2,700 pound projectiles at targets up to twenty-three miles away. During World War II, the Iowa class ships carried a massive array of 5-inch, 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns. As an unintended by-product of the Navy’s design considerations, these ships are not only the most powerful battleships ever built by the U.S., but are among the most elegant as well.

Iowa was the only ship of her class to serve in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans during the war. She was commissioned in February 1943, with Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox presiding over the ceremony. That fall, she carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Casablanca en route to a crucial meeting in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin. In support of this mission, a square bathtub was installed in the Captain’s quarters, as well as an elevator to shuttle the wheel-chair bound President between decks. Iowa is the only modern U.S. Navy battleship to carry a bathtub as part of its amenities!
When transferred to the Pacific Fleet in early 1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok atolls in advance of U.S. amphibious landings. Later, as part of Fast Carrier Task Force 58, she supported carrier strikes against the Marianas Islands, including Guam and Saipan. Iowa often operated with the USS Hornet (CV-12), blasting enemy dive bombers and kamikazes from the skies around the battle fleet.

At the beginning of 1945, she left the war zone and entered an overhaul period at Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. In March, she rejoined the naval forces off Okinawa and participated in the invasion of that strategic island. Several months later, Iowa served as the flagship for Admiral William “Bull” Halsey during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. She was briefly decommissioned after the war.

However, Iowa was recalled to active duty to serve in the Korean War. For seven months in 1952, she was involved in raids on North Korea, smashing transportation, storage and industrial targets along the coast line with armor piercing and high explosive projectiles from her 16-inch guns.

In early 1958, she was decommissioned and placed into the Navy’s mothball fleet in Philadelphia, where she stayed for many years. Iowa was modernized in 1983 as part of a major naval expansion program and upgraded with the most advanced weapons systems available. These included Harpoon long-range anti-ship missiles, Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, and Phalanx gatling guns for close-in anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense. Iowa was the first battleship to receive the RQ-2 Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle, which was useful for aerial reconnaissance and gunfire spotting. Her firepower was unmatched by any other ship in the world short of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. She operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy.

During a practice gunfire session with her main gun batteries in April 1989, a horrific explosion wrecked her #2 gun turret and killed 47 sailors. The reason for the explosion remains somewhat of a mystery today, and the turret was never repaired. Initially, the Navy investigation pointed towards a homosexual sailor who was having problems with his partner. However, subsequent evaluations demonstrated that the powder bags, manufactured during World War II, had become unstable and may have simply spontaneously exploded when rammed into the gun’s breech before firing.

Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990, and was initially struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1995. She was reinstated from 1999 to 2006 to comply with federal laws that required retention and maintenance of two Iowa-class battleships as possible gunfire support platforms for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Iowa was berthed in Newport, Rhode Island when, in 1999, Senator Boxer, Senator Feinstein and Representative Pelosi secured a three million dollar grant from Congress to transport her to the west coast. They envisioned having the famous capital warship become a major San Francisco waterfront museum attraction, boosting the city’s economic environment.

In March 2001, Oakland-based Crowley Marine Services used the powerful ocean going tug Sea Victory to tow her 6,500 miles via the Panama Canal. The canal transit alone took three full days, with only eight inches to spare on either side of the Iowa as she was maneuvered through the locks.

To the delight of thousands of onlookers, the sleek battleship arrived in Suisun Bay on April 21, the most unique ship to be part of the local mothball fleet in decades. Having her become part of the “ghost fleet” is analogous to having Madonna move into your neighborhood. What once was a fairly quiet, unobtrusive group of gray ships now became a major tourist attraction in its own right. Passengers (and drivers) inside cars, buses, boats and trains passing along the Suisun Bay area, craned their necks to get a look at her distinctive clipper bow sticking out upriver at the end of row “G.”

Little did the Navy, or the ship’s former crew, realize that new battles were looming on the horizon. In an astonishing mid-July 2005 decision, the SF Board of Supervisors voted against allowing the Iowa to be berthed in the city, citing their opposition to the war in Iraq and the military’s policies regarding homosexuals (i.e., “don’t ask, don’t tell”). This paved the way for other California communities to bid for the battleship – and reap the resulting financial rewards.

By March 2007, several competing groups formed to obtain the Iowa for their community. The Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square (HSMPS), the same group who attempted to place the Iowa in San Francisco, now advocated locating her at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo. Another group from Stockton led by Navy Captain Jim Dodge (who was instrumental in saving the USS Hornet) also submitted a proposal to the Navy. In October 2007, the Navy sent a letter to HSMPS stating that the Vallejo group was the only remaining viable candidate to acquire Iowa but their application would be further reviewed only after evidence of firm financing.
Unfortunately, our major nationwide recession soon took hold and the city of Vallejo wound up in serious financial difficulty. HSMPS was unable to raise enough money to persuade the Navy to make a final donation decision in their favor.

The magnificent battleship patiently waited in Suisun Bay, with her teak deck slowly rotting, as various organizations continued to spar over her fate. In September 2011, the Navy decided to donate Iowa to a non-profit group in Los Angeles called the Pacific Battleship Center. Late this year, the ship will be permanently moved to the Port of Los Angeles (berth 87 in San Pedro) to serve as a museum and memorial to battleships.

The USS Iowa has many historical connections to the SF Bay Area, including the Hunter’s Point Shipyard, FDR’s presidential yacht M/V Potomac and her WWII combat companion USS Hornet. One the surface, it would seem logical to keep her here as a museum. However, Iowa deserves to be cared for by people who understand the rich heritage of American battleships, and their role in protecting the democratic principles citizens of our country enjoy today. While the SF Bay Area has an impressive maritime legacy, much of its populace does not readily acknowledge nor embrace it. In the end, the Navy felt the Los Angeles area had a better chance of ensuring long term success of the museum.

Farewell Iowa, we enjoyed having you in our mothball fleet and we will miss you!

* * *

Commemorate Veteran’s Day on November 11 at the USS Hornet Museum. For more information, visit the museum website at www.uss-hornet.org or call (510) 521-8448, ext. 282.

Overview of the Suisun Bay “Mothball” Fleet

July 10, 2011 by Bob Fish 7 Comments

Travelers driving north across the Martinez Bridge are treated to an unusual sight upriver. A number of gray ships, moored abreast in several rows about a mile east of the bridge, patiently await their fate. These ships are commonly referred to by the public as the “mothball fleet.”

Immediately following the end of World War II, Congress voted to establish a National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) to serve as a reserve cadre of ships for national defense and national emergencies. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) maintains this fleet so it can provide surge sealift capability whenever required. MARAD is also responsible for disposing of reserve ships, and other non-combatant Government ships, as they become obsolete.

At its height in 1950, the NDRF (aka “mothball fleet” or “ghost fleet”) consisted of 2,277 ships kept at one of eight anchorages around the U.S. Over time, the NDRF has dwindled to just three anchorages: Fort Eustis, Virginia, Beaumont, Texas, and Suisun Bay in Benicia, California. As of March 31, 2011, there were only 183 vessels left, primarily dry cargo ships along with some tankers and military auxiliaries.

In 1976, an additional Ready Reserve Fleet component was established to provide rapid deployment of military equipment. The Ready Reserve Fleet comprises 48 vessels, some of which are kept with the “mothball” fleet. An additional 28 non-NDRF ships are held in storage for other government agencies. The Suisun Bay fleet contains all of these various categories of ships. For instance, the WWII battleship USS Iowa languishes in row “G” on a donation hold from the Navy until it becomes a museum in California.

Since 1950, NDRF vessels have supported emergency shipping operations during war and national emergencies. During the Korean War, 540 vessels were activated to support the military forces. During the Vietnam War, 172 vessels were activated to support military operations in southeast Asia. More than seventy-five percent of the RRF ships provided support to the U.S. effort’s in the Persian Gulf between August 1990 and April 1991.
In 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) used five RRF and four NDRF ships for relief operations in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The ships provided messing and berthing functions for refinery workers, oil spill response teams, and longshoremen, providing about 83,000 berthing nights and serving roughly 270,000 meals.

MARAD activated six vessels in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January of 2010. Three of the six vessels played a direct role in the relief efforts, with two providing logistical support from Port au Prince’s harbor. Another operated as a high speed freight and passenger shuttle between the continental U.S. and Port au Prince.

In addition to maintaining a fleet of active and inactive ships, MARAD is the government’s disposal agent for Federally-owned obsolete, merchant-type vessels, and naval auxiliaries that are equal to or greater than 1,500 gross tons. MARAD disposes of vessels through a variety of methods including domestic recycling and sinking for use as artificial reefs. Due to environmental concerns, the disposal process has been accelerated over the past two years. Of the 72 non-retention vessels currently in the NDRF, 60 are in the disposal process or are ready for disposal and 12 are being reviewed for their historical significance.
By 2017, only a few Ready Reserve Fleet ships will remain in the Suisun Bay fleet.

Suisun Bay Fleet – USS Hassayampa

Many of the ships in the Suisun Bay NDRF have made significant contributions to American history, often behind the scenes rather than in the headlines. July 2011 is the 42nd anniversary of the epic Apollo 11 flight to the moon. So it is fitting for this article to focus on a key contributor in the recovery of that first lunar landing flight.

In the early 1950’s, the U.S. Navy needed combat logistics ships fast enough to keep up with aircraft carrier task forces but with the cargo capacity to provision all the ships of that group. To accomplish this, the Navy created the Neosho class fleet oiler. Their mission was to transport bulk petroleum products, minor freight, mail and personnel from shore depots to these forces at-sea, and effect delivery to them while underway. The term for this latter operation is “underway replenishment” or “UNREP” for short. While logistics support is not considered a glorious mission, it is the cornerstone that allows combat forces afloat to maintain peak readiness and efficiency.

Navy fleet oilers are historically named after American Rivers bearing Indian names. The third Neosho-class ship built (of six total) was named USS Hassayampa (AO-145) after an interesting and historical river in Arizona. The river begins just south of Prescott, flows south through Wickenburg and empties into the Gila River. Except during the rainy winter season, the river bed is dry but the water keeps flowing via an underground channel.

Hassayampa was built in Camden, N.J. and launched in 1954. The vessel is 655 feet long, has a 38,000 ton displacement and can carry over 7.5 million gallons of petroleum products including naval special fuel oil (for ships), aviation gas (for helicopters and propeller aircraft) and jet fuel (for high performance jet aircraft). She was commissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Yard on April 19, 1955 with Senator Barry Goldwater proving the primary remarks at the ceremony.

Hassayampa served 23 years in the “regular” Navy with her home port in Pearl Harbor as part of the Pacific Fleet. From 1955 until 1964 she made many cruises to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. During the Tonkin Gulf crisis in August 1964, which jump started the Vietnam War, Hassayampa supported ships of the Navy’s Pacific and Seventh Fleets in that area. She was recognized for being involved with fourteen naval campaigns during the Vietnam War. In one astonishing two-week period in November 1966, Hassayampa refueled 67 ships!

In July 1969, she was a member of Task Force 130, the small group of ships assigned to recover the Apollo 11 spaceflight. On July 22, forty hours before splashdown, Hassayampa refueled the primary recovery ship USS Hornet in the designated landing area 1,200 miles southwest of Honolulu. The next day, a large storm system affected the area, forcing NASA to move the target site 240 miles northeast. Thanks to the refueling, Hornet was able to steam through the night at high speed and was in position when the Apollo spacecraft splashed down early the next morning. In November 1969, Hassayampa was at it again, refueling Hornet the day before Apollo 12 splashed down in the mid-Pacific.

In 1978, she was decommissioned from the Navy and transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) as the USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145). Based in Sasebo, Japan as the “duty oiler” in the Far East, it was not uncommon for the ship and its civilian crew to ride out a dozen typhoons every year. In addition to her national defense duties, she handled many special missions. These include the 1983 search and salvage mission associated with Korean Airlines Flight 007 that was shot down by the Russian military. In 1990 and 1991, she was a key member of the naval forces executing the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations in the Persian Gulf.

In October 1991, Hassayampa was placed out of service by MSC. Spanning her career with the Navy and MSC, she was the most decorated fleet oiler in U.S. history. In May 1999, title to the ship was transferred to MARAD who placed her into the NDRF in Suisun Bay. As ships are slowly withdrawn from that fleet now, only time will tell what the ultimate fate of the “Humpin’ Hass” will be. Her former crewmen are hopeful she will become an artificial reef rather than being cut up for scrap.

San Ramon Valley residents who are interested in the Apollo 11 recovery or in gaining further knowledge of fleet oilers or the mothball fleet, have a unique opportunity the weekend of July 23/24. On Saturday the 23rd, the Hornet Museum in Alameda will be commemorating the anniversary of the Apollo 11 recovery with special guests and activities. On Sunday the 24th, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco will hold one of its rare “Ghost Fleet” tours with a cruise to the NDRF in Suisun Bay. O’Brien’s Master Pat Moloney was the longest serving commander of the USNS Hassayampa and is willing to share his wealth of knowledge with anyone who asks

Connecting with History

April 12, 2011 by Bob Fish 1 Comment

In his 1998 best-selling book The Greatest Generation, journalist Tom Brokaw argues that men and women born between 1910 and 1925 were America’s greatest generation. As youngsters, they grew up having to endure the great depression, an economic time far worse than the recession we have just experienced.

Before these Americans had regained a reasonable level of employment and confidence in their society, World War II was thrust upon them. This global conflict was far worse than our low intensity actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Brokaw believed these men and women fought not for fame or recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. Their perseverance created the vibrant democracy and superpower that America is today.

This generation is now passing into the history books. Whether we learn from them about positive values such as respect for the rule of law, self-reliance tempered by good teamwork, and service to community and country is now up to us. The world has, of course, changed during the ensuing generations. Our most bitter enemies in World War II have now become some of our staunchest allies. While the geopolitical situation evolves over time, the noble sacrifices of this generation remain. They should be a beacon for us all. In 1961, one of those people said in his presidential inauguration speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” That’s what America is really all about.

One of the most famous “touchstone” groups from that generation was 80 U.S. Army Air Forces personnel involved in the legendary mission called the “Doolittle Raid.” This event occurred only 130 days after the calamitous attack on Pearl Harbor and our entry into World War II. The newspaper headlines catalyzed all Americans in one of their most desperate hours. The morale of the entire nation was lifted. An unconscious bond was forged among all citizens to support the war effort, in whatever capacity they could serve.

This group is now dwindling to a precise “handful” – only five members remain. This month, on April 18, they will commemorate the 69th anniversary of their flight into mythology with their annual reunion in Omaha, Nebraska. In February 1942, when they were first approached about volunteering for a “highly dangerous missions from which half would not return” these young men were in their early twenties. Many were married, some with kids. Few had planned to make a career in the military. The majority were “citizen soldiers.” But they all stepped forward, knowing their country needed them to “man up” at this moment and consider the greater good. The operational part of this mission began in San Francisco bay, so here is an insight into their story.

The Daring Tokyo Raid of 1942

On Thursday, April 2, 1942, San Franciscans awoke to a normal spring morning, with the night’s fog slowly dissipating over the bay. By 10 a.m., sunshine was breaking through in patches. As the visibility increased to 1,000 yards, strollers along the Embarcadero, dog walkers in the Marina, and drivers crossing the Golden Gate Bridge were treated to an unusual sight.

Eight U.S. Navy warships had weighed anchor that morning and were slowly working their way past Alcatraz Island, heading toward the Golden Gate. In the lead were four destroyers, followed by an aircraft carrier, which itself was trailed by two cruisers and a fleet oiler. The Pacific war effort was just getting ramped up so there was a general increase in military traffic of all sorts throughout the Bay Area. Most citizens would have watched this parade of ships with a mixture of general curiosity about where they were headed and apprehension for the safety of the crews. Those with a more discerning maritime eye would have been drawn to the strange sight of sixteen olive-drab U.S. Army Air Forces bombers scattered across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. By 11:30 a.m., the ships had faded into the mist beyond the Golden Gate, on their way into the American lore.

One particular naval officer, Captain Donald Duncan, silently watched the procession from the Embarcadero. As he turned to enter a staff car for the ride to San Francisco airport, he smiled ruefully to himself and thought “well, if all goes as planned, we’ll have some great news for President Franklin Roosevelt in a few weeks.”

The war in the Pacific was not going well. Immediately following the enormous destruction wrought by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States and its allies suffered additional setbacks. Both Guam and Wake Island had been seized and the Philippines had been invaded. The American public was both stunned and outraged at these defeats. They were frustrated at the apparent inability of the supposedly powerful U.S. military to stop a small island nation’s assault on our outposts in the Pacific. A common theme in newspaper editorials was “where is the Navy?”

Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt had secretly agreed with our European allies that the “arsenal of democracy” would commit the bulk of its initial military and industrial effort in fighting the Nazis to liberate Europe. FDR now faced a dilemma – without committing major resources in the Pacific, he had to respond to the Japanese attack, both to improve the morale of the American public and let the enemy know they would be sharply dealt with in due time. For many weeks after Pearl Harbor, FDR pressed his military leaders about organizing a bombing strike against Japan itself.

The Navy couldn’t do this alone – its small single engine bombers did not have the range to carry out a raid without the probable loss of the fleet that launched it. While the Army had bigger bombers with a longer range, they had no bases in the orient from which to launch them.

Finally, in early January of 1942, Navy Captain Francis Low had an inspiration – why not launch Army bombers from an aircraft carrier? He discussed this with his boss, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King. King asked his senior adviser for aviation operations, Captain Donald Duncan, to look into it further. He did several days of research, even asking Lieutenant Stephen Jurika, who had recently returned from duty with the American Embassy in Japan, to help identify high value targets.

After a finishing a 30-page feasibility study, Duncan presented his plan to the head of the Army Air Forces, General “Hap” Arnold. After approving the general concept, he selected Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle to head up “Special Aviation Project #1.”

Doolittle, who was born in Alameda, was a well known pioneer aviator of his era, often mentioned in the same context as Charles Lindbergh. Doolittle energetically threw himself into the project since the weather in mid-April provided the optimum timeframe. With full backing of “Hap” Arnold, Doolittle worked many miracles.

He agreed with Duncan’s assessment that the best medium range bomber for the job was the twin-engine B-25 Mitchell. The 17th Bombardment group selected twenty-four of these aircraft to be modified for this unique mission. Doolittle also handpicked the aircrews from this same outfit since they were familiar with the new bomber. All the men were volunteers and only knew that it was a very dangerous mission; they did not know what it entailed.

For the floating airbase, the Navy offered up its brand new aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet (CV-8), just finishing sea trials off the east coast and soon to relocate to the Pacific. Captain Marc Mitscher and his crew successfully test launched two B-25s from the Hornet off the coast of Virginia on February 2, proving the concept was valid.

The two project officers, Duncan and Doolittle, now set their respective operational wheels in motion. The bombers were modified with extra gas tanks to fly further than normal while the USAAF pilots and aircrew were trained in carrier-deck launches. They practiced these unusual take-off techniques at Eglin airfield in Florida, under the tutelage of Navy flight instructor Lieutenant Henry Miller. Most of the crews learned quickly and only two aircraft were damaged beyond field repair.

Meanwhile, the Hornet steamed through the Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean. It stopped in San Diego to embark its own air group, since it would be assigned combat duty shortly after finishing the Tokyo raid mission. After the Hornet had arrived in San Diego, the Army aircraft and crews flew across the country to McClellan airfield. Final engine and other maintenance checks were performed at the Sacramento Air Depot. At the same time, Hornet was ordered to travel up the coast, entering San Francisco Bay on March 31 and tying up at one of the piers on Alameda Naval Air Station.

Just before flying to Alameda, several of the Army crews managed to get in some practice take-offs at the small airfield at Willows, in the central valley. It was the final chance to make sure their short-field technique was good – the next time would be the real deal.

Finally, all the puzzle pieces came together. On March 31 and April 1, the remaining twenty-two B-25s arrived at Alameda Naval Air Station. The 16 aircraft that were in the best operating condition were craned aboard the Hornet and tied down to the flight deck. That evening, the Hornet relocated to berthing area #9 in San Francisco Bay, just south of Yerba Buena Island.

At 10:18 a.m. on April 2, the Hornet raised her anchor, dropped in line behind the escort ships in the task group and headed out to sea. Their final contact with the Bay Area occurred later that afternoon. Just beyond the Farallon Islands, the Navy anti-submarine warfare blimp L-8 hovered over her deck, lowered down two boxes of navigator’s domes for the B-25s, and then picked up the last mail call for the Doolittle Raiders.

During the ensuing two week journey, Hornet’s Intelligence Officer LT Jurika helped the pilots select the most effective military and industrial targets to maximize the impact of the raid. The bombers were launched on April 18 while the Hornet was 650 nautical miles east of Tokyo. In spite of overwhelming odds, the 80 airmen completed their mission. Fifteen of the bombers crashed after getting into Chinese airspace due to a shortage of fuel and one landed in Russia. Most of the B-25 crews that came down in China eventually made it to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and soldiers.

Three of the airmen died as a result of their aircraft running out of fuel and eight more were captured by the enemy. Of these, three were executed and a fourth died in captivity. The remaining airmen continued to fight for the U.S., both in the Indo-China and European theaters. Twelve of them were killed in other combat actions. Jimmy Doolittle was promoted to Brigadier General and awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt.

In the final analysis, this “first joint action” by the Navy and the Army significantly affected the course of the war, just as Duncan and Doolittle had planned. These 80 members of the greatest generation can rest easy knowing the final epitaph will read – “Mission Accomplished.”

Notes: Bob Fish is a Trustee of the USS Hornet Museum and author of the book Hornet Plus Three. The USS Hornet Museum will be commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Saturday, April 16.

Chasing Light with Passion

December 10, 2009 by Bob Fish

This was a year of adversity for most Americans. For many, it meant the end of an era, whether the loss of a home to foreclosure, or a long-held job, or just the ability to go on a real vacation. Adversity is like a psychological nor’easter—a great storm that blows into our lives without being invited. It also separates people according to their depth of character; some sink into the abyss of despair while others see it as an opportunity to begin a new chapter in their life. The profile on Susan Wood chronicles one of the latter.

What separates the masses of snap-shooters from those who create great photographs is the ability to think outside the box. In this case, the small green box located on the “mode” dial of any reasonably functional camera. Most of us know it as the “auto” mode, where we just point, shoot and hope we caught whatever it was that momentarily interested us. Other than framing the subject, there is little creativity here—just the programming injected into the camera functions by the manufacturer’s technicians.

Ducks taking off from pond on Grizzly Island

In many ways, this little green box can be a metaphor for the lives of many East Bay residents. We start careers, get married, and raise a family in the comfortable confines our local communities. For those who choose to be stay-at-home moms (or dads) there is the added structure of volunteering at our children’s school, coaching a sports team or just helping out with community events. For most of her life, Susan Wood was just such a person with her family being the centerpiece of her life. She has a “giving” personality, and was always volunteering for one thing or another as her children grew up.

As expected, her two children graduated from high school and moved away to college. Unexpectedly, marital difficulties ensued shortly afterward. She suddenly found herself alone, facing a totally unfamiliar world. Life, as she knew it, was swept away almost overnight. Susan says, “I was always taking care of someone else and hadn’t even considered what I would do after becoming an emptynester.” To make matters worse, she had to quickly find a way to support herself financially.

Susan grew up admiring creative people and had been an amateur photographer for many years, shooting school activities, sports events and family travel adventures. She had a knack for capturing fascinating subjects at just the right moment and gained a lot of satisfaction from getting a great shot. Susan decided to center her new “life” around being a professional photographer. This was a long-held interest which brought a measure of continuity to her world that had changed so dramatically.

“My camera skills gradually improved while my kids were in school but once I turned professional, I energetically threw myself into becoming a great photographer,” Susan recalls. “It required a lot of patience, persistence and hard work, but my self-confidence grew dramatically and resulted in higher quality photos.” There were endless hours of on-the-job training as Susan shot a variety of subjects and then painstakingly critiqued the results. In only a few years, she has become an accomplished local shooter with a broad range of interests, including wildlife, aviation, public events, corporate functions, weddings and family portraits.

Susan realized that great photographers spend all their time operating outside that green “auto” box. Creativity and flexibility are the keys to success in the photo kingdom in addition to planning ahead and maximizing the odds of capturing just the “right” image. Like all artists, photographers see more than just the subject in front of them. They envision how to capture the essence of that subject from the best aspect. At the time of shooting a picture, lots of technical details must be closely managed—focusing properly, getting the best lighting, framing the subject, etc. But that’s still only part of what makes a photographer like Wood special.

“I love what I do,” Susan says. “For me, photography is as much a journey of self discovery as it is of building a successful career. I learn something new every day plus I meet wonderful people while doing it. I explore interesting new places and things all the time. As if it can’t get any better, I get to share unforgettable moments in time with others through my photos. It’s like having Christmas all year.”

Along the way, Wood had a few epiphanies that greatly improved her photographic skills. In the wildlife arena, she had often taken pictures of ducks in local ponds—floating, standing, and even flying away. Fortunately, she received some timely mentoring from Rich Radigonda, an award winning waterfowl artist.

Armed with new insight, she ventured into the expansive delta marshland. Dressed in camouflage gear, and hanging around with a group of hunters, she learned techniques for getting close to wild ducks. She now captures much more dramatic shots of a variety of waterfowl, whether taking off, in flight or landing on the water.

Susan explains, “Rich made me realize that I had to change my perspective. I needed to visualize my final photo not as I would see it mounted on a wall, but as my customers would see it. Spending quality time with seasoned duck hunters allowed me to learn a lot more about what elements made a waterfowl picture special to them. As a result, I’ve captured some wonderful moments and learned a valuable lesson that has improved my entire approach to taking photos.”

When working with people, Susan’s passion is interacting with her subjects rather than handling the follow-up photo processing in a computer. She spends a lot of time getting to know the people who hire her and understanding what feelings or activities they are trying to capture. A growing number of photographers choose to shoot a reasonably good photo and then heavily post-process it with computer-based tools. Susan prefers to be more flexible. She adapts the photo shoot activity to the existing environmental conditions so only minor tweaks might be needed afterward.

In the studio and portraiture arena, Wood uncovered an essential secret to success. The majority of subjects who came to her studio were either in a hurry because of a full day’s schedule or nervous because they felt they were not very photogenic. Establishing a positive relationship with the subject is critical in order to capture the essence of their personality. “Studio work is an interactive process,” Susan relates. “I have to gain the subject’s trust in order to get them to relax. In a family setting, it’s also important to “see” the children though the eyes of their parents. My goal is to make great memories during the photo shoot, not just have a family picture at the end.”

Joe Ovick, the Superintendent of Schools for Contra Costa County, appreciates this approach. “Susan has the unique ability to capture the energy and spirit of her subjects,” Joe recalls. “This is aptly demonstrated in her portraits of my grandson Rory, where you can see his real personality shining through. My family has had the pleasure of having Susan take both individual and group portraits.”

Wood’s approach to weddings is similar; she starts by learning all she can about the clients and their expectations. Susan is particularly fond of shooting destination weddings, where members of the wedding party and guests travel some distance to the site. Since most of the individuals are away from home, they tend to be a little more adventurous. Susan describes a recent wedding event in San Francisco. “The bride really wanted some photos that involved Irish coffee served at the Buena Vista café while the groom was very interested in getting shots involving the cable cars. Because of the great weather, both were attracted to the beach nearby. So we adapted to the situation and worked it all in. Everyone had a great time while we were shooting these photos and it shows in the end product.”

Amy and Jesse Lanzon, the bride and groom, definitely agree. “Susan exceeded our highest expectations. Her attention to detail, high energy and dedication to her clients make her service unique and exceptional. We have the most wonderful memories of our wedding day.”

Because of her basic personality, Wood is very interested in capturing human interactions when she spends time at events such as town festivals, corporate parties or museum celebrations. She’s always watching people, looking for that special shot. She was inspired by her daughters Jessica and Laura as they grew up so she has a special affinity for kids. Wood relates, “I get an amazing sense of satisfaction in capturing a photo that shows a genuine depth of feeling between two humans. I’m very proud of several taken at the Hornet Museum this summer when Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, took time out of his hectic day to chat with some young children.”

Acclaimed local plein air painter and teacher Sylvie Carr notes, “Susan pursues all her subjects with passion and expertise. Her work reflects an artistic eye, clear vision and contagious enthusiasm. I have confidence in the quality of her work, which is why I recommend her.Susan is a photographer without boundaries!”

Wood, a member of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, is also devoted to improving communities in the East Bay, not just working for corporations and businesses. Some of the non-profit organizations she works with include: California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, Wardrobe for Opportunity, and the USS Hornet Museum. She is currently working on an assignment for the CALSTAR air ambulance service.

Just three years into her new career, Susan already considers herself a success largely because she places a different value on the term than most people. She doesn’t measure success in terms of cash flow or profitability, but in terms of personal growth, daily satisfaction (aka “smileage”) and expanded personal relationships. Most of her clients end up being friends and advocates, the best measure of success ever invented.

It’s abundantly clear that she not only lives, but thrives, outside of the green box.

In addition to selling large photographs suitable for framing and display on a living room wall, she has also created an excellent line of photo cards. Susan Wood can be contacted at 925-939-7060 or via her online photo gallery at www.susanwoodphotography.com.