And I won't be there this year...sob..sob.
Looks like it's going to be pretty big this year, and I wouldn't mind being there, but we have relatives coming (again) this weekend.
Read all about it here at the L.A. Fleet Week website.
On a side note, it's just amazing how far the Battleship Iowa Museum has come since she came to San Pedro in 2012. New exhibits are opening, and more of the ship is becoming accessible to the public. You can *finally* get a tour of some of the Engineering Spaces down on Broadway, like Engine Room #2, and Fire Room #4. If you'd like to see the Transmitter Room on Broadway, just contact the nice folks at BIARA, and a tour of that area and the Radio Room ("FACCON1") can be arranged. ALL of the 24" fluorescent tubes on board have been replaced with LED lighting, giving the working spaces greatly improved lighting, reducing the electric bill, and have much better reliability than the old old tube/starter fixture they used to have. I donated 4 cases of 24" tubes to the ship over the years, along with a case of starters, so going LED will eliminate that.
If you're ever in the L.A. Harbor area, by all means take the time to see the Iowa. It'll give you a whole new understanding of the phrase "Built Like A BATTLESHIP".
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<i>The Fisher Saga</i> Continues - Act III -
Been working on this post since right after Thanksgiving. I'm making very good progress on the Fisher, and will most likely power it up...
Sept. 1st is Saturday.
ReplyDeleteMight want to adjust the title.
Just saying.
Since it's now a bit of a drive for you, I'll have to go out to the Iowa for you. +1 on the tour; the last visit would have been a bargain at twice the price. I definitely did my part to keep things going via the gift shop on the way out.
D'OH!
DeleteCorrected, thanks.
I have discount tickets, aka "BOGO" (buy-one-get-one) tickets. Drop me a line if you'd like some, and I'll send you some.
The Philadelphia Shipyard drydocked the Wisconsin as part of her reactivation, and I went on the post overhaul sea trials.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many great pleasures in my life is casually mentioning, "When I was at sea on the battleship Wisconsin."
Spent lots of time on the Iowa, and visited the Mighty Mo in Pearl.
DeleteHaven't seen the Jersey or the "Wis-Ky" yet!
Fond memories of Fleet Week in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteOnly Fleet Week I've been to has been in San Pedro. Started as "Navy Days", and then since SoCal has a Battleship, a big harbor, and lots of other attractions, TPTB decided to just make it Fleet Week.
DeleteShould have said "Seafair".
DeleteMid 70s my family visited me in Norfolk Va for 'family day' and enjoyed a day ride on CVA59. They never forgot it.
ReplyDeleteHaven't been to Norfolk, but two places there I'd love to see are the Wisconsin, and the Fantom Works shop.
DeleteGiving away my age, I've sailed in a battle group with the Iowa. Man, I'm old.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service. She's a fine ship and I'm honored I was allowed to volunteer on her for six years.
DeleteOne of my ships is a museum in San Diego, the Midway. Thank you for your support.
DeleteBeen on the Midway several times, and know their Radio Guys. They came aboard when we were just getting started installing the Amateur Radio station, and explained to us how to repurpose certain cables to route signals the way we needed. Great bunch of guys, and they brought all kinds of cable and connectors, and helped us do the work.
Delete