San Francisco Maritime Museum, SS Jeremiah O'Brien, USS Pampanito and USS Hornet.

Hi ;

   I want to thank you for your kind comments .There were many times we thought that it wouldn't work out .We had the typical growing pains of any Maritime Museum . But , many of us , being retired Navy , had that can-do spirit !

   Would you believe that some of us were considering getting a Guillows F-6-F model and using the instructions to build a one to one scale model ? We needed those wingy thingys and they weren't coming readily .

   Gathering the displays and getting support being the greatest hurdle . It got done though and I am greatly thankful for the time I got to spend educating the school children about her . My time as an early Docent was a pleasure indeed .

       Plus , she brought forth many good memories of my time in the Navy and I  found myself wishing I had been on a Carrier instead of a Destroyer !

      My ship and her Des-Ron operated for the most part with the Midway . Interesting and memorable times .        T.B.         P.S.    The best part was all the thank you's I got from the teachers and students in the form of personal thank you's and drawings of they way they interpreted their visit ! They did love our Hornet ! I still do !

wow, I saw this too late, I would have asked for photos of Ready Room 7, which is open to the public and set up about the F-8 Crusader.  Sure looks nicer than the old Lexington in TX....

I visited the Hornet a few years ago and by far, I think the Hornet is the best ship to visit out of all the carrier museums.  They kept it original and feeling real. Being next to the Military Sealift Command, makes it feel she it ready to go back to sea and had the urge to request permission to come aboard.  After looking at the condition the Hornet was in when they got her, the group that put her into being a museum did a great job with what they had to work with.

Oh yeah. They're taking good care of her. We went to the Fire rooms and Engine rooms, withe a guy who was on her in the 60's, fascinating. There was also a troop of sea cadets that were spending the night that night. The only aircraft I didn't take was the F-4. It was not in good shape at all.

Thank You -Sir :

  Being as how I was in the original group of Docents on the Hornet It's good to see the old girl having so many birds on board . I remember it was a chore just to get anyone to acknowledge we needed these planes . At the time More money was being thrown the way of the Intrepid . She looks good !

GM,

Yeah, it was somewhat windy and drizzly.  We use to live in Sonoma county 10 years ago, and remember that being rare for summer weather.

Went there last September,had a great time.Also visited the USS Olympia in May.

Sorry the weather was cruddy.

I'm so glad you got over there. I have a parish member friend who volunteers there. He served on her in Viet Nam and recreated the hospital areas. He's an MD retired.

OK here is some pics I got off the USS Hornet CVS 12.
 

Some of the aircraft.

Hanger deck.

Torpedo storage.

Hope you enjoyed my tours.

Steve

Steve,

The pictures are very helpful - thanks very much!

MIke

OK, here's what I got after a day at the museum, the O'Brien and sub. The museum had all the upstairs exhibits packed up due to remodeling, so the exhibits were kinda sparse. I didn't board the Balclutha and just took  pictures from to pier.

Now I have a ton of interior pictures of the Pampanito but I'll just post the exterior.

The O'Brien, again I have probably 50 interior shots, but I'll limit them to the outside, for the most part. Mike I did ,obviously, go today, however I did get some gun tub pics. I hope they are what you needed. This was a most interesting exhibit. Apparently it is a working ship that goes out every few weeks for a short tour and ride, and has a crew living onboard. The operational engine room was amazing. The sheer size on the space and piston connecting rods were incredible. The forward holds had some interesting exhibits in itself. Well here it is.

And in the hold.

If any one want's interior pictures, let me know. I can email them to you.

Tomorrow, I will be visiting the Hornet as per GM's suggestion. I had no idea she was in the area.
More tomorrow.

Steve 

Modelcrazy, I'm not sure if you were going today (7/8) or tomorrow (7/9). However, if you have a chance to photograph the guns/tubs both forward and aft of the Jeremiah O'Brian I'd love to see some detail.

Mike

I didn't know that. A number of years back the Museum was emptied and remodeled. Seismic upgrade, etc.At that time all of the stuff that could be moved, was, to Fort Mason. I had the chance to go over there and go through the photographs on hand of the Charles W. Morgan during the years she was in San Francisco.

They've moved back, I owe myself a trip. Modelcrazy, unfortunately I'm tied down today, but I look forward to your report.

At the SF Maritime Museum itself, don't miss the Donald McNarry model of the U.S.S. Oregon. It's a tiny little thing, but if you're into ship models, you may find yourself staring at it for half an hour.

Caveat: it was on exhibit there the last time I was in San Francisco - and that, come to think of it, was thirty years ago. I feel old....

Hey have  a great time! Be sure and go on Hyde Street Pier.

If you have the time go over to Oakland and visit the Hornet.