Toys - Into very Nice Models.

TB,

  Go with a model of the Glomar Explorer.  There is a rumor of a movie being made on the raising of K-129.   If you need some info on the ship I may have some good contacts for you too.

 Next....   I know you have a Hosting site for your photo's.   Try posting again. Any picture fine.

 Yo!, How'ya doin' odderwize?

I will CC you on a few emails that might be of interest.

         Jim.

Doc, I've been to Texas... "All the girls are blonds, everybody drives 80 miles and hour and there's no tree over 40 feet tall".  ( Quoted to me back in '96 by a bartender)

 P.S.  Which is the best email:  gmail or satx ?

And the womens hair is wider than their hips.

Those texaco tankers are a pain. Good luck. The lettering on the hull is raised and hard to get rid of.

Speaking of the Glomar Explorer- a short story. (Yeah right Morrison, your stories are never short.)

I had a client who owned a ship repair business. He had bought the barge that was part of the whole operation. It was a floating submersible drydock with a retractable roof. The giant grappling claw was constructed inside, out of sight of Soviet satellites.

The barge was towed to Santa Catalina Island and sunk. Then the roof was opened and the ship lifted it into the well.

My client uses it as one of his repair docks, mostly tugboats and ferries.

When he bought the barge, it contained the Sea Shadow, which he was obliged to scrap.

Bill,

  Should you ever message or post-with Tom Dougherty over on Subcommitee or ModelWarships, you and he and a friend of his may want to discuss Claws.

   Jim.

Hey;

 Have you ever heard of the Carquinez Strait? That's where the Moth-Ball ships are .Or were. The Glomar was my favorite fishing Buddy.The Big Sturgeon hung around under her.

 I can tell you this much.They didn't mind at all coming to the side. M-14 at the ready and telling you to move off!! They sure didn't want to talk fishing!

 My best E-mail is gjgeracci846@gmail.com - I am doing okay except I had to Pawn my camera and the new one didn't have an instruction sheet. Cannot figure out how to make it work.

Sure I know the Straits well. Mare Island, Crockett, Port Costa. Martinez.

The TS Golden Bear is there too.

Most of the Mothball Fleet has been towed off to the breaker in Brownsville.

The older of the two I-80 bridges was replaced and demolished about 10 years ago. The new span is named the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge after a guy who was an iron worker on all of the major bridges in the Bay Area.

The old SP Harriman era railroad bridge is still used, although there is a new road bridge for I-680 right next to it.

Hey " G " 

    When you go there ,is there a place called the Nantucket Restaurant? It's right next to Crockett Marine Service, if it's still there. The Boats for Oil Spills used to hang out there. Right bayward from Spreckles Sugar landing ,on the other side of the Bridge. What is the Large Structure to the Inland side of the Bridge going toward Antioch?

 The " Golden Bear " Maritime Academy was almost right across from us. I used to look at her when I took a break at the end of the pier. Worked on some old wood there at Crockett. The V.A. facility in Martinez( Fairly Close) was where I did my Volunteer Modeling Classes. All were welcome ( even Cars? LOL! ). 

      Driving from Bethel Island / Antioch every Morning was a pain. But Darned Well Worth It. I loved helping those healing Servicemen and Women. I consider myself a Bethel Islander although the Postal Address was Sandmound Boulevard,Antioch

I forgot to say, I think building a model of the GE is a capital idea. Drawings of drilling ships shouldn't be hard to find.

Those Bethel Islanders are a bunch of pirates. Island of the lost wedding ring...

I was hoping you knew old Al there, about your age, born 1907...He was the founding member of the Halfway to Hell Club, workers who fell off the GGB during construction and lived to tell about it. Of course there was a net under the bridge, but it wouldn't be the greatest 10 seconds of your life. The old estimators used to figure a man per million in construction costs. The GGB cost $ 36 M and 11 men died building it, which was some sort of accomplishment.

That white shed is a part of the big C and H plant there.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/view-crockett-ca-p-track-sugar-plant-1811106499

Hi " G "

     I may have met Him.There was a much older gent that came to the Nantucket for dinner. The owner of the Nantucket was my employer at the time. He also Owned Crockett Marine Service.he ,his Wife and I were members of Driftwood Yacht Club and the San Joaquin Yacht Club by the Bridge in Bethel Island. It was an old Delta passenger Boat.

   I lived in and also Managed the Marina known as Carol"s Harbor. Carol's was located at 4850 Sandmound Blvd. My house-boat was a River Queen, Twin Engined forty W.O. Flybridge. I didn't like them. I did have Furuno long range Radar and A Collingsworth Marine Band Radio. I got ocean Cert. and Documented so I didn't have to deal with Cal.C Numbers. I Had a 14WhiteHall for a lifeboat. Beautiful and easy to row.

  I worked closely with Vessel Assist and the Game Warden in our area. I would crew on Ken Carvers team for work on wood boats in Crockett if he needed help. I was devastated when the Hobby Depot in Antioch shut down. I used to do a lot of buying and building for Joan at was then "Just Trains" in Concord. It used to be "Rara Avis"

     I also did some Models for Both Clean Seas and Clean Bay .I believe it's now based ( Main Office) in Ventura ,Ca. 

Tanker - Builder

Hey " G " 

    When you go there ,is there a place called the Nantucket Restaurant? It's right next to Crockett Marine Service, if it's still there.

Remember Spenger's in Berkeley. It's closed too, although the bow of Gene's brother's BB the Indiana that was used as their lot attendant shack, is still there.

Nothing like a burger in a red plastic basket, sound track provided by gulls. That's living.

Hi;

     Well,I certainly am sad to hear that.The Carver' children were never really into the Restaurants or the Boatyard. They Grew up helping run the marina. They did, when I left, have one on the Island called Nantucket Too. I don't know if it's still going either.

 Spengers is gone? Sad, that's for sure. Stop by the Hornet and say Hi fer me. I docented on her early on in her Museum life .We didn't even have planes on deck yet !

    I really Miss the Sturgeon and Bass fishing Up there. Hot working day? Well, at Carol's on break. Jump in the water,it's fine !