Teacher Aboard

To kids back East, life in San Diego would seem like a place of endless summer. Known for its near perfect weather, the year round, pleasantly warm sunny days and long stretches of sandy beaches make you wonder how anyone goes indoors to face the world of work or school. Surfing, volleyball, sunning, building sand castles, and swimming lure (attract) residents and tourist to enjoy miles of spectacular coastline. The blue water cresting at hillsides along the coast only serves to confirm that the natural beauty of this harbor is truly stunning. It only required a glance at the harbor for the crew to want to go ashore to explore the area.

THE TALL SHIP THE STAR OF INDIA

Whenever they approach a new harbor, the crew is always excited when they see the mast of another tall ship moored (anchored) inside. There is always the possibility of meeting former mates, as crew members circulate among tall ships around the country. At the very least, there is usually the opportunity to tour the other ship and swap sailing stories. As it turned out , the tall rig which graced the harbor belonged to Star of India, a three masted barque (ship) which is part of the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Since 1863 when Star of India was launched, she has had a long and colorful career. Over the years, she has suffered a collision, experienced a mutiny (crew rebels), encountered a cyclone (hurricane) as she rounded the Cape of Good Hope, become entrapped in the ice of the Bering Sea, and run onto the reefs in Hawaii. Her glory, however, rests in the countless number of emigrants (new settlers) she delivered to their new homes, and in her ability to carry 1,000 tons of cargo 100 miles a day over thousands of miles of ocean. Today she still occasionally stretches her legs as she sails out of San Diego harbor to delight crowds of spectators in boats and on shore.

The sight of a tall ship, such as Star of India or Pride of Baltimore II, is well described in the words of Ray Ashley, Executive Director of the San Diego Maritime Museum:

A sailing ship stands for the real efficiency of spirit and character. She stands for things the world cannot afford to lose. There were days when the supreme beauty of the craft (ship) was a reflection of the life they supported - a life brave and clean, and full of satisfaction - a life as a labor of love. When we admire a sailing ship and feel a vague (distant) regret at her passing, it is not altogether the longing for romance and adventure, but that a measure of grace has left us with the ships that have sunk beneath the horizon. Except that it has not quite disappeared - and that is something to celebrate, something to watch, and something to be thankful for.

The Maritime Museum is a very interesting place to visit and is also the home of several other historic vessels, such as the steam ferry Berkeley.

World War II had a major impact on San Diego. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii (I wrote about that in my Feb 22 log from Honolulu), the United States was forced to relocate the command of its naval forces to San Diego. San Diego is now home to the west coast's largest air station. As Pride II sailed into the harbor, Coronado Island, which is home to the U.S. Naval Fleet and Submarine Base, passed by to starboard. The Naval Air Station is home to several aircraft carriers. Each one is equal to the length of three and a half football fields (1,100 feet)!

It was my good fortune to meet with Vince Courtney, who has been a naval air crewman and a flight deck troubleshooter on aircraft carriers. He told me that these ships carry between 85 and 100 planes. The wings fold up so the planes can be closely parked on the flight deck. Some of the planes are lowered by elevators to the hanger deck below.

In order take off on the short length of the ship, the planes are attached to a steam powered catapult (like a sling shot) which helps to launch them off the deck. To land, the plane snags an arresting hook which stops the plane as it touches down. Imagine attempting to land or take off in the dark from the deck of ship which is rolling and pitching with the ocean waves! This definitely requires Top Gun level skills. It is easy to understand why only one percent of the qualified people who apply ever become carrier fighter pilots. Despite its large size, Vince assured me that you can feel the effects of the ocean. Once, while in the north Atlantic, he saw waves break over the bow (front) of the 100 foot high flight deck!

A few more fun facts - the ship has a crew of 5,000 men and women, its own telephone system of 2,000 phones, a closed circuit TV station, and is escorted by a Carrier Task Force made of ships such as submarines, destroyers, and frigates. All this naval personnel and base support play a large role in the economy of the city of San Diego. The San Diego Aerospace Museum documents some the outstanding achievements of human flight. Thanks, Vince, for the "virtual tour!"

San Diego had its own special welcoming committee staked out where they could watch the activity in the harbor. These curious creatures are seals and sea lions who seemed not to be bothered by the bustle of marine and aircraft traffic as they sun themselves on navigation makers.

I wondered what they thought of our own addition to the marine world, particularly Captain Parrott as he dove to take a look at the bottom of Pride II.

For you real nature lovers, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park is not to be missed! Our cook, Tina Koch made a gallant effort to find the time of take a tour of this world famous zoological park which cares for more than 4,000 rare and exotic (unusual) animals of 800 different species. Giant tortoises (turtles) 18 inches tall and graceful giraffes are part of the dazzling display of fascinating creatures that inhabit (live on) our planet and are here for your enjoyment.

If you prefer the marine world, check out San Diego's Sea World you can watch a trainer raised high out the water on the nose of a killer whale.

Or visit the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography where the coastal setting allows visitors to explore natural tidal pools and kelp (seaweed) beds of the Pacific Ocean. Farther offshore from mid-December through March, spectators can watch the California Gray Whale migrate past San Diego as they journey south from Alaska to spend the winter in the warmer waters off Mexico. For you animal lovers, San Diego offers a little bit of everything!

Continue with the second part of the October 9, 1998 log.

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