Farragut’s Press NEWSLETTER OF THE MARE ISLAND HISTORIC PARK FOUNDATION MUSEUM
A 501(c) (3) Charitable Organization
June, 2011
whetted when he asked to play St. Peter’s organ after the Christmas concert. Noting that some repairs needed to be made; which he was assured would be done, Dr. Deaconoff enthusiastically agreed to perform for MIHPF. Dr. Deaconoff has chosen a program which will include a variety of music to please listeners, including Bach, 19th Century Romantic Music and some modern popular melodies adapted for organ. Tickets may be purchased at the museum or by calling (707) 557-4646. Tickets purchased over the phone will be available for you at the chapel the day of the concert. Each ticket is $15.00 and all proceeds will benefit MIHPF.
St. Peter’s Chapel Organ Concert Colorful splashes of blue, green and rose light dances around the walls and floor as the sun beams through the Tiffany stained glass windows; the rumbling of the low notes of the pipe organ accompanied by the lilt of the melody surrounds your ears - heaven , or as close to it as you may get on a lazy Sunday afternoon in July.. This is an opportunity which you can experience when Mare Island Historical Park Foundation presents an organ concert in St. Peter’s Chapel on Sunday, July 10 at 3:00 p.m. The organist will be Dr. Cyril Deaconoff, an accomplished composer, organist, pianist and conductor who is presently the Organist and Composer in Residence at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Many of you may remember Dr. Deaconoff as the conductor of the Vallejo Chorale which performed the delightful Christmas concert at St. Peter’s Chapel in December. Born in Moscow, Dr. Deaconoff graduated from the Moscow State Tschaikovsky Conservatory with a degree in composition and choral conducting.. After his family moved to the United States, Dr. Deaconoff began his doctoral studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN where he received his doctorate in 2006. Dr. Deaconoff’s choral composition, Two Choruses for Children’s Voices with Lyrics by Malkov received one of the prizes at the Pushkin Composition Contest in 1998 and was performed at the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory. Another of his works, A Northern Tale, was also performed there under his direction. An active choral and orchestral conductor Dr. Deaconoff was chosen as one of sixteen conductors by Chorus America to participate in the 2006 Beethoven Choral Conducting Master Class with the Philadelphia Singers. Dr. Deaconoff has taught at Caroll College, Wisconsin and Indiana University and a number of his works are being published by E.C. Schirmer, whom we all remember from the piano lesson days of our youth. Dr. Deaconoff’s interest in an organ concert was
The Organs of St. Peter’s Chapel The original organ in St. Peter’s Chapel was not a new organ, but a pump reed organ previously used by the congregation in Building 47 prior to moving into the new chapel in 1901. There are records of the chaplain paying “several persons for pumping the organ for four Sundays $1.00” or fifty cents per Sunday. Not a lot of money until you realize how many loaves of bread you could buy for fifty cents at that time. A new organ was purchased with donations from officers and enlisted men and their friends. On 12 November 1901 Kohler and Chase, San Francisco, was paid $270.40 ($400 less 20% discount, less 3% for being paid in cash, less $40 for the traded in old pump organ) for one No.40 Vocalion organ. A man named
Preserving the history of Mare Island
Mare Island Museum Hours 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Weekdays 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. First and Third Weekends Tel: (707) 557-4646 Shipyard tours by appointment, please call: (707) 664-4746 or (707) 280-5742
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Farragut’s Press Welch was paid $.50 on 31 December 1901 to pump the new organ, inflation had not yet arrived! In 1929 the first pipe organ was installed. Because it had an electric blower, the human organ pumper was no longer required. Prior to that time the original altar extended to the base of the large round “rose window” and the altar was highly carved. With the installation of the new pipes necessary for the pipe organ, the upper portion of the altar, the reredos, was removed. Most of the pipes were placed in the chapel proper. The longer pipes were placed in a 14’ x 9’ addition built on the back of the chapel building so as to not obstruct the rose window. In order to get the sound from the addition, a large hole was cut into the wall behind the interior pipes and fitted with swell shades. If you look closely at the pipes above the altar you can see the dimensions of this opening. In 1966 the Schoenstein Company, originally of San Francisco and now in Benicia, installed a console and new pipes and made some minor changes. Another updating by this company was done in 1985. Most recently a major repair was made to the leather on the wind reservoir and replacement of some wind lines which cost $5000 and was paid for by Mare Island Historic Park Foundation. In order to prepare for the concert in July some minor repairs will be made to correct “dead notes and dead pistons.” But the integrity of the original organ remains and the sound is as majestic as ever.
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how he navigates those little steps. Marty Jewett is a specialist in taking care of the altar cloths. And the others, Chaplain Wallace Whatley, Nell Whatley, Shari Bettencourt, Joan Hale and Vonnie Frohrib, along with the previously mentioned, show up the first Thursday of every month to perform the mundane tasks of cleaning because of their love of the chapel and all things associated with it. And so it is with the deepest appreciation, that we say thank you, and “Job well done!” It is only because of volunteers such as these that MIHPF is able to continue its work and provide interesting and informative experiences for the many visitors to the Mare Island.
MINSY Never Built a Carrier, BUT… 100 years ago an event took place in San Francisco Bay which gave birth to naval aviation, central to this event was the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. It all begun in 1910. At the time, American military officials were not enthusiastic about the use of planes in combat. The then Secretary of the Navy, George Meyer, had referred to the airplane as a “carnival toy”. However, the person assigned to handle all incoming mail dealing with aviation on George Meyer’s staff, Captain Washington Irving Chambers, was an enthusiastic student hungry for all things aeronautically related. On a trip to Long Island to attend an international air show, Captain Chambers became acquainted with Glenn Curtiss, a champion of the military use of airplanes and the owner of License No. 1 from the Aero Club of America, and Eugene Ely, a pilot who worked for Curtiss. Captain Chambers was so impressed with the capabilities of flight that he hoped to be able to convince the navy of the importance of airplanes. In November of 1910, Glenn Curtiss had just designed the Curtiss biplane, a bi-plane made of bamboo, fabric and wire . The Curtiss biplane had a wingspan of 30
Volunteers, Unseen and Unsung: Have you ever been to St. Peter’s Chapel when it doesn’t look pristine, everything in place and everything spotless? And it all happens by magic, or does it!!! The magic is actually the very hard work of a small crew of volunteers who are dedicated to the chapel and show up every month to give the chapel a good house cleaning. The work is not glamorous; it is the same type of cleaning we all have to do at home - cleaning bathrooms, polishing hardwood floors, dusting and polishing woodwork, vacuuming rugs on the aisle and altar, cleaning windowsills, picking up pieces of litter left hither and yon. Some volunteers have a special interest. Darrell DeWeese is the person who always cleans the bride’s room at the top of the tiny stairs in the lobby. Although at over 6 feet tall one wonders
Help preserve Mare Island History! Become a volunteer today! 2
Farragut’s Press feet and a length of 26 feet, its lateral and vertical movements was controlled by a steering wheel and pedals by the pilot sitting on a chair on the lower wing. To show off his new plane, Curtiss had arranged for a Canadian pilot, J.A.D. McCurdy to fly a Curtiss biplane off the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, a German cruise ship, as she left New York Harbor in the beginning of the month. However, really bad weather in New York on 4 and 5 November caused the ship to sail without the plane or McCurdy. Curtis and Hamburg America simply re-scheduled the takeoff for November 24th on another ship. This scheduled demonstration caused real concern in Washington because the owners of the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, Hamburg America Line, was not only a commercial cruise line, but also an auxiliary of the German navy. Captain Chambers was keenly aware of the Curtiss biplane demonstration and the postponement. As fate would have it, George Meyer was out of the country at the time and had left the department under the care of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Beekman Winthrop, a man who was more enthusiastic about the possibilities of naval aviation. When Captain Chambers suggested that the Navy should do what Curtiss was proposing to do and use a Navy ship as the platform, Winthrop quickly agreed. Chambers then contacted Wilbur Wright to supply a plane and pilot, but Wright refused to even consider what he thought was too dangerous a stunt. Next, Chambers contacted Ely. He told him he could not pay him, but he would prepare the ship if Ely would fly. Confident as always, Ely replied,“I’ll fly!” By this time, however, Meyer had returned and refused to fund the building of a ship borne platform for any amount of money. Luckily for Captain Chambers, John Barry Ryan, a millionaire publisher who believed in using aviation as a way of improving the national defense, stepped up and agreed to pay the $500 required for the building of the platform. Because of Ryan’s political influence, Meyer agreed to the building of the ship borne platform and the USS Birmingham was selected as the ship to bear it. Meanwhile Curtiss and McCurdy moved up their timetable and were planning to launch from another Hamburg America ship on November 12. Through carelessness, a part had been left on the deck and, when the engine was started, was sucked into the
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propeller, shattering it and damaging the steering. No replacement parts were available and the test was cancelled. That very day Captain Chambers received the orders to conduct the test and on 13 November he and Ely went to Norfolk to conduct the test on the Birmingham. Because of other commitments, Ely had to fly on the 14th or not at all. Once again, due to bad weather, the original plan to steam up Chesapeake Bay was aborted and the ship anchored near Hampton Roads. As the weather improved the ship lifted anchor and Ely decided now was the time to take off. A few seconds late in maneuvering the controls, the plane cleared the bow, but the wheel and propeller dipped into the water. Ely was able to pull up and reached 200 feet, but the damaged propeller made it necessary to land immediately on a nearby beach. Ely then commented he thought he could land on a ship and that should be the next test. With the successful ship borne take off, George Meyer now had a change of heart and praised Ely for his feat. Captain Chambers, meanwhile, decided the test for landing should be conducted at the site of a large air meet in San Francisco in January 1911. Captain Chambers arranged for the heavy cruiser Pennsylvania, to head to Mare Island where the shipyard was to build a platform, longer and wider than was installed on the Birmingham. Since the planes lacked brakes or ground steering, a means had to be found to stop the plane as its normal landing run was longer than the platform. Ely, Curtiss and two officers on the Pennsylvania found a solution. Two foot high bulwarks were placed along the platform edges to prevent the plane from going overboard. Twenty-two ropes were stretched across the deck at three foot intervals and held in place with fifty pound sandbags kept up off the deck by 2 x 4’s. Hooks were welded to the landing gear to catch the ropes and stop the plane On January 18, 1911, Ely took off from Selfridge Field, later better known as Tanforan Race Track, near present-day SFO airport. He headed to the bay and despite unfavorable winds, was able to land successfully on the ship – the first aircraft landing on a ship in history. He had lunch with his wife and the captain and then took off to return to Selfridge Field. Ely’s storied flying career ended nine months later when he was killed in an aircraft accident - two days short of his twenty-fifth birthday. 3
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career as a carrier had ended, but her well-trained pilots were an invaluable asset to the next two carriers, the Lexington and Saratoga. Active in WWII she assisted the Royal Australian Air Force in anti-submarine patrols. She was delivering P-40s to Java on 27 February 1942 and had rendezvoused with her antisubmarine screen when, at 1140, she was attacked by nine twin engine Japanese bombers. The first and second strikes were unsuccessful, but during the third she took five hits. Unable to negotiate the narrow mouth of the harbor, she went dead in the water. An order to abandon ship was passed. The escorting destroyers fired shells and torpedoes into her to assure her sinking. She went down in Javanese waters with a loss of 16. Mare Island will never be credited with building a carrier, but certainly her roles in the development of carriers were significant. It is also interesting to note that the system to stop planes on carriers that was installed here at Mare Island, while more technologically advanced, is basically still the same system used today on nuclear aircraft carriers.
The role of Mare Island in carrier history does not end there. In 1911 MINSY built the first electrically propelled ship, the USS Jupiter. A collier, she was sent to Mazatlan to bolster American strength on the Mexican Pacific Coast during the tense days of the Vera Cruz crisis. In October 1914 she sailed through the Panama Canal on her way to Philadelphia, the first ship to transit the canal form west to east. With the arrival of WWI she became a cargo ship temporarily and then resumed coaling operations. On 11 July 1919 her conversion to an aircraft carrier was authorized and she sailed for Hampton roads. She was de-commissioned in March 1920. Her cranes were removed and a new deck was built. On 11 April 1920 she was re-named Langley and on 20 March 1922 she was recommissioned, becoming the first aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Her first plane was launched in 1922 and the first plane was catapaulted in November of that year. In 1924 she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet where she operated for the next 12 years. In October 1936, she returned to Mare Island for conversion to a seaplane tender, Her
USS Langley (CV-1)
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October 24, 2011
Coming Events
MIHPF Board Meeting, Qtrs. A
June 12, 2011
September – December
2:00 -4:00 P.M. Fashion Show Throughout the Ages Benefit for Fighting Back Partnership, M.I. Museum
Decorating for Christmas at the Mansion
June 26, 2011
Christmas Concert at St. Peter’s Chapel
December 18, 2011
An Afternoon in the Admiral’s Garden – Benefit for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County
December 3, 4, 10, 11, and 17, 2011 Christmas at the Mansion Tours
July 2-4, 2011 Reunion of ex-Crew Members of the USS Mariano G. Vallejo
July 3, 2011 Breakfast and Tolling of the Bells ceremony for USS Mariano G. Vallejo Crew, M.I. Museum
July 10, 2011 3:00 P.M. Organ Concert at St. Peter’s Chapel Benefit for MIHPF Dr. Cyril Deaconoff, organist Call (707) 557-4646 for tickets
July 25, 2011 MIHPF Board Meeting, Qtrs A
September 17, 2011 Navy Yard Association Reunion, M.I. Museum
September 23, 2011 Shop 51, Electrical Shop Reunion, M.I. Museum
September 24, 2011 Sister City Dinner, M.I. Museum
October 1, 2011 Shop 31 Reunion, M.I. Museum
USS California, the only battleship built at MINSY crossing under the Golden Gate Bridge
October 8, 2011 Special Boat Unit Reunion, M.I. Museum
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Mare Island Historic Park Foundation Partnership 1100 Railroad Avenue, Vallejo, CA 94592 (707) 557 4646 mihp46@att.net www.mareislandhpf.org
The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation keeps alive the history of Mare Island Naval Shipyard and chronicles its shipbuilding activities in the museum, as well as preserving the most historic buildings – St. Peter’s Chapel, the Shipyard Commander’s Mansion and Building 46, the oldest building on the island dating from 1855. The shipyard founded in 1854 by Commander David G. Farragut, first admiral in the USN, was the first naval installation on the West Coast and was an important contributor to success in World War II in the Pacific. It also played a prominent role in the Cold War by building 17 nuclear submarines. We invite YOU to become a part of this endeavor by partnering with the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation and supporting its work. Benefits of Partnership:
Free Admission to the Mare Island Museum (Bldg 46) for the year of partnership 10% discount on purchases in gift shop Advance notice via email of new exhibits or events sponsored by the foundation Access to Mare Island Museum Library Free newsletter via email Helping to preserve the history of Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Partnership Levels: (All partnerships are for one (1) year and are fully tax deductible) • • • •
Individual $25.00 – Admits partner named on card Out of State $20.00 – Admits partner named on card Family $40.00 – Admits two household members and their children or grandchildren 12-18 (under 12 are free) Student $15.00 – Admits student named on card with a student ID card
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mare Island Historic Park Foundation Partnership Application Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Street Address _______________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code ___________________________________________________________________________ Phone____________________________ Email Address ______________________________________________ Partnership Level: ______ Individual $25 _____ Out of State $20 _____Family $40 _____ Student (with ID) $15 Visa_____Mastercard ____American Express____Card Number _________________________ Exp. Date ______ Make checks payable to MIHPF.
Remit to: ATTN; Partnership Mare Island Museum 1100 Railroad Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592
(For Office Use Only) Received by:_____________________________
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