San Diego Welcomes Midway to New Home
After a nine-year effort to acquire an aircraft carrier to serve as the centerpiece of a museum in San Diego, California, dedicated to the story of U.S. naval aviation, the carrier Midway (CV-41) finally arrived in San Diego Bay on 5 January 2004. It took six days for the Midway to be towed from Oakland down the coast of California to her new home. Once several historic aircraft were loaded on board her at the Navy base in Coronado, the Midway was towed to her permanent berth at Navy Pier in the North Embarcadero area at what will become the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, or “Midway Magic,” as museum officials are calling it.
The Midway is expected to he open for visitors sometime in the spring; museum officials hope to have it open by the 62nd anniversary of the Battle of Midway, 5 June 2004.
“It hasn’t been brought up to the kind of standard we would like as an attraction quite yet,” said retired Navy Rear Admiral Riley Mixson, the museum’s executive director, in the San Diego Daily Transcript. “But soon enough, educational groups and others will be able to tour it and see an aircraft carrier in virtual operation. They will be able to go down to the engineering room and see what propelled a World War 11-era ship and go upstairs and see a flight deck as modern as they come.” Mixson was commanding officer of the Midway in 1985-87.
The Midway is the first aircraft carrier museum ship in the United States that is not an Essex (CV-9)-class carrier. The Yorktown (CV-10) in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; the Intrepid (CV-11) in New York City; the Hornet (CV-12) in Alameda, California; and the Lexington (CV-16) in Corpus Christi, Texas, are Essex-class carriers, and all saw combat in World War II. A number of groups are attempting to create museums centered on three other carriers built in the 1950s, the Forrestal (CVA-59), Saratoga (CVA-60), and Ranger (CVA-61).
With her original full-load displacement at 60,000 tons, the Midway was the world’s largest warship when she was launched in March 1945. Commissioned too late to see combat in World War II, the Midway was the first ship to launch a ballistic missile in September 1947, when a German V-2 rocket was test fired successfully from her flight deck. She first saw combat in 1965 off the coasts of North and South Vietnam. Her final combat came during the first Gulf War in 1991. She was decommissioned in 1992 and currently holds the title of the longest-serving carrier (nearly 47 years) in U.S. Navy history.
Former Kamikaze Pilot and Philanthropist Passes
A U.S. high school student expressing sadness about the death of a World War II Japanese kamikaze pilot—nearly six decades after the war—is not a normal occurrence.
Kaoru Hasegawa did not die as a suicide pilot in 1945, but as a 79-year-old retired corporate chairman on 9 January 2004. “I was sorry to hear of his passing,” said Scott Salamone, a high school senior in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “He had a great impact on my life and I will never forget him.”
Dozens of U.S. and Japanese students had met this unique individual during the U.S.-Japan Maritime Youth Exchange, an annual program cosponsored by Hasegawa and the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation. In each of the last six summers of his life, Hasegawa stressed to students of both countries the importance of understanding, cooperation, and friendship between the United States and Japan.
That Hasegawa survived his special attack mission to pass this message is extraordinary. On 25 May 1945, off Okinawa, Hasegawa’s diving plane was shot down by gunners on board the destroyer Callaghan (DD-792), who then boldly rescued the downed airman from the water during the fierceness of the ongoing battle. The Americans treated the Japanese pilot’s injuries, and he lived to see the end of the bloody conflict.
Hasegawa returned to Japan after the war and rose to become the chairman of Rengo Company, a large manufacturer of paper products throughout Asia. As the 50th anniversary of World War II approached, he thought of his past and started to look for his benefactors.
Through naval records, he discovered it was the Callaghan’s sailors who had rescued him. With the help of friends in the United States and Japan, Hasegawa found the survivors of the destroyer, which ironically had been sunk by another kamikaze less than two months after his rescue. The U.S. veterans invited Hasegawa to their reunion and soon welcomed him as one of their own.
Kaoru Hasegawa, a former Japanese kamikaze pilot (left, in 1945) survived World War II after his plane crashed in the waters off Okinawa before he could hit a U.S. destroyer. Later, he helped create the U.S.-Japan Maritime Youth Exchange Program (right, at the U.S. Navy Memorial).
At one of his many visits to the United States, Hasegawa joined the de- stroyermen to lay a wreath to honor their lost shipmates at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. During this ceremony Hasegawa met the Navy Memorial’s then-chairman, retired Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who was awed by the newfound sense of comradeship between these former enemies. Zumwalt suggested to Hasegawa that this goodwill be passed on to a new generation of Americans and Japanese. With that, the U.S.-Japan Maritime Youth Exchange began.
In his visits to the United States, Hasegawa met and became friends with members of several organizations, including the U.S. Naval Institute, which had helped to research and record his incredible story. Fred Schultz, editor of Naval History, was fortunate enough to meet Hasegawa on several occasions. The transcript of his interview appeared in the October 1995 issue of Naval History.
Hasegawa’s message of friendship will continue to have an impact on the future leaders of the United States and Japan. “He was a very good man,” said Ashley Thompson, a participant in the 2002 Maritime Youth Exchange now studying at Miami University in Ohio. “I still [keep] in mind the story that he told us.”
Mark Hacala, Director, Education Institute, U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Lost Civil War Sword Back at Naval Academy
After a more than 70-year absence, a valuable Civil War relic known as the “Worden sword” did not seem likely to grace the shelves of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum ever again.
Then in November 2003, the museum’s curator got some unexpected news: Law enforcement officials had located the treasured sword in the Midwest.
At a ceremony at the academy on 12 January 2004, a Philadelphia FBI agent returned the antique—closing the book on some parts of the mystery, while leaving others intact.
Presented to the Naval Academy by the Worden family in 1912, the sword originally belonged to Rear Admiral John L. Worden, who received it in connection with his exploits during the battle between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia in 1862.
Worden later went on to serve as the Academy’s seventh superintendent before his death in 1897. Crafted by the renowned Tiffany Company and engraved with oak leaves, the sword is believed to be among the finest ceremonial weapons ever produced.
“Presentation of swords was a very important way of recognizing a naval officer or a performance,” said Jim Cheev- ers, the museum’s curator. “We don’t have a Civil War-era sword of this quality.”
The sword, its belt, and scabbard were housed in an area of Memorial Hall until 1931, when the items were discovered missing.
It would not be until 1998 that the relic would again surface, prompted by an antiques fraud case, said Jeffrey Lampinski, a special agent with the Philadelphia FBI office.
At the time, another man reported being duped out of some $800,000 in valuables by a father and son antiquing pair he had seen on the popular PBS TV show Antiques Roadshow.
FBI agents determined the pair, identified as Russell Pritchard Sr. and Russell Pritchard III, had worked with a third party to offer low estimates on antiques and then sell them for a fortune.
The suspects were ultimately caught and jailed on mail fraud charges, but not before agents linked them to a sizable stash of Civil War-era valuables. Among them was the Worden sword, which they had sold to an unnamed party in the Midwest, Agent Lampinski said.
He said the collector later flew to Philadelphia to return the sword; he was not implicated in any crime.
“We can’t get into detail on the actual disappearance,” he said. “Only recently had this collector had the sword.”
Several mysteries still remain surrounding the prized item, which will be on temporary display in the museum until a permanent location is chosen, according to Scott Harmon, the museum’s director.
For instance: Who originally stole the sword? And where was it for all those years?
How naval officials plan to keep it safe now that it has been returned is another question that is not likely to be answered soon.
“We’re not going to talk about that,” Mr. Harmon said.
Dionne Walker, The Annapolis Capital
Smithsonian Plans New Military History Exhibits
On 22 January 2004, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History announced plans for the reinstallation of the Star-Spangled Banner as well as a complete renovation and expansion of its Military History Hall as part of the overall plans for the revitalization of its 40-year-old building on the Washington Mall.
The New York-based design firm Chermayeff & Geismar has been selected to work with the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on the new permanent gallery for the Star- Spangled Banner, including environmental systems to control lighting, humidity, and temperature. The new display space will open to the public on Flag Day, 14 June 2006.
The renovation of the museum, which began in January, will be divided into three phases. The first phase includes the third-floor Military History Hall and the new exhibition, “The Price of Freedom," as well as basic improvements to the building, such as better lighting and acoustics. Phase two centers on the Star-Spangled Banner and the central core of the museum, including removing the marble panels that block the view to the third floor and an introductory show to provide chronology and context for visitors. Phase three will include upgrades to existing exhibitions, including the Maritime Hall, Information Age, First Ladies, The American Presidency, A More Perfect Union, and the Gunboat Philadelphia. The museum also hopes to present two new exhibitions centered on the nation’s cultural and economic history.
“The Price of Freedom” will be a comprehensive overview of U.S. military history, something the museum has lacked, even though several recent temporary exhibits—such as ones on the history of submarines and the impact of West Point on U.S. history—have dealt with the topic. The new exhibit will include numerous items, from a World War II jeep to General Colin Powell’s Gulf War uniform.
The renovation project will be conducted in such a way that the museum will be able to remain open to the public throughout construction. Some galleries and halls will be closed as work progresses, however. The first phase will be completed in late 2004, with the second phase scheduled for 2006 and 2007. No date is set for completing the third phase of the renovation.
“At the heart of the National Museum of American History is the ability to provide our visitors a personal encounter with their history,” said museum director Brent D. Glass. “This renovation project, just as the museum turns 40, will allow us to focus on inspiring future generations about what it means to be an American and to understand the American Dream.”
In May 2002, a Blue Ribbon Commission charged with advising the museum on themes and methods of presentation, issued its report with seven key recommendations: opening the central section or “core” of the museum; treating the Star-Spangled Banner as the museum’s central icon; identifying additional “icons” and highlighting them in major sections of the museum; creating a chronological introductory exhibition to American history; improving lighting; and adding exhibition space and reducing clutter.
The museum opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. It was renamed the National Museum of American History in 1980.
Chicago Museum Building New Home for U-505
The Museum of Science and Industry, located on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, has announced plans to move its largest and most well-known artifact—the World War II German submarine U-505—into a new climate-controlled indoor exhibit space scheduled to open in 2005.
“The 17-505 is a symbol of what the museum does best. We present unforgettable educational experiences that are one of a kind,” said museum president and CEO David Mosena. “But, most of all, the submarine is an important part of our world history and a rare example of naval technology. We are committed to its preservation for generations to come.”
Since 1997, the 17-505 has undergone a multimillion-dollar restoration; the new exhibit space, which will be located near the museum’s main building, will complete the restoration effort. The submarine currently is displayed outdoors on a platform on one side of the museum. The $3 5-million project is the largest initiative undertaken by the museum for a single exhibit. According to museum officials, more than $24 million has been raised so far through public and private sources. To accommodate the remaining restoration work needed for the move to the new facility, the current exhibit closed to visitors on 4 January 2004.
The new exhibit will feature displays that highlight the history of U-boats and the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as the story of the L7-505 and her dramatic capture at sea in 1944 by a task force led by the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60). Visitors will encounter an Enigma code machine seized from the U-505, a T5 acoustic torpedo, nearly 100 other artifacts, audio narratives from more than 25 veterans, and one of the sub’s two original periscopes unearthed at San Diego’s Arctic Submarine Laboratory in 2002. The new exhibit is expected to accommodate more than two million visitors annually.
“The U-505 is not only an icon in the museum but it also holds international significance,” said Kurt Haunfelner, the museum’s vice president of exhibits and collections. “We are taking these extraordinary efforts to restore and conserve the submarine and make it part of a brand new visitor experience that will be a wonderful mix of science, technology, and history.”
The exhibit space will be 35,000 square feet and will extend 40 feet below ground. When completed, it will not be visible above ground. The U-505 will be moved from its present location at the south end of the museum 2,000 feet to the northeast corner of the building’s front lawn. The move will involve attaching a support system to the submarine so that most of the load will be transmitted to the keel of the boat where the stresses of the move can be distributed evenly. The U-boat will be moved in several stages in spring 2004.
The U-505, commissioned in the German Kriegsmarine in 1941, was captured on 4 June 1944 off the coast of West Africa—the first such capture of an enemy man-of-war at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. The submarine was brought to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1954. Retired Navy Captain James E. Wise Jr. is completing a book on the U-505 for the Naval Institute Press.
Mariners’ Museum to Host Hampton Roads Weekend
The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, will commemorate the 142nd anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia on 5-7 March 2004 with a series of lecturers, Civil War encampments, a boat tour, campfire storytelling, a view of artifacts and documents from the two ships, and other activities.
Kicking off the weekend will be a guided behind-the-scenes tour where visitors can view artifacts as well as the museum’s conservation area, collections storage area, and library on 5 March.
The Victory Rover and author and historian John Quarstein will take visitors to the actual battle site on the James River at Hampton Roads for a two-hour harbor tour. That evening, a Civil War costume party will kick off the Battle of Hampton Roads Weekend and the opening of the new temporary Monitor exhibition. The exhibit will feature artifacts, archives, and stories from the Monitor, the Virginia, and the men who served in both vessels.
The following two days will feature a selection of nationally known lecturers and award-winning scholars such as Harold Holzer, Frank J. Williams, James Marten, William C. Davis, Craig L. Symonds, Thomas Campbell, Howard J. Fuller, and Jeff Johnston, and a panel debate including Quarstein and Joseph A. Guttierez Jr., moderated by Naval History editor-in-chief Fred Schultz. The topics of these lectures will vary from children of the Civil War, the presidents’ children, the battle, archaeology inside the Monitor’s turret, and other topics.
Throughout the entire weekend, a variety of family programming will be presented. Children’s author Karen Winnick will read from her book Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers, and Civil War reenactors will camp outside the museum’s entrance with interpreters stationed throughout Museum galleries. A wargaming demonstration in the main lobby will allow visitors a chance to change the outcome of the Battle of Hampton Roads.
In 1987, The Mariners’ Museum was designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on behalf of the federal government, as the repository for artifacts and archives from the Monitor. Working hand in hand with NOAA and the U.S. Navy, the museum has received more than 1,100 artifacts from the Monitor, including her steam engine, propeller, and revolving gun turret. For more information, visit www.marinersmuseum.org.
Hunley Crew to Be Laid to Rest
On 17 April 2004, an elaborate state funeral will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, for the members of the crew of the Confederate submarine CSS H. L. Hunley, whose remains were recovered from the sub after she was raised from the ocean bottom nearby. After lying in state at the Patriots Point Naval Museum in Mount Pleasant and at several Charleston area churches on 12-16 April, the eight crewmen will be interred in Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery with full military honors. A 4-5-mile funeral procession that will begin at White Point Gardens at the South Battery in downtown Charleston and end at the cemetery will include numerous Civil War reenactors, musicians, and an honor guard. For more information about the funeral, visit www.hunleyfuneral.org.