Window #8: USS San Pedro – Navy Days
Location: Charla Rae Design & Consignment, 447 W. 6th Street, San Pedro, CA
Topics covered in the exhibit:
1) Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” visited San Pedro in 1908.
2) The Submarine Base was established in 1909. It was our first naval coastal defense. Located next to Warehouse 1, it was in existence until 1922.
— Info and photos, including a photo monitor with 46 revolving photographs.
3) The Pacific Fleet: 1919 to 1940
—Several photos, including a large photo monitor with 164 revolving photographs.
4) Disasters/Accidents including:
— USS Tennessee – Suffered a boiler room explosion near Santa Barbara that killed seven men who are buried at Harbor View Cemetery. June 5, 1908.
— USS F-1 (SS 20)—Submarine sank after collision with another submarine off San Clemente, killing all 19 officers and crew 12/17/19
— USS R-6 Submarine sank in San Pedro Harbor on Sept. 26, 1921 due to a malfunction in one of her torpedo tubes. Two crew members lost their lives.
— USS Mississippi – The #2 turret on the battleship exploded during target practice, killing 48 on June 12, 1924. On June 17, 1924, the Navy held a funeral at Trona Field where 1,200 stood by the coffins and another 2,700 sailors observed the services.
5) Shore Leave – Navy Landing picture, Red Car to the Pike & LA, theatres, sports.
Navy Timeline:
1908 – On April 18, the Great White fleet visited San Pedro during Teddy Roosevelt’s Goodwill World Tour.
– On June 8, the cruiser USS Tennessee blew up off Pt. Hueneme.
1919 – President Wilson sent a fleet of 200 Navy vessels to the Pacific as a show of US strength. It was in response to rising Japanese power. In August battleships and destroyers arrived in San Pedro and Long Beach. The LA Harbor hosted warships for recuperation, loading supplies and minor repairs.
1928 – In March, the battleship Colorado collided with the Ruth Alexander inside the breakwaters.
1932 – More than 120 American warships extended from Pt. Fermin to Malibu in a 12 mile parade
1933 – In January, a violent gale caused a scattering of many Navy boats and the loss of some.
Feb. 17 – Mar. 10 – The US frigate Constitution came to San Pedro It was active during the War of 1812.
Mar. 9 – US fleet review with the USS Pennsylvania as flagship.
1934 – The US Navy stations 14 battleships, 2 aircraft carriers, 14 cruisers and 16 support ships from the Atlantic Fleet at the port of San Pedro.
1935 – The Navy took over Allen Airport on Terminal Island. It was renamed Reeves Field.
October 13 – The Navy landing on 22nd Street was remodeled to facilitate the berthing of US Naval transports.
1941 – Dec. 24: A Japanese submarine fires torpedoes on a lumber freighter two miles off Point Fermin.
1952 – San Pedro has the largest U.S.O. organization in California.
IN MEMORIAM — U.S. NAVY WARTIME DEAD FROM SAN PEDRO:
World War I
Gordon Douglas Grassel, George Emerson Leitch (Lt.jg), Harry Clifton Reed (ensign), Ray Elsworth Scott— USS F-1 (SS 20), U.S. (non-battle) 12/17/17
World War II
*Douglas S. Adams—USS Omaney Bay (Sula Sea) 1/4/45 (aviator); Fred R. Armes—11/14/43; Eugene Beltran—South Pacific 1/16/44; *George F. Bender—USS Houston (POW) 5/22/44; Regis Bodecker—USS Helena (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; *James Bone—USS Reno (Philippines) 11/3/44; Richard Borger—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Edward Bork—USS DeHaven (Guadalcanal) 2/1/43; Peter Borrego—USS Edsall (Java Sea) 3/1/42; Murray Brannen—Guadalcanal 2/2/43; Robert Boyd Brazier—USS Yorktown (Midway) 6/4/42 (aviator); *Jerry Brocato—11/1/43 (TOM Honolulu); Ivan L. Brown—USS DeHaven (Guadalcanal) 2/1/43; James Buchanan—USS Oklahoma (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Oliver Burger—USS Oklahoma (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Charles Charlton—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Edgar Chase—USS Meredith (Guadalcanal) 10/17/42; Otto Christman—USS Juneau (Guadalcanal) 11/13/42; Hugh Cook—12/19/43; James Decker—South Pacific (hell ship) 12/15/44; Armand D’Orsogna—South Pacific 4/42; William Duane—USS Vestal (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; William R. Forrester—South Pacific; A.E. Garner—North Atlantic (non-battle) 5/2/44; Andrew Joseph Giret—USS Houston (Java Sea) 3/1/42; William J. Glover—Dutch Harbor, Alaska, 6/28/42 (aviator); Daryl H. Goggin—USS Oklahoma (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; William Goodberlet—USS Houston (Java Sea) 3/1/42; William Grimaldi—SS Susana (North Atlantic) 10/14/42; Milton Gross—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Swen Gustafson—USS Enterprise (Santa Cruz) 10/26/42; Albert Hayden—USS Oklahoma (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; *Lyndel Heisterman—U.S. (non-battle) 4/15/44; Charlies E. Hickey—Pacific; *Willford Hyman—USS Sims (Coral Sea) 5/7/42; *Arthur Jacobs—12/19/42 (aviator); *Jesse J. Johnson—U.S. 6/6/45 (aviator); Leroy Henry Jones—USS Utah (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; William Juedes—USS Utah (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Harold B. Kahn—USS Pecos (Java Sea) 3/1/42; Richard Keeran—USS Edsall (Java Sea) 3/1/42; John Lake—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Kenneth Lamons—USS Nevada (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Arch M. Laney Jr.—Pacific; Van V. Langdon—USS Pecos (Java Sea) 3/1/42; *James McKeag—Pacific 5/4/45; Forrest Miller—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Russell Mogle—USS Liscombe Bay (Tarawa) 11/25/43; John Moir—USS Juneau (Guadalcanal) 11/13/42; Edward Moon—USS Meredith (Guadalcanal) 10/17/42; Donald Morrell—11/1/43 (TOM Honolulu); Denzel Muggy—6/16/43 (POW); James Murray—South Pacific 6/24/44; *Paul Neipp—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; *John Ogg—Truk 2/16/44 (aviator); Robert Orr—Pacific 10/30/44; *William Painter—West Atlantic 2/19/44 (aviator); *Salvadore A. Paul—USS Jarvis (Guadalcanal) 9/42; Elroy Peterson—USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; *Loraine “Bunny” Petterson—USS Pensacola (Iwo Jima) 2/17/45; *Damian Portillo—USS Pennsylvania (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; *Stanley Pranin—USS West Virginia (Okinawa) 4/1/45; William Reynolds—USS Neosho (Coral Sea) 5/7/42; *James Rifley—USS Juneau (Guadalcanal) 11/13/42; Robert Rood—8/10/44 (aviation cadet); *Luther Ruiz—USS Liscombe Bay (Tarawa) 11/25/43; Leroy Sheffield—USS Houston (Java Sea) 3/1/42; Lloyd Smith—USS Pecos (Java Sea) 3/1/42; Stanley Smith—South Pacific 3/25/43; Alexander E. Solak—South Pacific; Isidro Solano—Leyte Gulf 10/24/44; Thomas Stevens—Italy; Herbert H. Taylor—POW; *Gordon Tempe—USS Reno (Philippines) 11/3/44; MacDonald Thompson—South Pacific 9/21/44; Harold Thornburg—East Indies 9/21/44; Wesley Tuttle—South Pacific; Harry Walker—USS Oklahoma (Pearl Harbor) 12/7/41; Joseph Williams—USS Houston (Java Sea) 3/1/42; Nelson Wilson—USS Neosho (Coral Sea) 5/7/42; Ralph Wise—USS Mount Hood (Admiralty Islands) 11/10/44; James Woolverton—South Pacific 9/30/42; Thaddeus Wresinski—South Pacific (hell ship) 10/24/44; Remigio Yanguas—USS Savannah (Italy) 9/11/43; Paul Yarbray—Pacific 10/8/44
Vietnam
Henry K. Frye—USS Frank E. Evans (South China Sea, non-battle) 6/3/69; William Arthur Heep—North Vietnam (non-battle plane crash) 8/24/68; Victor T. Rikkal—USS Frank E. Evans (South China Sea, non-battle) 6/3/69.