DAY 3 - Crossing the Line(s)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Again, I start the day by watching coverage of the wildfires and am now having mixed feelings. My home no longer seems threatened (at least for now) since the winds are slowing, the humidity has reportedly begun to rise, and the all-important air assaults have now begun. I feel somewhat helpless being out here and wish there was something I could do, but on the other hand I guess I'm doing what the authorities really want us to do - namely staying out of harm's way.
Today I venture into Alabama and Mississippi (the toes, anyway). Now I can say I've been to all the states on the Gulf Coast. I crossed the Alabama state line this morning on the way to the battleship USS Alabama and later drove into Mississippi to Biloxi to see the Gulf Coast's version of Atlantic City.
Click on any image to enlarge.
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View of the USS Alabama from the museum entrance building.
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And what is their number one safety rule?
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Novel officer roster.
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Looking back at the ship from the bow.
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"Go ahead... MAKE my day!"
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View from the stern of turret number 3.
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Catapult for the OS2U Kingfisher. Problem: No Kingfisher...
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... because it's here in the Aircraft Pavillion.
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Close-up of hurricane damage to the pontoon.
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Tail section shows relatively minor damage.
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Frontal view. Note damage to leading edge of the port wing.
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View of the Gato-class submarine USS Drum (SS-228) from the Aircraft Pavillion through which the sub is accessed.
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What might appear at first glance to be damage from Hurricane Katrina is actually seawater corrosion due to the lack of a cathodic protection (CP) system.
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Other damaged aircraft are in a taped-off area of the parking lot which is being used for repair work. This is the museum's Grumman F9F-5P Recon Panther.
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Close-up of some of the worst damage to the Panther.
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The museum's Chance Vought RF-8 Crusader.
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Close-up of the Crusader's forward fuselage.
