Old Castles and Stormy Skies

This would make a nice header for a web page, if I needed one. Our favorite city as viewed from Alameda. Specifically, from the aft edge of the flight deck of the U.S.S. Hornet CVS-12, last Sunday. Pier 3 at the Alameda Naval Shipyard is also where Doolittle's Mitchell bombers were loaded onto U.S.S. Hornet CV-8, whence they steamed across the Pacific to surprise Tokyo in April 1942. CV-8 was sunk the following October. CV-12 was commissioned in 1943, served with distinction, was later retrofit to become CVS-12, among her other duties picked up the Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts after splashdown, and was finally decommissioned in 1970.

Here's the Hornet as viewed by a crowd of awed teenagers about to spend the night.



Nearby is this weird-looking thing, the back end of a heavy lift ship.



Old relics of war can be the most peaceful places.



Even with a comically angry F-14 aboard.