Posted on 12/04/2006 12:23:51 PM PST by DogByte6RER
Navy rejects San Francisco for warship commissioning ceremony
By: Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Navy has rejected plans to commission its newest and most powerful warship in San Francisco because of concerns that the city doesn't support the military.
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter vetoed plans this week for a commissioning ceremony for the Makin Island in San Francisco, said retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. J. Michael Myatt, chairman of the citizens' commissioning committee.
Instead, San Diego will host the ceremony in which the crew formally takes charge of the ship, Myatt said.
Navy leaders were concerned about San Francisco's refusal to offer a homeport for the retired battleship Iowa, which would be turned into a museum, as well as the school board's decision to abolish junior ROTC training in city high schools, Myatt said.
Some city politicians also have publicly criticized the Pentagon. In one instance, Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval said national defense should be left to "the cops and the Coast Guard."
Myatt said the Navy had mistaken the views of some political leaders for the views of the majority of Bay Area citizens.
The last ship to be commissioned in San Francisco was the frigate McCampbell in the summer of 2002.
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
Yeah, I heard that. In fact, here's a pic of a wanted poster for him that I found on Google. ;)
I heard they wouldn't allow a floating museum in Gomorrah by the Bay unless the ship had displays with a tribute to gay sailors and a mea culpa display about how gays and lesbians had been discriminated against by the military. I'm not making this up.
I gotta disagree. During the 80s, while I was stationed at Ft Devens, I saw all kinds of hostility from the locals to the soldiers... and during that time, most of the major cities of Mass. declared themselves "nuclear-free zones".
There was one state court judge who used to take great pleasure in throwing soldiers and sailors in jail for trivial motor vehicle offenses (i.e., inspection sticker expired) where a civilian would have just had a ticket or even a verbal warning. A coterie of cops and DAs knew about this guy and would steer cases to him to get their little laugh.
In the early nineties, the principal combat unit tenant at Devens moved to Colorado, which was almost 2,000 miles further from its potential wartime area of responsibility. A major factor in that move was the citizen hostility to the troops displayed by Bay Staters of every class and social standing, particularly including the state's politicians. This led to the closing of the base in the first BRAC.
You should have heard all those liberals who lived by gouging the troops scream.
One interesting effect was the collapse of the large bookstore in the town of Ayer, just off the base. Apparently liberals don't read much. Not enough to keep the shop alive after the soldiers left.
There is a minority in Massachusetts that supports the troops -- no more than forty percent. A majority or large plurality hate and disrespect the troops and are not shy about showing it.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
I was stationed in boston in the second half of the 80's, as a coastie. I had interaction with the NAVY guys on occasion, over in Charlestown, both the regulars and the guys on the Constitution.
I was always treated well by civilians, and many of the bar owners gave us discounts when we presented ID's, etc. Coasties & navy got cheaper haircuts in the Nrth End, too.
Only hint of anything negative I saw was when the invasion of of some crummy country. There were about a hlaf dozenleftover hippies hanging around outside the main gate. Never said anything to us, though.
I got leg go on several speeding tickets, too. L0cal and state cops.
I guess you & I had vastly different experiences in the same territory. I wonder why?
Here's the specs on the Wasp-class LHD's.
LHD-1 Wasp class
Specifications
Power Plant Two boilers (600 PSI), two geared steam turbines, two shafts, 70,000 shaft horsepower
LHD-8 General Electric [GE] "LM 2500 plus" gas turbine engines
Length 844 feet (253.2 meters)
Beam 106 feet (31.8 meters) at waterline, 200 feet w/flight deck elevators extended
Draft 27 feet Maximum (Full Load), 36 feet at the stern [ballasted]
Displacement Approx. 40,500 tons (36,450 metric tons) full load
Speed 20+ knots (23.5+ miles per hour)
Range 9,500 nm @ 20 knots
Fuel 6,200 tons, plus
1,232 tons aircraft fuel
Aircraft (Actual mix depends upon mission)
RECENT DEPLOYMENTS
12 - CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
4 - CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters
2 - UH-1N Huey helicopters [3 on 11 MEU WestPac 01-1]
4 - AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter
6 - AV-8B Harrier attack planes [none on 11 MEU WestPac 01-1]
OR
12 - CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
9 - CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters
4 - UH-1N Huey helicopters
4 - AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter
6 - AV-8B Harrier attack planes
OR
12 - CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
9 - CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters
6 - AV-8B Harrier attack planes
OR
Assault
42 - CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
OR
Sea Control
20 - AV-8B Harrier attack planes
6 - ASW helicopters
Landing Craft
2 LCU Landing Craft, Utility or
3 LCAC Landing Craft, Air Cushion or
6 LCM-8 Landing Craft, Mechanized or
40 AAV Amphibious Assault Vehicle [normal] or
61 AAV Amphibious Assault Vehicle [stowed]
Armament
2 - MK29 launchers for NATO Sea Sparrow
3 - MK15 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts
8 - MK33 .50 cal. machine guns
Combat and Control Systems
AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Bouys
AN/SLQ-25 NIXIE Towed Torpedo Countermeasures
SRS-1 Combat D/F
AN/SLQ-32(V)3 Electronic Warfare (EW) system
1 AN/SPS-48 radar
1 AN/SPS-49(V)7 radar
1 AN/SPS-64 radar
1 AN/SPS-67 radar
AN/SYS-2 Detection/Tracking System
1 MK-23 Target Acquisition System (TAS)
1 MK-36 Chaff Launcher
MK-91 Fire control System
Crew
104 officers + 1,004 enlisted Ships Company
1,075 Ships Company crewmembers
1,600-1,894 Marine Detachment embarked troops
Departments
Aircraft Maintenance
Air
Combat Systems
Deck
Dental
Engineering
Executive
Medical
Navigation
Operations
Religious Ministries
Supply
can we make this a federal requirement?
If you want to benefit from military contracts, your public school system must accept the ROTC, your Universities must allow military recruiters.
Can we document how much in dollars this is going to cost san francisco? It may only be on paper, but there should be a way to document in dollars how much money they are loosing.
No jrROTC should = a tangible dollar analysis also.
Interesting. I've been searching on line but don't see anything related to the actual ecomomic benefits (or the Navy costs). I'm sure a FOIA would produce a report from both DoD and City of SFRO.
Considering the schedule of events, it would seem to be considerable. http://fleetweek.us/fleetweek
Of course, if they cancelled it, the new center of California leadership (like or not) - Pelosi, Boxer, Feinstein - would rise up and go Amazon on the Navy.
Thank you! Beautiful ship!
They are apparently quite happy to do that. With anyone, of any sex, at any time.
Well, you know how big the military is on tradition. Greater San Francisco was once a big Navy town. Then, things changed. Boy did they change.
The JROTC was the last straw I think.
If I were President, I'd have cut off all federal aid to the city and the school district. Wouldn't restore it until they changed their ways, and their were a bunch of resignations from the city council (or whatever they call it there) and the school board.
THAT vessel projects power.
From the article:
"Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter vetoed plans this week for a commissioning ceremony for the Makin Island in San Francisco"
This action was taken under civilian control. The Secretary of the Navy is a civilian, and he works for the Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian and works for the President. Both are appointed by the President also a civilian, the one elected by the Electoral College who in turn are elected by the people.
So that camel can go back to being the sex object of Ahamdidejab or the Mayor of San Francisco.
But chances are, he was a resident of San Francisco or environs. Maybe someone who chose to live there for the "night life"? At very least a big time hoplophobe.
Although there once were, many. Right up until the Clinton Administration. The Presidio is adjacent to the city, and wasn't fully turned over until '98. Although it's now a national park, it wouldn't be Shiite, if not for the military. Here's some of the Bay Area's recently-abandoned, Cold War-era bases: Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard (San Francisco), Treasure Island Naval Station (San Francisco), Alameda Naval Air Station (Alameda), the SF-88 Nike Missile Site (Marin Headlands), Hamilton Field Air Force Base (Novato), Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Vallejo), Naval Security Group Activity base (Skaggs Island), and portions of Moffett Field Federal Airfield (Mountain View). Also Ft. Ord and the Adjacent Hunter-Ligget. All gone by 2000.
San Francisco doesn't deserve the economic benifet from the military bases, so it was good that those bases got BRACed.
Why reward them when they do not support the military.
What.....no more "Hello, sailor"?
So their elections were fraudlent?
5.56mm
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