Adm. David Bagley-- Part 7: A Long Career and Namesakes

He was releived of all duties on March 12, 1946, and placed on the retired list with the rank of admiral on April 7, 1947 after 42 years of continuous service.  Admiral Bagley died at  the Naval Hospital, San Diego, California, on May 24, 1960.

Admiral Bagley is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

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The first three vessels named USS Bagley:  Torpedo Boat  No. 24, DD-185 and DD--386 were named for  Ensign Worth Bailey (the only naval officer killed in action in the Spanish-American War).  The fourth, DE-1069, was named for both  Worth Bagley and his brother, Admiral David W. Bagley.

Bagley Amphitheater at Barbers Point, Hawaii, was completed 1 April 1945 with seating capacity for 7,200.  

--Cooter

U.S. Warships: USS Manchester (LCS-14)-- Part 1

From the Paralyzed Veterans  of American June 2021 calendar.

USS MANCHESTER GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

BUILDER:  Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama

LAUNCHED:  May 13, 2016

HOMEPORT:  San Diego, California

DISPLACEMENT:   Approximately 3,104 tons full load

LENGTH:  418 feet

BEAM:  104 feet

CREW:  8 officers, 32 enlisted (two crews, a gold and a blue one)  and up to 35 mission crew.

ARMAMENT:  one Mk-110 57 mm gun, one SeaRam CIWS  (This last item is one powerful weapon.  I had to look it up and it said it was a complete combat weapon system that automatically detects, evaluates engages and performs kill assessment against ASM and high speed  aircraft threats.)

AIRCRAFT:  two MH-60 helicopters

--Cooter

USS Bonhomme Richard Decommissioned April 15

From the April 15, 2021, UPI  "USS Bonhomme Richard formally decommissioned" by Christen McCurdy.

I wrote about this ship earlier this year as a picture of it was featured on the Paralyzed Veterans of America 2021calendar.  But it was badly damaged by a fire that raged for five days back in July 2020.

The fire-damaged USS Bonhomme Richard was formally decommissioned  in a ceremony at Navy Base San Diego on Wednesday, April 14.

It was the third ship in the U.S. Navy to bear the name which is a rough French translation of "Good Man Richard" which is derived from Benjamin Franklin's pen name.

The ship's history includes deployments to East Timor in 2000 for peacekeeping as well as offloading  Marines and their equipment into Kuwait  during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Wasp-class  amphibious assault ship was commissioned in 1998 and expected to have a service life of 40 years.   But then there was that fire.

In November the Navy announced  that the vessel was beyond  affordable repair and would be decommissioned.

--Cooter

Jacob Smith in Later Life

He retired to Portsmouth, Ohio, and also did some world traveling.  With the coming of World War I, he volunteered his service,  but was turned down due to his old age (and likely what happened in the Philippines).

He died in San Diego on March 1, 1918, and in interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

I had never heard of him before, but he is definitely an interesting character.  I will write about his Civil War service in my Saw the Elephant blog.

--DaCoot

World War Submarine Veterans Memorial

From the March 25th San Diego Tribune Union.

At Liberty Station in Point Lomo there is a memorial honoring World War II submariners and the submarines that never made it home. You can go on a walking tour past 52 granite slabs with etchings, one for each of the US submarines and their crews lost during the war.

This memorial comes after a ten year effort of the San Diego chapter of United States Submarine veterans. You will also find 52 Liberty American elm tress planted on the grounds.

The fairwater part of the conning tower of the USS Roncudar is also there.

The memorial is located at Sub Base Point Lomo, San Diego, California.

Something Else to See the Next Time I'm in San Diego. --Cooter