tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76766756293421387532012-01-13T16:51:56.877-05:00The USS Alaska Projectmsheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-39378835236904715002010-01-30T12:47:00.002-05:002010-01-30T12:53:15.336-05:002010-01-30T12:53:15.336-05:00

Tsingtao-Nights.com is no longer. The domain expired and the files were deleted without backup. As I haven't been posting for many months now, I'm taking this as a sign and retiring from the blogsphere. I can still be reached for Alaska questions or inquires at michaelrshea at hotmail dot com.All the best, -- Mike Shea

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com31http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2010/01/good-night.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-44150017703793372932009-02-13T09:06:00.003-05:002009-02-13T09:10:49.002-05:002009-02-13T09:10:49.002-05:00

If you uses this tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com address make the switch to www.tsingtao-nights.com. It's the new and improved Tsingtao Nights. With the new sites I have more leeway in creating pages, changing the look-and-feel of the site, among other things. So check it out. The USS Alaska Project is back with force. Tsingtao-Nights.com

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com7http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2009/02/weve-moved.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-13608018724909802942009-01-29T21:09:00.004-05:002009-02-05T22:33:08.155-05:002009-02-05T22:33:08.155-05:00

SECOND UPDATE: The process of moving a domain from one server to the next is apparently a slow one. The transfer should be complete any day now. Then: a new feel, a new look, a new Tsingtao Nights. Keep checking back.UPDATE: Hit a snag, so by "this weekend" read "next weekend." All the best, --MikeWe've outgrown Blogger, so ... Tsingtao Nights is moving! If we're down or look funny this weekend,

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2009/01/server-move.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-85407809475956649692009-01-18T10:05:00.005-05:002009-01-18T10:12:10.594-05:002009-01-18T10:12:10.594-05:00

Big changes are coming to Tsingtao Nights over the next month. And keep your eyes on another exciting venture:http://www.researchnavy.comStay tuned!

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2009/01/big-changes-coming.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-37043363777530529932008-12-25T08:32:00.005-05:002008-12-25T08:41:27.039-05:002008-12-25T08:41:27.039-05:00

Well wishes to the entire Alaska gang this holiday season!Alaska buff Ian "Colosseum" Roberts sent me a link this morning to his fine drawing of "The Mighty A." Click the image above for the full-size version."I recently found your nice blog about the CB-1 Alaska class cruisers and I must say that it's a wealth of information I had not seen before. :)," he wrote. "As you probably know,

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-holidays.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-28686633923458555182008-11-24T13:22:00.003-05:002008-11-26T21:16:26.345-05:002008-11-26T21:16:26.345-05:00

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msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/11/news-notes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-4766711370858088562008-10-22T10:18:00.003-04:002008-10-22T10:23:24.125-04:002008-10-22T10:23:24.125-04:00

Much has happened in the last six weeks. Of the 254 letters and questionnaires mailed in early September, I’ve received something short of three-dozen back. I spent a great evening on Staten Island talking with Johnny Byrnes and a morning in Danbury with Steven Krizon. Bill Lewis, a friend and fan of the Alaska, sent me several fine books on the ship. I’ve had more than a few long phone

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com2http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/10/update.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-78524666222881384012008-09-07T10:48:00.003-04:002008-09-07T10:53:56.559-04:002008-09-07T10:53:56.559-04:00

If you received a letter from The USS Alaska Project, welcome! More then 250 letters and long-form questionnaires were mailed on Friday, names and addresses taken from the rolls of “North Star” the ship’s reunion newsletter. The intent of the Alaska Project is simple: record your oral history and catalogue any Alaska related artifacts. My primary concern is that some will find the sheer

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com3http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/09/mail-call.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-53407902692522363212008-09-02T18:06:00.002-04:002008-09-02T18:11:24.833-04:002008-09-02T18:11:24.833-04:00

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Office of the Chief of Naval OperationsNaval History Division • Washington USS Alaska III (CB-1) A territory acquired by the United States from Russia in 1867. Alaska--located in the far northwestern corner of the North American continent and separated from the contiguous 48 states by Canada--was admitted to the Union as the 49th state in 1959. (

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/09/danfs-uss-alaska.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-41238997221533782942008-09-02T17:55:00.003-04:002008-09-02T18:00:31.185-04:002008-09-02T18:00:31.185-04:00

Running "USS Alaska" through a Google image search I stumbled on this gem. Mrs. Ernest Gruening, the wife of the governor of Alaska, must be the lady front and center with the large bouquet of flowers. I hadn't seen this before. The Independence Seaport Museum must have just launched this online exhibit, of which this photo is but a part.

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/09/ladies-who-launched-alaska.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-6394430931253219502008-08-23T15:23:00.002-04:002008-08-23T15:30:15.744-04:002008-08-23T15:30:15.744-04:00

... more of nothing.I've probably viewed two dozen Manhattan apartments in the last two weeks, but still nothing. I have application on one Washington Heights number, but money and keys won't be passed until, at earliest, Sept. 1 when I get a final look at its completed renovation. So still I look ... School orientation, two days of it, starts next week.Throughout this all, however, I've been

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/08/at-long-last.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-61191749966816628252008-08-04T08:28:00.002-04:002008-08-04T08:34:42.830-04:002008-08-04T08:34:42.830-04:00

Browsing YouTube last week I came across this unbelievable footage of US submarine action in the Pacific, 1945. The description says it's declassified US Signal Corps footage. There are through-the-periscope shots of torpedoes crunching a Japanese ship and still more of sailors machine gunning floating survivors. Unreal stuff ...

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/08/no-mercy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-44615822281481000722008-07-31T12:15:00.000-04:002008-07-31T12:25:25.719-04:002008-07-31T12:25:25.719-04:00

Several emailers have expressed confusion over the blog layout, my trip dates and how to get to those posts. Blogger doesn't allow reverse chronological posting, with the oldest posts first, so the story seemed doomed to backwards reading.As a work around, I've posted here in the upper right a list of all the writing from China with titles and dates. Let it act as a navigation bar for the rare,

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-china-trip-oct-nov-2007.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-59887447312483046162008-07-20T16:13:00.002-04:002008-07-20T16:24:43.782-04:002008-07-20T16:24:43.782-04:00

Day One: Turlock, Calif. to Wells, Nevada. 580 miles.Day Two: Wells to Sidney, Nebraska. 737 miles.Day Three: Sidney to West Des Moines, Iowa. 527 miles.Day Four: West Des Moines to Hermitage, Penn. 764 miles.Day Five: Hermitage to New York, NY. 395 miles.It took about 41 driving hours, Pacific to Atlantic, U-haul trailer attached, dog in the backseat, 24.6 miles per gallon, to sit here in New

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com2http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/07/transitions-3003-miles.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-11906003051323234922008-06-22T14:02:00.000-04:002008-07-31T09:33:39.521-04:002008-07-31T09:33:39.521-04:00

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/buffalo-in-pictures.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-43867519629984781172008-06-15T13:52:00.000-04:002008-06-15T13:59:20.921-04:002008-06-15T13:59:20.921-04:00

Russell Hankin Jr. and John Bollenbacher It was Christmas Eve. Everyone was on liberty. There wasn’t a fly on the ship and John’s wandering around like a lost soul. He says, I’m looking for the Alaska. I says, Take another step and you’re going to fall over it. He says, I’m assigned to this ship. And I tell him he’s going to have to wait till Monday morning, so he and I go out on the town. We

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/weve-been-friends-ever-since.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-55767223458390732832008-06-11T09:59:00.000-04:002008-06-13T13:48:25.459-04:002008-06-13T13:48:25.459-04:00

Friday: We've been so busy eating, talking and eating some more, I haven't had a chance but now to put fingers to keyboard. I've done a lot of interviews and had a lot of laughs. More to come this weekend.My flight leaves in a few hours. I hope to update the blog throughout the reunion with photos, vignettes and more photos. So stay tuned!

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com1http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/stay-tuned.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-17731482673402025632008-06-08T13:23:00.000-04:002008-06-09T18:08:39.684-04:002008-06-09T18:08:39.684-04:00

That's a schematic of what Alaska would have looked like if converted to an aircraft carrier as was conceived shortly after the war. (click for full-size) I found it at Warship Projects Discussion Boards 3.0 -- a forum of fighting ship fans, model builders and history buffs. It's threads aren't public, you have to register to see them, but there's good discussion on a laundry list of WWII and

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/shop-talk.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-64426585280632395892008-06-07T13:29:00.000-04:002008-06-07T13:35:10.254-04:002008-06-07T13:35:10.254-04:00

USS Alaska CB-1The reunion page. Images of the USS AlaskaThe Naval Historical Center page of selected images of the USS Alaska CB-1. DANFS USS AlaskaThe Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry on the Alaska i.e. the ship’s official history truncated. Haze Gray - obtaining filesThe Haze Gray FAQ on finding WWII naval information. The Floating DrydockA huge Navy info resource with

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/uss-alaska-on-web.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-51286440247515920182008-06-05T21:02:00.000-04:002008-06-05T21:16:07.979-04:002008-06-05T21:16:07.979-04:00

Hunters Point, where Alaska and a host of other US Navy ships pushed off towards Pearl Harbor during WWII, is getting a makeover. At least that's what San Francisco voters want. From the Chronicle:Miami-based developer Lennar Corp. and Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration sponsored Proposition G, which promises to remake the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Candlestick Point into a neighborhood

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/hunters-point-makeover.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-81726049488238662852008-06-02T00:16:00.000-04:002008-06-05T21:15:50.627-04:002008-06-05T21:15:50.627-04:00

Time not on my side on the West Coast anymore, we made an Alaska-influenced trip to San Francisco over the weekend. I scribbled a lot of notes and took a lot of pictures. You can see the photo galleries by clicking the television sets below. These photos were more to remember things I want to write about someday rather than artful photography -- keep that in mind.We stayed at the Mark Hopkins

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com2http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/06/channels-of-san-francisco.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-4083412368184923242008-05-25T14:14:00.000-04:002008-05-25T19:04:56.971-04:002008-05-25T19:04:56.971-04:00

I'm getting excited about the reunion. I hired a transcriptionist to work all the audio interviews I recorded last year into text files. Reviewing her work and listening to the interviews again, I'm staggered by the wealth of information already collected. No reason to slow down, though. This year I hope to ask follow-up questions of returning members and rehash a few old stories. I hope to meet

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/05/talking-history.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-75764313585052158142008-05-22T13:27:00.000-04:002008-05-22T13:30:08.598-04:002008-05-22T13:30:08.598-04:00

From the AP:The confirmed number of dead rose nearly 10,000 from the day before to 51,151, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin told a news conference. Another 29,328 people remained missing and nearly 300,000 were hurt in the May 12 quake centered in Sichuan province, he said. The disaster left 5 million people homeless and leveled more than 80 percent of the buildings in some remote towns and

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/05/ap-china-says-death-toll-in-quake-more.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-30080402607966212672008-05-16T14:36:00.000-04:002008-05-16T14:54:10.151-04:002008-05-16T14:54:10.151-04:00

(Above: There's 4 minutes and 50 seconds of daily activity in this Internet cafe surveillance footage until the quake starts. You can let the video load then fast-forward to 4:50 to see the action.)(A Sichuan University student in his dorm.)(The scramble in the streets of Sichuan shot from a window or building top.)(Running to get out a building as the walls and floor move.)(A surveillance camera

msheahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364247264617733960noreply@blogger.com0http://tsingtao-nights.blogspot.com/2008/05/earthquake-footage.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676675629342138753.post-45496310704083519812008-05-14T14:47:00.000-04:002008-05-16T11:01:33.498-04:002008-05-16T11:01:33.498-04:00

What a terrible situation, in Sichuan Provence, with the death toll is climbing and news is getting worse. I have no doubt the region damaged by Monday's earthquake will rebound. I imagine, with all the media attention running up the Olympics, rebuild efforts will take on nationalist overtones -- that is, become the work of the whole country, much like all of America rallied around New York on 9

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