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The Coast Guard Channel has recently created a flash presentation with music of some of my CG work. To view, click on the
logo above.(THIS MAY TAKE A MOMENT OR TWO) I am truly flattered and honored that they selected my work. Be sure to check
out their site on the links page. There are a lot of very nice USCG presentations.
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| USCGC MELLON, Gulf of Alaska 20x16 acrylic |
Coffee Mug and print available
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| Last Pass |
LAST PASS
The ditching of PanAm 943
October 16, 1956
This painting depicts
the PanAm aircraft as she makes a low level pass over the USCGC Pontchartrain soon after the fire retardant foam path was
laid. She then rapidly gained altitude and went around for her final approach for ditching. I was able to complete this with
the invaluable input from my friend and former shipmate Doak Walker who was a Radioman aboard the ship.
On her last leg of an around the world flight everything was calm as the passengers settled
in for the night. At about 3:32am the pilot, Capt Dick Ogg, radioed the CGC
Pontchartrain who was assigned to Ocean Station November located midway between Hawaii and California. The plane had a runaway engine, soon followed by another one completely quitting. Shortly came the dreaded announcement that she would have to ditch.
After realizing that the aircraft could probably stay aloft until sunrise, Capt Ogg elected to wait until daylight
before attempting a ditch and had all passengers moved forward as he feared the tail might break off on impact.
At 8:15am the aircraft ditched a few hundred yards short of the
foam, bounced once and turned sharply to the left and the tail section completely broke off, as Capt Ogg had feared. Within moments passengers had exited onto the wings and rafts while the Pontchartrain’s
small boats raced to the scene. MM2 Ronald Christian entered the wreckage and
found no persons remained aboard. All passengers and crew survived with only
a few receiving cuts and scrapes.
At
8:35am she sank in position 30-01.5' N 140-09 ' W. The Sovereign
of the Skies was gone forever.
Coffee Mug available
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| USCGC Bear acrylic 20x24" |
The CGC Bear on what is probably
a typical patrol. When completed it will also include the old steam bark Bear, built in 1847, sailing past her stern (below).
The "new" Bear was commissioned on February 4, 1983 and is the first of thirteen "Famous Class" 270-foot Medium
Endurance Cutters. She has "big shoes" to fill and is living up to her namesake very well.
Coffee Mug, mouse pad and print available
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| USRC BEAR sailing alongsite the current BEAR (The Two Bears) 20x24 |
Always With You, Always There
The Two Bear's
As you might know, the original Bear was built in 1873 by Alexander Stephen & Son of Scotland. She only spent about the first
10 years sealing before she was acquired by the Revenue Cutter Service in 1885. She had a very colorful career and is probably
the CG's most famous Cutter. One of her most noted adventures was the rescue of the Greely Expedition. Sadly she foundered
on Mar 19th 1963 off of Chatham MA while under tow to Philadelphia to be converted to a restaurant. I was told by a friend
that even during her last hours she continued to rescue as there was a crewman from the tug aboard and she didn't sink until
he was removed! If you look closely just forward of the foremast on deck there is a white hat sailor waving to the one on
the new Bear who is on the 01 deck just above the last port...he is clad in orange foul weather gear ...probably the BMOW
eh?
The current Bear is 270 ft long and the first of the "Famous Class" Cutters. She was commissioned on February 4th, 1983 and
is homeported in Portsmouth VA. Quite a contrast!
Prints available
Click on any image to enlarge
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| USCGC Escanaba and the Dorchester 1943 |
This is what North Atlantic convoy duty might
have looked like in 1943. The USCGC Escanaba, a 165 foot gunboat was escorting convoy SG-19 consisting of six ships (three
merchantmen). One, the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester, can be seen in the background while another escort ship, the CGC Comanche,
is barely visible on the horizon. The date is February 2, 1943 and about 100 miles west of Cape Farewell Greenland. It was
a bitter cold and gloomy day typical of that time of year. A short time after midnight the following day the Dorchester was
torpedoed and sank in about 15-20 minutes. She carried 902 crew and passengers. 675 men were lost including the four Army
Chaplains that were aboard praying for the safety of the men.
Tragically, about 4 months later the Escanaba herself sank, probably the victim of a drifting mine. The explosion and sinking
was so rapid that no distress call was sent. Only two men survived, Melvin Baldwin who died in 1964 and Ray O'Malley who died
on March 8, 2007 in Chicago.
The citizens of Grand Haven Michigan, the Escanaba's homeport, were so distraught that they raised funds to have another Escanaba
built. Every summer they conduct what is now known as the Coast Guard Festival in honor of the crew and all Coast Guard personnel.
To read about the Transport Dorchester and the four Chaplains, click here.
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| USAT Dorchester sinking - acrylic 5'x3' - private collection |
The USAT Dorchester sinking as described to me by several survivors. The torpedo hit amidships just aft of the stack and
below water. Almost immediately a strong smell of ammonia permeated the area below decks, she lost power and continued a short
distance under her forward momentum before becoming "dead in the water". She then settled slowly towards the stern, rolled
to starboard and sank bow first. All within about 20 minutes. Seen here in the painting is a portion of her starboard side
as men frantically try to cut a frozen drum raft free while others desparately attempt to clear two lifeboats. Others are
seen slipping on the ice covered decks while the four Chaplains on the lower left of the main deck give their last life jacket
to a man without one. Many of the men can be seen only partly clad in the sub freezing weather and others, dazed, are contemplating
jumping.
One common statement of the survivors I talked to was that looking back at the sinking ship is it looked like a "giant Christmas
tree of humanity with hundreds of glowing red lights of the life jackets".
This painting is now on permanent display in the Immortal Chaplains Memorial Sanctuary aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach
CA. Please click on the above link to learn more about the Foundation and the Chaplains.
Prints available
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| Stalking SG-19, Dawn February 2nd 1943 - acrylic |
This is my last painting in the DORCHESTER series. It depicts the early morning prior to the DORCHESTER sinking. SG-19 was
the name of the convoy that was enroute to Greenland. The escort ships consisted of the CGC TAMPA, ESCANABA & COMANCHE.
The Merchant ships were the DORCHESTER, LUTZ & BISCAYA. U-223 a class VII type German U-Boat that sank the DORCHESTER.
Coffee Mug available
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| USCGC Sagebrush - acrylic - PRIVATE COLLECTION |
The CGC Sagebrush WLB399 was a 180 ft class
C seagoing buoy tender built at the Zenith Dredge Company at Duluth Minnesota in 1944. These vessels were primarily built
for Aids to Navigation duties but were also used for icebreaking, search & rescue missions, firefighting and logistical support.
During their prime the 180's were considered the backbone of the "Black Fleet" & workhorse of the CG in general. They were
all recognized as one of the most versatile & practical ships of the CG fleet. She was decomnissioned in April of 1988 & sadly
scuttled as a reef off of the Georgia coast. The last remaining 180, the Acacia WLB406, will be decommissioned in June of
this year.
This painting was commissioned by a former CG Radioman who was aboard in 1968 and wanted the famous El Morro Castle in the
background while entering San Juan Harbor.
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| The grounding of the SS DOMINATOR 11x14 acrylic |
GROUNDING OF THE SS DOMINATOR
March 13, 1961
This painting depicts our
small boat being readied to be lowered.
While returning from
Mexico aboard the USCGC DEXTER I received an SOS from the Greek 441-foot WWII Liberty ship SS DOMINATOR. They
thought she was going into Los Angeles harbor for fuel but was actually aground about 200 yards off of Rocky Point near the
Palos Verdes peninsula.
We were close by, diverted
and placed our boarding party aboard to access the situation. I was part of this team to handle the communications back to
the ship. I had this monstrous radio strapped to my back and climbing the cargo
net was difficult to say the least. The first thing I remember was that the ship
was still bouncing which indicated she was not firmly aground. The damage control officer asked if we could put a line aboard
and Captain Papanicolopoulos declined thinking that we would then seize the vessel. The ship was loaded with 9,000 tons of
grain and it was feared if water entered the grain would expand and blow the bulkheads out. He said he would have to get permission
from his company. I next saw the Captain on the bridge were he offered me a mug
of coffee. It was very much appreciated as I was soaking wet but had second thoughts
after my first sip. I did not know that Greek coffee was half sediment! The Captain kept pacing back and forth and told me “it was all over for him
as when he returned to Greece he would go to prison for losing his ship. We were
aboard for several hours but still no answer from his company so we left and returned to the DEXTER. As they CGC
MORRIS had now arrived on scene and the CGC HEATHER was expected shortly,
we continued our trip to Alameda arriving a day later.
The DOMINATOR
did finally break-up as the grain expanded and her remains can still be seen.
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| Fair Winds & Following Seas, acrylic |
This scene depicts the San Francisco Pilot Boat 3 after
retrieving a Bar Pilot from an outgoing tramp steamer in about 1918. After bidding her "Fair winds and following seas"
the steamer disappears into the western fog.
The SF Bar Pilots have been guiding ships into and out of
the San Francisco Bay since 1835 and have safely moved over 9,000 vessels a year.
There are approximately sixty pilots assigned to the vast
area of the San Francisco Bay area, Stockton, Sacramento, and Monterey bay.
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| Quiet Anchorage, acrylic |
This peaceful scene is reminicent of the quiet
anchorages we would seek out while living aboard of Fantasia 35 names IAORANA II. The fog is just lifting above the
far mountain and the shoreline invites you to explore after that first cup of steaming coffee in the cockpit.
Coffee Mug available
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| NOT IN VAIN USCG manned USS Serpens - Acrylic |
The USS Serpens AK-97 was A U.S. Coast Guard
manned cargo ship in World War II. She was a Liberty type built at Wilmington California as the S.S. Benjamin N. Cardozo
and was quickly converted while still under construction. Commissioned in May of 1943 she served in the South Pacific and
was again modified for transportation of ammunition.
Late in the evening on January 29, 1945 while anchored off Lunga Beach, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands her crew was loading
depth charges. Her Commanding Officer and several enlisted crewmen were ashore when a violent explosion rocked the harbor
and the Serpens suddenly disappeared taking with her 193 Coast Guardsmen, 56 Army stevedores and a Public Health Service Doctor.
The blast was so strong that it also killed a soldier ashore. Only two aboard survived. The absolute cause has never been
determined. This incident is the largest single loss ever suffered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Somehow I feel they know that
their sacrifices were "not in vain".
To read more about the USS Serpens, click here.
Coffee Mug available
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| SS Edmund Fitzgerald 12x16 acrylic |
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a large ore carrier working the Great Lakes and was tragically lost with her entire crew of 29
men on the night of November 10, 1975. She rests in 530 ft of water of Lake Superior.
Prints & Coffee Mug available
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| CGC Iroquois WPG43 - Doomed Voyage - acrylic 16x20 private collection |
The USCGC Iroquois was enroute to Ocean Station Victor via Midway Island for refueling. This is how I view her the day before
her arrival after a beautifully calm passage from Honolulu. On June 29th, 1954 the Iroquois was standing off Midway awaiting
a Navy Pilot to bring them through the reef lined channel. Once aboard, the Pilot took control of the vessel and she slowly
inched her way inbound. A few minutes later she struck the reef and was firmly aground, taking on water. Efforts to pull
her free by the Navy were unsucessful and most of the crew were evacuated ashore. A handful of volunteers remained aboard
to control the flooding and keep her afloat. Several days later she was freed and towed to Honolulu. Once the full extent
of her damage was realized she was towed to the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay MD and placed in "special status",
ultimately being declared a total loss and sold for scrap. My friend George Brenegan (then Fireman Apprentice) was one of
the volunteers that stayed with the ship. This is my thanks to him and his fellow shipmates who did their best in keeping
her afloat with no recognition in return.
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| Moments to Disaster - USN Hospital Ship Benevolence 8/25/50) - acrylic 16x20" PRIVATE COLLECTION |
On the afternoon of August 25, 1950 the Navy
Hospital Ship Benevolence was returning to San Francisco in dense fog after a day of sea trials when she collided with the
S.S. Mary Luckenbach just off the Golden Gate. The Benevolence sank quickly thrusting over 500 of her crew into the frigid
waters. Fortunately, there were no patients aboard. Nearby fishing vessels raced to the scene throwing their catch overboard
in order to bring more survivors aboard. Fisherman John Napoli was one of those and injured his back so severely that he had
to abandon his life long livelyhood. This is my tribute to Mr. Napoli and all the fishermen who sacrificed so much that tragic
afternoon. Twenty-three of the Benevolence crew did not survive. This painting is on permanent display at the San Francisco
North Beach Museum.
Print & Coffee Mug available
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| Old Hyde Street Pier, acrylic 16x20" Private Collection |
This is my vision of the old Hyde Street Pier
located on the west end of San Francisco's Fishermans Wharf. As a young boy I used to spend a lot of time exploring the waterfront
and have many fond memories. Behind the silhouetted 219 foot lumber schooner C. A. Thayer can be seen the cities skyline barely
visible through the lifting fog. The Thayer has been designated a National Historical Landmark and is open to the public.
She is presently undergoing restoration across the bay in Alameda. This painting is in private collection.
Print & Coffee Mug available
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| Chimney Rock Whistle Buoy - 16x20 - acrylic AVAILABLE |
This buoy is probably more accurately called
Drakes Buoy Number One and I am sure that she is presently painted green with a radar reflector. This is how I remember
her though when I was assigned to the Lifeboat Station. I had rounded her many times on the way to various calls for
assistance. Frequently you could see a lazy seal that was resting on the cannister hatch covers "barking" at us as we
passed. Sea Gulls always seemed to be present. This painting is AVAILABLE.
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