Administration Building at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, constructed in 1870.A
Photo: "Records"
Basement room full of manuals, receipts, blueprints and old documents left behind inside the former Administration Building at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
Photo: "Central Power Plant"
Building 121, the central power plant, was constructed in 1918.
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first US Navy Base on the West Coast. The land was purchased in 1853 and shipbuilding was commenced in 1854. During WWI and WWII, the base was responsible for the construction of dozens of ships, including destroyers, battleships and submarines. The base closed in 1996 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Program.
Mare Island Nocturnes Exhibit
A few of my night photographs will be included in the Mare Island Night Photography Exhibit opening August 3.
Details:
August 3 - September 15, 2011
Mare Island Historic Park Foundation Museum
1100 Railroad Avenue, Mare Island, Vallejo [map]
Museum Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd full weekends of the month.
Reception: Sunday, August 14 from 2 to 4 pm
Mare Island Nocturnes features fine art photography, done at night, utilizing long time exposures, by photographers from all over the SF Bay Area, many on return nocturnal “tours of duty.” Chris Rasmussen, a member of the Save Our Sail Advisory Group, and one of the Jurors of the exhibit, has described the exhibit as “A marvelous array of images demonstrating the stark beauty of Mare Island, its industrious past now locked up in a great stillness.” We hope the public will come see these images of a seldom-seen side of the former Mare Island Shipyard, and help celebrate The Nocturnes Twentieth Anniversary - and five years on Mare Island!
Exhibiting Artists Include:
Harvey Abernathey
Tim Baskerville
Mike Browne
Tamara Danoyan
David Dasinger
Andy Frazer
Lenny Greenwald
Alan Grinberg
Ed Hamilton
Amy Heiden
Steve Jackson
Kim Kulish
G Dan Mitchell
Shawn Peterson
Joe Reifer
Deb Rourke
Greta & Manu Schnetzler
Marla Showfer
Richard Stough
Cassandra Wright
Photo: "Shattered"
Inside Building A-266 on the South side of the Mare Island Naval Base in Vallejo, CA.
(Night. 80 seconds. Lit by flashlight and exterior ambient light.)
Allied Defense Recycling Makes History at Mare Island
This morning at 1000 hours , Allied Defense Recycling, MARAD and the City of Vallejo held an Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Allied Defense ship dismantling facility at Mare Island.
Mare Island, the first Shipyard to be built on the West Coast, has remained closed since 1995 as a direct result of the Base Realignment Closure Program. This event marked the official reopening of the 740 foot dry dock #2 after 16 years of dormancy.
Since SS Solon Turman was towed into the dry dock 2 weeks ago, dozens of workers have lined up each morning hoping to get hired. Thus far, Allied Defense Recycling has hired a handful of workers and will continue to hire workers, up to 100 or maybe more, once major operations begin.
In 2010, Allied Defense Recycling received the MARAD contract to scrap two ships. S.S. Solon Turman is currently sitting in the dry dock. The next ship, S.S. President, is scheduled to arrive in March. Of the 20 ships scheduled to be removed from the Mothball Fleet by Sept 30, 2011, it hasn't been said how many will end up at Mare Island.
The presentation was held inside the former periscope maintenance building. Speakers included: Jay Anast (Director of Operations, ADR), Mayor Osby Davis and David Matsuda (Director, MARAD).
