Photo: "Out Of Place"

These operating room lights were found inside a former military barrack, known as Truett Hall, at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, but they clearly don't belong here as there wasn't even an operating room inside this building. 

It makes me curious how they ended up in Room # 204. 

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Photo: "Hospital Corridor"

 
 

The Mare Island Naval Shipyard Hospital was constructed when the shipyard was established in the late 1800's, however the beautiful, original building experienced severe damage in an 1898 quake. 

The replacement building shown here is the central section of a three and four story building and a great example of Beaux Arts classicism. Not only that, but it is unique in style for the shipyard.

Since the building's inception, many modifications have been made, including drop ceilings, many new layers of paint and the addition of better HVAC systems. 

When the shipyard closed in the 1990's, the hospital became vacant. In the recent years Touro University has been using the building for storage.  

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I Miss These Places

Since TheSouthern1800 trip to a few Southern states in May, I haven't explored too many abandoned buildings. I miss the asylums and hospitals, waking up at 3am to be in the buildings for blue hour and dawn, the hours spent in the car listening to music and getting to know your travel companions. 

A few weeks ago, some of that longing was fulfilled when a friend invited me to this old shipyard to photograph a few of the buildings I hadn't yet explored.

This is an old military barrack at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, which housed around 100 military personnel when the base was in operation from the late 1800's to the late 1990's. 

Around California, most of the abandoned historical locations once belonged to the military. Land is so expensive here that when most things become abandoned, they are torn down and replaced by something new. The old shipyard and military bases are typically the longest standing abandonments in the area. 

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Photo: "Cool Down"

This building connects to the 1870 Administration Building at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, but was constructed many years later. However, the front offices, shown here, were adorned with wood doors, similar to those in the Admin building. 

 (Sidenote: I'm heading out of town today to work on a project for the next 2 weeks. I will have limited computer time, but hopefully I'll be able to post a photo every once and a while. Have a good few weeks!)

 

USS Holland AS-32 Being Recycled

The USS Holland, the second Hunley class submarine tender, was removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on Thursday, July 10, 2013. She was transported to Mare Island where her hull will be cleaned, by Mare Island Ship Yard, prior to her final journey to Brownsville, Texas to be recycled.  

For me this is a big moment, as USS Holland was the first ship I ever visited in Suisun Bay back in 2010. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to wander her corridors a few more time over the years, exploring the memories and artifacts left behind by the men and women who served aboard her. 

Docked at Mare Island Ship Yard, taken during twilight

Just before the workers arrived to begin work on the hull 

The bow of USS Holland in the Mare Island Ship Yard dry dock

USS Holland was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company in Mississippi and commissioned in 1963. Her mission was to service submarines, replenish food supply, fuel and weapons. She carried a machine shop and was capable of repairing any portion of a submarine. 

Her first major mission began in 1964 across the Atlantic Ocean in Rota, Spain where she took over for U.S.S. Proteus, restocking missiles and supplies to the Polaris Submarines.

During her thirty three years in service, USS Holland was recognized ten times for battle efficiency. 

She was decommissioned in 1996, while in Guam, and placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet shortly thereafter.  

Looking towards Mare Island, from Vallejo, at the dry dock 

The ship name has faded since being moored in the Fleet 

Read more about the USS Holland here.  

Photo: "Newest Old"

The Administration Building at the former Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California is the oldest building's on the grounds, but since the construction in 1870, many modifications have been done. Here, they have added ceiling tiles, carpet and modern office lighting fixtures. 

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Photo: "Railroad Avenue"

The Mare Island Naval Shipyard contains several hundred buildings and other structures, all erected at various times throughout the 120-year operation and constructed in a variety of architectural styles. Among these structures are the Naval Weapons Station, Marine Barracks, Nuclear Power School and Combat Systems Technical Schools Command, Hospital and Power Plant. 

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Photo: "Magazine Storage"

At the Southern tip of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard groupings of former magazine buildings still remain today even though the shipyard has been decommissioned for nearly 20 years. These buildings once stored a variety of ammunition for land and sea weaponry. 

I've been told the walls of these buildings were constructed of concrete and the roofs of a metal material, so that during an accidental explosion, the blast would move vertically instead of horizontally.