Was in San Fran this past wknd and took a walk along the beach at The Prasidio. There are two buildings/houses on the beach just inside the GGB that looked an awful lot like an old LSS. When I got home, I did a little digging, and found out that it was in fact an old LSS. Who can give me some history on the place? I'm assuming that Sta Golder Gate replaced that one.

The old Coast Guard Station Fort Point. Closed down somewhere around 1991 or 92. Park Service maybe ???

Here is a very rough sketch that I did of Fort Point LBS in 1971 from the water side. Does it look like the same building?

Station Fort Point

http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/park/ftptlss.htm

http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPre...identifier=ADA467908

Many, many years ago the boathouse at Fort Point had stencils on the inside to track all the jumpers they had picked up. After an inspection they were painted over. The Admiral was not amused!

Naaah, they just repainted the tally in the workshop building out on the pier.

They did have to get rid of the t-shirts though...

Don't forget that Fort Point was the home to the Air Cushion Test and Evaluation Unit in the early 70's.



Jack

I didn't get to ride on them, but my dad did take us over to check them out when they were there. Interesting mix of airdales and deck apes manned the things. They did get on TV at least once in a Streets of San Francisco episode.

It wasn't long after the CG pulled out of Ft. Point when the Army or NPS came in and demolished that big old metal building the eval unit was housed in adjacent to the station.

In the spring of 1973 I approached my Chief in the AT shop and asked if he would make a call and arrange for me to take a ride on the air cushion craft.
Chief set it for myself and another coastie.
I remember skimmimg across the bay just above the top of the chop. We flew pass some low flying ducks. Besides fast, the ride was super smooth. We approached a grassy point and just skimmed right over the top. You could feel it lift a little over the grass tops and then it settled again just over the choppy bay water. Smooth, smooth, and fast!
It was a blast to ride but it just did not seem very practical. Very grateful to Chief for giving me the opportunity(-:

Back in the late 80's, I was a Radioman at Group Seattle. We used to work a lot with the Canadian Coastguard in Vancouver, who also had a hovercraft unit there. I went up one day for a visit to check out their comms and hovercraft stations. While I was being shown around the hovercraft facility, we ended up in the maintenance shop where they had one completely torn down (salt water is hard on them). I just happend to look up in the storage loft above me and notice some spare parts painted white (the Canadian ones are painted red & yellow), with a USCG emblem on them. My guide then explained that after the USCG testing was done, they got the left over parts. Now, I don't know if it's true or not, but apparently the USCG tried using them on the great lakes during the winter. Not a very good idea because the skirts on these are made of rubber, and don't take kindly to being punctured by ice. Plus, you tend to lose your buoyancy when you punture the skirt.

Also, the hovercraft in the picture is an SRN 5. And I do remember seeing the "Streets of San Francisco" episode that tip_dog mentioned.

JC

You are right, that of three PACV's that the CG got from the Navy, after combat tours by both the Army and Navy, one did sink in the Great Lakes. It was recovered , but not rebuilt. The SRN-5 was the basic commercial model. The Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle (PACV) was a bit different.


I did a short history of the ACV Test and Eval Unit, at Station Fort Point, which can be found here at . usmilnet.com , CG History, "Cutters that didn't make the cut."



Enjoy.

Jack

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cgrdcs,

cgrdcs -

Thanks for clarifying that. I always wondered how/where we got them, but I always knew where one of them ended up.

A good friend of my dads was the OIC there in the late 80's. BMCM Robert "Bob" Adams. He used to live in the house that was located on the property. I remember the body count board in the boat house. I also remember the guys haveing to "swing" onto the boats like Tarzan because of the tide. When my dad was EPO on the Pt. Heyer in Morro Bay they went to the yards in San Fran. While there a friend had a Caulkins Bartender 26 that he kept at Sausilito we fished quite a bit. We spent many evenings fishing San Fan bay with Bob. I remember the incredible woodwork in the OIC's house. Also the "Crows Nest" where the guys stood lookout.

I was the OiC of Sta Fort Point from 82-85. CGRET1977, Your drawing is good. I can see right into my office window, right below the lookout tower.
FatCat, when I got there there was a 1X6 board all the way around the boat house. It was stenciled with stick people. They represented the people who had jumped from the bridge. They were gender specific, very occasionally one would be wearing a halo (survivor) I felt this was in very poor taste and had them removed and destroyed. The decision was not popular with the crew, but, too bad! I have known Bob Adams for many years. He relieved me when my tour was complete in 1985. And yes we did have to swing out to the boats and there were several pelican dives into the bay. We averaged about 50 jumpers a year. In 3 years we had 1 survivor. Not very good odds.
Live well, Dave

quote:

They were gender specific, very occasionally one would be wearing a halo (survivor) I felt this was in very poor taste and had them removed and destroyed

Aha! I knew they had been removed but did not realize that was you that made the decision.

Yep, it was me. When I got there there was just a little too much laughing and joking about the jumpers. I know every one has to deal with that kind of job in their own way, but I felt it was a little out of hand. The dead, their friends and family deserve a little more dignity. Besides, it gave them all a common bond."They could cuss me" And thats OK, at least they did it as a crew, a team working together. I enjoyed the tour, and for the biggest part, so did the crew. Dave

I coulda been wrong but i remember a board located by the door of the boat house. Oh well I was bout 10-12 years old at the time hard to remember. I do remember the claim that the only clothes that would survive a jump were Levi's
(coincidentally mad in San Fran). Anyhting else would be ripped off. I have alot of memories of Bob. My dad served with him on the Jellison in Seward. Then when he took over Umpqua River he made a call and Bam! orders to there from Texas to be the EPO. He probably formed my opinion of what an "Old School" BMCM should be. Alot of those old BMCM's and BMCS's stayed in touch. Like Dave Edwards. He was also in Seward with us. Small world. Then my first EPO job in Hatteras I end up working for Frank Bowman. These old Surfman were real legends.

Correction. BMCM Fred Bowman. I was asleep at the wheel again.

Fat Cat, I was stationed with Bob at Yaquina bay. Dave worked for me when I had Depoe Bay. Seen Dave last month. Him and Nancy are well. Fred Bowmen is still in, He;'s at Siuslaw river. My youngest son is a BM1 working for him. Be well, Dave

Glad to hear about who removed the stencils, I have heard a lot of stories about it during my visits to stations on the West Coast.

Thanks, Dave