The blimp patrol was, of course, in on this chase. One rig needed a $500 repair job after the shelling and one man was wounded while trying to defuse an unexploded shell. Though about 25 shells were fired from a 5 and a half-inch deck gun, little damage was done. From 7:07 to 7:45 p.m., he directed the shelling of the Ellwood Oil Field from his submarine, the I-17. He had to wait for the war between the United States and Japan. Then and there the humiliated Nishino swore to get even. Workers on a nearby oil rig broke into guffaws at the sight of the proud commander having cactus spines plucked from his posterior. On the way up the path from the beach to a formal ceremony welcoming him and his crew, Nishino slipped and fell into a prickly pear cactus. In the late 1930s, Kozo Nishino served as commander of a Japanese tanker taking on crude oil at the Ellwood Oil Field near Santa Barbara, Calif. mainland in 1942 was triggered by cactus spines connecting with a Japanese naval captain. The crew was severely reprimanded for this action, which they did not do again. The principal of the high school called the commander at the base to report this incident. While down at very low elevation, they flew over the building with their tie-down ropes dragging the roof, and revved up the engines. One day, while they were returning from patrol, they buzzed the high school. Some of these blimp sailors had girlfriends attending Eureka High School. If a blimp left the base with a full load of fuel and, for reasons such as high winds or dense fog conditions had to return to the base, 1,000 gallons of fuel would be dumped into Humboldt Bay to lighten the load and lesson the danger of fire.Ĭombat Crew #34 members included: (back row, left to right) K.R. The blimps also had one 50-caliber machine gun mounted over the gondola. When activated and dropped, these charges were set to explode at a certain depth in the ocean. Each blimp carried four, 500-pound depth charges. The ships carried 1,500 gallons of aviation fuel, enough for 38+ hours of flight, with a range of 1,910 nautical miles. They boasted a maximum air speed of 67.5 knots per hour (speed varied with wind conditions). These blimps featured two Pratt-Whitney R-1340-AN2, 425-HP radial gasoline engines, one on each side of the car or gondola. Despite the different types, all of these blimps were non-rigid (no frame) structures featuring large gas bags filled with helium. Several of these type “Ks” were stationed along the coast. It measured 251 and a half feet long, with a car 42 feet long. 31, 1942, the first “K” type patrol airship was received by the squadron, a blimp designed for submarine patrol and convoy duty. These measured 150 feet long and featured a car 23 feet long. In the beginning these non-rigid airships, or blimps, used for patrol were type “L” or primary trainer. These bases were established all along the Pacific Coast. The second auxiliary facility was established at Watsonville, Calif., and anti-submarine patrol operations began from that station. Navy set up the first blimp base at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay during March 1942. Naval Air Station Moffett Field in California. Navy set up submarine patrols with the command headquarters located at U.S. The shipping lines were warned of Japanese submarines possibly lurking in the coastal waters. The entire United States was well aware that the Pacific Coast was in danger. 19, 1941, the general petroleum tanker Emidio was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Eureka. Radiological monitors were trained to detect any radioactive material in case of a nuclear bomb attack (this writer went through this training).Īt the very beginning of the war, Dec. Bomb shelters were set up to supply food and first aid - just in case. They reported to central headquarters any and every unknown flight passing overhead.Ī Civil Defense system was set up, complete with headquarters, block captains and air raid wardens throughout various coastal communities. Military men rode horses on the long beaches while, on the smaller beaches, trained dogs accompanied the men as they kept an eye out for enemy invaders.Īirplane watches were set up, which involved many women trained to watch for and recognize enemy planes. Coast Guard set up regular patrols at every beach where a landing might be possible. Navy ships at Pearl Harbor set off defensive action along the Pacific Coast and Humboldt County was no exception. Photos courtesy of the author, via the Humboldt Historian. Navy blimp K-47 at rest at the Eureka base, c.
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