Bug's Guidebook to Texas.

[Bugman]

Today I visited Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, a two hour drive west of Austin. Founded by German immigrants in 1846, the town was named after Prince Fredrick of Prussia. Ranching and farming were the primary means of making a living. Today the town has a somewhat touristy feel, especially on East Main Street. But, there are a number of things to see in Fredericksburg and the surrounding area. The 2010 Census estimated the population at 10,530. Pictures next.

 

[Bugman]

The Texas Hill Country was a hardscrabble place in the 19th Century, and might seem unlikely as the birthplace of a man who would become a U.S. Navy legend. But on February 24 1885 Chester W. Nimitz was born just blocks from this hotel, built by his grandfather in 1860.

Nimitz wanted to attend West Point but no appointments were available. Instead he entered the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating seventh in a class of 114 on January 30 1905. Working his way up through the ranks Nimitz served on a number of ships and later submarines. In October 1911 he became Commander of the 3rd Submarine Division and commanded several subs. During WWI he served on a refueling ship.

Ten days after Pearl Harbor Nimitz became Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Serving with distinction he became a Fleet Admiral, the equivalent of a five star general in December 1944. He was aboard the USS Missouri in Tokoyo Bay September 2 1945 when Japan formally surrended and signed the doucments.

Today the hotel is part of The National Museum of the Pacific War.

Admiral Nimitz died February 20 1966.

http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/index.asp

 

[Bugman]

An Mk1 Vickers machine gun. Featuring a water cooled barrel, the Mk1 could fire 450 rounds of .303 ammunition per minute. It was in service 1912-1966.

A Mitchell B25 bomber, built by North American Avation. This was the type of bomber then Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and his men flew on their daring raid over Japan April 18 1942. On July 28 1945 a B25 flying over New York in heavy fog crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. The three man crew and 11 office workers died.

An M3 Stuart tank. This one belonged to the Australian 7th Division. During the Buna-Gona campaign it was hit by an anti-tank round. Despite being badly wounded the crew survived.

 

[Bugman]

A Type 94 37mm anti-tank gun.

To the right is a Type 96 25mm anti-aircraft gun. Both of these weapons were used by the Japanese military during WWII.

 

[Bugman]

Left to right.

This was part of the USS Pintado, (SS-387) a Balao-Class submarine. Commissioned January 1 1944, decommissioned March 6 1946. In 1969 she was sold for scrap.

A British 25 Pounder field gun. So named because it fired a 25 pound shell.

An M2A2 75mm field piece.

A Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun.

 

[Bugman]

This is a Ko-hyotekki Class midget submarine. 50 were built, and five were part of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This one, No. 19, grounded east of Ohau and was quickly captured. It toured America as part of a War Bond drive. Sorry about the pictures. As you can see the room is poorly lit and even the flash didn't help much.

 

[General Zod]

Thanks for the info and pix Bugman.

 

[Wildtime]

Thanks for the tour of The Pacific War Museum (I've been meaning to comment on your other "Guidebook to Texas" posts, but was distracted one way or another). I've been meaning to take a tour of your great state since visiting Houston (thanks again for the visitor info advice, I'm still amazed by the USS Texas Battleship), and hopefully I'll be down there again this year!

 

[Bugman]

Thanks for the info and pix Bugman.

Glad you've enjoyed it so far Zod. 🙂

Thanks for the tour of The Pacific War Museum (I've been meaning to comment on your other "Guidebook to Texas" posts, but was distracted one way or another). I've been meaning to take a tour of your great state since visiting Houston (thanks again for the visitor info advice, I'm still amazed by the USS Texas Battleship), and hopefully I'll be down there again this year!

My pleasure Wild, I'm pleased you enjoyed the Lone Star State. Our Canadian friends are always welcome here, and I was happy to be of some small service. Yes, the Texas is an amazing piece of technology given how old it is. If you ever get to Austin look me up, I'll try to show you are a bit. Oh, and more pictures are coming today and tomorrow, so stay tuned.

 

[paracarl44]

Thank you for posting the pictures, and the background story of Admiral Nimitz.

 

[Bugman]

Here are a few pictures of a Combat Information Center (CIC) of the kind found on a destroyer of that era.

 

[Bugman]

Thank you for posting the pictures, and the background story of Admiral Nimitz.

Glad you've enjoyed it Carl. 🙂

 

[Bugman]

This is the last picture from inside the main building, and I was not sure if I wanted to post it. But, it is an important part of history and should never be forgotten.

On August 6 1945 "Little Boy," the first atomic bomb used in war fell on Hiroshima Japan. Three days later, on August 9 "Fat Man" devastated Nagasaki. This is a replica of that bomb, and being in a room with it is chilling. So many innocent people dead, so much distruction. Let us work to ensure such a terrible weapon is never used again.

 

[paracarl44]

This is the last picture from inside the main building, and I was not sure if I wanted to post it. But, it is an important part of history and should never be forgotten.

On August 6 1945 "Little Boy," the first atomic bomb used in war fell on Hiroshima Japan. Three day later, on August 9 "Fat Man" devastated Nagasaki. This is a replica of that bomb, and being in a room with it is chilling. So many innocent people dead, so much distruction. Let us work to ensure such a terrible weapon is never used again.

^They have these on display at The USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.^

 

[Bugman]

Before leaving the 6.2 acre grounds of the main museum complex I visited the Memorial Courtyard. It is a quite, somber place, a place for reflection. The rock wall is covered with plaques in memory of men, units and ships that served then, and many of the sidewalks bricks are inscribed with the names of those who served in the PTO. Paid for by family or friends, the proceeds help fund the museum. I sat on one of the benches and read some of them, and wondered. Did they survive the war, or die somewhere in the Pacific, so far from home? The last two pictures are a propellor, a Screw in Navy jargon, that propelled Essex-Class aircraft carriers. Every Essex-Class carrier had four Screws, 15 feet across and weighing 24,774 pounds each.

Tomorrow, we'll conclude the tour with a visit to the museum annex.

 

[Bugman]

The Pacific Combat Zone is an easy 10 minute walk south of the main museum, and ample parking is also available. Guided tours begin on the hour, and take about 50 minutes. Well worth the time.

A Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber, built by General Motors. There are two famous names connected with the Avenger. The first is former President George H. W. Bush. He was the pilot of an Avenger which was shot down over the Pacific September 2 1944. In January 1944 a young man from New Jersey joined the Navy in hopes of becoming a pilot. He was found to be colorblind and flunked the physical but trained as a radioman and served with honor during the war on several Avengers in that role. His name was Paul Newman.

PT 309. This is the only restored PT boat on display in the United States that saw combat during WWII. See link below for more information. PT 309 was powered by three Packard 5M-2500 engines, producing 1,850 horse power each.

http://www.hnsa.org/ships/pt309.htm

For some reason I can't get the pictures to post in order. Sorry about that.

 

[Bugman]

These pictures are typical of defensive positions Allied forces encountered on beaches throughout the Pacific. As you can see there is a small grandstand and mock assaults are staged eight weekends every year, complete with sound effects and pyrotechnics.

 

[milagros317]

Very interesting museum. Thanks for posting all the photos, Bugman. 😀

 

[Bugman]

Very interesting museum. Thanks for posting all the photos, Bugman. 😀

My pleasure Mils, glad you've enjoyed it. I wanted to post all of the last pictures today but time constraints make that impossible. I'll have them up tomorrow without fail.

 

[osprey825]

Thanks for the Texas tour, Bugman. I've been to your state a few times and would love to live there. Thanks for the tip on Nimitz too - I have something to research now.

 

[Bugman]

Thanks for the Texas tour, Bugman. I've been to your state a few times and would love to live there. Thanks for the tip on Nimitz too - I have something to research now.

Glad you've enjoyed it, come on down anytime. Admiral Nimitz was quite a man, and we are proud to have him as a native son.

 

[Bugman]

A few more pictures of the invasion beach. The last two pictures are a Higgins boat, the iconic landing craft of WWII.

 

[Bugman]

Left to right.

A Mark 16 mine. The MK13 weighed 2,040 pounds and carried a 600 lb. charge.

A Mark 6 depth charge. It weighed 475 lbs. and carried 300 lbs. of explosive.

16 inch gun shells. The color coding denotes the load it carried.

Mark 7 or 10 rockets, found on PT boats built late in the war. I've misplaced my notes and can't remember which these are.

 

[Bugman]

I first visited this wonderful museum in 2008, and much has changed. I don't think many of the changes are for the better, but then again they didn't ask me. But it is still well worth a visit.

One artifact I saw then is no longer on display, or I missed it. It was a letter written by an 18 year old sailor who did not survive the war. Writing to his sister, he told her he enoyed the Navy, and seen some intresting things, and noted that "action" was expected at any time. He was a crew member of the USS Arizona. His letter was postmarked December 6, 1941.

 

[milagros317]

That's a great museum with lots of hardware from World War II on display. Thanks for posting all the photos. 😀