Reunion Tours

San Diego - 2012

Our Hosts Harry (ST 64-66) and JoAnn Ross

1.) Monday, October 22nd    -  Arrival Day

Today is a day to get checked in to the hotel and renew old acquaintances.  The hospitality room opens at 12:00 noon in the beautiful Harborview Room overlooking San Diego Bay from the top floor of our hotel.  The Holiday Inn Bayside will be hosting a one hour welcome reception from 1700 to 1800.  Hors D’oeuvres and one Honey Baked Ham will be served.  If you are still hungry, the hotel café will be giving all Bang Reunion guests a 10% discount to SENIORS age fifty five (55) and older.

2.) Tuesday, October 23rd   $55 per person (Lunch Included)  9:00 AM Departure - Harbor Cruise and USS Midway CV-41

First we will board one of Hornblower Cruises' ships for a two hour cruise of both north and south San Diego Bay.  Salty bay breezes, sparkling waves and matchless natural beauty make San Diego perfect for cruising.  We will see over 50 San Diego landmarks, historic sites and environmental interest points including:

• Nuclear Submarine Base
• World's oldest active sailing ship, Star of India
• Point Loma Lighthouse
• America’s Cup Harbor
• Shelter & Harbor Islands
• North Island Naval Air Station
• Cabrillo National Monument
• Travel Under the Coronado Bay Bridge
• Midway Aircraft Carrier
• Naval Destroyers & Frigates
• Convention Center
• Ship Building Facilities
• San Diego Skyline
• Naval Station San Diego
• Coronado Island

Our first class vessel includes comfortable indoor or outdoor seating and viewing areas and a snack bar with adult beverages, soft drinks, hot and cold snacks, plus souvenirs available for purchase.

After our cruise we will enter a floating city at sea USS Midway Aircraft Carrier and walk in the footsteps of 225,000 Midway sailors who served our country and upheld the American ideals of strength, freedom and peace.  You'll relive nearly 50 years of world history aboard the longest-serving Navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century.

The outset of World War II saw a progression of American aircraft carrier design leading to larger and more heavily armored battle carriers. CVB-41, the lead ship of the Midway class, was ordered on August 7, 1942. She was the first fleet carrier to have the distinction of being named after a WWII battle. The carrier battle of Midway Island in June 1942 turned the tide of World War II and proved conclusively the potential of naval aviation.   Launched on March 20, 1945, Midway was the largest warship in the world for the first decade of her service. Conceived and built during the desperate days of World War II, the carriers of the Midway class carried a crew of 4,500 and up to 70 aircraft. The 1,000 foot-long Midway was once the largest carrier afloat, growing from 45,000 tons in 1945 to 74,000 tons in 1991. When operating at sea the ship was refueled every three days, burning approximately 100,000 gallons of oil a day. When first built, the Midway's bow was open to the sea, and was enclosed in 1957 as part of a major overhaul.

On January 17, 1991, aircraft from Midway flew the initial air strikes of Operation DESERT STORM.  Midway was decommissioned for the last time at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, California on April 11, 1992. She was stricken from the Navy List on March 17, 1997.  Midway's final journey occurred on January 10, 2004. Several hundred guests were aboard as she was towed across San Diego Bay to her new home at Navy Pier. With much celebration and ceremony, Midway was berthed at Navy Pier, where she officially opened as the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum on June 07, 2004. Once again, Midway's popularity showed as 3,058 visitors went aboard on opening day.

Lunch is included and will be served at the Fantail Cafe onboard the Midway.  Located through the Jet Shop on the stern of the ship, The Fantail Café allows us to relax and enjoy the scenic view and beautiful weather of Downtown San Diego from onboard the USS Midway.

3.) Wednesday, October 24th    $48.00 per person (Lunch Included)  9:00AM Departure - Point Loma Submarine Base.

Base tour, lunch and tour of nuke boat (security conditions permitting).  Tonight - Bang Olympics featuring the Battle of the Sexes!

Point Loma Naval Base is home to Submarine Squadron 11which includes six fast attack nuclear submarines and one floating dry dock, ARCO (ARDM 5).

We will tour the Submarine base at Point Loma Naval Station.  Lunch is included at the Oceanview room on the sub base.  Following lunch we will tour a nuclear boat unless world events dictate elevated security conditions that would preclude visitors on the boat.

Submarines attached to Squadron 11 are:

USS Albuquerque (SSN 706)
USS San Francisco (SSN 711)
USS Topeka (SSN 754)
USS Asheville (SSN 758)
USS Jefferson City (SSN 759)
USS Hampton (SSN 767)

Following the tour, our luxurious motor coach awaits to return us to our hotel and the ever popular hospitality room.

Tonight after dinner we will have the Bang Olympics outdoors also known as the Battle Of The Sexes.  This was a big hit last year and rumor has it that several shipmates and ladies have been in training over the winter in anticipation of hot competition this year!

4.) Thursday, October 25th
8:30 AM Business meeting for all shipmates.

8:30 AM Guided tour of the highlights of San Diego for the LADIES and GUESTS will leave the hotel at 8:30 AM and return at 11:30 AM.  Cost is $24 per person.  Please email Harry Ross harrypross@gmail.com to reserve space(s). A minimum of 15 persons is required to run the tour.

The rest of the day will be free to explore on your own.  Swim in the outdoor heated pool or relax in the Jacuzzi, enjoy shuffleboard courts, 9-hole golf putting green, poolside billiards, and ping pong tables at our hotel.  If you prefer to get out and about, take one of the California style beach cruisers and cycle along scenic San Diego Bay.  San Diego has numerous restaurants (many seafood) and gift shops for those who like to shop.   Or explore some of the area's many attractions including:

5:30 PM   Banquet tonight -  $42 per person

The featured speaker will be Retired Captain Charles MacVean who served on Tinosa and Grorge Washington, was commissioning XO of Parche and CO of Seawolf.  Captain MacVean will share meaningful insights and experiences of the nuclear navy during the cold war (can you say Blind Man's Bluff?).

• Seaport Village  Located within easy walking distance from our hotel.  In San Diego you can be assured of two things: the weather will be amazing and you'll discover lots to do at Seaport Village .  Come explore 50-plus diverse shops, 17 unique eateries and outdoor entertainment and find everything under the sun.  Dine, shop, visit and relax in three sections of Seaport Village with three distinctive California styles:  Old Monterey,  Victorian San Francisco  and traditional Mexico.  Each of the restaurants has a great view of the bay and four miles of walkways will help diners walk off their meals.


• Old Town Trolly Tours  Hop aboard one of our trolleys and you’ll experience Transportainment, a delightful combination of transportation and entertainment.  With Old Town Trolley, you can avoid costly parking and city driving while exploring at your own pace as you hop on and off at your favorite stops.


• Sea World  One of the best and most popular ways to explore the wonders of the sea in San Diego is at SeaWorld.  Home of Shamu the orca, SeaWorld has become as synonymous and iconic as San Diego itself.


• Historic Gaslamp Quarter  In the historic Gaslamp Quarter, consisting of 16½-blocks around Fourth and Fifth Avenues, grand Victorian-era buildings are home to more than 100 of the city's finest restaurants, 35 pubs and nightclubs and 100 retail shops, as well as theaters, art galleries, offices and residential/work lofts.   When the sun sets, this downtown neighborhood attracts thousands of diners, shoppers, theatergoers, and nightclub patrons.


• B-39 a Russian Diesel-electric Foxtrot submarine :   B-39 carried a crew of 78 and could dive to a depth of 985 feet before threatening the integrity of her nickel steel pressure hull.


• Balboa Park   Balboa Park's origins stretch way back to 1868 when San Diego's civic leaders set aside 1,400 acres for a city park.  Today, Balboa Park has a carousel, miniature train rides, hiking trails, picnic sites and hosts 12 museums.  For $25, visitors can get a Passport to Balboa Park that includes admission to all of the Balboa Park museums: the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Aerospace Museum, San Diego Automotive Museum, Mingei International Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, The Museum of San Diego, Hall of Champions Sports Museum, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Art Institute, and the San Diego Natural History Museum.  Very few parks in the United States can claim such a wide variety of first-rate museums within its borders.


• USS Dolphin (AGSS 555)  The deepest diving submarine in the world, Dolphin set a depth record for operating submarines in November 1968 that still stands.  


• Hotel Del Coranado  In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.  As a National Historic Landmark, the Hotel del Coronado has a rich and colorful heritage.  Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891.  The Del is an American treasure with more than 120 years of fascinating stories to tell.  Have lunch in the Crown Room of this amazing wooden archetectural landmark or just stroll throught the historic lobby and grounds visited by so many legendary figures.





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