USS Iowa (BB-61) at dawn, docked in Richmond, California.
USS Iowa Heads to Southern California
On Saturday, the USS Iowa (BB-61) will be towed from Richmond to her new home in Long Beach. She is the last Iowa Class battleship in existence to become a museum, which will thankfully preserve the ship that served in WWII, carried Roosevelt across the Atlantic in 1943 and suffered a turret exploring in 1989, killing 47 crew members.
Much has changed since this image was taken of her in the Mothball Fleet in January 2010, but my feelings about her still remain the same. She is magnificent.
The first time I set foot on her deck, I was immersed in the history, tragedy and beauty of this ship and though I am sad to see her leave the Bay Area, I am incredibly happy to see such a big part of our history preserved.
Photo: "Earle"
Hallway inside the Earle building at Norwich State Hospital, Connecticut.
Photo: "Blue Hour Corridor"
Corridor, during blue hour, inside Building F at Mayview State Hospital in Pennsylvania.
Photo: "Into the Blue"
Upstairs unit in the historic Waldo Hotel in West Virginia.
Photo: "Dusk to Dawn"
Blue hour inside a day room of Building F, a former tuberculosis ward, at Mayview State Hospital.
Mayview State Hospital was constructed in 1892 and it wasn't until 7 years later that a first physician was assigned to the "insane" department. In 1909, a hospital was built on the grounds, stemming from the need to treat the patients there due to mental illness. The hospital's last building closed in 2008 and demolition began in the spring of 2012.
Photo: "Showered In Mauve"
Shower tub inside a former Doctor's Quarters the Lippitt Building at Norwich State Hospital in Connecticut.
Photo: "119th Step"
The blast furnaces at the U.S. Steel, also known as Homestead Steel Works, in Pennsylvania are all that remain of the former plant. Though the site remained in operation until 1986, the furnaces have been inactive since 1978.
Photo: "II"
The Beaux Arts style Waldo Hotel, constructed in 1904, was converted to apartment in the 1950's, but it was once known as the most luxurious hotels in West Virginia. Since being abandoned in the 1990's, the former hotel has sat abandoned and has now been condemned.
Photo: "Monolithic"
The Carrie Furnaces are all that remains of the former Homestead Steel Works on the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania.
Photo: "Voyeurism"
Corridor inside Lippitt Building at Norwich State Hospital, in Connecticut.
Photo: "Morgue Table"
This New York psychiatric hospital opened to the public in 1931 with 60 only male patients, though they had beds to support over 5,000. The hospital was designed as a "theraputic suburb," where patients could leave the noise and pollution of the city and seek treatments to cure their illness. By 1959, the hospital reached it peak and was home to 9,000 residents, including a staff of 2,000.
Photo: "Tidal Hues"
Beached Point Reyes boat, California.
Night. Full moon. 3 minutes. Lit by moonlight.
Photo: "F-8"
Flight deck of the U.S.S. Hornet CV-12 in Alameda, California.
The F-8 Crusader was introduced into the Navy in 1957. It was a supersonic, carrier-based fighter complete with four 20mm cannons and four 5" Zuni rockets. The aircraft was retired in 1999.
Photo: "Grand Lobby"
The Waldo Hotel in West Virginia was built in 1904 and was once considered the most lavish of hotels in the state. By the 1950's, during a decline, the hotel was converted into an apartment complex.