The Com Line

On January 26, 2001, the CCED held a special meeting to present awards to those who have done so much for the group during the past year.

Torrance Parker received an award for his support, encouragement and friendship. Torrance is a charter member and has freely offered his advice and shared his knowledge of diving. He was also instrumental in helping us draft the Safe Practices Guidelines this past year.

The third award went to Capt. Ed White for sharing his time, knowledge and advice. Capt. Ed was absent at the January 26 meeting due to illness so his award was presented to him on March 16. Capt. Ed is also a charter member.

Our sincere and heart felt thanks to these three men!

On January 27 we dove at the College of Oceaneering in Wilmington. We had 15 heavy gear divers and three using classic scuba gear. It was a relaxed day, with everyone having a lot of fun trying out four of the new Chinese hats that were purchased last fall. The chance to dive a MarkV was won by Fawn Martin. However, after picking up the MarkV, she opted to take her dive using one of the new Chinese hats. Fawn is from Missouri and will be attending the COO later this year.

Help is needed to load and unload the gear. Meet at the COO at 8:00 a.m. if you can lend a hand. The COO will be providing a lunch of BBQ burgers for everyone.

If you want to dive, have new gear to try out or need more information call Charlie at (310) 834-7051.

We have been invited to participate in the opening day ceremony for the Banning's Landing Cultural Center. A new dock has been installed and we will be diving at one of the most historical locations in the L.A. Harbor area.

This event has been in the works for several months and we are hoping it will become a yearly event on much the same level as the L.A. Maritime Museum Labor Day weekend demonstration and display.

We will be diving the heavy gear only, including the MarkV. If you are new and have yet to dive with the heavy gear, you should plan on being at the COO Rally on April 28. All divers must be familiar with diving the heavy gear and working as a tender. All Safe Practices Guidelines will be strictly followed for this event.

A display will be set up with the MarkV, MarkV Helium, Miller Dunn, old Morse hat, knives and flash lights. If anyone has something they would like to add to the display bring it along.

We will need people to help in loading and unloading the gear, setting up and overseeing the display, monitoring the compressor, acting as dive organizer, and for crowd control. If you can help, give Charlie a call and/or plan on being at the Landing no later than 8:00 a.m. (Earlier if possible).

Postcards will be mailed out to members in the southern California area as a reminder. Plan on having a really good time. Invite all your family, friends, co-workers, and your neighbors, including the grouchy guy who lives down the block.

Phineas Banning was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1830, arriving in San Pedro in 1851. He was hired to drive a mule team between the tiny port of San Pedro and the village of Los Angeles, but soon went into partnership with George Alexander operating a stage coach line and freight business (Alexander & Banning).

They traveled the routes which today are major highways leading to and from southern California delivering cargo and passengers east to San Bernardino and south to Fort Yuma, Arizona. Within five years, and after obtaining military contracts, they were providing service to military outposts in Utah, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico, as well as California.

The U.S. Army established a military camp (Camp Drum) in Wilmington during the Civil War. Banning kept the Union soldiers well supplied, earning himself a commission after the war as a General in the California State Brigade of the National Guard. It was during this time that the need for a railroad in Wilmington was realized. Banning was instrumental in bringing in the Southern Pacific Railroad and in constructing the first telegraph lines linking the port to the rest of the nation.

With the railroad approaching completion in 1869, Banning turned his attention to improving and gaining control of the harbor. Dredging of the harbor was completed and a breakwater built. By 1873, large ships could dock at the wharves to conveniently unload their cargoes onto the waiting train cars.

Phineas Banning died in 1885 at the age of 54. A man of great vision and a driving force in the development of the Los Angeles Harbor.

The family home located at 401 E. M Street in Wilmington, is now a museum rich in the history of the area. Also located a short distance away is the Drum Barracks Museum. One of the last buildings that remains of Camp Drum which was home of the Camel Corps experiment from 1856 to 1863.

Torrance spoke of using burning bars. Soon Capt. Ed White, Bud Weiser and Harold Nething had joined in on the conversation leaving the rest of to set in awe of the difficult and often dangerous line of work these men have spent their lives doing. (A burning bar is a steel pipe filled with black powder and magnesium.)

Capt. Ed White has arranged for us to put on a dive demonstration on the SS Lane Victory in San Pedro on August 18. This will be aboard ship in route to Catalina! Charlie Orr and Rick Eriksen will be tenders, with Capt. Ed as the diver.

The SS Lane Victory is a U.S. Merchant ship launched in 1945. The ship served during the last days of WWII, and through the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Six cruises each summer are scheduled to Catalina with a buffet lunch and live music. However, beware! In the past the ship has been attacked by Nazi aircraft looking for an easy kill. Will our planes get there in time to fight them off? We certainly hope so!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Harold Nething for this issues "Divers Profile." I soon realized that it would take a book just to scratch the surface of his diving career.

Born in Revena, Ohio in 1924, he joined the Navy in 1943 and spent most of his time during WWII on destroyers. In 1946, Harold went to the Navy's Deep Sea Diving School in Washington, DC. After completing diving school he had a number of diving assignments serving mostly on ARS vessels (submarine rescue). Harold was sent to Coronado Island near San Diego, for Underwater Demolition training in 1953 and spent a total of eleven years in that field.

The L. A. Maritime Museum is beginning construction on a diving exhibit. It has not yet been decided if the display will be limited to pre-1920 gear or gear that was in use up through the 40s and 50s, but the Museum is accepting donations. On their wish list is:

• A Navy shallow water belt with quick release
• Jack Brown belt with full walrus hide shoulder straps
• Japanese 12-bolt hat, serviceable but not shiny
• Morse phone

Contact Dr. Lee at the Museum if you have any of these items you wish to donate or other items that would be appropriate for the exhibit.

The plaque had original been donated in 1957 by the San Pedro 30 Year Club and had been missing for about three years. Today, thanks to Gary and Valerie Burdick, it is back where it belongs between the two large anchors used during construction of the San Pedro breakwater from 1898 to 1911.

At the March 16^th meeting, Torrance Parker announced that Bud Swain had passed away recently and his ashes were to be scattered in the Santa Barbara Harbor the following week.

Bud served in WWII and was shot down in enemy territory. He crossed the Alps during winter time and escaped. Later on he became an abalone diver in Northern California and in the 1950s joined Murray Black, Barney Clancey, and Walter Thomson in Divcon.

Torrance stated that he was one of the best deep water divers ever because of his high tolerance to nitrogen. Bud also did underwater work on the first Polaris Missile test pad in the early 1960s.