Off the California Coast…
Two very different events made the news today, which both concerned the California Coast.
Along Highway 1 south of San Francisco are road signs that you will not find in most places in the United States. They are comprised of an “arrow” and the words, “Tsunami Evacuation Route.” There is a “tsunami advisory” in place tonight, following a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that caused at least 17 deaths in American Samoa from a tsunami that hit in the middle of the harbor of Pago Pago, the capital, and which badly damaged two or three villages, including the devastated village of Leone. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii canceled tsunami watches and warnings about four hours after the quake.
The magnitude 8.0 quake generated three separate tsunami waves, the largest of which was 5.1 feet from sea level height. A tsunami is NOT EXPECTED off the Pacific Coast of the U.S. or Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, but the tsunami advisory was put in place. The Japan Meteorological Agency put a tsunami advisory in place for the eastern coast of Japan.
So what else happened off the California Coast?
Searchers, who were looking for another missing plane, have found and identified a Lockheed T-33A “Shooting Star” jet trainer that was lost in the Pacific near Los Angeles International Airport ALMOST 54 YEARS AGO! The T33 disappeared shortly after take-off on October 15, 1955. Two crewmen were aboard. The announcement of the find was held until relatives of the pilots, Lt. Richard Martin Theiler (1244 hours of flight experience) and Lt. Paul Dale Smith (430 hours of flight experience) could be notified.
The story of the search is detailed in the CNN article. Pat Macha, age 64, has identified about 3700 crash sites ad visited more than 800. Macha says that there are 2500 crash sites in California where all or parts of an airplane yet remain. Some of the sites are listed on his Web site, aircraftwrecks.com. The discovery of the T-33A in Santa Monica Bay is also described on the site.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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