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The beginning of the U.S. Navy's relationship with San Diego...
The beginning of the U.S. Navy's relationship with San Diego...
Item # 670601
May 01, 1917
EVENING TRIBUNE, San Diego, California, May 1, 1917 A terrific and very displayable issue on the founding era of the United States Navy's relationship with San Diego, one which has grown tremendously ever since 1917 to become the home port of the Pacific Fleet, a base composed of 13 piers, with over 24,000 military personnel and over 10,000 civilian workers. The U.S. Navy remains a vital economic force in San Diego today.
The large and bold banner headline--in red ink no less--makes the statement: "CHOOSE SAN DIEGO AS NAVAL STATION". The subhead notes: "Ten Thousand Men to Be Trained At Exposition Grounds". Portions of text include: "Buildings and grounds of the San Diego, Cal, Panama-California International exposition, offered to the navy free of charge for any use, have been accepted by Secretary Daniels and probably will be made the site of a naval training station...Representative Kettner of San Diego, and Colonel D. C. Collier, for the San Diego chamber of commerce, made the offer to the navy department, and it was accepted within 15 minutes. The San Diego site, because of its climatic and other advantages, is very acceptable to the navy..." .
Further on are other details of the agreement, including a telegram from Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, noting in part: "...It gives me great pleasure to accept this offer, together with the unimproved portion of the 1400 acre city park..." with more, the article carrying over to page 5.
Information provided by the San Diego Naval Historical Association provides collaborating information including: "The Naval Training center, San Diego had its inception in 1916 when Mr. William Kettner...interested the Honorable Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Asst. Sec. of the Navy, in establishing a naval training activity on the shores of San Diego Bay. Due to the nation's entry into World War I, further development of permanent site plan was postponed until 1919...However in 1917 the city of San Diego made way for a temporary Naval Training State. The station at Balboa Park [site of the Exposition mentioned above] ensured a permanent naval training installation in San Diego..." with further detail.
A landmark issue on the very beginning of the relationship between the United States Navy and the city of San Diego, and likely to be found only in a San Diego newspaper.
Complete in 12 pages somewhat irregular at the spine margin due to disbinding, a few archival mends within, faint library stamp i the masthead, light toning, generally in good condition.
Category: The 20th Century
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