|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
More than 40 people assembled at Moffett Field’s Shenandoah Plaza last Thursday to open a time capsule buried in 1983 during Moffett’s 50-year anniversary.
Unfortunately, newspaper and other paper memorabilia had been soaked by water that somehow penetrated the two plastic capsules. Moffett field historical society members packed much of it up, hoping the paper could be salvaged. Two wine bottles, a glass and two small plaques commemorating the anniversary were still intact.
“I was planning to put it on display,” said history museum curator William Stubkjaer about the contents of the capsules. “But there isn’t a heck of a lot to display.” He said there may be techniques to preserve the soaked paper memorabilia, but “I just don’t know if we can afford that,” he said.
The gathering still proved to be a worthwhile event for the naval officers, history buffs, local politicians and community members who arrived at the field, in the shadow of Hangar One, at 1300 hours (1 p.m.). Tidbits of history were shared, and the participants had fun. (It seems Charles Lindbergh was the person who originally scouted the location of what is now Moffett Field. And Mayor Laura Macias proclaimed herself an “Army brat.”)
Carl Honaker, the last chief naval officer at Moffett Field, said he was surprised at how many people showed up.
“Apparently, there is a lot of interest in the history here,” he said.
The capsule was buried at the foot of a memorial to the crew of the USS Shenandoah. Though that airship wasn’t stationed at Moffett, every history buff knows the story of the Shenandoah by heart.
The huge dirigible crashed near Caldwell, Ohio, in violent weather, killing Commander Zachary Lansdowne and 13 crewmembers. Twenty-nine others were able to ride parts of the ship to the ground.
The fatal flight was made under protest by Lansdowne, who forewarned that Ohio’s late summer winds would not agree with the massive, low-flying airship. But Navy officials pushed the promotional trip forward, eager to show residents in 40 cities and at several state fairs how their tax money had been spent.
The accident triggered harsh criticism of the Navy from another naval officer, Col. Billy Mitchell, who was later court-martialed for insubordination.
The memorial reads, “Lord, guard and guide the men who fly through the great spaces in the sky. Be with them always in the air, in darkening storms or sunlight fair. Oh hear us when we lift our prayer for those in peril in the air.”
The USS Macon, the airship once stationed in Moffett Field’s iconic Hangar One, was also lost in stormy weather, plunging into the Pacific near Monterey in 1935. Its sister ship, the USS Akron, crashed in the Atlantic off the coast of New England. The man Moffett Field was named after, William A. Moffett, was the rear admiral of the Akron.
Even though it isn’t quite 75 years old yet, the time capsule opening was scheduled to help kick off the 75th anniversary of Moffett Field next year. The Navy was apparently thinking there could be another two-year celebration reminiscent of the 50-year anniversary of Moffett Field in 1983. Over one million people attended an air show that year, and 3,200 people, including the Navy’s top brass, attended a dinner and dance party inside the huge hangar, which had yet to be declared a toxic site.
On April 12, 2033, another time capsule near the memorial will be opened to commemorate Moffett Field’s 100-year anniversary. That one was buried when the Navy disestablished from Moffett Field on July 1, 1994. The Historical society has no record of what’s inside.
Most Popular
Candidate Comparison Grids: Mountain View Whisman School District Board of TrusteesOctober 5, 2026 12:47 pm
