I saw the Spruce Goose make it’s only flight.

On 2 November 1947 I was a Navy crew member aboard USS Cable (ARS-19). We were docked at the Naval shipyard, Long Beach, Ca. It was 10/11am and a clear day on morning of the flight. While I was standing on the fantail and finishing a cup of coffee, directly aft and looking out on the water, I saw movement a great distance away(I would guess 4 or 5 miles away). It was so far away that I assumed it was a small cabin cruiser. It was moving in the direction to the “right” of where we were located. As I kept looking, it was moving very fast – so fast that I discounted it as a cabin cruiser. As it came closer in-view, I could tell that it was a seaplane. As it got bigger and bigger, it came out of the water. The plane slowly raised out of the water to a height of two hundred feet(estimate), it stopped climbing and kept flying level for awhile(2/3 minutes) and slowly landed back on the water.

I had no idea what the big seaplane “was about” and did’nt find out until I read of the flight, when it appeared in the Long Beach newspaper.

Some time after Spruce Goose arrived at the Evergreen museum, I told them about my seeing the flight. They sent tickets for my wife and I to visit, We’re still “looking forward” to make the trip – but now at age 83 it may not be possible.

I was a member of the Long Beach Sea Scouts and we were sailing in the outer harbor
that day when the “Goose” made it’s one and only flight, taking off not very far from
our position on the water. We didn’t realize at the time what an historic flight it was.
And now, it’s here in Oregon about 25 miles from my home so I think I’ll make the short trip over to McMinneville and get my picture taken in the cockpit. I will be 81
this Dec. 25th, so that will be my Xmas/birthday present to me.

He was a national hero because he had lost both legs being shot down and went back to fly again. Despite this apparent heroism, he confessed to us that he had become petrified of being shot down because he couldn’t swim well in his artificial legs (and they were made of quite heavy metal in those days). He thought he had solved the problem in the same way you described Howard Hughes did. Then on a flight over Germany he heard tremendous gunfire and he felt sure he was being shot down again.

It turned out he was not hearing gunshots at all. It was the sound of the ping pong balls he had used to fill up his artificial legs as they exploded due to the lower pressure on the outside at the altitude of a flying plane.

A reader of my blog turned me onto you…check the blog out I have lots of found photos of brooklyn people, places and things….i look foward to my slide of the week!

Lisanne

I somewhat hesitantly replied, “Yes sir.” and hung my head expecting to get chewed-out.

The old man stared at me for an uncomfortable moment wincing his small eyes. He then smacked his dry lips, then quietly said, “Nice work kid.”

A couple men appeared behind him. I was convinced I was going to jail until one of them approached the old man and said, “Mr. Hughes. We really need to get going sir.”