BEAST Posted March 23, 2014 Share #26 Posted March 23, 2014 Beautiful images and a great job of telling their story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share #27 Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks guys! Allan I watch that movie from time to time looking for mistakes but I really can't find any of note. They really did an outstanding job with the movie and the way the novel blended the San Pablo into real events was genius....given what I know of the original ship the story is based upon and when the novel supposedly takes place is incredible to me. And there are crew members on this ship who do remind me vaguely of several characters from the movie and one sailor from my Palos group does resemble McQueen IMHO. I think he said any sins he committed in life were paid back during the filming of this movie....it was a very tough shoot from what I read online. Below is the USS Villalobos which is supposedly what the San Pebbles is based upon. Before WWI The Villalobos went on the lake to rescue Americans in danger and caused a small international incident. She also almost got stuck in Winter near Changsa until a British owned tug boat happened to pass by and pulled her to deeper water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fstop61 Posted March 23, 2014 Share #28 Posted March 23, 2014 Excellent photographs-and yes, you may be onto something when you mentioned publishing. IMHO you're really sitting on a goldmine. Many thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted March 23, 2014 Share #29 Posted March 23, 2014 Dirk - Amazing China Station collection. And, a great presentation as well! I too think you should consider publishing them. I am now more impressed with "The Sand Pebbles" and its accuracy. I have it in my Netflix que and may watch it again this PM. Thanks for posting wonderful images! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17thairborne Posted March 23, 2014 Share #30 Posted March 23, 2014 What an excellent thread! Are there any books you recommend on that era? I'll have to go watch Sand Pebbles, not for a history lesson, just because you sparked that motivation. need to see Holman with the BAR! "Men stim wow!" (Main Steam Valve) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share #31 Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks guys! It seems there is a push to publish.....I guess I should look into that seriously now. I always thought the first book would be on China Marines.... now maybe gunboats seems to have moved to the fore.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share #32 Posted March 23, 2014 17th airborne...Kemp Tolley an old gunboat sailor wrote an excellent book on the Yangtze patrol that much of my info comes from. You can find it used....there is another called gunboats and marines also from this period that is pretty good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanemono Posted March 23, 2014 Share #33 Posted March 23, 2014 Great photographs Dirk. I love the Yangtze gunboat era. Thanks for this post. I have several medal groups the men who served on the USS Monocacy, USS Isabel and a group to a Captain of the USS Panay. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share #34 Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks Dick! I remember your Luzon group that was very nice....with the original artwork Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLHSS Posted March 23, 2014 Share #35 Posted March 23, 2014 Outstanding! Really enjoyed looking thru this thread this morning. Thanks for posting! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbridge Posted March 23, 2014 Share #36 Posted March 23, 2014 Great post Dirk.Enjoyable to say the least.I am a Sand Pebbles fan myself.Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share #37 Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks guys! And now you know Robert why I had to walk out of the Baltimore show empty handed....because I spent all my money on this group! Maybe next year I will show some spending discipline prior to the show so I can buy at Baltimore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17thairborne Posted March 24, 2014 Share #38 Posted March 24, 2014 17th airborne...Kemp Tolley an old gunboat sailor wrote an excellent book on the Yangtze patrol that much of my info comes from. You can find it used....there is another called gunboats and marines also from this period that is pretty good too. THanks for the answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted March 24, 2014 Share #39 Posted March 24, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barickman Posted March 24, 2014 Share #40 Posted March 24, 2014 Great thread. My World History teacher in high school (1978) used the Sand Pebbles to teach about imperialism and I too used it for several years as well to teach the same topic. Really enjoyed the thread you have posted and am very impressed by your photograph grouping of this gunboat. You have heightened my interest again in Steve McQueen and Candace Bergen. Thanks again, Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share #41 Posted March 24, 2014 Thanks Kurt! Agree the Sand Pebbles does a great job as a teaching aid. The dialog on the steamship going up river between the missionary and the businessman captures the period and the issues perfectly. McKenna nailed it. It is a ashame he was not around longer to publish more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normaninvasion Posted March 24, 2014 Share #42 Posted March 24, 2014 Dirk, Once again a great thread which I will return to again and again. I will be first in line to buy "the book". I would love to see a photo history of the China station. Question: In photos have you ever seen Cheefoo Cat tattoos on sailors? Heard lore that that was a Gunboat man's symbol. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry K. Posted March 24, 2014 Share #43 Posted March 24, 2014 A great read and yes, I am a Sand Pebbles fan too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted March 24, 2014 Share #44 Posted March 24, 2014 Loved watching this thread come to life! Had no idea these early steam fired, gun boat, versions were on station so early... The first monocary arriving on station for duty with the asiatic squadron in 1866 and the first to chart the waters of the Yangtze in 1871. Look forward to more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share #45 Posted March 24, 2014 Thanks guys for the additional comments of support! Jeff had not heard that before but I have only begun to scratch the surface on gunboat research.....this grouping is forcing me to take it seriously D: although I know that the monocacy one existed I know very little beyond that.....those pre-1900 days are still a mystery waiting to be uncovered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOLO Posted March 25, 2014 Share #46 Posted March 25, 2014 those photos look like they used the same locations from the movie Sand Pebbles and built a very accurate copy of a China gun boats of the 1920's the warlord soldiers even look similiar to the ones they showed in the movie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share #47 Posted April 5, 2014 Shorty after I posted the thread above, this was offered to me. A early 1920's Navy recruiting placard highlighting service on gun boats in the Far East (and it does feature my gunboat below center) ....so even then such service must have been seen as desirable. The print is small at 14" X 17" but I am sure it would be displayed in a window of a recruiting office alongside some of the larger and more colorful posters of the era. I have also had a professional researcher provide copies of around 700 pages of Deck logs from the ship, with many more to go, spanning this man's 2 years aboard her...however given the number of pages and the cost it may take a bit of time to afford to get it all. It is interesting the logs show the ship spent more time in port then moving up and down the river, its small crew augmented as needed with sailors from the lower Yangtze when real trouble was spotted....however when it did sail, it was in response to the evacuation of Central China during the civil war and the logs contain it all...shot at returning fire, boarding US flagged ships to clear looters, firing on bandits who were trying to board merchant ships etc. Have also finally read "The Sand Pebbles" cover to cover and by using McKenna's book and the deck logs, I can now better pick up additional details in these photographs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share #48 Posted April 5, 2014 Lastly here is a press photo I picked up of her in the Gorge District, during the evacuation of civilians from Central China. When this photo was taken, the sailor's whose pictures form the core of this thread, was on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvage Sailor Posted April 6, 2014 Share #49 Posted April 6, 2014 Very nicely composed photo. Interesting to note the closed in compartment added onto the fantail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted April 6, 2014 Author Share #50 Posted April 6, 2014 Agreed it is a well done photo! I think the structure on the fantail is a added on head/shower room. Palos and the several classes of Brit gunboats had them as well and other photos I have show multiple chutes below the back of the structure overhanging the river Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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