Harrington, Washington, Aircraft Accident Magnet?

A sad event happened yesterday, March 11, 2013.  A Navy EA-6B Prowler crashed on a training flight, killing all three of the crew.  The odd thing here, to me, is its location.  Harrington, Washington.  You can see what the news has to say on it.

I'll have to pull up a few of my reports and do some further checking, but off the top of my head, I think Harrington has been the location of at least a few crashes now.  An F-84, and I believe there were a couple WWII aircraft that fell from the sky near there.  Here is a link to my article on the F-84.

I'll be following this up, soon, but Harrington must be on training routes the world over!  Does anyone else know anything about other wrecks near Harrington?

OH-58 Kiowa Warriors at Yakima Airport

I was fortunate enough to be in the vicinity when a pair of OH-58 Kiowa Warriors began practicing approaches today.  I managed to snag a few photos.  These two have no doubt been operating at the Yakima Firing Center, an off shoot from Fort Lewis.  Enjoy the photos.  The choppers were exceptionally quiet.

USS Guardian Aground in the Sulu Sea.

The Navy continues to have problems.  The Minesweeper Guardian ran hard aground on the morning of the 16/17th (depending on where you were) in the Sulu Sea.  Several submarine collisions in the past year and now this.  I seem to recall that the USS Darter also came to grief on a reef in that general area of the globe.  You can see the article here.

More Bremerton 1998

 In January of 1998, I was lucky enough to visit the USS Missouri at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard.  I recently got some old film developed and here are a few ships that were there.  Above is the USS Midway, and I want to say USS Sailfish.

 This view of Missouri's stern does not begin to do justice to the length of these ships!!

 The USS New Jersey.

A detail of one of the 5 inch 38 caliber dual purpose guns.

I will be posting more pictures off and on.

Bremerton Naval Yard January 1998

I unearthed several rolls of film recently.  I had them developed and printed.  Here is a panoramic I could have never managed 14 years ago.  Computers are so nice.  This was the last time that the USS Missouri was open to the public while she remained in the Continental USA.  Shortly thereafter she was towed to Hawaii, where she remains.  The USS Sperry is at far left.  The USS New Jersey is next, stern to us.  Several Knox class frigates followed by the USS Midway and the USS Missouri.  the remaining carriers I once knew, but the intervening years have erased the names.  Perhaps a diligent person out there could locate the carriers at port on that date and forward them to me.  Note the Hammerhead crane.  I believe it is no longer there.

Be sure to right-click, copy, and save it to your own desk top to view it best.  This was back when film was the only way to take a decent picture.  The intervening years have not been kind to the negatives.

AH-64 Apache over Moxee

 On December 1, 2012, an AH-64 Apache was flying over Moxee, Washington, apparently awaiting it's routing orders or attack time.  It orbited about a mile south of the town.  
 It was only the second or third time i have seen an Apache.  The first time was somewhere over Zillah, Washington, some 20 years ago, and even then the glimpse was so quick, I was unable to take a second look to verify my ID.

 This time, I had my camera ready.

 What a good looking monster!

BONE! B-1

 At the recent Joint Base Lewis-McChord Air Expo, there was a B-1B on display and also one that did a short demonstration.  These bad boys carry the rotary launch system and have swing wings.  This is as close as I have ever come to a B-1.  I actually touched it.

 Here you can see how the wing fold into the fuselage.

 Here you can see the rotary launcher.

 and here you can see the countermeasures.  Those lumps on the tail shoot flares and chaff.

I have more photos that I will likely be posting here.