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Crown City History
I N C O L L A B O RAT I O N WI T H H OT E L D E L C O RO N A D O & C O RO N A D O H I STO R I CA L A S S O C I AT I O N
The Navy’s First Flying Stunt Team
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B y C H R I S T I N A B U L OW, M U S E U M A S S O C I AT E , C O RO N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N
Rear Adm. Aaron Putnam “Put” Storrs III was a naval aviator and member of a short-lived naval aerobatic team, along with Lt. D.W. Tomlinson and Lt.j.g. W.V. Davis Jr. called The Three Seahawks. The stunt team was based at North Island and is known as the precursor to the Navy’s Blue Angels.
The three pilots did not receive permission to form an aerobatic team, so they worked on their own time and out of direct view of their superiors until they could prove their skills. Tomlinson modified the engines of their F2B aircraft so they would not stall while inverted. He taught Davis and Storrs first above the fog line. When they were able to perform rolls, dives and loops without touching the cloud line, they moved to areas near the mountains.
The team first performed in San Francisco in spring 1928 before de-
The Three Seahawks: W.V. Davis, D.W. Tomlinson and A.P. Storrs.
Dec. 7, 1941
Capt. Van Valkenburgh, commanding officer of the USS Arizona, was killed in the line of duty aboard his ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Van Valkenburgh’s widow and children lived on Star Park. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and in 1944, the Navy destroyer USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) was commissioned.
ploying to Hawaii onboard USS Langley. They then matched themselves against Army pilots in Hawaii after the USS Langley arrived at Pearl Harbor. Having impressed leadership of the Pacific command, the trio was then chosen to perform at the National Air Races at Mines Field, Los Angeles (now Los Angeles International Airport) in September 1928.
At first, Storrs’ aerobatics team did not have a name. One spectator referred to them as the Suicide Trio, but the name did not stick. Instead, Storrs coined the name, The Three Seahawks. The team performed in air shows and was featured in Hollywood films, including “The Flying Fleet.” Scenes in the 1929 movie were filmed on North Island, then known as Naval Air Station San Diego, and had views of the USS Langley. It was the first film to coordinate with the Navy, and The Three Seahawks were considered a highlight of the movie.
During his three-year stint on the team, Storrs came to know famous aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. The Three Seahawks disbanded in 1930 when the pilots received orders to separate squadrons and left Coronado. In 1946, Adm. Chester Nimitz directed the creation of the Blue Angels.
Storrs retired from the Navy in 1957. He began a second career as the director of aeronautics for the State of Hawaii in 1965. Upon his retirement, he returned to live in Coronado until his death.
The Coronado Historical Association holds documents and photographs from the Admiral Aaron Putnam Storrs III Collection. Researchers interested this topic or other Coronado history are welcome to make an appointment with our research library by calling (619) 435-7242.
Dec. 2, 1928
LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
The Christian Science Church, on 1123 8th St., opened its doors to the public with two services the first day. Designed by Irving Gill, with an emphasis on light and natural ventilation, the church followed no specific architectural style but was built to be multifunctional based on need. Total cost for building the property was $35,000.
Just two weeks after some health restrictions were lifted in November 1918, the State Board of Health imposed a quarantine in San Diego after new outbreaks of influenza were reported. Stores were kept closed from Dec. 6 to 9. Dec. 6, 1918
Coronado was officially incorporated as a city, having seceded from San Diego. A board of trustees headed by a president governed Coronado until 1926 when a city council was formed and a mayor was appointed to office. In 1972, Coronado voters had their first opportunity to vote for mayor. Terms started at two years, but now last for four. Dec. 9, 1890
The first official blackout after the attack on Pearl Harbor was executed shortly after 8 p.m. when three short blasts and one long blast repeated three times from the gas company whistle in San Diego. All streetlights, buildings, homes and cars were required to turn off. Air-raid wardens, assisted by volunteers, made sure that the blackout orders were obeyed. Cars were forced to pull over and were left at the curb during the blackout. Coronado City Council passed an ordinance allowing authorities to cite violators of the blackout regulations with a maximum fine of $300. Dec. 10, 1941
Dec. 15, 1919
The Navy’s aerial fish patrol was inaugurated. Earl Spencer, former commandant of North Island, was instrumental in establishing the fish patrol with two goals, more training for pilots and boosting the local fishing industry. Fishing boats had cruised for almost three months without spotting any fish, and consequently, the sardine-packing factories had been closed for weeks. Planes flew from North Island Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, flying Curtiss HS 2L seaplanes up and down the coast at 400 feet, to spot schools of sardines up to 40 feet deep. When fish were spotted planes would send a wireless signal to a naval vessel below that would radio fishermen where to find the sardine schools. After one week, the results were overwhelming. Boats hauled in 40 tons of sardines and an abundance of sea bass and other fish, putting canneries and fish markets back in business.
The Del’s First Royal Visitor
B y G I N A P E T R O N E , H E R I T A G E M A N A G E R HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Since Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, it has played host to royalty from around the world, including England, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It received its first royal visitor just two years after the opening, when Hawaii’s King Kalakaua set up residency during a tour of California in 1890.
David Kalakaua was elected to the throne by the Hawaiian parliament in 1874. Well educated, Kalakaua was an eloquent speaker as well as an accomplished musician, writer and politician. He embarked on a world tour in 1881—meeting with heads of state, promoting Hawaiian culture and becoming the first ruling monarch to circumnavigate the globe. By the 1880s, the Hawaiian Kingdom had over 100 consulates and embassies in cities around the world, including one in San Diego with James W. Girvin serving as consul.
The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, a free-trade agreement between the United States and the Hawaiian Kingdom guaranteed a duty-free market for Hawaiian sugar in exchange for special economic privileges. That led to Kalakaua’s friendship and alliance with Claus Spreckels, a powerful sugar magnate who owned a huge plantation on Maui. Spreckels’ son, John D., soon became a partner in the Maui project, and it was this relationship that eventually led to Kalakaua’s visit to Hotel del Coronado, which was owned by John D. Spreckels.
By 1890, Kalakaua’s health was failing and his physician advised treatment in San Francisco. The king was also said to be interested in direct steamer service from the West Coast to Hawaii, so he boarded the steamer Charleston for a tour that began in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 1890. From there, Kalakaua traveled south, stopping throughout California and arriving at The Del on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 28, 1890.
Manager Elisha Babcock was prepared for the king’s arrival, having written to Spreckels about the loan of a Hawaiian flag to be hoisted above the turret in honor of the monarch’s visit. The reigning royal was registered as “His Majesty King Kalakaua and Valet” and assigned a suite of rooms on the west side just off the Garden Patio.
The following day, Kalakaua was greeted formally by San Diego Mayor Douglas Gunn and the directors of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce where the king expressed admiration for the hotel’s scenic surroundings. He hosted a reception for military officers as well as for the people of Coronado in the ladies’ parlor, which was next to the Ballroom. The monarch, in turn, was honored at numerous San Diego events, which overflowed with well-wishers, including a visit to Sweetwater Dam, National City and Tijuana.
After leaving San Diego, Kalakaua suffered a stroke in Santa Barbara, lapsing into a coma. Even so, the traveling group continued back to San Francisco, where Kalakaua, with Claus Spreckels by his side, died on Jan. 20, 1891. After his death, Kalakaua’s sister, Lili’uokalani, became Hawaii’s last monarch. Her reign ended in January 1893.
HOTEL DEL CORONADO
