If you’re interested in the history of some of America’s battleships and are curious about the lives of the USS America and the USS Pope, simply continue reading to discover a few fascinating facts about each ship.

She was launched in 1964:

The USS America was launched in 1964 after being commissioned in 1961.

It was the only US supercarrier to be sunk:

You may be surprised to learn that the USS America is the only US supercarrier that has even been sunk, either intentionally or during combat.

The USS America cv 66 sinking was controversial:

The USS America sinking was controversial as originally the plan was for the supercarrier to be scrapped for parts, which would then be sold. However, in the end, the decision was made to sink the carrier during a live-fire test, in order to aid the future design of supercarriers. However, former crew members and supporters were unhappy with the decision and felt that the decision to sink a ship that was named the USS America was disrespectful and instead lobbied to turn the USS America into a museum ship. Ultimately the USS America was sunk as it was seen as a less costly option than turning the USS America into a museum or scrapping it.

The USS America now lies in its final resting place which is located approximately 250 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. It is located a staggering 16,860 feet under the sea.

Everything that you need to know about the USS Pope:

It was commissioned in 1919, which was the year that the Treaty of Versailles was signed and marked the end of WWI. While the USS Pope was not a part of WWI it did serve during WWII.

It was used during WWII:

The USS Pope served during WWII and was a Clemson class destroyer. During the early stages of WWII, the USS Pope was engaged in fighting in the Dutch East Indies. For example, it was one of the five ships that was ordered to escort the Bloemfontein to safety. One of the USS Pope’s greatest accomplishments was delaying the Japanese landings at Balikpapan.

She was named after John Pope:

John Pope, for who the USS Pope was named, was a famous naval officer who served in the Mediterranean, the West Indies, Brazil, and Africa. John Pope actually had the honor of having not one but two military ships named after him.

She evacuated Americans from China:

She was charged with the responsibility of helping evacuate Americans from China when the Japanese invaded the region of Manchuria.

She was eventually sunk by a Japanese aircraft:

The USS Pope met its end in 1942 when it was sunk by a Japanese aircraft.

In conclusion, if you love learning about historic American warships, hopefully, you found learning about the USS Pope and the USS America interesting. Especially if you have an interest in learning about WWII and the US participation in WWII.

As life is a gift and it’s a great idea to try and create as many joyful memories as possible, you may be interested in how to create fun-filled memories that will last a lifetime! If so, simply continue reading to discover a few valuable tips that will help you get started.

Create a bucket list of experiences that you’d like to experience:

One way to break up the monotony of everyday life is to create a fun list of bucket list experiences that you’d like to experience. As each time that you tick off an experience, you’ll be able to start planning or saving to tick off the next experience on your list. Some experiences which you may want to add to a bucket list include getting to drive a race car around a real race track, embarking on a cruise, seeing the Northern Lights, and taking a surfing lesson.

Also think about whether any of your friends would like to share in some of these experiences, as memories that are made with friends and family members last a lifetime. For example, you’ll never forget taking a multi-generational cruise with your parents, grandparents, and children or visiting Las Vegas with a group of your friends.

Print out physical copies of the photos that you take on your phone:

While most people rely on their smartphones to take photos. How often do you take a look at the photos on your photo reel? For this reason, it’s a great idea to get physical prints of your favorite memories, which you’ll be able to display throughout your home or on your work desk. As examples, you may want to display photos of your family vacations and holidays or of fun date nights if you have a partner or spouse.

Put your phone down:

Unfortunately in modern times, so many people are glued to their phones and are constantly checking their social media feeds while they are meant to be spending quality time with their loved ones. For this reason, if you really want to create memories that you’ll cherish for years to come, put your phone away on silent when you’re out with friends and family members and only pull it out if you want to take a photo or two.

Don’t become obsessed with taking photos:

While it’s a nice idea to take a couple of photos when you’re at a concert, festival, or tourist attraction, don’t spend all your time taking photos. Instead take one photo that you love and put your phone away so you’ll actually get to experience the event that you’re at, with your companions.

Just remember that there is no need to try and impress people online and to live for yourself not to impress others.

So if you want to make joy-filled memories that you’ll fondly look back on for the rest of your life, it’s well worth following the handy tips that are listed above. As life is a gift that is meant to be enjoyed.

Herb Bridge lived a full life and managed to achieve a wide variety of impressive accomplishments in his 93 years. Not only did Bridge serve as a highly respected civic leader but he also served in the US Navy and had his own jewelry business. To discover how Herb Bridge became one of the most celebrated individuals in Seattle, simply continue reading.

He served in WWII:

Before he became one of the nation’s most successful jewelers, Bridge served in the US Navy for 41 years. At the start of Bridge’s navy career, he even served during WWII. During which time a 17-year-old Bridge saw action at the Pacific Theater.

He graduated from the UW in 1947:

Not only did Bridge serve in the military as a young man but he also graduated from college in Seattle with a liberal arts degree.

He was born into a family of jewelers:

Bridge’s grandfather was a fine guild watchmaker, so it wasn’t surprising when Bridge decided to enter the jewelry industry, especially as he started working in his grandfather’s store as a small child. At the age of 18 Bridge received a letter from his grandfather giving him 1/4 of his jewelry business. Bridge ended up building a jewelry empire with his brother and their business Ben Bridge Jewelers ended up having a presence in states from Minnesota to Hawaii. In total Ben Bridge Jewelers opened 75 individual stores.

He helped spearhead the revival of downtown Seattle:

One project which Bridge was passionate about was transforming downtown Seattle. For his enthusiasm and drive to the project, Bridge was nicknamed Mr. Downtown. Thanks to individuals like Bridge, Seattle’s downtown is now a bustling hub of shops and boasts the famed Pike Place Market.

He won numerous awards for his philanthropic work:

Bridge was a philanthropist and was actively involved in civic, Jewish, and democratic causes. He was also a member of the Hell’s Rotarians, a rotary club that was comprised of keen motorcyclists, which gave back to the community by raising money for various causes.

He was honored by having a day named after him:

When Herb Bridge turned 90 years old on the 14th of March, 2015 the mayor of Seattle Ed Murray declared the day Herb Bridge Day, in order to celebrate Bridge’s milestone birthday and his service to the city of Seattle. During his milestone birthday Bridge was the recipient of a surprise birthday party at the Museum of History and Industry.

He passed away at the impressive age of 93:

Herb Bridge was fortunate enough to reach 93 years of age and passed away surrounded by his family members.

So if you are interested in the history of Seattle, hopefully, you found the incredible life of Mr. Downtown Herb Bridge inspiring. As he definitely lived a full life full of adventure and had a huge influence on the city of Seattle which he called home and which was the center of his business empire.

Cortes Bank is an island which is located off the coast of California which is well worth reading about as there have been several shipwrecks next to Cortes Bank as well as a publicized treasure hunt. To discover a few fun facts about Cortes Bank and its history, simply continue reading.

It was originally charted on maps as San Juan Island:

Historically Cortes Bank was charted on maps as San Juan Island.

It is a shallow sea mount:

If you’re not sure what a shallow sea mount is, a shallow sea mount is a barely submerged island. Although at various points of history, Cortes Bank was less submerged by water and was more of a traditional island.

Bishop Rock Cortes Bank:

Today there is a buoy that warns seafarers about the location of Bishop Rock, in order to avoid collisions with the rock. If you’re curious about how the rock got its name, it was named after the Stillwell S. Bishop which was a ship that crashed into the infamous rock back in 1855. Luckily the crew of the Stillwell S. Bishop was able to mend their ship in order to continue sailing on to San Fransisco in California.

A widespread treasure hunt took place on Cortes Bank:

In 1957, a treasure hunt led by Mel Fisher took place on Cortes Bank. As Fisher was certain that there was a wreck of a lost Spanish galleon lying on the seafloor, close to Bishop Rock. The treasure hunt was unsuccessful much to the disappointment of Mel Fisher and his supporters.

In 1966 two entrepreneurs tried to turn the island into a constitutional monarchy:

In 1966 two creative entrepreneurs tried to turn Cortes Bank into their own constitutional monarchy, which they planned to name Abalonia. However, the duo’s dream of running their own constitutional monarchy on Cortes Bank, ultimately never eventuated.

Historically surfers would try to surf off Bishop’s Rock:

Tragically many surfers almost lost their lives trying to surf next to Bishop’s Rock. As an example, in 1973 a world famous surfer Ilima Kalama who was the father of professional surfer Dave Kalama almost lost his life in a fishing boat next to Bishop’s Rock. As he tried to use his fishing boat to get close to the rock to go surfing.

Today surfers still try to surf off Bishop’s Rock despite the obvious dangers. For example, back in 2004 Sean Collins who visited Bishop’s Rock with Billabong Odyssey counted 12 boats in the water and over 40 surfers.

It featured in the 2015 film Point Break:

Bishop’s Rock was one of the locations where the 2015 remake of the Point Break film was filmed. So if you want to check out Bishop’s Rock in a blockbuster movie, it’s well worth watching the 2015 version of Point Break.

In conclusion, if you enjoy discovering exciting facts about the Channel Islands which are located off the coast of California, hopefully, you enjoyed learning a few fun facts about Cortes Bank.