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San Clemente Island
Chronological Military History (1934-2000)
Forward 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's References About the Author Bibliography
About the Author & the Island
Following a five-year tour of instructor duty, Chief Sonar Technician Sturgeon's next destroyer, the USS Hanson DD-832 in 1963, was one of the first ships to receive the Destroyer Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) system. These small remotely controlled weapons delivery aerial vehicles, were flown from the VC-3 area on the island, and delivered by air to the receiving ships. Unfortunately, one of the two (2) units being received by the ship, while on approach to the helicopter deck, flipped over on its back and went into the sea. Retiring from the U.S. Navy as a Senior Chief Sonar Technician in 1968 as an Anti-Submarine Warfare\Military Training Specialist, Mr. Sturgeon immediately started work as a Harco Engineering contractor to General Dynamics, Pomona Division on the contract definition phase of the DX or Spruance Class Destroyer. In this capacity, he served as a military training advisor, and assisted in the design of the Combat Systems Team Trainer, a new training concept that allowed the ships company to operationally train on their own shipboard equipment against electronically synthesized aggressor forces. He also participated in the several ship general arrangement design studies. Mr. Sturgeon's next assignment in 1970, working for Jakus Associates, was with the Naval Undersea Center (NUC) in San Diego as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Specialist for a classified operational research program. Upon completion of this project, he was invited to join the Advanced Concepts Division design team for a radical new ship concept, the Small Waterplane Area, Twin Hull (SWATH) ship. The Stable Semi-submerged Platform or SSP "Kaimalino" was the result of this design. She served as a research platform in Hawaii with the Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) at Kaneoe for over fifteen years. In 1978, Mr. Sturgeon was invited to join civil service at NOSC, San Diego, as a Naval Architectural Engineering Technician. In further development of the SWATH concept, Mr. Sturgeon prepared general arrangement designs, and constructed a scale model for a 3000-ton VTOL Aircraft Carrier. He also prepared designs for a 500-ton Surface Warfare ship, and several other advanced concepts. During hydrodynamic testing of this new concept, he reduced drag and motions data and prepared test result reports for several model tests. In addition, he developed and prepared documention and designs for several manning, world port and drydocking compatibility, modular outfitting, and air-basing potential studies. (See Bibliography). Mr. Sturgeon was then assigned as the Navy's principle Engineering Test Technician for the Advanced Lithium Battery (ALB) development program at the contractors facility in San Jose, CA. This high-energy density battery, having an energy density eight (8) times that of a lead-acid battery, utilizes Lithium Thionyl Chloride electrochemistry and is presently in use in a number of important Navy programs. During this two-year project, he prepared and/or reviewed all battery test plans, and observed and reported on all performance and hazard evaluation testing. He also represented NOSC, and the project, at all the Navy Lithium Battery Safety Committee conferences. This committee was formed after several fatal accidents were attributed to explosions of another lithium battery electrochemistry (lithium sulphur dioxide). Mr. Sturgeon, during the period 1980-81, was awarded two Superior and Outstanding Performance Awards for this work. Mr. Sturgeon, upon deactivation of the Advanced Concepts Division in 1982, was invited to join the Ranges Branch as an Architectural Engineering Technician. His first assignment was in the design and installation of the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Training Range for the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE) at San Clemente Island. His initial involvement was as designer of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Range Cable Termination Van (CTV) complex at West Cove on the island. He subsequently was principal in the development of most of the ASW and Electronics Warfare (EW) range sites and support facilities on San Clemente Island. During this same period Mr. Sturgeon initiated, and developed, the computer-aided design (CAD) Configuration Management (C/M) drawings database for the twenty-three (23) SCORE range sites (island and mainland). These include 283 site location, site plan, building general arrangement, and electronics racks (front elevations) drawings. The C/M drawings database also includes 478 individual pieces of electronics equipments. He continues, on an annual basis, to prepare new drawings, and revise the existing drawings to reflect current configurations at all the range sites. Mr. Sturgeon, in 1983, initiated the development of the San Clemente Island topographic chart series (23 sheets), and the island facilities database. The database drawings include all geographic reference markers, elevations (50'), roads, support facilities, utilities, and range sites. The facilities database includes information related to every structure on the island (ie, Bldg. No., dimensions, type of construction, year constructed, assigned tenant command, category code, cost, etc). The Navy has adopted this information as the official database for San Clemente Island and it is used throughout the naval complex in San Diego. Mr. Sturgeon continues to maintain and update the San Clemente Island chart series and database on an annual basis. This data has been voluntarily developed, maintained, and distributed to the naval community. Upon his civil service retirement in 1987, Mr. Sturgeon, operating as Buena Vista Associates, continued on as a Military Training Range Development\Documentation Specialist\ Consultant in support of SCORE, and AIRPAC, NAS, North Island in San Diego. The ranges development tasking has been in requirements development, support facilities design, bills-of-materials preparation, logistics planning, construction supervision, and military unit liaison. Since 1988, Mr. Sturgeon has obtained available military engineering construction units (Army, SeaBee, National Guard, and Marine Corps) to perform the construction, renovation, and repair of San Clemente Island Range Complex (SCIRC) infrastructure, range support, and other tenant activity facilities. He developed and managed five (5) major military unit deployments during the period 1988-1992, which included the design and construction of nineteen (19) buildings. One single deployment in 1992, utilizing military assets vice private contractors, saved the U.S. Navy over $1 million dollars. In 1996-97, because of his long-term involvement in island matters, Mr. Sturgeon was enlisted to participate in the development of the San Clemente Island Operations Management Plan (OMP). The resulting document compiled all the users and their activities, and presented recommendations for future operational management, and elimination of operational conflicts. In 1998, Mr. Sturgeon participated in the development of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for San Clemente Island. His primary responsibilities involved development of the documentation for island infrastructure and facilities. In addition, Mr. Sturgeon conducted EIS study team members, with specific cultural and environmental interests, on extensive tours of the island. He also reviewed existing conditions and prepared modifications to be used in future Basic Facility Requirements (BFR) documentation. Because of his strong military background in underwater acoustics, he was also asked to develop a database for all man-made noise sources in the island waters. Also in 1998, Mr. Sturgeon was invited to participate in the development of the San Clemente Island Naval Training Complex Operational Authority (OA) study. This study defined the operational authority of SCIRC, identified essential personnel and resources, and produced standard operational procedures for the naval training range complex and the range users. Additionally, this included revision of the Fleet Area Control and Support Facility (FACSFAC) Range Users Manual (draft) documentation. FACSFAC is the parent organization for SCORE. In 1999, because of his extensive knowledge of San Clemente Island, Mr. Sturgeon was asked by the Natural Resources Office (NRO) at NAS, North Island, to research and write the military history of the island for the period 1934-2000. |
Forward 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's References About the Author Bibliography