Watching the Ships on Shelter Island

This past week we visited friends in the Point Loma area of San Diego.  This being low tourist season, we got a room with a view on Shelter Island, which forms the northern shore of the harbor.  I’ve always been fascinated by the variety of vessels that pass through, so several times I took time to find a seat and enjoy the sights.  As I watched, I wondered: Why are they here?  What are they for?  What do they tell us about our life?

Sailboats — These come in all sizes.  I’ve taken sailing classes, but don’t know enough to tell a sloop from a sunfish.  When I see the smaller ones, I assume the owner uses it for the simple pleasure shared by humans for millennia: moving across water as skillfully as one can, powered only by the presence of wind. Like a hiker in the wilderness, one can get immersed in the moment-to-moment flow of navigation.  Larger sailboats require a crew, which means folks sharing a purpose and a task.  I have friends who delight in doing so.

Power Boats — These also come in an endless variety of sizes.  Some owners simply enjoy the exhilaration of moving on water.  Others use them for water skiing.  Many use them for sport fishing.  From where I was sitting, I could see the Coronado Islands in the distance; twice I’ve been on boats that went into the Mexican waters for yellowtail and albacore.  (I’ve yet to bring home a prize but remain a fan of tuna sandwiches.)

Commercial Fishing Boats: One of our friends grew up in a nearby neighborhood populated by Portuguese immigrants who brought their fishing heritage and Catholic faith with them; the area was known as “Tunaville.”  I remember attending mass at St. Agnes parish which had a fishing boat in the lap of the Virgin Mary near the altar.  Our friend’s father captained large commercial vessels that went around the world on voyages that could last many months. He was prominent enough to be featured in a Chicken of the Sea commercial at the time. Fishing, like farming, has been part of human life from the dawn of human communities; it’s exciting to see these vessels leaving the harbor wondering what their catch will be.  

Yachts:  We were near three yacht clubs.  Such clubs include a large range of boats, some quite modest and others that are like floating mansions.  (Jeff Bezos owns one valued at $500 million.) There is an ancient human desire to display one’s wealth and status; here one can see the different ways people satisfy that desire.

Navy Ships: Sometimes, while watching the private boats, you see something like this approaching:

When it comes closer, it looks like this:

              Two days earlier, I’d seen the nuclear carrier USS Ronald Reagan leaving port the same way. It brought back memories of when the Reagan had come to Santa Barbara in 2008, and a parishioner active in the Navy League arranged a tour for me.

              The tour was eye-opening.  The top deck is over 1,000 feet long.  The ship is 20 stories high with a crew of 6,000 sailors.  It is powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for 20 years without refueling.  It can carry more than 80 combat aircraft. Toward the end, a young officer escorted me up to the bridge to show me the control room.  Then we went back down the stairs to the deck. 

              “So, what’s it like to be on this ship when it is on the move…say, heading up the Persian Gulf?” I asked. 

“We wouldn’t be on our own,” she said.  “We’d be part of a battle group…accompanied by a guided missile cruiser, two anti-submarine warships, two destroyers, submarines below us and helicopters and fighter jets above.”

I stood there trying to conceive what it would be like to be a fisherman in the Persian Gulf watching such a formation coming my way.  I doubt he could conceive of the sophisticated and destructive firepower ready to be unleashed if called upon.

Warships of this magnitude are entering and leaving San Diego harbor every day, headed to all parts of the world.  They pass by the little sailboats and outboards and pleasure craft and yachts – as well as people walking their dogs and vacationers sipping margaritas.  I try to make sense of what I’m seeing.

There are some whose spiritual convictions lead them to be pacifists. I have deep respect for those traditions and individuals, but I’m not able to share that perspective. 

In September my sister and I visited the “Resistance Museum” in Amsterdam, which chronicles the Nazi occupation and the ways in which the Dutch fought back.  Towards the end, an exhibit highlights the days when Allied troops set the country free.  My sister and I remembered with gratitude that our father had been a soldier in that liberating army that fought its way through Holland.

We know when there have been times when our armed forces have been used irresponsibly and unnecessarily, creating immense suffering. But in the imperfect world we live in, I believe there are times when the use of military force is necessary. 

Now I am back in Santa Barbara where one sees all kinds of pleasure boats and an occasional cruise ship, but nothing like the carriers coming and going off Shelter Island.  I earnestly hope that those in command of such power will always act with prudence, care, and sober judgement.