Exploring Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma. Iv walked around portions of this cemetery several times, although Iv driven through this spot countless times, as Catalina Blvd heads south to several other historical landmarks.

I also stopped by the USS Bennington Memorial located in the cemetery, a memorial which is dedicated to the men who lost their lives on the USS Bennington during a boiler explosion in 1905, one of the older memorials resting here. This location has also been popularized by photographers and filmmakers, considered one of the topmost impressive views in San Diego. It was also featured in the film Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, and used in the original Top Gun film from 1986, although the footage was discarded from the final release, with only photos remaining.

Established in 1882, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a veterans cemetery located on the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans, and is administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Its located west of Downtown San Diego, overlooking San Diego Bay and the city to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Fort Rosecrans is named after William Starke Rosecrans, a Union general in the American Civil War. It was registered as California Historical Landmark #55 on December 6, 1932. The cemetery covers over 77.5 acres located on both sides of Catalina Blvd, and is home to an estimated 120,000 veterans who are laid to rest here.

0:00 - Entrance

1:15 - Historic landmark plaque

1:45 - memorials welcoming visitors

4:35 - Blue Star Memorial

6:40 - Top Gun: Maverick filming location, note the tree with the angled branch, also the tree line in the distance

6:47 - photos taken of the set during the filming of Top Gun: Maverick

7:02 - footage featured in Top Gun: Maverick, again note the tree line when the jets fly over, also the extras that are most likely standing on the paved road

13:03 - "Bivouac of the Dead" is a poem by Theodore O'Hara to honor his fellow soldiers from Kentucky who died in the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. The poem’s admiration gained traction following the Civil War, and its verses have been included on many memorials to fallen Confederate soldiers in the Southern United States

15:58 - mausoleum

16:38 - a view of Point Loma, downtown San Diego, and Coronado island

22:28 - USS Bennington Memorial, dedicated in 1908 to the men who lost their lives in the vessel disaster

22:57 - 1905, Sectional view of the ship printed in the Boston Daily Globe

23:08 - 1890, Delaware River Iron Works shipyard, Chester, Pennsylvania

23:21 - April 3, 1894, Valaparaiso, Chile

23:37 - 1891-92, dressed with flags likely serving with the Squadron of Evolution

23:53 - 1894-98, drydock at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California.. photo was published on a color-tinted postcard

24:10 - 1901, Kowloon Dry Dock, Hong Kong, China

24:26 - 1903, Mare Island, several photos off and onboard the ship

25:22 - March 3, 1905, ships officers and crew

25:46 - July 21, 1905, the aftermath of the explosion, note Point Loma in the background

26:18 - July, 1905, rescue efforts amongst the damaged vessel

27:06 - July, 1905, burial ceremony for the victims

27:21 - July 22, 1905, New York Tribune Front Page

28:01 - Lieutenant Victor Blue, on the left who was ashore during the explosion, and Commander Lucian Young on the right

28:03 - August, 1905, dry dock at Mare Island following the explosion in San Diego

28:28 - 1907, the recently constructed USS Bennington Memorial

28:42 - 1908, funeral dedication ceremony for the USS Bennington

29:27 - 1915, image is from a Keystone Viewing Stereoscope Slide

29:38 - 1915, the Stereoscope Slide

29:52 - 1920, first photo is of the USS William Jones leaving San Diego harbor, note the memorial in the background

30:34 - 1940’s

31:06 - 1960’s

34:05 - plaque reads “An Act To Establish and protect National Cemeteries SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That any person who shall willfully destroy, mutilate, deface, injure, or remove any monument, gravestone, or other structure, or shall willfully destroy, cut, break, injure, or remove any tree, shrub, or plant within the limits of any of said national cemeteries, shall be deemed guilty...”

34:37 - restoration of the cemeteries staircases

35:52 - memorials welcoming visitors to this portion of the cemetery

40:17 - 1965

42:50 - 1986, behind the scenes photos of Top Gun, notice you can barely see Coronado island and the Silver Strand in the background

During this visit I filmed many different memorials, dedicated to every branch of the military, all of which are notable in their own respect.. although, this video including the description, is more focused on the historic relevance. I explored as much as I could. Despite construction and gardening taking place in the cemetery.

#sandiego #veteran #history

свернуть