THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606280198
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 101 lines
Another Navy presence came to Virginia Beach recently. It's one that's sure to warm an old salt's heart and contribute to that sense of seagoing wanderlust in younger would-be sailors.
Amid a mixture of Navy protocol and grand opening pizazz, complete with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, the Tiki Tai Naval Museum opened its doors to the public on Atlantic Avenue.
If the name sounds familiar, it's because of Tom's Tiki Tai Restaurant, a local landmark, first on Military Highway and later on Holland Road, until it closed two years ago. The connection is Tom Imeson, president of the museum. A former World War II sailor, aboard the cruiser Chester, and hard-hat diver with a passion for naval history and lore, Imeson was on active duty from 1942 to 1963.
Since closing his restaurant, it has been his goal to open a facility where he could display the impressive array of naval and military historical artifacts he has assembled. Many of his museum pieces were originally in his restaurant.
As word about the proposed museum spread among the military and retired military community, others came forward to donate or loan additional items for display.
``This museum will do an enormous service to Virginia Beach because of the history it provides,'' said Bob Walker, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy from 1975 to 1979, and master of ceremonies for the opening.
The entrance, set amid a cluster of tourist shops, belies what is to be found inside. Three large galleries cover naval, maritime, and military history from the Revolutionary War to the present. Models and photographs, many one-of-a-kind, fill the space.
There is the calibrated brass face of the pressure gauge from boiler No. 1 aboard the cruiser Maine, which exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, precipitating the Spanish-American War. A detailed display explains the latest theory concerning the explosion (it may have been an accident).
There is a rare photograph of the airship Shenandoah, the Navy's first Zeppelin, modeled after the German ``height-climbers'' of World War I.
Flashes of red light and simulated puffs of oily smoke graphically bring to life a display illustrating the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II. Charts and diagrams explain the attack and commentaries enable viewers to answer a series of questions critical to an understanding of the raid and its implications regarding the war in the Pacific.
Behind glass cases are models of vessels used in Vietnam, loaned by Clarence Cooper, a veteran of Operation Game Warden during that war. Cooper himself was present for the opening.
There is fancy rope work by retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Charles Haywood, proprietor of Knotical Plus Ltd., of Virginia Beach. Haywood's work is also displayed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
One section is devoted to women in the Navy. Next to it is a display on the Persian Gulf War, including pieces of a Scud missile.
John Nugent is the director, responsible for the rotating gallery exhibits, and a walking treasure trove of naval history.
``We want to see the effective use of naval history as an educational and informational tool,'' said Nugent. ``I've been at it for 40 years. This is an educational research center and not just a tourist visiting point. It includes the Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army divisions from Vietnam, National Guard units from D-Day. It covers all our fighting men and women.''
Surrounded by mannequins dressed in period uniforms from the last two centuries and models of warships, ocean liners and aircraft stretching from wall to wall, it is easy to see what he means about the ``educational tool'' aspects of the displays.
It is all done with an eye toward detail and accuracy. There is even a library.
``It's a sailor's life and the story of our Navy,'' said Nugent. ``The Korean veterans have basically felt they were the forgotten ones. I made it a special point to make sure that we'll have an adequate section on the Navy, Marine and Coast Guard team in Korea.''
Nugent's eyes brighten when visitors indicate some knowledge about a fact or detail in one of the displays. But he is serious, almost militant, in his concern about what he said is the declining state of naval history in general.
Today's bluejackets, he pointed out, don't have the same historical awareness as those who fought in World War II.
``They are sailors and technicians,'' he said, ``but they don't know who the great naval leaders of the past were.''
Nugent sees that as a great loss. MEMO: The Tiki Tai Naval Museum, 1400 Atlantic Ave., Suite 200, hours
are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Admission is $3.95 for adults, $2.95 for
children 8 to 15 and free for children 7 and under. Seniors and
military, active or retired, receive a $1 discount. Group rates and
tours are available. There is a gift shop. Call 491-2502. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Tom Imeson, left, president of the new Tiki Taki Naval Museum, Mayor
Meyera Oberndorf, and Bob Walker, a former Master Chief Petty
Officer of the Navy, cut the ribbon on the new Tiki Tai Naval
Museum.
Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Charles and Barbara Haywood examine a display in the new Tiki Taki
Naval Museum. Charles Haywood, a retired Coast Guard chief petty
officer and proprietor of Knotical Plus Ltd., of Virginia Beach, did
all of the fancy rope work for the museum. by CNB