I am extremely appreciative of the time in effort you put into making this video. I just watched it now, at 4:30 AM come up from my home near Las Vegas but it Take me back to over 50 years ago When I was a young child living in The city of Grosse Pointe, which is next door to Detroit, And every weekend in the summer between about 1966 and 1972 We would drive past the armory headed to in from the Detroit boat club on The small island in the Detroit river in front of the armory, known as Belle Isle. Add a very young age I was fascinated by military things and so I would always pay attention as we drove past the broadhead armory In the hopes of seeing sailors in the uniforms. Once on the MacArthur bridge which connected Belle Isle To the mainland, For a number of years a special attraction for me was to see The submarines and small surface ship Docked in front of the armory. My memories hazy but I believe it 1st it was just 1 submarine but then eventually both were there for a while at the same time, Then I remember being shocked To observe that they were gone, probably circa 1972 or 1973. I remember fantasizing, at 5 or 6 years of age about sneaking on to 1 of those submarines and taking it out On a cruise, complete with submergence, Myself of course as the skipper... These memories for my child are bitter sweet as I am the last surviving member of the family, But I always wondered what it was like inside the armory both in terms of architecture as well as the use, and this video answered those questions. Myself and a couple of friends in the late 1,990s would go scuba diving in the Detroit river along the shoreline directly in front of the armory, looking-for and finding old bottles -- soda, milk, alcohol & medicine bottles, some which even pre-dated the armory itself, and all just sitting in about 20' depth within tossing -range from the shoreline. I had hoped and even expected to find items lost overboard from the Navy vessels or other Armory-related items, but never did. I am utterly disgusted and angered, but not surprised At what happens to the facility after it was turned over to the city of Detroit. I lived in downtown Detroit from 1997-2002 When I finally got Sick and tired of the predominant 'culture,' politics and the city's warped priorities, and got the he'll out.
As a US Navy veteran and a Detroiter so sad to see what happened to this great site. Our service time overlapped Master Chief, I was in from 80-86 and got out as an ET1(SW). Great work on these videos!
Excellent video. I wonder what happened to all the equipment in the basement where there was a simulated CIC room (combat information center). I remember going there in this room as a kid in the sea cadet corp.
Master Chief, do you have any history on the USNR Center at Ft McHenry? It went into a rehab the week after I reported there for my 1st drill weekend in 1988 and I never got to return and see what ever happened to it.
I did reserve drills at Brodhead briefly in 1988.
I am extremely appreciative of the time in effort you put into making this video. I just watched it now, at 4:30 AM come up from my home near Las Vegas but it Take me back to over 50 years ago When I was a young child living in The city of Grosse Pointe, which is next door to Detroit, And every weekend in the summer between about 1966 and 1972 We would drive past the armory headed to in from the Detroit boat club on The small island in the Detroit river in front of the armory, known as Belle Isle. Add a very young age I was fascinated by military things and so I would always pay attention as we drove past the broadhead armory In the hopes of seeing sailors in the uniforms. Once on the MacArthur bridge which connected Belle Isle To the mainland, For a number of years a special attraction for me was to see The submarines and small surface ship Docked in front of the armory. My memories hazy but I believe it 1st it was just 1 submarine but then eventually both were there for a while at the same time, Then I remember being shocked To observe that they were gone, probably circa 1972 or 1973. I remember fantasizing, at 5 or 6 years of age about sneaking on to 1 of those submarines and taking it out On a cruise, complete with submergence, Myself of course as the skipper... These memories for my child are bitter sweet as I am the last surviving member of the family, But I always wondered what it was like inside the armory both in terms of architecture as well as the use, and this video answered those questions. Myself and a couple of friends in the late 1,990s would go scuba diving in the Detroit river along the shoreline directly in front of the armory, looking-for and finding old bottles -- soda, milk, alcohol & medicine bottles, some which even pre-dated the armory itself, and all just sitting in about 20' depth within tossing -range from the shoreline. I had hoped and even expected to find items lost overboard from the Navy vessels or other Armory-related items, but never did. I am utterly disgusted and angered, but not surprised At what happens to the facility after it was turned over to the city of Detroit. I lived in downtown Detroit from 1997-2002 When I finally got Sick and tired of the predominant 'culture,' politics and the city's warped priorities, and got the he'll out.
As a US Navy veteran and a Detroiter so sad to see what happened to this great site. Our service time overlapped Master Chief, I was in from 80-86 and got out as an ET1(SW). Great work on these videos!
It’s shameful and sad what has happened to this historic building. Thank you, Master Chief, for preserving the legacy in this video. PR2 Wilhelmi.
Excellent video. I wonder what happened to all the equipment in the basement where there was a simulated CIC room (combat information center). I remember going there in this room as a kid in the sea cadet corp.
Very sad what has happened to this building. I served USMC-R from 1974-1978. H&S Co, 1/24 Marines.
Master Chief, do you have any history on the USNR Center at Ft McHenry? It went into a rehab the week after I reported there for my 1st drill weekend in 1988 and I never got to return and see what ever happened to it.
Terrible what happened. I hope it can be saved.
That looks like our armory in Toledo
This is indeed sad
A disgrace letting this fall into the abyss.
Like everything left in Detroits care. Its abandoned and ruined.
The young do not care about heritage and they certainly do not respect the works of artists. Very sad!
vry sad