Left early on my way to lunch get together with two of my beautiful girl friends and decided to stop at Tuna Harbor next to the USS Midway Museum. The previous day the twenty-five foot “kissing statue” officially called “Unconditional Surrender” had been taken apart in preparation to be trucked back to New Jersey to be refurbished. It had been on only temporary loan to the City of San Diego and unfortunately its time was up.
So I stopped to take some pictures thinking the section would already be on the trucks ready to leave. I was completely surprise to find that while the statue was in pieces, they were just lying on the grass and not on the trucks. I called my friends and told them I might be a little late.
I stayed around as long as I could taking pictures of the giant crane lifting the sections onto the waiting flatbeds. I missed a few in between moments when I left for the get together but immediately came back after lunch to finish taking pictures of the operation.
I talked to both drivers and learned that it was going to take about four days to drive cross country. Also learned that the statue, while having a steel internal support structure, was mainly made from carved foam with a hard outer shell coating.
It was a sad thing to see the pieces leave on the two trucks, but I’m really looking forward to the same-sized painted bronze replacement arriving in December.
Original statue photo from 2010. That’s my great friend Brenda by the nurse’s legs, during one of her visits back to San Diego.
The statue, located adjacent to the USS Midway Museum, was diassembled the prior day.
Now in six separate pieces.
His and hers legs.
Some of the heavy equipment used for the operation.
The nurse’s legs preparing to be hoisted.
Raising the skirt, so to speak.
Crane operator.
That’s one of the truck drivers on the left, helping the section into place. He told me it was going to take four days to get to the refurbishing facility n New Jersey.
Mighty big shoes to fill.
Nice gams.
For those of you who have always been curious, you’re welcome.
And now it’s the sailor’s turn.
The heavy-lifting crane.
Getting a rise from the pants, so to speak.
That’s the second truck driver helping to place the section.
Bolted-on steel structures were attached to keep the larger pieces stable.
You know what they say about big feet. Course, she had big feet as well, so…
Truck #1 loaded and ready to roll. — at USS Midway Museum.
Naval pride.
Last larger piece on its way to the flatbed.
Driver helps place the nurse’s arm. He was the one who told me that the statue was made mostly of foam with some internal support structure and an outer painted, coating and was in fact very light.
Close up of nurse’s fist.
The middle torso section of the kissing couple.
My hand next to one of the nurse’s buttons for scale.
The sailor’s neck and shoulders. Sections were removed to get to the internal structure.
Metal plate in between all the major sections.
Some damage that clearly shows the internal foam.
The first truck preparing to leave.
Truck #1.
Truck #2.
Both trucks loaded and preparing to leave.
Truck #1 begins its trip to New Jersey.
First truck officially leaving the area.
Truck #2 begins its trip.
Empty spot where the statue once stood.
All that’s left of the kissing statue, “Unconditional Surrender,” is this sign that doesn’t relate any more.
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