Divers Meeting With Governor Riley
March 14, 2005
Forrest and I from Southern Skin Divers Supply along with Bob Cox from Gulf Coast Divers had a meeting with Governor Riley and Ken Wallis. Mr. Wallis is the Chief Legal Advisor for the Governor. I asked for this meeting so we could make the Governor aware of the divers and collectors in Alabama. We told the Governor about our bills in the legislature and what we want to happen. We want access to our public waters and to be able to find and save isolated relics and artifacts. We also told the Governor about the problems that the public has with the Alabama Historical Commission staff. We told about how we need an oversight committee to control issuing of permits for shipwreck salvage. We don't want the staff of the AHC to continue to only issue permits to their associates and insiders. We discussed how most of the historical groups of Alabama have problems dealing with the AHC staff. We stressed that in order for the AHC to exist they must have better leadership than they have had in the past.
I personally felt honored that our Governor would take time for a private meeting to talk with divers about diving. The Governor is a diver himself and he told me that he hasn't been able to go diving for about four years. I think he has been busy. Divers should be heard from just as hunters and fisherman are heard from. We have not asserted ourselves as divers in the past but we should continue now that we have started. We must make our elected officials know we exist and want to be considered. The Governor was very nice and patient listening to a loud mouthed old diver on a mission. The Governor said that he agreed with divers, collectors and historians about saving items in the waterways before they are destroyed by nature or other ways. I think he will support us in any way that he can. He has been a supporter of Alabama history in the past and I appreciate what he has done. I hope that Forrest, Bob and I were able to fairly represent the diving businesses and divers in general in our state. Meeting the Governor was interesting and important but what happened after lunch was even more interesting.
Dr. Bridges
Forrest and I went to see Dr. Ed Bridges who is the Director of Alabama's Department of Archives and History. I've been working with him a good deal lately concerning the diving laws. We were discussing the parts of the proposed law that will affect the Department of Archives and History. I mentioned to him that I am going to be out of the country for a couple weeks diving in Micronesia. Dr. Bridges said that his uncle and namesake was killed during World War II in Micronesia. He said he was killed in Truk Lagoon. I told him that this will be my fifth trip to Truk Lagoon and that his uncle must have been in the Navy since we never invaded Truk, we only bombed it. He then told me that his uncle was a pilot and that he bombed an ammunition ship that blew up and the explosion was so large that it destroyed his uncle's airplane. This is all that Dr. Bridges knew about how his uncle died. When he told me this I felt my face go pale and I knew the ship that his uncle sank. I have a VCR tape showing the attack and explosion of the Aikoku Maru. Dr. Bridges uncle was Lieutenant Edwin Bridges who attacked the ship. This ship was the most significant ship sank at Truk. Over 70 ships were sank but the Aikoku was not just an ammunition ship. It was a troop carrier. When the ship blew up between 1,000 and 2,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in the blast. Lt. Bridges action resulted in the death of these soldiers and the saving of many American soldiers lives. The sinking of the Aikoku alone was equivalent to a large land battle victory. The US forces at the time did not know the significance of this bombing until the war was over. Lt. Bridges put his plane right on top of the Aikoku to drop his bombs. He was a great warrior and a hero. I am very excited about being able to help Dr. Bridges find out about his uncle and how he died. Dr. Bridges was born a year and a half after his uncle died and he was named after him. I knew about the explosion that blew up his airplane and I have twice dived on the Aikoku Maru. It is a spooky dive at great depths. In fact, two years ago Terry Banks, Don Sublett and I had a bad scare while diving inside the ship. We were about 170 feet deep and were not sure we were going to find our way out. Luckily we did. I don't want to dive this ship again but I do want to find out all I can about the remains of Lt. Bridges airplane. Possibly next week I can learn more about this and help Dr. Bridges and his family find out more about his hero uncle. I love history and especially being involved in helping to answer questions for the family.
Other News
Tannehill
Last week I lent some more of my relics from the War Between the States to Tannehill State Park. They have an excellent museum at the park and I suggest that you visit when you can. It is the Iron and Steel Museum that traces production of Alabama's iron ore all the way to finished products during the war years. Please go visit this park and I'm sure you will enjoy all that Tannehill has to offer.
My Trial
Everyone calls to ask about my trial. Right now my trial is scheduled to be March 21 but the District Attorney in Selma has asked for another continuance. They continue to jerk me around. I want a trial and I want one ASAP. They don't have a case against me and they should go ahead and try me if they think that they do. I want my boat back and I want my gun I found back and I refuse to grovel to the people who arrested me. Thanks for all the support you have given to me and to the public in general. We don't know if we will be able to get a better law passed in this session. The attention and success that we have had are due primarily to the letters and phone calls that you have made to our legislators. Keep writing and calling them to support our getting access to our Public Lands and Waters.
Steve Phillips
Save Our Lost History
4515 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL. 35222
205-595-3052
http://www.ssdsupply.com/
March 14, 2005
Forrest and I from Southern Skin Divers Supply along with Bob Cox from Gulf Coast Divers had a meeting with Governor Riley and Ken Wallis. Mr. Wallis is the Chief Legal Advisor for the Governor. I asked for this meeting so we could make the Governor aware of the divers and collectors in Alabama. We told the Governor about our bills in the legislature and what we want to happen. We want access to our public waters and to be able to find and save isolated relics and artifacts. We also told the Governor about the problems that the public has with the Alabama Historical Commission staff. We told about how we need an oversight committee to control issuing of permits for shipwreck salvage. We don't want the staff of the AHC to continue to only issue permits to their associates and insiders. We discussed how most of the historical groups of Alabama have problems dealing with the AHC staff. We stressed that in order for the AHC to exist they must have better leadership than they have had in the past.
I personally felt honored that our Governor would take time for a private meeting to talk with divers about diving. The Governor is a diver himself and he told me that he hasn't been able to go diving for about four years. I think he has been busy. Divers should be heard from just as hunters and fisherman are heard from. We have not asserted ourselves as divers in the past but we should continue now that we have started. We must make our elected officials know we exist and want to be considered. The Governor was very nice and patient listening to a loud mouthed old diver on a mission. The Governor said that he agreed with divers, collectors and historians about saving items in the waterways before they are destroyed by nature or other ways. I think he will support us in any way that he can. He has been a supporter of Alabama history in the past and I appreciate what he has done. I hope that Forrest, Bob and I were able to fairly represent the diving businesses and divers in general in our state. Meeting the Governor was interesting and important but what happened after lunch was even more interesting.
Dr. Bridges
Forrest and I went to see Dr. Ed Bridges who is the Director of Alabama's Department of Archives and History. I've been working with him a good deal lately concerning the diving laws. We were discussing the parts of the proposed law that will affect the Department of Archives and History. I mentioned to him that I am going to be out of the country for a couple weeks diving in Micronesia. Dr. Bridges said that his uncle and namesake was killed during World War II in Micronesia. He said he was killed in Truk Lagoon. I told him that this will be my fifth trip to Truk Lagoon and that his uncle must have been in the Navy since we never invaded Truk, we only bombed it. He then told me that his uncle was a pilot and that he bombed an ammunition ship that blew up and the explosion was so large that it destroyed his uncle's airplane. This is all that Dr. Bridges knew about how his uncle died. When he told me this I felt my face go pale and I knew the ship that his uncle sank. I have a VCR tape showing the attack and explosion of the Aikoku Maru. Dr. Bridges uncle was Lieutenant Edwin Bridges who attacked the ship. This ship was the most significant ship sank at Truk. Over 70 ships were sank but the Aikoku was not just an ammunition ship. It was a troop carrier. When the ship blew up between 1,000 and 2,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in the blast. Lt. Bridges action resulted in the death of these soldiers and the saving of many American soldiers lives. The sinking of the Aikoku alone was equivalent to a large land battle victory. The US forces at the time did not know the significance of this bombing until the war was over. Lt. Bridges put his plane right on top of the Aikoku to drop his bombs. He was a great warrior and a hero. I am very excited about being able to help Dr. Bridges find out about his uncle and how he died. Dr. Bridges was born a year and a half after his uncle died and he was named after him. I knew about the explosion that blew up his airplane and I have twice dived on the Aikoku Maru. It is a spooky dive at great depths. In fact, two years ago Terry Banks, Don Sublett and I had a bad scare while diving inside the ship. We were about 170 feet deep and were not sure we were going to find our way out. Luckily we did. I don't want to dive this ship again but I do want to find out all I can about the remains of Lt. Bridges airplane. Possibly next week I can learn more about this and help Dr. Bridges and his family find out more about his hero uncle. I love history and especially being involved in helping to answer questions for the family.
Other News
Tannehill
Last week I lent some more of my relics from the War Between the States to Tannehill State Park. They have an excellent museum at the park and I suggest that you visit when you can. It is the Iron and Steel Museum that traces production of Alabama's iron ore all the way to finished products during the war years. Please go visit this park and I'm sure you will enjoy all that Tannehill has to offer.
My Trial
Everyone calls to ask about my trial. Right now my trial is scheduled to be March 21 but the District Attorney in Selma has asked for another continuance. They continue to jerk me around. I want a trial and I want one ASAP. They don't have a case against me and they should go ahead and try me if they think that they do. I want my boat back and I want my gun I found back and I refuse to grovel to the people who arrested me. Thanks for all the support you have given to me and to the public in general. We don't know if we will be able to get a better law passed in this session. The attention and success that we have had are due primarily to the letters and phone calls that you have made to our legislators. Keep writing and calling them to support our getting access to our Public Lands and Waters.
Steve Phillips
Save Our Lost History
4515 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL. 35222
205-595-3052
http://www.ssdsupply.com/
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Wishing you all the best. 
