OT US Naval Air Sea Story (nekkid statue) Gigi

Gigi: Desired by One and All

The Navy’s golden girl traveled the world, hailed from Tim’s of
Alameda

By Marcus Tolero

“Anybody who was anybody in the Navy tried to steal that statue.” So
says retired 69-year-old Capt. Tom Maxwell. The story of Gigi the
Golden Goddess, a 43-inch-tall statuette, and her popularity among
Navy attack squadrons began in Alameda in 1958.

The Island was heavily populated with Naval workers at the time and,
like most military cities, many of the local hangouts were filled with
men dressed in perfectly pressed white uniforms.

Tim’s Bar and Restaurant (an Alameda night club that no longer exists)
on Webster Street was one of the hot spots frequented by the local
airmen. And it was at Tim’s where the saga of Gigi the Golden Goddess
began.

On a cold Alameda winter evening in 1958, Chief Clifford Hornung,
attached to VAH-4 Det-Delta on the USS Hancock at the time, walked
into Tim’s for a nightcap. As he was drinking his cocktail, Hornung
noticed a gold-painted statue of a woman with measurements of 26-19-24
(impressive for a statue) adorning one wall of the club.

But staring at her wasn’t enough. In a spur-of-the-moment decision,
Hornung walked towards Gigi, lifted her over his shoulders and walked
out the door of Tim’s unnoticed.

“Why should all those men on that big carrier (USS Hancock) be without
a mascot?” Hornung said in a 1974 article from Crosswind.

When Hornung and the rest of the crew of the USS Hancock set sail for
the Western Pacific and landed at a Japanese port, Gigi became the
envy of every attack squadron, deck hand and officer.

“Every squadron and CO (commanding officer) wanted to try to capture
her,” Maxwell, who also had a hand in trying to steal Gigi, said.

When the USS Hancock anchored in Japan, another carrier called the USS
Shangri-La was in the same port.

According to officials from A-3 Skywarriors Association and Maxwell,
members of Detachment Charlie of VAH-4 aboard the USS Shangri-La
abducted Gigi from the USS Hancock. But their victory would last just
days; Det Delta members re-abducted Gigi from the USS Shangri-La. In
Det Delta’s attempt to retrieve Gigi, they accidentally left their
ensign, better known as their drinking flag, aboard the Shangri-La. In
fact, Det-Delta had to barter the statue back to Detachment Charlie
for their ensign.

“We were crazy back then and when we weren’t working, it gave us
something to do. But really (Gigi) helped the morale,” said Maxwell.

From 1958 through 1981, Gigi was one of the most sought-after women in
the Navy.

So prized was this statue that squadrons did anything to claim her,
from invading other aircraft carriers and prying her off of decks with
blow torches, to jumping off a carrier into the water to avoid being
captured during a heist.

In fact, there was one incident in the mid-1970s in Alameda, after
Gigi had returned briefly to the city. Members of a squadron disguised
as Public Works employees closed down one of the hangars at the Naval
base housing Gigi and tricked the on-duty officer into believing that
they were going to do a routine bug-spray of the entire site for five
hours. When the officer ordered all hands to leave the hangar, the
masquerading squadron used a cutting torch to detach Gigi from the top
of the 50-foot-high hangar entry.

“You know how colleges steal other college mascots? Well, it was like
that for us at the time,” Maxwell said. “There was no good luck
involved with her. Rather, it was just the prize of owning her.”

When Maxwell joined the Navy as part of the VAH-4 squadron in 1964,
his first assignment was to steal Gigi with four other conspirators
from a hangar at NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines. They used a ladder
to climb to the roof of the hangar and wire cutters to gain entry into
the locker where they thought she was being held. But when Maxwell and
his crew pried open the locker door, all they found was a note that
said, “Sorry about that.”

Because of her popularity and the fact that she was in the possession
of so many different hands, Gigi got to travel to the far reaches of
the world: Japan, Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Philippines, United
States and Washington.

Some air squadrons actually took her on flights. According to A-3 Sky
Warrior officials, she was in the bomb bay of one of the aircraft
assigned to the VAH-2 squadron. Maxwell, when his squadron finally had
possession of her, flew Gigi from Alameda to the Philippines. Although
she was a treasured possession, the last air squadron that had her
(VAQ-131) seemingly didn’t care. It was reported that she was “buried
at sea” by a member of VAQ-131.

“We wanted to find her so we could put her in the Naval Aviation
Museum. She was a really special statue,” Maxwell said.

Knowing all the antics pulled in the past on behalf of Gigi, it
wouldn’t be surprising if VAQ-131 staged the most successful hoax of
all – fooling everyone into believing she is gone forever.

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Some of the story is true. As one who spent many a watchful nite with
Gi-Gi can attest !. In Yokuska port one evening , a group of destroyer
boy's decided to raid the ready room, they forcibly overpowered the
Ensign on duty and made off with Gi-Gi. However the duty petty officer
and some ordies captured one of the destroyers Ensigns and locked him
in a magazine for ransom. The ships departed Yoko VAH-6 minus Gi-Gi
and the destroyer minus its ensign. Two days at sea, one pissed off
skipper of a destroyer high lined Gi-Gi back to the Ship with an
Ensgn< needing a shave high lined back to the destroyer in return. I
can relate more of the escapes about Gi-Gi. But maybe one at a time.

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Heres one more.

We were standing on the flight deck awaiting the arrival of the Adm.
to inspect the Airgroup. Whites. The officers were positioned infront
of the crew and Gi-Gi was centered in front of them. The helo landed
on the bow with the Adm. and four marines in fatigue greens. The Adm
proceeded to inspect the group, the marines walked to the port catwalk
and edged toward Gi-Gi. The helo was still turning attention was
called, the marines bounded out of the catwalk and grabbed Gi-Gi the
officers in their whites left the ranks ,tackled the marines in the
arresting gear. the marines broke loose and headed for the helo with
Gi-Gi three of them made it into the helo that was now lifting off.
The Marine with Gi-Gi was trying to get into the helo with her they
were pulling from above with a Ltcdr on his leg Gi-Gi being in
between. Needless to say he let go of our gal .he made it into the
helo.pandemonium reined on the flight deck. Gi-Gi fell and parts of
her were broken. As the Squadron do all it became my duty to fix Gi-Gi
so with the help of the ships dentist, medical plaster of paris we
performed a mastectomy and endowed Gi-Gi a little, repainted her and
made here ready for the next escapade. Oh! the helo came back for the
Adm . I couldn't get the Ordies to lock him in a mag. Couldn't prove
he was in on it and of course he denied all knowledge.

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Scott in Florida