Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Foggy Bridge Wine Cruise Presents Honorary Award to World War II Veteran

Union City Resident and World War II Veteran Vernon Nordin will be honored aboard the Foggy Bridge Wine Cruise on the USS Potomac, as he, his friends and family members celebrate his 90th birthday.

SAN FRANCISCO - September 20, 2007 - The Foggy Bridge Wine Cruise will honor World War II veteran Vernon Nordin for his service to the nation in a ceremony held this Sunday, September 23, on its 10 a.m. brunch cruise. The ceremony will be held aboard the historic USS Potomac, the yacht of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Mr. Nordin, a resident of Union City, Calif., achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War. He will receive an honorary plaque presented by Captain Skip Eltringham, himself a career Navy veteran. In addition, Mr. Nordin will celebrate his 90th birthday with family members and friends aboard the cruise.

Among Mr. Nordin's many military achievements, he served on the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis when it carried the first atomic bomb from San Francisco to the Island of Tinian in the South Seas. There the bomb was loaded on a B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, and dropped on Hiroshima. The story of the Indianapolis has become a famous episode in World War II and has been dramatized in the 1991 movie, Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the USS Indianapolis, starring Stacy Keach.

After the Indianapolis left Tinian for the Philippines, it was torpedoed a few days later by a Japanese submarine and it sank in 10 minutes. Over 1,100 men went into the water. By the time an American patrol plane sighted them three days later, only 300 were still alive as they hung desperately onto makeshift lifeboats and waterlogged life jackets, with many of the rest eaten by sharks. Fortunately for Mr. Nordin, he had received a last-minute transfer and missed the sinking. However, his personal effects, including his favorite pipe, went down with the ship, along with many close friends.

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The Foggy Bridge Wine Cruise caters to connoisseurs of fine wine and dining and features wines from many of the best grape-growing regions throughout California. It is the vision of San Franciscan John Kontrabecki, an international businessman and vineyard owner. With a love of fine wine, great food, and history, John saw a need for a luxurious and educational wine and culinary experience. "There's nothing else like it on the Bay," says John. "The only thing better would be having your own yacht, with your own wine expert and chef aboard."

Profits from the cruise are donated to The Association for the Preservation of the Presidential Yacht Potomac. The cruises depart from Pier E at the San Francisco Ferry Building.

For more information about the USS Potomac, visit www.usspotomac.org