The Navy shipyard on Mare Island gets a lot of attention in the Zodiac case. The Naval Communication Installation on Skaggs Island gets very little. And yet it seems to me that Skaggs Island is a much better candidate for Zodiac military workplace. Here’s an LA Times article from 1987 detailing West Coast military bases involved in the intelligence network.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm … story.html
After lunch, the several dozen Navy cryptologic technicians, clad in blue denim work uniforms, begin drifting back to their battered typewriters and large gray radio receivers. Once again they slip on their earphones, reach up to large black dials and begin searching through their assigned frequencies for a familiar “fist"–a Soviet Morse-code operator whose individual tap is as good as a signature. While a ship might change its radio call-sign to camouflage its identity and thus its location, an extra slow “dash” or a sloppy “e” on the telegrapher’s key can be a dead giveaway. Elsewhere in the operations center automated teleprinters chatter constantly as rolls of paper layered with carbons are turned black with intercepted Soviet teletype messages.
Also:
Information collected by Skaggs Island experts will be transmitted over a secure communications link or delivered by courier to NSA headquarters. There, in A Group, the agency’s large Soviet section, the coded Russian messages will be attacked by super-fast computers while the uncoded material will be studied by analysts.
Reading that article, all sorts of Zodiac things appear. Skaggs Island had a cryptological (codebreaking) unit. In fact, that’s where they sent the Harden Z408 solution for confirmation. Teleprinters with rolls of paper layered with carbons I would think is like the paper used for The Confession. Also, they’re tracking submarines, which involves use of radians.
Also, if you look at the article, you see that a lot of the intelligence stations are located in the vicinity of possible Z crime scenes. Although it’s hard to be in Cali in the 1960s and not be near one.
Meanwhile, what did they do at Mare Island? They built ships.
Skaggs Island. Not Mare Island.
The Navy shipyard on Mare Island gets a lot of attention in the Zodiac case. The Naval Communication Installation on Skaggs Island gets very little. And yet it seems to me that Skaggs Island is a much better candidate for Zodiac military workplace. Here’s an LA Times article from 1987 detailing West Coast military bases involved in the intelligence network.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm … story.html
After lunch, the several dozen Navy cryptologic technicians, clad in blue denim work uniforms, begin drifting back to their battered typewriters and large gray radio receivers. Once again they slip on their earphones, reach up to large black dials and begin searching through their assigned frequencies for a familiar “fist"–a Soviet Morse-code operator whose individual tap is as good as a signature. While a ship might change its radio call-sign to camouflage its identity and thus its location, an extra slow “dash” or a sloppy “e” on the telegrapher’s key can be a dead giveaway. Elsewhere in the operations center automated teleprinters chatter constantly as rolls of paper layered with carbons are turned black with intercepted Soviet teletype messages.
Also:
Information collected by Skaggs Island experts will be transmitted over a secure communications link or delivered by courier to NSA headquarters. There, in A Group, the agency’s large Soviet section, the coded Russian messages will be attacked by super-fast computers while the uncoded material will be studied by analysts.
Reading that article, all sorts of Zodiac things appear. Skaggs Island had a cryptological (codebreaking) unit. In fact, that’s where they sent the Harden Z408 solution for confirmation. Teleprinters with rolls of paper layered with carbons I would think is like the paper used for The Confession. Also, they’re tracking submarines, which involves use of radians.
Also, if you look at the article, you see that a lot of the intelligence stations are located in the vicinity of possible Z crime scenes. Although it’s hard to be in Cali in the 1960s and not be near one.
Meanwhile, what did they do at Mare Island? They built ships.
Skaggs Island. Not Mare Island.
I was wondering same thing recently. Seems like Skaggs Island would get way more attention in regards to Zodiac.
Mare Island built 44 submarines between 1930 and 1970.
Soze
It’s a big assumption to assume Zodiac had the intelligence and education enough to work at Skaggs. I’d suggest that evidence indicates he was of average or less intelligence.
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
Here are some sites listed in the article as part of the intelligence operations around military bases in California/West Coast:
Skaggs Island, California
location: Across the water from Vallejo
Nearby Zodiac activity: Canonical murders, 1968-1969
Vandenberg Air Force Base
location: Lompoc, CA
Nearby Zodiac activity (possible): Domingos/Edwards murder, 1963
National Reconaissance Office (judging by the article, and the fact it’s the only military/intelligence center in El Segundo, presumably this is on site at Los Angeles AFB)
Location: El Segundo, California
Nearby Zodiac activity (possible): Joyce Walker murder, 1964.
San DIego Submarine Base (not sure of the exact spot, but Google says there is an anti-submarine warfare school in San Diego)
Location: San Diego
Nearby Zodiac activity (possible): Murder of the Swindles, 1964.
Centerville Beach
Location: near Eureka (or at least that’s the nearest consequential town)
Nearby Zodiac activity (possible): The Eureka postcard
The other sites are in Mountain View, Sunnyvale. So South Bay, near San Jose. And there was assorted possible Z weirdness in San Jose in the Z time period. Plus the Snnozy-Furlong murders that he might have been trying to claim credit for.
Then there is one site listed near Yuba City, 50 miles north of Sacramento. The article talks about some deal near Monterrey and Yakima, Wash. There was a base at Coos Head/Coos Bay, Ore., but that was closing or closed in 1987, the same year when the article was written, which might explain why it’s not in there.
Also note:
We debate whether Z was in the Navy or Air Force, or other branch. An intelligence background might give him reason to be at all of these places.
Other than the Wing Walker boots, what evidence exists that Zodiac was in the military?
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
Other than the Wing Walker boots, what evidence exists that Zodiac was in the military?
I personally dont think there is evidence to suggest the zodiac was in the military. There are things to suggest he knew about the military but he could have had a family member in the military or worked at a base.
Soze
Here’s a website dedicated to Skaggs Island with names, photos, where are they now?s and such. It includes a photo of a Ford Falcon.
Other than the Wing Walker boots, what evidence exists that Zodiac was in the military?
I personally dont think there is evidence to suggest the zodiac was in the military. There are things to suggest he knew about the military but he could have had a family member in the military or worked at a base.
Soze
Agree 100%.
I don’t think Zodiac was military. Those boots could be bought at any Army-Navy surplus at the time. I see him as more military-adjacent. He was a wanna-be.
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
Other than the Wing Walker boots, what evidence exists that Zodiac was in the military?
PX watches.
https://wornandwound.com/the-px-watches … etnam-war/
Cheri Jo Bates the Timex Watch is also a PX watch. Zodiac watch is probably a PX watch.
When it comes to not calling a spade a space, I learned a lesson from JJD and EARONS.
Loads of things JJD did can be associated with LE. Yet the excuse was the same. Civilians can do all that too.
Anyone can do them but why make it more complex than it is?
That is why i think not only was the Zodiac military but likely connected with LE also because there is a lot of evidence like the above that he is LE.
www.zodiachalloweencard.com has a 400 paged book for free containing the super solution with an overarching explanation of the cards and more.
Whether Zodiac was military or not, Riverside is not a confirmed Zodiac attack, so the B.F. Goodrich boot prints and Timex watch go by the wayside.
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
“I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story, two equal and logical sides to an argument.” Edward R. Murrow.
the B.F. Goodrich boot prints
I know you know better Rich and just mis-spoke, but those were low cut military dress shoes at Riverside, not boots. I just see so many people make the mistake of saying the same military boot prints were found at Riverside and LB.
Whether Zodiac was military or not, Riverside is not a confirmed Zodiac attack, so the B.F. Goodrich boot prints and Timex watch go by the wayside.
I know the FBI rejected the DNA samples they compared but I think the FBI probably suspects this is a Zodiac attack.
Riverside PD doesn’t believe it is the Zodiac because they have Bob Barnett for it. Yet Bob Barnett was cleared by the same process that didn’t find a link to the Zodiac.
That’s obviously a serious contradiction and fatal to the hypothesis Barnett is her killer.
While CJB isn’t an official Zodiac crime (Riverside PD reject the Zodiac connection) I wonder if the FBI at the federal level has rejected it despite no DNA match.
A good example is how at the local level Maggiore murders were not considered EAR crimes. Yet the FBI obviously believed it was connected and is why they had the Maggiore revised composite as part of their FBI EARONS wanted poster sketch. In fact when they could only fit one image they decided on Maggiore revised a non-canonical EARONS crime!
No DNA. No prints. Purely driven by M.O. and profile.
A non-caninocal murder composite becomes the leading composite… despite their being canonical EAR composites available.
So while CJB isn’t a canonical Zodiac crime I wonder if the FBI think that. Given all the evidence I think they would have to conclude she is likely a Zodiac crime.
Then there is all the evidence pointing at Zodiac being LE. What are chances of LE in 60s California not being military experienced? I would think low.
www.zodiachalloweencard.com has a 400 paged book for free containing the super solution with an overarching explanation of the cards and more.
Unfortunately, what the FBI think or can prove are two different things. The Zodiac did his utmost to prove his involvement in the four canonical attacks, but provided nothing thereafter for any crime, Riverside included.
Writing "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there" doesn’t cut it.
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
“I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story, two equal and logical sides to an argument.” Edward R. Murrow.
