West end of the island. The naval signed the 1,400acre property to the mayor that was until 1987 the Alameda Naval station. Originally the naval station wanted 8 million for the land, but ended upturns it over to the city. It was only fair, the city gave the navy the land for free. The hornet carried b25 bombers headed for the first raids in japan. Today the pier is named for the man who led the raids, doolittle. Bob mackenzie took us back to the doolittle raids. Reporter Ronald Reagan advanced him to general. But doolittle has long since assured his place in the history books. After pearl harbor after the United States was trying to recover its moral. Lieutenant colonel doolittle came up with a plan. No such thing has ever been done. As everyone knew carriers were for fighter aircraft, light planes no one had ever taken off from a carrier deck in a Medium Weight bomber. Yet that was the plan and doolittle felt he could do it. At that time, frank kapler had a not too stressful job as a navigator stationed in alameda. They went to operations and the operations people said while i was gone they had volunteered me for a very dangerous mission. Chance of coming back were 50 50. Reporter capler could have backed out but like the other men who volunteered he wanted to see some action and make a difference. They all knew the deal. Assuming that a b25 bomber could take off from a carrier, it certainly couldnt land on one. These young men would have to drop bombs on tokyo then fly to china if they had enough fuel to do it. At 20,000 pounds, the bomber was placed on the deck. Test run take offs had been conducted in calm seas. Ideally the ships would come within 200 miles of japan before launching so the fliers would have enough fuel to get to safety. The ships were 600 miles from toke yo tokyo when the bombers started taking off. You all knew when you took off then that the likelihood was that you didnt have enough fuel to make it back safely and land at that airport in china is that right . We all knew that was a possibility yes. Reporter there are no close up newsreel takes of the bomber taking off. But the movie 30 second over tokyo maticulously recreates the scene. The last thing the japanese expected was a bombing raid on their own territory. The 16 planes bombed factories, refineries anything that looked valuable to the japanese war effort. Back in the u. S. Headlines hailed doolittles raid. The u. S. Government wanted the japanese to believe no planes had been lost. Capler and his crew knew better. Capler and his partnered abandoned their planes and ran to safety. 11 of their planes were abandoned. Two pilots were killed in crashes, two were inprisoned. None of the others would see home in a long time but they had accomplished their mission. It gave our folks at home the first good news. They came home as heros. Doolittle received the congressional medal of honor and his exploit inspired hollywood scenes. We shall go to tokyo with mighty reporter doolittle became a campaigner for airline safety. When capler finally made it home he was awarded. What people were saying about the base as it closed in 1997. And a bit later the company that turned an airplane hanger into a distillery and made a liquor that hadn t been seen in the United States in nearly a century. [ female announcer ] life is full of compromises. But when it comes to what your family really loves, you shouldnt have to sacrifice. And that goes double for ice cream. Now you dont have to give up. You can give in with dreyers slow churned light ice cream. We churn it slowly for all the rich and creamy taste with just half the fat. Dreyers slow churned light ice cream. Nestle good food, good life. [ male announcer ] when the a. C. Goes out in a heat wave, its nuccio heating and air conditioning that comes to the rescue. At t helped nuccio put a complete mobile solution to work. Mobile routing to send the closest technician and mobile payments to invoice on the spot. Where do you want to take your business . Call us. We can show you how at t solutions can help you do what you do. Even better. Welcome back to a second look. Tonight the former Alameda Naval air station. The navy just handed it over to the city. Diane fowler brings this story. Reporter many call it the gateway to the pacific. For 67 years it has served the country in the heat of war and in times of peace. But now it has the look of a ghost town. After a three year decommissioning process most of the buildings are empty and tomorrow the 1,700 acres base will officially close. A far different scene from the days of world war ii when this base was maintaining thousands of war planes. War raged on two fronts and 20,000 people worked on this bay 24 hours a day. Gusmusio was one of the thousands working here. A total of 39 years. You worked in this building . Yes. Reporter he worked here in the supply building from 1940 the year the base opened to 1979. Looks kind of deserted. Usually theres a lot of activity. Reporter there are weeds growing on the tarmac and deserted buildings everywhere you look. This has to be the best base in the country no doubt about it. This is the best base in the country. Reporter chuck corico remembers delivering telegrams on the base before the war even started. Marlin york worked here as part of the waves, the womens navy program raising money for the effort. We took an airplane craft and feathered it completely with 10 bills for the war effort. We were working three ships a day seven days a week in 43 most of the money that coming in went to the war effort in europe because they wanted to defeat hitler. On behalf of the department of the navy which you have served so long and so well, thank you. Yes, thank you very, very much. When we come back on a second look, its called absent and there was a time when people thought it made you crazy. Now you can buy it from a distillery from in an old hanger. Plus what the hanger and have in common. Tonight on a second look, the land that was once home to the Alameda Naval station. People were coming up with plans to use the real estate. Many of those plans never took flight but one went into effect almost immediately. Less than two hours after the closure, part of the base was set aside as a wildlife preserve. Ktvus Bob Mackenzie first brought us this report in january 1999. Reporter during world war ii, Alamedas Naval air station was home base for the fliers who won the air battles in the pacific. Of course the station figured prominently in war movies at the time. It isnt generally known but the station was the birthplace of naval aviation. The first plane off a carrier took off at this place. Closed by the navy almost two years ago and slowly covering a petina of rust but theres still fliers here. The geese have now taken over the place. And the geese arent alone there are eglets and hawks and a variety of sea boards including an endangered one the california leased turn. A high toy little fellow now enjoying the southern sun and due to return here in the spring a little fellow now enjoying the southern sun. They like a large open amount of area. Open so they can see predators coming through. Reporter a plan is now under way to turn the abandoned air base a permanent home for the birds. Another part of the property might contain a golf course. One sticky point in the plans is toxic waste. The navy got rid of chemicals in a landfill. The u. S. Fish and Wildlife Service which now owns the land wants the navy to dig up that debris and take it away. My goal would be to have the navy clean it up. Meaning dig it up and remove it. Reporter the government is studying the matter but its very clear the navy takes a dim view of digging up the island at the potential cost of hundreds of millions of the dollars. Typically the presumpive is to design a containment of the com contaminants that are there. Reporter a potential battle is brewing over this but until those sturdies are finished about six months from now,both sides are keeping the glove on. One company that found a use of one of the old hangers was st. George spirit. They called themselves americas original craft distillery. They came out with something new. A liquor called absent. It was the first u. S. Distillery since absent was banned in 2012 to get producers to producer. Bob Mack Mackenzie wrote how it was banned and how the shirts came to revive it. Reporter for the past 95 years it has been illegal to manufacturer or sell the stuff in the United States because of its reputation as a slow poison. Just lately the government decided that absent is safe to drink after all. That contrary to legend it doesnt indude insanity or strange visions induce insanity or strange vision. It was said the that latreck died from drinking the stuff. Abseptember absent was blamed with the madness that came over Vincent Van Gogh when he cut off his own ear. Last year a man used wormwood, anise and fennel. Manufacturers will have to show the chemical is undetectable. He also makes fancy liquors and is now making a distill that hasnt been seen for years. Its very potent. Its very potent and delicious. It was said to drive people crazy and all of that. Is is that all, just myth. Myth. It is a highly sophisticated drink. Other wise we wouldnt be drinking it. Absolutely. To your health. Boy thats got a punch. And it has layers of flavor. Thats the beauty of it. You go through one flavor then another one. And they just come to you in waves. This is my first glass of absent in my life and i hope not the last. In alameda, ken mackenzie, and good luck. When we come back on a second look, remember those amazing special effects in the movie the matrix. Well show you the hanger they came from at the old Alameda Naval air station. And this freeway conducted in the base for the sequel, matrix reloaded. Look at them kids. They have no idea what it was like before uverse high speed internet. Yeah, you couldnt just stream movies to a device like that. One time, i had to wait half a day to watch a movie. You watched movies . i was lucky if i could watch a show. Show . man, i was happy to see a sneezing panda clip trevor, have you eaten today . You sound a little grumpy. [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] connect all your wifienabled devices with uverse high speed internet. Rethink possible. I love avocado so much i started a facebook page. Oh you should post a picture of my new earrings. Those would go perfectly with this sweater im knitting. [ chain saw revs ] im sorry, did you Say Something . I was just tending to my avocado tree. Ooops, i forgot to lock my avocar. Do. [ beeping ] have you met my firstborn son . Avocado . [ coos ] [ male announcer ] show your avocado love. Add this superfood boost to the turkey spinach or try it on the subway club. Its avocado season at subway. Subway. Eat fresh®. We continue our second look at the Alameda Naval air station. If youre a fan of the movie the matrix you know the special effects were a key of the movie. But did you know many of those effects were fashioned at an old hanger in alameda. As special effects director owned the new movie the matrix, john combined the mind. The mind bending plots made a good contrast to mind bending intrusion. A falsecreated by people that are manipulating things you see. The magic originated right here in the bay area at the formal alameda. With such movies as what dreams may come and the matrix, maddix is just stretching the boundaries. Thats what we see in the future of hollywood is just continue to expand those boundaries and go as high as you can. These new dazzling special effects on an old technology. The green screen. Now combine that with a computer and hollywood pwabgs not ao case in the phaap but a little bit of energy comes to this scene. Madoxx says super slow motion that can move almost a full 360 degrees around the subject. A circle of computer controlled steel cameras captures the scene. Special elects experts then creates the energies between the computer. The computer adds special effects and heres the result. [gunfire ] computers are central from beginning to end. Scene designers now use 3d models. And scary monster machines exist only in the water. This satisfy alsoist cans only in harbor state. Im trying to claim them from the. What were trying to do here is taking the first places in the world where you would want to shoot. And it comes to putting an actor in the greene. A time is coming when fell plings will not played on the water. But nothing will ever replace two haoaubs do you think the unpredictable types of intersection we can get from real actors. Free your mind. Ing in ever replaced the true money. The matrix eventually captured a Worldwide Growth of 950 million. Four years later a much anticipated sequel was released. This time the studio had created a very big set. The most precious wauz build here at the former alameda navy air station, it wasnt a four raeusic something we saw or something like. It was something we see every day, a local freeway. This is the first freeway ever built by a movie studio a 2 mile loop, six lanes, two overpasses, a dozen signs at a cost of 1 million. Several hundred actors, stunt people, cars and trucks spent seven weeks shaoding a spectacular chase seen that lasts 24 minutes on screen. We were trying to find a place to shoot a freeway chase that would be controllable. And our intention was the free in california. Stay of tap duct doesnt really like us to shut down freeways. It makes more sense just to pweuls it. I possess it was the cheapest we ever built. But it makes sense and its very well used and again at the end of the movie all of the flats on the sidewalk will be shipped to mexico where they use them for low Income Housing so it worked for everyone look. This is sawyer and we are not afraid. Alameda hosted 1,000 acres to depeck scion. The these people were not computer questioning rated. In also dis. You with as little disruption of the public as possible. Thats where the real work came in. Working with each business to find out what the romantic losses could be that day. The oakland hail destination spill several saepbt months the. Estimates are they spent 20 to 50,000 in the sierra while they were here. Matrix reloaded doesnt give away tricks used in the first film. Fans will once again real life stunts with real fun and shot created entirely by computer. Those of us who were more than a little confused by the plot of the original fill get a bit more information about what exactly is going on. The will have to be released in november. Thats it for this weeks second look. Im julie haener. Thank you for watching. Boating trip for two friends in southeastern alaska turns deadly. John the door wouldnt open; it was frozen shut. I am now in a lifethreatening situation. Jim the two men are forced to abandon their vessel in subzero temperatures. Jason when someone goes in the water up in alaska, their Life Expectancy is measured in a matter of minutes. Jim the coast guard and a Good Samaritan vessel are their last hope. John i basically told the coast guard, we are outside of the vessel, it is flipped over, and it is sinking fast.