The logistics of 'Captain America'

So, once again the Grouch family was invited to view the latest Disney release at the Disney studios in beautiful downtown Burbank.  Somehow through good fortune or error (or both) my name ended up on list of folks who get invited to view new Disney movies at their studio theater.  I never asked why because if I did they may realize that they meant to invite someone else with a similar name but got me instead.  Be that as it may, the Missus, Young Son, Young Daughter, and yours truly got to see the latest release at the Disney studios theater.  It is always very exciting for us star-struck types to go to the studio lot and see the history on display all around us as  we walk from the parking structure to the theater.  The Disney folks are so very nice and not officious at all.  We just enjoy the heck out of it.

 

This time we got to see "Captain America- The Winter Soldier".  I thought by the title the Cap was fighting the bad guys in the Arctic, but no, he was fighting a foe who was called 'The Winter Soldier'.  Why he had that moniker was never explained as far as I could discern.

 

It was a great movie, loads of earnest fun, full of explosions and fights to the death.  And it had Scarlet Johansson as the co-star, need there be more said? I enjoyed it a lot and the Missus applauded vigorously at the end so that means it was a great movie.

 

 

The anxious movie attendees waiting for the show to start

 



So what's this about the logistics of Captain America?  I don't think I will be betraying too much of the movie to mention that right in the middle of D.C SHIELD has  the equivalent of a shipyard which is constructing the equivalent of three WW2 Jeep carriers underground.  Did I mention this is smack in the middle of D.C.?   So can you imagine the amount of raw materials that would flow into an underground ship yard?  the plate steel, the aluminum, the copper?  How about the finished sub assemblies, the light bulbs, the toilet paper, the time cards, the Hostess Twinkies for the employee snack shop, all flowing via truck or rail (or as the Missus postulated, by sling load under heavy lift helos) and all right through the middle of D.C.?   Let's add in the thousands of workers coming and going all day and night.  How about the electrical service, water, gas and sewer lines for the underground shipyard?  I don't think that the facility was secret per-se but I don't think there was a sign on the beltway pointing to it on the off-ramp to it either.  Didn't anyone wonder what the heck was going on there?

 

I did learn one thing from the movie:  now I know why traffic is so messed up around D.C; its because of Captain America and SHIELD's shipyard!