By JOSEPH KELLARD
Along his front yard at 122 N. Island Pkwy. sit a 5,200-pound torpedo, a propeller and anchor that both exceed 3,000 pounds.
These ornaments, originally colored battleship gray, were painted gold by Oliviera to make them more attractive and less intimidating to his neighbors.
"They've never complained about them," he said.
About 4 years ago, Oliviera purchased the World War II torpedo from a salvage company in New London, Connecticut, where one of only two United States submarine basis are located. The 19-foot-long Mark 14 was assigned to the USS LaFayette submarine operating in the South Pacific in 1943.
Getting it home, however, was considerably more complicated than simply placing a new lawn decoration such as a wooden deer in the back of a pickup truck or SUV. Even though the torpedo had been demilitarized, authorities wouldn't permit him to transport the weapon over the Throgs Neck Bridge to his water-front home. Through great expense, Oliviera was able to ship the torpedo using a barge.
The torpedo is the latest addition to his lawn. The propeller and anchor, both of which come from a US Navy Mine Sweeper -- designed to sweep the floors of saltwater bodies for planted mines -- have sat outside his home for 15 of the 31 years he's lived there.
No eye-sore to his neighbors, these unique lawn ornaments have long caught the eyes of passers-by (which include Herald reporters) and serve as a magnet for their questions and comments.
Recently, while passing Oliviera's home, the driver of a pickup came to a screeching halt, backed up, and rolled down his window. "You know, you made my day," he told him, referring to the ornaments.
Last year, three buses filled with students from Lincoln Orens School took a field trip to Oliviera's home, where he and their teachers gave them a lesson on the historical background of each piece.
"To me, these pieces represent America and the evolution of our nation's history. They give me a patriotic feeling and I never get tired of looking at them," said Oliviera, 67, who in 1956 was drafted into the US Army and served as a medic for two years.
Throughout Oliviera's backyard, which looks out onto Reynold's Channel and provides a panoramic view of Manhattan, are other conversation pieces, from replicas of Rodman cannons, used to keep ships out of inlets during the Civil War, to engine vents that sit atop freighter decks and draw in air when it rains. In his home, the walls are decorated with paintings of submarines and other nautical motifs.
Next on Oliviera's wish list is a WW II diesel-electric submarine, which he is attempting to purchase from the naval base in Connecticut. If he succeeds, he'll dock it in the water behind his home and allow people to tour it.
"I lived on the water all my life, and I've always been more gravitated toward the water. So these pieces I've got around my house are things I've always been interested in."
