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What famous event happened with this ship?


vostoktrading
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The event I'm looking for would have occured on the most recent incarnation of the Canberra. Another hint; the event occured while the US was not a part of any major war campaign.

 

So, is it cheating to look it up online? If not, I think I know the answer you're looking for. If it is cheating, then, I don't know the answer. ;)

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Since Redleg gave the correct answer, the ship in question is the USS Frank E. Evans. Quite a tragic story as a 74 crewmen were lost...

 

 

Yep! Here's a picture, post collision. I know the incident well...my father in law was the XO at the time. The Wiki page is unfortunately not correct in some aspects though (particularly with the quals of the OOD). My wife and I keep encouraging him to write a book about it...maybe one of these years (though he is getting on in age...)

 

Dave

USS_Frank_E._Evans__DD_754__post_collision.jpg

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VirtualMariner
USS Memphis.

This is a dual topic: A ship and a boat, same name, different era's. Two clue words: Tsunami & Kursk.

I don't have any memorabilia but I found this picture of the bow of the earlier Memphis on the internet.

 

Yes! I was right. I've seen this ship's bow countless times and stood on the thing several times...I knew there couldn't be two like it. However, I did not know the story behind it until now (if I did, I'd long forgotte it, anyway).

 

The bow decoration is from the USS Memphis (CA-10), which was formerly the USS Tennessee (ACR-10). It was wrecked, pushed into the beach, by a freak tidal wave at Santo Domingo. There were more than 40 dead and more than 200 injured, as a result of this incident.

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...I know the incident well...my father in law was the XO at the time. The Wiki page is unfortunately not correct in some aspects though...

Dave

 

Dave,

 

I am all too familiar with the sh...er...stuff that gets published (and believed) as the gospel truth. Lots of MMQBs and college thesis-writing hacks get to cherry-pick details (and fabricate half-truths) while a substantial amount of facts remained securely contained withing the naval information vaults.

 

I surely hope your FiL writes that book...even if he chooses not to publish it, at least it gets it off his chest.

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More than one can play this game...

 

How about a carrier? Event?

 

 

The USS FORRESTAL... aka the "Forest Fire"...a hugely tragic event costing the lives of 160+ Sailors...

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So, is it cheating to look it up online? If not, I think I know the answer you're looking for. If it is cheating, then, I don't know the answer. ;)

 

:lol: Tsk Tsk! No cheating allowed!

 

Honestly, I wouldn't be offended if you answered... I'm sure, however, that Vostok's original intent of this thread was to see how knowledgeable we really are!

 

As a matter of fact, with the exception of the Indianapolis, the Canberra and a handful of other US vessels, my knowledge is pretty limited so I would surely fail miserably at this game if it wasn't for the ease of being able to look up the information online...

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VirtualMariner
The USS FORRESTAL... aka the "Forest Fire"...a hugely tragic event costing the lives of 160+ Sailors...

 

Any sailor worth his salt since then should recognize that one. How many times have some of us had to watch that video? I remember seeing it the first time in boot camp and periodically afterwards during various damage control, firefighting or just general "be careful" training sessions. It did make an impression. That and the video with all the guys being maimed, decapitated and amputated by ship's lines snapping.

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Any sailor worth his salt since then should recognize that one. How many times have some of us had to watch that video? I remember seeing it the first time in boot camp and periodically afterwards during various damage control, firefighting or just general "be careful" training sessions. It did make an impression. That and the video with all the guys being maimed, decapitated and amputated by ship's lines snapping.

 

 

So true, so true!

 

When I reported aboard the Camden as an OS2, I had to go through the orientation for the ship. When the CO came to speak to all the new arrivals, he walked into the room and headed to the front, told us to be seated. He then proceeded to talk about safety. Halfway through his first sentence, he reached down to his leg, pulled up his trousers a bit, grabbed his leg and pulled. He removed his prosthetic leg and set it on the table and proceeded to tell us of his line-parting experience as a young ensign on the forecastle of his first ship.

 

My jaw dropped.

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VirtualMariner

Okay. I have another one, with a slight twist to the question. What do the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) and USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) have in common? Hint: it involves something that has occurred only twice since the War of 1812.

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And next up....

 

post-8022-1326390747.jpg ;)

 

First off, is it Olympic, Titanic or Britannic? If Olympic, she collided with a British navy cruiser but didn't sink. She's the only ship of the class to retire rather than sink. If Titanic, she's at the bottom of the Atlantic. If Britannic, she allegedly hit a German mine in WWI while serving as a hospital ship. Titanic and Britannic have both been found and dove on. Olympic was scrapped and some of her fittings were reused in buildings on shore.

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vostoktrading
Yes! I was right. I've seen this ship's bow countless times and stood on the thing several times...I knew there couldn't be two like it. However, I did not know the story behind it until now (if I did, I'd long forgotte it, anyway).

 

The bow decoration is from the USS Memphis (CA-10), which was formerly the USS Tennessee (ACR-10). It was wrecked, pushed into the beach, by a freak tidal wave at Santo Domingo. There were more than 40 dead and more than 200 injured, as a result of this incident.

Yes, it goes to show you the old superstition may be right... Never change the name of a ship, it's bad luck.

The captain was Commander Beach. He was the father of Captain Edward L. Beach (the man who wrote "Run Silent, Run Deep"). The younger Beach also wrote "The Wreck of the Memphis", an excellent book.

"...There were a total of three great waves, in the form of steps, each one higher than the previous one, followed by a number of smaller ones. The ship actually sank to the bottom of the bay 5 times and at the end, still buoyant, she was picked up bodily and in great succeeding smashing steps, with virtually bare ground around her in the intervals, was hurled hard against the rocky bluff lining the shore..."

Naturally, the elder Beach's career was ruined by this freak accident. Jon.

post-7885-1326401607.jpg

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Okay. I have another one, with a slight twist to the question. What do the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) and USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) have in common? Hint: it involves something that has occurred only twice since the War of 1812.

 

Okay I cheated and looked it up. :ermm:

 

Both of these ships have captured an enemy vessel. USS Guadalcanal LPH-7 captured the Iran Ajar in 1987 and this was the second enemy warship captured on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815; the first was the German submarine U-505 captured in 1944 by the first USS Guadalcanal, an escort carrier. Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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VirtualMariner
Okay I cheated and looked it up. :ermm:

 

Both of these ships have captured an enemy vessel. USS Guadalcanal LPH-7 captured the Iran Ajar in 1987 and this was the second enemy warship captured on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815; the first was the German submarine U-505 captured in 1944 by the first USS Guadalcanal, an escort carrier. Courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

 

You are correct, sir. Kind of strange that both of these rare instances would involve a ship of the same name, a little more than forty years apart. Also emphasizes that in the modern age, capturing ships at sea just doesn't happen too often. We've only done it twice (we being the U.S.) over the course of 170+ years.

 

On a personal note, Guadalcanal (LPH-7) was commanded by Skip Dirren in '87 when they captured the Iran Ajar. His next assignment was as CO of USS Nassau, at which time he was my commanding officer.

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VirtualMariner
Here is another one for you all. What historical event does this ship and aviation unit share. :think:

 

usnhats090.jpg

 

usnhats056.jpg

 

Operation Eagle Claw. This debacle also lead to the establishment of the Army's 160th SOAR (the Nightstalkers), because it brought to front our glaring lack of effective nighttime special ops aviation capabilities. The Nightstalkers first significant mission was Operation Earnest Will/Operation Prime Chance, which was conducted jointly with the Navy.

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Operation Eagle Claw. This debacle also lead to the establishment of the Army's 160th SOAR (the Nightstalkers), because it brought to front our glaring lack of effective nighttime special ops aviation capabilities. The Nightstalkers first significant mission was Operation Earnest Will/Operation Prime Chance, which was conducted jointly with the Navy.

 

 

Ah yes...the Nightstalkers. We worked with them when we operated in the Northern PG Op Area. Seeing the Hercules floating out there in the Gulf was certainly a site. Watching the IRG boats (on radar) mobilize and head out into the PG waters in an effort to place mines followed by the NS air assets scramble to observe and the ensuing cat and mouse game was definitely something not to be forgotten.

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HM-16, during this operation, actually set a modern era record for consecutive days underway with an unprecedented total of 193 consecutive days at sea.

 

post-10825-1326473934.jpg

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VirtualMariner
Ah yes...the Nightstalkers. We worked with them when we operated in the Northern PG Op Area. Seeing the Hercules floating out there in the Gulf was certainly a site. Watching the IRG boats (on radar) mobilize and head out into the PG waters in an effort to place mines followed by the NS air assets scramble to observe and the ensuing cat and mouse game was definitely something not to be forgotten.

 

I find the whole '80-'90 era in the Gulf to be fascinating history, particularly from a naval history standpoint, but in many ways the Iranian Revolution kicked off a chain of events that have lead us right to where we are today in our current world affairs. Despite our extended involvement in Iraq since 1990, in some ways it has only been a sidenote to the Iranian saga.

 

Back in '89, we spent some time off Beirut for reasons that were not entirely public (events associated with the hanging of Lt. Col. Higgins, USMC). During that operation, we had a helo come aboard to refuel on their way "into town", which in hindsight I strongly suspect was the Nightstalkers. I was on watch in CIC during that mission, so I'm sure I knew at the time, but don't remember for certain now. I see some of those guys periodically around here, but I'm sure they're too young to know, much less remember.

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VirtualMariner
HM-16, during this operation, actually set a modern era record for consecutive days underway with an unprecedented total of 193 consecutive days at sea.

 

post-10825-1326473934.jpg

 

193 days at sea...that's rough. That's six months! I wonder if that record still stands. My personal record is 100 and that was bad enough. Not too surprisingly, really, it was in the same area these guys were in.

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