I have obtained a box of mechanical and electronic parts sold in the April 2007 Regency-Superior Auction with this description: " Lot 114: 1979 HARPOON MISSILE DEBRIS, Lot 0114 Details, Description:  An 8x11" box filled with debris recovered after this missile was fired from the USS Radford DD968 during a 1979 test (it flew 59 miles before impacting with the USS Lansdown DD486). Included are circuit boards, odds and ends of pieces and a piece of aluminum with partial instructions stenciled on it. A great lot for a tinkerer."

Written on the red material on the back side of the aluminum plate in the picture below is: "Harpoon fired July 28 1979 0947 (direct hit 59 miles USS Lansdown ex DD 486) fired from USS A.W. Radford DD 968".

The picture below only shows part of the material in the box.

Was all this material collected from the ship that fired the missile, or the ship where it impacted, or both?  I am guessing that the piece of aluminum with partial instructions stenciled on it came from the launch ship. But what about all the electronic parts? Are these circuit boards left behind at launch, or were they an internal part of the missile?

Paul

Unless the Radford had a casualty onboard that melted those circuit cards (she was prone to casualties...) I'm guessing they are from the Harpoon itself. 

Dave is probably correct. The Radford was a Spruance class destroyer which came out in the latter 1970s. I was onboard the USS Stump DD-978 which was also a Spruance class destroyer. They usually carried 8 Harpoon tubes upper decks at midships. For their time, they were very sophisticated but don't know about how they would compare today with other comparable missiles. Often older ships are used for missile shoots as per the older DD class destroyer that the tag mentions. In fact, that is what happened to my old ship off the coast of South Carolina several  years ago.

 

Kurt

I found this on the web. Since they used a non-explosive warhead I assume they boarded the target ship and recovered parts of the Harpoon missile from it.

 

Paul

Leahy class Cruiser USS RICHMOND K TURNER (CG-20)

 

Operation Vicinity Libya, Med cruise 1985-1986 - 1st Surface Ship to Fire a Harpoon In Combat

 

During the Action in the Gulf of Sidra against the Libyan navy, the Turner disabled a Libyan patrol boat with a Harpoon missile.

 

Our member Bearmon was aboard the TURNER when this occurred and may have more insight on the use of Harpoons.

 

I love that patch, still looking for one.  Yes the Turner was the first, but the Yorktown got the credit,  The Turner was an old ship, the Yorktown one of the premier Aegis Class  with all the bells and whistles.   There was a lot of stuff that went on with "Crossing the line of Death"   that got a lot of funding for the Military.

I still don't believe the Air Force flew around France and Spain on the second go around either.