Place holder until the dust of getting the ValOUR-IT program moving.

I was planning on covering the USS HEERMAN (DD-532), but there isn’t any easy answers on the ‘net as to who she was named for.

Check back later today, and I should have some gouge up for Naval History’s sake come early evening.

It’s later…later than I’d like, but here it is:

Born in 1910 in Tacoma, Washington, Rear Admiral Robert Copeland, USNR, was one of many reservists who played a critical role in WWII. At the time he was needed to step up to the plate, he was a Lieutenant Commander.  Enlisting in the Naval Reserves in 1929, he was commissioned in 1935, and served in a reserve status until he was called to active duty in 1940 as part of the military buildup. A lawyer by professional trade, he was a captain of a destroyer escort on Oct 25th, 1944, present at the Battle Off Samar. That ship has become a storied one: USS SAMUEL B ROBERTS (DE-413).

From James Hornfischer’s excellent and throughly researched book, “Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors:”

“This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can.”

LCDR Copeland said to his crew and then turned his ship into harm’s way to face off against the most formidable Japanese fighting force to sail, as part of Taffy 3, he and his crew’s actions are legendary and earned LCDR Copeland the Navy Cross. Taking three 14″ hits from Japanese battleship rounds, the ROBERTS was severely damaged. His gun crews continued firing, even without hydraulics and gas ejection air, expending almost every single 5″ round they carried, regardless of the type of projectile it was.

He wrote a book about his ship, “The Spirit of the Sammie B,” along with his shipmate, Jack O’Neill.

After the war, Robert Copeland returned to his legal profession, but also remained in the Naval Reserves, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. He passed away in 1973, in the same city where he was born.

One ship has served the US Navy named for RADM Copeland: USS COPELAND (FFG-25) of the OLIVER HAZARD PERRY Class of guided missile frigates.

Built by the Todd Shipyard at San Pedro, CA and commissioned August 7th, 1982. I helped train her combat systems team during their pre-comm training at Fleet Combat Training Center, Atlantic.  She was homeported in San Diego for her entire service time. Decommissioned September 18th, 1996, she was immediately transferred to the Egyptian Navy, renamed Mubarak (F 911).

‘Nuff said…(click the picture for bigger version)

From a Marine Sargent, very fitting words left in the comments:

ASM826 said:
October 30th, 2007 at 9:46 pm

To all those who shall read this; Greetings.

Know ye that the special trust and bond of brotherhood between Marines has forever been the essence of our esprit de corps.

Know ye that Marines always have and always will watch out for each other from the day we first wear the eagle, globe, and anchor; until we have drawn our last breath, and our hearts lay forever still.

Know ye that it is a bond forged in centuries of blood, sweat and tears wherever we have marched.

Know ye that being forged in such fires is not a trivial matter, and is not forgotten easily.

Know ye that while this bond supports and encourages the noblest of warrior virtue, it breeds the opposite if betrayed.

Let it be known that Colonel Murtha, USMC has so betrayed this bond. He has, for personal gain amongst the lowest of our nation, and in standing with his disreputable new colleagues, undermined the mission that the United States Marine Corps have been ordered to carry out. He has also not only failed to speak up for his brothers dying in foreign lands, he has now gone so far as to condemn them out of hand. He has betrayed his brothers to their enemies, foreign and domestic. He has committed the ultimate sin amongst Marines, he has put himself before the Corps.

Therefore, let it be known to all who may read these words that Colonel Murtha, USMC is disavowed, and is brother to this Marine no more.

So be it, from this day forward, until the end of the Corps.

Semper Fidelis,
ASM826
Sgt. USMC

Oct 25th has established itself as a “triple crown” of major military battles in history.

In 2005, I encapsulated details on and links to more information on the Battle of Agincourt – 1415 (remembered by the Henry V’s great speech from Shakespeare), the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War – 1854, and the Battle Off Samar – 1944.

Update (late PM): And, boy! is there a lot more!

For example:
1940: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr becomes the Army’s first African-American general
1942: Battle of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal begins
1974: USAF launches it’s first ICBM

Note: Don’t forget to go back in time (one day, anyhow) to catch Eagle1’s Sinking of the Albermarle Sunday Ship History entry.

Attack on Island Nr 10I can’t find a picture of him, yet two ships have gone to sea for our Navy to honor him: LT John Vincent Johnston:

ohn Vincent Johnston of Cincinnati, Ohio, entered the United States Navy in September 1861 as First Master in gunboat St. Louis. He assisted in the Union gunboat attacks that captured strategic Fort Henry on the Tennessee River 6 February 1862. The night of 1 April 1862 he was the Navy commander of a combined Army-Navy boat expedition from St. Louis, Missouri which landed and spiked the guns of Fort No. 1 above the Confederate stronghold, Island No. 10. He was promoted to Acting Volunteer Lieutenant for gallantry in this expedition. After joining in the bombardments of Vicksburg, Miss., he took command of Forest Rose to patrol the Mississippi River and its tributaries. On 15 February 1864 his gunboat repelled the attack of confederate raiders, saving the town of Waterproof, La., and its federal garrison. Lt. Johnston resigned from the naval service 23 June 1864 and died 23 April 1912 at St. Louis, Mo.

The first ship named in LT Johnston’s honor was DD-557, a unit of the FLETCHER Class. Commissioned in Seattle, WA on Oct 27th, 1943, he commissioning skipper, LCDR Earnest Evans said this:

“This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm’s way, and anyone who doesn’t want to go along had better get off right now.”

She was. Her lifespan was was one year and two days, but left a mark the most significant battle fought by the US Navy.

Enroute this day with destiny, the USS JOHNSTON (DD-557) got right into the thick of things. From the Ship’s Wikipedia entry:

During the Marshall Islands campaign 3 months later, Johnston bombarded the beaches at Kwajalein 1 February 1944, and made a 5-day bombardment of Eniwetok 17–22 February. She gave direct support to invasion troops there, destroying several pillboxes and taking revetments along the beach under fire. En route to patrol duty in the Solomons 28 March 1944, she bombarded Kapingamarangi Atoll in the Carolines. An observation tower, several blockhouses, pillboxes and dugouts along the beach were shelled. Two days later she came into the mouth of the Maririca River, southeast of Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, Solomon Islands. After laying a heavy barrage into that area, she took up antisubmarine patrol off Bougainville. During this duty 15 May 1944, she depth charged and sank the Japanese submarine I-176.

After 3 months of patrol in the Solomons, Johnston sailed to the Marshall Islands to prepare for the invasion and capture of Guam in the Marianas. On 21 July 1944 she teamed up with that Pearl Harbor “ghost”, the battleship Pennsylvania, to bombard Guam. The destroyer had sent in more than 4,000 rounds of shells by 29 July. Her accurate gunfire shattered the enemy 4 inch battery installations, numerous pillboxes and buildings. Johnston next helped protect escort carriers providing air support for the invasion and capture of the Palau Islands.

Following those operations, USS JOHNSTON prepared to support the landing at Leyte Gulf of Genearl MacArthur.

On Oct 25th, 1944, the USS JOHNSTON (DD-557), as part of the “Taffy 3” task force, would make her indelible mark on history:

For the first 20 minutes, Johnston was helpless as the enemy cruisers and battleships had her in range. But the destroyer’s 5 inch guns could not yet reach them. Not waiting for orders, Commander Ernest E. Evans breaks defensive formation, and goes on the offensive by ordering Johnston to speed directly towards the enemy—first a line of seven destroyers, next one light and three heavy cruisers, then the four battleships. To the east appeared three other cruisers and several destroyers. Amazingly, the enemy gunners could not score a hit on Johnston.

And from the Battle off Samar entry:

Concerned about the splashes of incoming fire, Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans, skipper of the destroyer USS Johnston, which was the closest to the attackers, suddenly took the initiative to order his ship to “flank speed, full left rudder,” ordering Johnston to directly attack the greatly superior oncoming Japanese ships on his own in what would appear to be a suicidal mission.

The Johnston was a relatively small and unarmored destroyer, completely unequipped to fight Japanese battleships and cruisers. Designed to fight other destroyers and torpedo boats, she was armed with only five 5 inch (127 mm) guns and multiple anti-aircraft weapons which were ineffective against an armored battleship. Only the Johnston’s 10 Mark-15 torpedoes could be effective, but they had to be launched well within range of enemy gunfire.

Weaving to avoid shells, and steering towards splashes, the Johnston approached the Japanese heavy cruiser Kumano for a torpedo run. When Johnston was 10 miles (17 km) from Kumano, her 5 inch (127 mm) guns rained shells on Kumano’s bridge and deck (where they could do some damage – the shells would simply bounce off the enemy ship’s armored hull). Johnston closed to within torpedo range and fired a salvo, which blew the bow off the cruiser squadron flagship Kumano and also took the cruiser Suzuya out of the fight as she stopped to assist.

From seven miles (11 km) away, the battleship Kongo sent a 14 inch shell through the Johnston’s deck and engine room. Johnston’s speed was cut in half to only 14 knots (26 km/h), while the aft gun turrets lost all electrical power. Then three 6-inch shells, possibly from Yamato’s secondary batteries, struck Johnston’s bridge, killing many and wounding Comdr. Evans. The bridge was abandoned, and Evans steered the ship from the aft steering column. Evans nursed his ship back towards the fleet, when he saw the other destroyers attacking as well. Emboldened by the Johnston’s attack, Sprague gave the order “small boys attack”, sending the rest of Taffy 3’s destroyers on the assault. Even in her heavily damaged state, damage-control teams restored power to 2 of the 3 aft turrets, and Evans turned the Johnston around and re-entered the fight.

At the end of the morning, the USS JOHNSTON was lost, but the Japanese knew they had had a worthy opponent in LCDR Evans and his crew. The ship received a Presidential Unit Citation and six battle stars in her short time at sea.

The second ship to be named for Lt Johnston was the USS JOHNSTON (DD-821) of the GEARING Class. She was commissioned in Aug, 1946. This USS JOHNSTON served in the Atlantic Fleet, and was strkien from US Navy records in 1981 and finally transferred to the Republic of China’s Navy.

Snooping around the web drummed up this: What a combat medic figured out:

Why We Serve: Combat Medic Saves Lives Using New Evacuation System
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2007 – A veteran Air Force combat medic helped to transform the way wounded troops are treated and evacuated during a recent deployment to Afghanistan.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mark A. DeCorte is participating in the Defense Department’s “Why We Serve” public-outreach program.  Tech Sgt. Mark A. DeCorte recalled the previous practice when unarmed battlefield medics were flown in to treat and evacuate injured servicemembers usually after an area had been cleared of the enemy.

However, DeCorte emphasized, “When you have a wounded soldier on the ground, they need help now.”
[…]

He took a little lead from previous wars and todays technology, to bring more detailed lifesaving techniques closer to the wounded…in fact, right on the field of combat, and on the way to the first hospital.

[…]
The concept of treating and evacuating injured servicemembers during the din of battle was tested during DeCorte’s tour of duty in Afghanistan from February to June 2006, the 13-year military veteran said.

The Army had requested Air Force assistance to improve its air-ambulance capabilities in Afghanistan’s austere, mountainous terrain, DeCorte explained.

Previous doctrine was to send in medical-evacuation helicopters after the fighting had stopped, he noted, but this practice meant that some troops wouldn’t survive the trip to the hospital. That procedure would change.

In Afghanistan, DeCorte was one of several military medics embedded with aerial combat-support units. Instead of using traditional rotary- or fixed-wing aircraft marked with red crosses, the new wave combat medics carried arms as they flew directly into the maelstrom aboard armored helicopter gunships.

The idea, DeCorte explained, was to treat the wounded as quickly as possible. And, when the concept was tested on the battlefield, it contributed to achieving a previously unimagined wounded-survivability rate of 90 percent, he said.

“We can now go in embedded (with combat units) and part of the operation,” DeCorte said.
[…]

Riding to the rescue in HH-60G armed Pave Hawks:

[…]
A servicemember’s odds of surviving battlefield-inflicted wounds go way up if he or she can be evacuated to a treatment center within an hour of being injured, DeCorte pointed out. In medical parlance that period of time is known as “the golden hour,” he said.

“If I can get you to surgery within an hour you most likely have a chance to survive,” DeCorte said.

The Minot, N.D.-born noncommissioned officer saved 36 lives during his 63 combat sorties in southern Afghanistan. “It’s very bad in that area,” DeCorte observed, adding that two of his fellow combat medics on other air-evacuation flights saved another 102 lives between them.
[…]

BZ, Tech Sgt Decorte!

Former Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff, AMD William Crowe died today.

A 1947 Naval Academy graduate and a submariner, Crowe served as an assistant to President Eisenhower’s naval aide, as executive officer of the Tang-class diesel/electric submarine Wahoo, captain of another Tang-class boat, the Trout, and then a string of other command and staff assignments, culminating with his appointment in 1980 to be commander in chief of allied forces in Southern Europe and his appointment in 1983 to be commander in chief of U.S. Pacific Command.

President Reagan tapped him to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1985, a position in which he served until 1989. During his tenure Congress passed the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, a sweeping measure that unified many aspects of a then-disconnected military and formally made Crowe, as Joint Chiefs chairman, the senior-most U.S. military officer.
[…]

He later served as our Ambassador to England, as well. The funeral will be held Oct 31st at the Naval Academy.

Before I begin: You’re stationed aboard and “auxilary” vessel. Your bretheren of the “black shoe” Navy don’t consider your ship a “combatant,” but fight like you are one when the time comes… Don’t miss this tale in Sunday Ship History!

Today: Lieutenant Commander William R. Hoel, a riverboat pilot and ship captain in the Civil War. Joining the US Navy in 1861, William Hoel served 4 years in the Navy during the Civil War. Beginning his combat career as First Master of the gunboat USS CINCINNATI>, he particpated in the Battle of Ft Henry on the Tennessee River. Wounded in that battle, he helped achieve an early victory under the forces commanded by BG U.S. Grant.Two months later, William Hoel volunteered to pilot the USS CANONDELET to run past Confedrate batteries at Major General John Pope’s forces. This action allowed the opening of the Mississippi River for use bu Union gunboats.

Taking command of USS PITTSBURG in Ocotber, 1862, Hoel’s gunboat played a significant role in the Wikipedia:

On 29 April 1863, as Acting Rear Admiral David D. Porter’s flotilla was bombarding the Confederate Batteries at Grand Gulf, his flagship, USS Benton, became unmanageable and was caught under heavy fire in a position where she could neither steer nor reply to the enemy guns. On seeing Porter’s predicament, Hoel slipped the Pittsburg in between Benton and the flaming Rebel batteries to protect her by taking the fire himself. In the next 10 minutes his heroism cost the Pittsburg 6 men killed and 8 wounded, but the sacrifice allowed Benton to extricate herself from the deadly trap.

The first vessel named in honor of William Hoel was the USS HOEL (DD-533), a ship of the FLETCHER Destroyer Class. Commissioned July 29th, 1943.Serving at Tarawa, in the Marshal Islands, the Admiralty Islands, and Palau before her final battle, and the most significant for the US Navy, naval history and her crew, the Battle off Samar on Oct 25th, 1944:From the Battle Off Samar website:

Leyte Gulf/Samar – 17 – 25 October 1944

On 12 October HOEL was assigned to Task Group 77.4 for the invasion of the Philippines. Her task unit consisted of COMCARDIV 25’s four escort carriers and two FLETCHER Class destroyers, veterans HEERMANN and JOHNSTON. Their group was then joined by COMCARDIV 26’s two CVE’s and their screen of four destroyer escorts, completing the task unit Taffy III.

Taffy III, one of three task units assigned to Task Group 77.4, was stationed off the coast of Samar. Here, from 17 to 25 October, they conducted daily air support operations for the amphibious landings on Leyte.

COMCARDIV 25 under fire #1Shortly after sunrise on the morning of 25 October, HOEL and Taffy III were set upon by the vastly superior Imperial Japanese Navy Center Force. As 18-, 16-, 14-, and 8-inch shells fell among the American Task Unit, HOEL and the other screening ships laid protective smoke in defense of the escort carriers.

In the words of survivor Glen E. Foster, an Electrician’s Mate Second Class, “….When GQ was sounded I took my station (in the emergency generator room) and donned the sound powered phones and heard that the whole Jap fleet was out there. Shortly thereafter we took a hit that knocked out the aft generator. The emergency diesel generator next to me started up and I was kept busy providing emergency power. I felt numerous hits that shook the whole ship and water started flowing into the compartment . . . . we tasted the water and found it to be fresh water so we surmised that a tank or pipe had sprung a leak . . . . by this time communications had been knocked out and I had no idea what was happening topside except I kept feeling the ship taking hits and I could hear and feel our forward guns firing…

….While I was working in front of the switchboard a hit into the forward fireroom buckled the bulkhead and knocked the switchboard onto me . . . . steam started pouring into the compartment. It was then I decided it was time to get the hell out…”

Although out-gunned by the heavy Japanese warships, HOEL was ordered to attack with torpedoes. The actions that transpired next are best explained by HOEL’s senior surviving officer, LT Maurice F. Green, USN, “….We decided to fire a half salvo at the leading battleship and save the other half for the leading cruiser because it was definite that we would have to turn at least two columns of ships in order to be of any assistance in screening the CVE’s. . . . At 0725 we received the first hit on the bridge which destroyed our voice radio communications and also the remote Radar PPI on the bridge. This shell also killed several bridge personnel…helmsman, captain’s talker… It was less than five minutes later that we received a hit on the main battery director putting it out of action and also killing our anti-aircraft officer, making it necessary for the anti-aircraft guns to go into local control. We had an officer at each 40mm AA mount…there was nothing within range of the 40mm’s to fire at…”

COMCARDIV 25 under fire #2At 9,000 yards, HOEL fired five torpedoes at the IJN battleship KONGO, all missed. It was shortly after this point that she was hit on her bridge. With one engine lost, HOEL’s speed was reduced to about 17 knots. She then turned to engage the heavy cruiser line. Shortly after 0750, HOEL launched her five remaining torpedoes at the IJN heavy cruiser HAGURO, scoring at least one hit.

Once again, LT Maurice F. Green, USN, “With our ten fish fired we decided it was time to get the hell out of there…this proved impossible because we were boxed in on all sides by enemy capital ships. We fishtailed and chased salvos and made all possible speed on one engine which enabled us to continue to remain afloat… The Jap battleships were 8,000 yards on the port beam. We had heavy cruisers 7,000 yards on the starboard quarter and we had only two guns left to fire. They were forward which made it difficult to continue firing while attempting a retirement…”

HOEL had suffered major material damage during her engagement with the Japanese battleships and cruisers. Fires blazed throughout the wrecked ship as the survivors went over the side. Glen E. Foster continues, “….When I pushed open the hatch all I could see was smoke and fire. I went up the ladder and tried to open the escape hatch to the next deck but it wouldn’t open . . . . I was turning it in the wrong direction! I threw open the hatch and saw a shipmate running into the bulkhead screaming…

….I threw open the starboard escape hatch and crawled through a pile of bodies and body parts to the main deck. I looked around in shock and disbelief at the condition of the ship, the ship was listing badly to port . . . . when I was about midships we took another hit around the galley area that knocked me down. I got up and waded off the port side…”

With only half her original speed available and boxed in by the Japanese warships, HOEL was soon overwhelmed by the Japanese. At 0855 she rolled over on her port side and sank stern first.

USS HOEL (DD 533) received five Battle Stars for her service in World War II.

The Battle off Samar is documented in numerous books, in short entires, to entire volumes. It is the final naval surface battle held. USS HOEL (DD-533) was there.

Turns out, with a little more reading, that there was to have been another USS HOEL (DD-768) of the GEARING Class, which was in the process of being built, when canceled. That’s what happens when you trounce the enemy: The money managers quit funding shipbuilding programs.

The USS HOEL (DDG-13), a ship of the CHARLES F ADAMS Guided Missile Destroyer Class was also named for William Hoel. Commissioned June 16th, 1962 she was decommissioned on October 1st, 1990.

From one of the history pages on the web, I will summarize some highlights of the DDG-13 HOEL:

After construction and fitting out, HOEL sailed to her homeport in San Diego, and remained a member of the Pacific Fleet her entire time of service. She was in the Gulf of Tonkin when the TURNER JOY and MADDOX were fired upon. Duties included carrier escort and also Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS). IN Jul 66, on her second deployment to Vietnam, she operated near Da Nang and fired 2,100 round of 5″ 54 cal ammo. That’s some serious shooting! Did lots of damage in support of the Marines, too. She was off the DMZ of Vietnam in February, 1968 for the Tet Offensive, too, while on a third combat deployment.

When the Shah of Iran fell, HOEL was in the Indian Ocean on cruise, and was sent into the Persian Gulf as a result. Another presence for significant events.

She was in the Gulf again, years later, when the USS STARK (FFG-31) took the hit. Running Earnest Will convoy operations was also a calling of HOEL.

With USS LEFTWICH (DD-984), USS KIDD (DDG-993), USS JOHN YOUNG (DD-973), HOEL conducted punitive attacks on Iranian Oil Rigs in response to the attacks on the SEA ISLE CITY US flagged tanker, taking out Iranian command and control stations on the oil derricks.

Decommed in 1990, she was purchased to become a mobile electical generation plant for use in SOuth America. The plan didn’t work and she was later broken up.

LCDR William R. Hoel, USN was quite a man and the ship named in his honor did him proud.

Oct 13th, 1775 is a long time ago for our nation, but a short journey relative to the historical reach of many other nations. The difference? The US Navy burst onto the scene at the outset of out independence, and within a few short decades, demonstrated mastery of the ocean and navy combat. And, we’ve come a long way, baby!

Today, I’ll recount a memory of 19 years ago related to the Navy’s birthday. Dates: 10/4 – 10/10/1988 Place: Tampa, Fl. Unit: USS CARR (FFG-52). Mission: Visit Ship for the city, as requested by the Navy League Chapter.

This is the other side of a like story told by Bookie in her post about a tour of the USS SHOUP (DDG-86) this very week.

RADM Leroy Collins, USN (ret) and CAPT Bruce McDaniel, USN (Ret) were the most prominent players is getting their request fulfilled. CARR sailed from Charleston, SC on 10/1, and arrived early on the morning of the 4th at the Skyway Bridge for the long transit to Harbor Island pier in downtown Tampa. On the way in, the HMS Active, which had just spent the week in the same place, was departing. Honors were rendered between ships per naval custom.

The transit in was long, but it was the end that was most interesting. In order to get alongside the pier, we had arrived with most of our JP-5 (aviation grade fuel) pumped from the tanks, which were aft, under the helo flight deck. This caused us to be slightly down by the bow for trim, but also enabled us to get over the shallow sand bars just before the pier. We shut down our engines, and were towed stern first to the pier in the final moments of the arrival. At low tide, we would be almost on the bottom.

Finally moored, in front of a large crowd of people, we prepared to receive our guests for the week. According to the Ship’s history report, 170 people visited the ship on the 4th (a Tuesday), with daily visitors peaking at about 2000, and a total of over 700 visitors for the 6 day period. The Ship’s first Commanding Officer, CAPT Robert Horne, and his wife were there to meet the ship, as he was now stationed at Central Command at MacDill AFB.The inside story? The crew complained about having to take on the extra duty of being tour guides about the ship. Each day, most of the crew was either in the duty section, or dressed in their whites and stationed around the ship until late afternoon. The funny thing after the first day of visit ship? They were scrambling to get their whites cleaned and fighting to get assigned to help escort tour groups. It seems quite a number of phone numbers were passed to those who grudgingly went about their assignments, not realizing the opportunity at first… We were treated well.Our quarterdeck phone number was published and the city was invited to show their thanks to our crew. The line was constantly busy with offers to take a few sailors out for golf, fishing, BBQs, tours around Tampa, etc. The yellow sticky notes were posted on the weapons elevator doors in the centerline passageway by the phone watch. I can attest to the fact that you cold hardly see any exposed metal of the doors very quickly. For the sailors, there were so many great requests, they really could pick and choose from the top tier offers.

I was humbled that so many people would stand in the Florida sun in line for hours, just to walk around our ship. The sun, thankfully and unthankfully, was unhindered by clouds for most of our visit, yet they still waited patiently for the opportunity to see what their tax dollars had purchased and to meet and show gratitude to the sailors.

The week in Tampa was filled with activities. The Navy League had a formal Navy Ball, with us as the honored guests. They also hosted a wardroom party at a club on the top floor of one of the skyscrapers downtown, which was a combination Hail and Farewell for then LCDR Tom Brown (the outgoing XO) and I.

This thank you is long overdue, but thank you Tampa, FL from one of the crew members of USS CARR (FFG-52) for your hospitality in 1988. We departed Tampa, for the transit home on the 10th with a happy crew, much more open to future assignments to “Visit Ship” escort duty assignment.

The pictures? Well not the best, and located at a relative’s house these many years later. I was pretty busy, being involved in becoming both XO and Navigator, so there was no time to snap any pictures. If you note in the first picture, the skyline of Tampa, has changed radically since 1988. The club where the party was held is the tallest building in the background of the first picture.

Tracked back @: http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/10/13/open-trackback-saturday-6/trackback/

Lest we forget 17 of our shipmates.

She, like the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG-58), are back at sea, showing the flag and is a “Determined Warrior.”

Naval Station Norfolk Memorial to the USS COLE (DDG-67). Photo: W. Paisley

Big time H/T to Flag Gazer:

LT Michael Murphy, USN will be awarded (posthumously) the Congressional Medal of Honor.

LT Murphy was killed during the surveillance operations in Afghanistan documented in Marcus Lutrell’s book: “Lone Survivor.”It is also the first MOH awarded for combat operations in Afghanistan.

Update 10/12/2007: Official Navy Report here.

Local coverage of LT Murphy, with links to a series of 11 stories about the man who served his men and us to the end is here in Newsday, including a video interview with his parents.

Here is a tribute to Lt Murphy from the FDNY Engine 53 and Ladder 43 company, whose badge Michael wore onto combat as a memorial to those who died 9/11/2001 in his home town (Long Island).