USS Iowa -

[Warrior102]

Today was the day.
23 years ago.
Where have all the years gone....

RIP shipmates -

what a morning it was.

 

[Douger]

Did "she" dump all of her waste in the ocean ? That IS the norm.
Oh GBM !

 

[Warrior102]

Did "she" dump all of her waste in the ocean ? That IS the norm.
Oh GBM !

What?

 

[Peach]

Did "she" dump all of her waste in the ocean ? That IS the norm.
Oh GBM !

What?

23 years ago, was that when 47 Navy men were killed? She was sunk in 1948 I believe, new ship given the same name. 4th or 5th time.

 

[Warrior102]

Did "she" dump all of her waste in the ocean ? That IS the norm.
Oh GBM !

What?

23 years ago, was that when 47 Navy men were killed? She was sunk in 1948 I believe, new ship given the same name. 4th or 5th time.

Yep - at 0955
Massive explosion in turret 2.
She's still afloat. A museum in California soon.
BB61 did indeed suffer a tragic event April 19, 1989 - I was aboard. We lost 47 shipmates. She is on the left coast now.
Search Iowa Point on the web for our memorial at Naval Base Norfolk.

 

[Peach]

What?

23 years ago, was that when 47 Navy men were killed? She was sunk in 1948 I believe, new ship given the same name. 4th or 5th time.

Yep - at 0955
Massive explosion in turret 2.
She's still afloat. A museum in California soon.
BB61 did indeed suffer a tragic event April 19, 1989 - I was aboard. We lost 47 shipmates. She is on the left coast now.
Search Iowa Point on the web for our memorial at Naval Base Norfolk.

I remember reading about that & my father talking about her. I was RAISED near Norfolk, from birth to age 7. My daddy was stationed there before Mayport.

 

[Peach]

I found it; yes, rest in peace.........................................

 

[Peach]

What?

23 years ago, was that when 47 Navy men were killed? She was sunk in 1948 I believe, new ship given the same name. 4th or 5th time.

Yep - at 0955
Massive explosion in turret 2.
She's still afloat. A museum in California soon.
BB61 did indeed suffer a tragic event April 19, 1989 - I was aboard. We lost 47 shipmates. She is on the left coast now.

I am sorry to learn of your loss Warrior, that was beyond tragic.

 

[Warrior102]

23 years ago, was that when 47 Navy men were killed? She was sunk in 1948 I believe, new ship given the same name. 4th or 5th time.

Yep - at 0955
Massive explosion in turret 2.
She's still afloat. A museum in California soon.
BB61 did indeed suffer a tragic event April 19, 1989 - I was aboard. We lost 47 shipmates. She is on the left coast now.
Search Iowa Point on the web for our memorial at Naval Base Norfolk.

I remember reading about that & my father talking about her. I was RAISED near Norfolk, from birth to age 7. My daddy was stationed there before Mayport.

Where in Norfolk Peach?

Back in those days, we didn't have cell phones or Internet. I didn't get a chance to call my wife (newlyweds!!!!) until April 20 when I was ashore in Rosey Roads. I was part of the escort back to Dover.

 

[Peach]

Yep - at 0955
Massive explosion in turret 2.
She's still afloat. A museum in California soon.
BB61 did indeed suffer a tragic event April 19, 1989 - I was aboard. We lost 47 shipmates. She is on the left coast now.
Search Iowa Point on the web for our memorial at Naval Base Norfolk.

I remember reading about that & my father talking about her. I was RAISED near Norfolk, from birth to age 7. My daddy was stationed there before Mayport.

Where in Norfolk Peach?

Back in those days, we didn't have cell phones or Internet. I didn't get a chance to call my wife (newlyweds!!!!) until April 20 when I was ashore in Rosey Roads. I was part of the escort back to Dover.

My Daddy was stationed at Norfolk, we lived in Va. Beach. How long before you could call her? I remember talking about it WITH my father, he was retired by then; I could not understand an explosion like that unless she was hit.

 

[Big Black Dog]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

 

[Peach]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

Notice I will never used the term b---; I learned THAT early!

 

[Warrior102]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

Well - you got 10 years on me old dog. I retired in 1999.

Peach - where at the beach hun?

I used to live on Independence Blvd., but at the time of the explosion, my wife and I lived in Norview are of Norfolk.

 

[Peach]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

Was the Wright stationed at Norfolk at any time? I though my daddy retired from her but now I'm remembering him talk about LBJ & the ship, that would have been in Norfolk.

 

[Warrior102]

USS Wright doesn't ring a bell - there was an old carrier by that name - doubt your Dad was on that. When did he retire?

 

[Peach]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

My father was on the SUMNER also. Now I'm enthralled...................................

 

[Peach]

I remember that event. It was a tragic thing to have happened. I retired from the Navy Dec. 1, 1989.

My father was on the SUMNER also. Now I'm enthralled...................................

My LAST post; now I remember saying "at the Portsmouth" when I was learning to talk.................

 

[old navy]

The Iowa explosion led to NIS getting their shit together and becoming a professional investigative agency instead of the group of goobers they formerly were. We now know them as NCIS.

I was the Independent Duty Corpsman (IDC) on the USS Bowen at the time. We had a GM3 from the Iowa check aboard. He told me he was usually assigned to turret 2 but was taken out that day to cover for someone else. He had not been aboard long when he started to drop by Sick Bay to chat about the explosion. One day he came in and told me that "last night one of my Iowa shipmates pulled open my rack curtains and woke me up." I said, "one of the dead shipmates"? yep, he told me and broke down crying. I sent him to psych and within a few days he was boarded out.

Lots of bad stuff has happened between 14 April and 20 April. For example, Lincoln, Titanic, Columbine, Oklahoma City, USS Samuel B. Roberts hitting a mine, and of course, the Iowa. A good friend of mine was the IDC on the Roberts when she hit the mine. He saved a lot of Sailors that day and I think about him every year about this time. Jim Lambert was a hell of a good Corpsman and friend. He died three years ago and rests today at Arlington. I haven't thought of the young gunner's mate in awhile. I hope he got the treatment he needed and is doing OK.

 

[strollingbones]

doe anyone care to remember the uss liberty? 1967 too bad this country refuses to believe the men aboard the liberty....

USS Liberty Memorial

 

[Peach]

USS Wright doesn't ring a bell - there was an old carrier by that name - doubt your Dad was on that. When did he retire?

End of 1971; I just read The USS Wright was decommissioned in the 1940's, I must be wrong on the name. His last ship was one that went to sea and toured for the purpose of being there if the President needed to evacuate to sea. I've gotten the forms to order his service record, never sent them in. I'n sure on the Sumner, Saratoga though.