RIPPLE SALVO… #238… THE ORISKANY’s FIRE 50-YEARS AGO, and HER FALLEN WARRIORS…

Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT of remembering… And on this day remembering the fire aboard USS ORISKANY at Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin and the 44 men who died onboard… FIFTY YEARS AGO ON 26 OCTOBER 1966…

26th: Page 1: “U.S. and Allies Pledge to Leave South Vietnam Within 6 Months After Hanoi Abandons the War”…The United States nd five other nations said today in Manila that their troops would be out of South Vietnam within six months after North Vietnam had disengaged itself from the war. Repeating the call for a gradual withdrawal of all foreign forces from South Vietnam, President Johnson attached a time factor to the offer to try to persuade the Communist nations of his sincerity. According to responsible sources the President was responding specifically to Soviet intimation that a timetable of withdrawal would make the American peace proposals more creditable. Several foreign diplomats, and especially Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko of the Soviet Union, on a recent visit to the United States are said to have urged announcement of a timetable to offset doubts that the United States would ever dismantle its costly military machine in South Vietnam…the offer of withdrawal was carefully wrapped in conditions…”…Page 1: “Leaders Unwind at Manila Fiesta”…”Old hands in the lively social life of Manila averred that there had never been such a barrio fiesta. They were talking about a gigantic party given tonight by President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Philippines and his wife Imelda for the visiting leaders at the conference of anti-communist allies in South Vietnam. For most of the leaders the two-day meeting which ended tonight, the glittering spectacle at Malacanan Palace, the Philippine White House, was the last social event of their stay. President Johnson was staying another day of sightseeing in this former American colony…More than 3,000 guests, most of them in colorful native dress of the Philippines wandered under palms and banyan trees illuminated with bright paper lanterns of traditional Malay design and watched island dancers ….”

26th: Page 1: “Soviet Bloc said To Favor A Softer Approach By Hanoi”…”Informed Polish sources reported today that nine Communist nations at their conference in Moscow last week were in agreement on the need to soften North Vietnam’s standing peace terms. No agreement was reported on how to achieve their goal, now was optimism expressed that it could be attained. The desirability of persuading Hanoi to agree to reasonable terms for a peace conference was said by the sources to have been at the center of discussion…ranking diplomats found the reports in keeping with a mood they sensed here, a feeling that a move for peace in Vietnam might be in the offing.”… Page 1: “Luna 12 Reported In Moon Orbit”…”The Soviet Union’s Luna 12 went into orbit around the moon tonight…the spaceship was sending back telemetry but not pictures…Luna is circling the moon every three and a half hours. The Soviet Union was the first nation to put a Sputnik into Lunar orbit, with Luna 10 on April 3. It followed with another moon orbiter, Luna 11 on August 28.”…  26th Page 26: “U.S. Plane Toll Rises to 545″…”The number of United States planes lost in five years of the Vietnam War rose to 545 today with the disclosure of two more plane losses. The United States command also reported a total of 216 American helicopters lost.”…

As recorded by CHRIS HOBSON in his massive journal “VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES, United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973,” page 79…

“On 26 October the Oriskany’s tour of duty in Southeast Asia was cut tragically short by a disastrous fire, the first of two such incidents to plague the carriers on Yankee Station. The fire broke out at 7:15 on the morning of the 26th on the hangar deck of the ship. Six A-1s and seven A-4s were on the deck having been readied for a night strike but bad weather postponed the launch. The ordnance on the aircraft had to be downloaded and stored until morning. The ordnance included several Mk24 Model 3 magnesium parachute flares. The flares were taken down to the forward hangar deck for stowing in a temporary flare storage compartment. The flares ignited due to mishandling. Flames and toxic fumes rapidly spread to other parts of the ship. The heat set off ordnance on the hangar deck as it was being prepared for an air strike. About 350 bombs had to be thrown overboard to avert further explosions. It was not until noon that the last of the fires had been put out. A total of 36 officers and eight enlisted men died in the fire including 24 aviators. One of the dead airmen was the Oriskany’s CAG, CDR Rodney B. Carter, who was temporarily replaced by CDR Dick Bellinger. At least four VA-163 pilots (and four from VA-164 also) died in the fire. One Skyhawk was destroyed and three were badly damaged and two Seasprite helicopters were also destroyed. The Oriskany fire is well recorded in several books, notably Zalin Grant’s ‘Over the Beach.’ The ship sailed back to the USA for a lengthy refit and did not leave her homeport again until 16 June 1967.”

RIPPLE SALVO… #238… Your Humble Host hopes you have a few minutes to read the testimonial of Dr. Brown Bear Schaffert, Captain, USN, Retired, posted today on my companion blogger MIGHTY THUNDER’s pages… Dick’s piece goes well beyond the facts of this tragedy to provide a perspective and sense of touch fitting for the remembrance of the historic USS ORISKANY accident of 26 October 1966…

LEST WE FORGET… The 44 Fallen Warriors…

USS ORISKANY — SHIP’S COMPANY (17)

LTJG DEWEY L. ALEXANDER, 39, HOUSTON, TEXAS

LTJG RAMON A. COPPLE, 35, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

CDR RICHARD E. DONAHUE, 37, CENTERVILLE, IOWA

JOSN ROBERT L. DYKE, 22, ALAMO, CALIFORNIA

LT FRANK M. GARNER, 43, CRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND

LCDR WILLIAM J. GARRITY, JR., 40, HAVRE, MONTANA

SEAMAN JAMES K. GRAY, 22, HAPPY, TEXAS

CDR JACK H. HARRIS, 40, SCHOFIELD, WISCONSIN

AIRMAN APPRENTICE GREG E. HART, 17, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

LTJG JAMES A. LEE, 25, BROOKFIELD, WISCONSIN

LTJG JAMES A. KELLY, 25, PHOENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

CDR HARRY W. JUNTILLA, 42, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

SEAMAN JAMES A. LEE, 20, GLOBE, ARIZONA

LCDR WALTER F. MERRICK, 46, BANGOR, MAINE

BM3 DONALD W. SHANKS, 25, CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA

LTJG FRANKLIN M. TUNICK, 25, LINDEN, NEW JERSEY

FIREMAN WILLIAM WALLING, 20, BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS

CARRIER AIR WING SIXTEEN STAFF (2)

CDR RODNEY B. CARTER, 40, PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA

LT LLOYD P. HYDE, 28, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

CARRIER AIR WING SIXTEEN (25)

LTJG WILLIAM R. CLEMENTS, VAW-11, 26, HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA

CDR GEORGE FARRIS, VAH-4, 35, PORTLAND, INDIANA

LT JOHN F. FRANCIS, VAH-4, 33, LOUISIANA

LCDR JAMES A. SMITH, VAH-4, 31, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

LCDR OMAR R. FORD, VA-25, 32, CAMBRIDGE, NEBRASKA

AIRMAN DAVID A LISTE, VA-152, 26, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA

CDR JOHN J. NUSSBAUMER, VA-152, 38, VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON

LT CLARENCE D. MILLER, VA-163, 30, FROSTBURG, MARYLAND

LCDR CLEMENT J. MORISETTE, VA-163, 33, OTHELLO, WASHINGTON

LTJG THOMAS E. SPITZER, VA-163, 25, BALDWIN, NORTH DAKOTA

ENSIGN RONALD E. TARDIO, VA-163, 23, CQACHABAMBA, BOLIVIA

LTJG JAMES L. BREWER, VA-164, 24, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

LTJG WILLIAM A. JOHNSON, VA-164, 25, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

LCDR DANIEL B. STRONG, VA-164, 29, BIG BEAR CITY, CALIFORNIA

CDR CLYDE R. WELCH, VA-164, 38, SOMERVILLE, TEXAS

LTJG CODY A BALISTERI, VF-111, 25, SHEFIELD LAKE, OHIO

LCDR NORMAN S. LEVY, VF-111, 31, FOREST HILLS, NEW YORK

LTJG WILLIAM G. MCWILLIAMS, III, VF-111, 24, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

ENSIGN CHARLES W. BOGGS, VF-162, 23, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

LT JOSSLYN F. BLAKELY, HC-1, 26, MONTEVILLE, ALABAMA

LT JULIAN D. HAMMOND, HC-1, 32, MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI

ENS DANIEL O. KERN, HC-1, 23, WHITESBORO, NEW YORK

LTJG GERALD W. SIEBE, HC-1 25, MASCOUTAH, ILLINOIS

LTJG JAMES R. WELSH, HC-1, 27, STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

“They sleep beneath the shadows of the clouds,

careless alike of sunshine or storm,

each in the windowless palace of rest.

Earth may run red with other wars —

they are at peace.

In the midst of battles, in the roar of conflict,

they found the serenity of death.”

R. G. Ingersoll, “Memorial Day Vision”

LEST WE FORGET…                   Bear                  ………  –30–  ………

(Admin note: RTR for 27 October will include 26 Oct entries)