TheList 5274

The List 5274 TGB


Good Tuesday Morning 14April. I hope that your week has started well

Regards,

Skip



Today in Naval History

April 14



1898

The first post-Civil War hospital ship, USS Solace (AH 2) is commissioned and soon participates in the Spanish-American War attending to wounded servicemen from battles in Cuba

1942

USS Roper (DD 147) sinks German submarine U 85 off the Virginia Capes. Before being sunk by Roper, U 85 sank three Allied merchant vessels.

1945

USS Tirante (SS 420), commanded by Lt. Cmdr. George L. Street III, attacks a Japanese convoy in the approaches to the Yellow Sea and sinks a transport ship and two vessels. Street earns Medal of Honor for his actions.

1969

A North Korean aircraft shoots down an unarmed EC-121 propeller-driven Constellation, killing all 31 crewmembers on board.

1988

During Operation Ernest Will, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) strikes an Iranian mine off Qatar, injuring 10 sailors. Four days later, the US Navy retaliates with Operation Praying Mantis, which strikes Iranian oil platforms, sinks an Iranian frigate, patrol ship, and damages another frigate.



On This Day In The Navy:

1960 - The Navy's navigation satellite, Transit 1B, which demonstrates the first engine restart in space, is placed into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, by Thor-Able-Star.





Thanks to CHINFO

Executive Summary:

• Multiple outlets report that nearly 600 sailors from USS Theodore Roosevelt tested positive for COVID-19.

• San Diego Union-Tribune reports that two more sailors aboard USNS Mercy also tested positive.

• Reuters reported on USS Barry's Taiwan Strait transit.





This Day in World History

1471 The Earl of Warwick, who fought on both sides in the War of the Roses, is killed at the Battle of Barnet with the defeat of the Lancastrians.

1543 Bartolome Ferrelo returns to Spain after discovering a large bay in the New World (San Francisco).

1775 The first abolitionist society in United States is organized in Philadelphia.

1793 A royalist rebellion in Santo Domingo is crushed by French republican troops.

1828 The first edition of Noah Webster's dictionary is published.

1860 The first Pony Express rider arrives in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, Missouri.

1865 President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.

1894 Thomas Edison's kinetoscope is shown to the public for the first time.

1900 The World Exposition opens in Paris.

1912 The passenger liner Titanic--deemed unsinkable--strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and begins to sink. The ship will go under the next day with a loss of 1,500 lives.

1931 King Alfonso XIII of Spain is overthrown.

1945 American B-29 bombers damage the Imperial Palace during firebombing raid over Tokyo.

1953 The Viet Minh invade Laos with 40,00 troops in their war against French colonial forces.

1959 The Taft Memorial Bell Tower is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

1961 The first live broadcast is televised from the Soviet Union.

1969 The first major league baseball game in Montreal, Canada is played.

1981 America's first space shuttle, Columbia, returns to Earth.





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Some more from Shadow and Lancer

From Lancer



Shadow,

Did I ever tell you that when I had my first hop in the F-4 in VF-101 at Oceana in March, '62, that Jim Lovell, an instructor in 101, was in my back seat holding on and praying! I met up with him again nearly 30 years later in the Golden Eagles and we reminisced ! Great times, great memories! SF, Lancer





I think Shadow embellished a bit! I ended up with less than 5,000 hrs. in the F-4, actually had 4,977 hrs. With Shadow we made max performance T.O's, went Mach 2 and probably fought the F-8 on the second hop as in those days unbriefed ACM was legal in the warning area. I don't remember the Mexicana DC-9 as I don't know where we'd be close to him! But I used to go down to about 10 ft. between the two Coronado Islands, 10 nm south of North Island, to do my radar alt check and then climb to 500 ft. and do my slow flight it there. I'd fly over my kids' ball park if they were playing a Little League game that day letting everyone know I probably wouldn't make the game or be very late as I was one of the coaches! But I usually did that at around 350 kts., a thousand ft. nothing "hot" and as it was legal then and before the Marine F-4 had the midair with the airliner and all the rules changed and everything had to be IFR in controlled airspace.

Those were the days as I had all the tactical freqs of the Marine F-4s and A-4s at El Toro and usually, except for the first flight and making the Mach 2 run, I had plenty of gas left over and would troll the freqs till I found somebody that wanted to play...Lots of memories on hops like that as I usually had a pax on his/her first ride in the F-4. I took the entire NROTC class at Sn Diego State for a ride if they wanted to go and would get the seat and pressure chamber check out at Miramar. I remember about 12 guys and three gals when through the trouble to go to Miramar and get checked out so they could get a ride! Great times, great memories!

SF, Lancer

From Shadow

Subject: Re: Lovell

Hope he doesn't mind me sharing this…but Lancer sent me a note about Lovell checking him out in the F-4 at Oceana, way back in the day… from Lancer's back seat. I reminded Lancer that I was introduced to the F-4 by flying in his backseat before I entered Flight Training! What a hoot! The "Altimeter Check" he reminded me of… was at less than 100 feet above the water and at 90 degrees, using one of the islands sticking up out of the ocean to bounce the radar beam off of to check the altimeter! In fact, it was between two islands that I'm not sure we could have gone through in level flight since they were so close together!

We actually flew two hops that day… both were max performance go's… one resulted in me being able to read "Mexicana" on a DC-9 as we blew by him in the vertical… went out in the Warning Area to do the PM Tests… went MACH II, went 1v1 with an F-8… didn't last long before Lancer had him. Turned those birds everywhere but loose… did the altimeter check and then (he left this out) we did a low and slow; gear down, flaps down, hook down… flyby of his kids Little League ball game. I tell you… the man ruined me for life! I was hooked forever!

Mike "Lancer" Sullivan… ended up a Two Star with just over 5,000 hours in the F-4… the highest time in the Phantom of any Naval Aviator. More than that… he has been a long and loyal friend. My hero! Talk about a career… think Lancer flew every fighter/attack aircraft the Navy or Corps had during his career, plus a lot of the British F/A aircraft as well during an exchange tour.

BTW… I paid him back… I gave him a 3 mile, narrated, bus tour of the World Famous San Diego Zoo… doing my part time job while finishing that last semester before I reported back on active duty.

What a man!

Shadow



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thanks to Doctor Rich





Thanks to Billy and Litning ….





Thanks Litning! Now tell me how come we are still air breathing mammals?



Great story!!





Billy@CaptainBillyWalker.om

Https://CaptainBillyWalker.com

(480) 773-2823





That was Rick "Bear" Amber's plane on our '70-71 cruise. Rick was a good friend and USNA 67 classmate. One day, when I came back into the break on Hanna, they extended my break because his F8 had just boltered. I picked him up on the downwind and was using him for my interval. He was just crossing the ramp when I got to the 180. Then all hell broke loose. He hit the ramp on a MOVLAS recovery (possibly due to being shown a high ball, when he was actually low). In idle, boards out, decelling rapidly, I went into rudder shaker (stall warning) while watching "the show". Descending rapidly, I went into burner, accelerating out thru the helo pattern. Just before that, I remember seeing flames surrounding his F8 as it went off the angle. Just before he went off the end, I saw a wisp of grey smoke coming out of his ejection seat. It flew up and he separated from the seat. Unfortunately, his chute got tangled up in Hannas rotating radar and threw him backwards into the island repeatedly. He had no cuts, but had a 9 inch high black and blue mark across his back; paralyzing him for life. The ship helo'd him to Danang, where I had been bingoed. I met him at the hospital there. Good spirits, but paralyzed forever!


Rick went home, had fits of depression, used a bit of drugs, but picked himself up and got his shit together. He got a job in Texas managing a bunch of salesmen for a company producing chemicals for farmers. He didn't like what the chemicals were doing so he switched to the EPA. THEN, he started Challenge Air; a non-profit for wheelchair bound kids, later adding "at-risk" kids. He got other handicapped pilots to help/instruct and began fly-in around the country. Highly successful! I helped out at 2 of them. I remember helping a 10 year old bicycle accident paraplegic get into his airplane. I got him in back first and when I spun him forward he shouted "Wow, hand controls"!


Years later Rick was invited to do a tandem parachute jump at one of his fly ins. He broke a leg on touchdown. When they xrayed him they found a mass in his lower abdomen. Cancer; it took his life a few years later. I gave a speech about his trials years later at a Paralyzed Veterans convention here in San Diego. Challenge Air is still in business!


He never let his situation get the best of him; living his life yo the fullest- I've got more stories - like his custom motorcycle that had a ramp for a sidecar. Scissored handlebars let him drive it from the wheelchair lased to the ramp, while I screamed from the bike seat, holding on to a vertical grip in front of the gas tank! Lotsa bugs in Texas, I shouldn't have opened my mouth!



















The painting in the photo above was done by another F-8 Driver. Rattler painted a number of paintings that wonderfully captured the F-8 Crusader in its element.



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Thanks to CarlM – and Dutch

Truman Carrier Strike Group Will Stay at Sea to Avoid COVID-19 Infections

By: Megan Eckstein



The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is done with its deployment but will remain at sea off the East Coast of the United States, in an effort to keep the crew healthy from the COVID-19 pandemic and ready to take on missions if needed.



Though the strike group has already conducted two deployments in a row without a major maintenance period, the Truman CSG is now the only on-call carrier strike group on the East Coast and must remain ready if needed, U.S. 2nd Fleet said in a statement. That means keeping the COVID-19 virus from finding its way aboard the ship.



"The ship is entering a period in which it needs to be ready to respond and deploy at any time," 2nd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis said in the statement.

"Normally we can do that pier-side, but in the face of COVID-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea."



During this time, the strike group will go through advanced training scenarios, similar to the pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) that serves as a graduation exercise before the strike group is certified to deploy, Lewis said during a call today with reporters. This covers the whole spectrum of warfare areas a CSG could encounter during a deployment, and Lewis said it was important for the ship crews and the carrier air wing to go through this training again after a deployment that focused on a handful of skills rather than the whole range of operations. Lewis said there could be opportunities to enhance this training with partnership engagements, but he would not elaborate further.



He did not elaborate on the timeline for keeping the carrier strike group out at sea, but he said there was a plan with decision points along the way that would involve leadership above his level. He vowed that sailors and their families would be kept in the loop every step along the way and said the next check-in would occur in about three weeks.



"After completing a successful deployment we would love nothing more than to be reunited with our friends and families," Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, said in the news release.

"We recognize that these are unique circumstances and the responsible thing to do is to ensure we are able to answer our nation's call while ensuring the health and safety of our sailors. We thank you for your continued love and support as we remain focused on this important mission."



Loiselle told reporters that typically there would be a decline in morale if a ship's deployment were extended, but he said that hasn't been the case this time. The sailors have seen news from back home about the devastation the virus has caused, and it's easier for the crew to understand the need to stay healthy and ready compared to other deployment extensions caused by geopolitical considerations.



Lewis closed the media briefing by saying that "the intent of this is to communicate with the families and to make sure that we are being completely transparent with the families on what we're doing. To reiterate, this is an incredibly dynamic situation we're in, more dynamic than it is day to day – and it's pretty darn dynamic in the Navy coming back from deployment anyway. But the situation is very dynamic now, and I will restate again that in approximately three weeks we're going to communicate again directly with the families."



The Truman CSG's surface ships deployed in early September as a surface action group – made up of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Lassen (DDG-82), USS Farragut (DDG-99) and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98), and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) – with USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) deploying in late November after emergent maintenance. The CSG spent much of its deployment in the North Arabian Sea, at times one of two carrier strike groups in the area meant to serve as a check on Iran.



The news of the Truman CSG staying at sea to avoid the global pandemic comes on the same day the Navy announced a sailor on another carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), died of the disease. The sailor, who has not yet been named, was found unresponsive and taken to intensive care four days before dying at the military medical facility on Guam. Theodore Roosevelt pulled into port in Guam in late March and has been there since, as sailors are evacuated from the ship, tested for COVID-19 and put in quarantine to get the crew back to health.



Navy leadership originally said it was unclear whether the virus first infected the crew from its last port call in Vietnam or through other people coming and going from the carrier for resupply, passenger movements and other activities that typically happen while operating at sea. The Navy put an end to port calls – except those needed for resupply or maintenance that couldn't occur at sea – as a precaution.



Loiselle said the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group's precautionary steps began weeks ago, when the strike group was still operating in U.S. 5th Fleet.



"Coronavirus started while we were in 5th Fleet area of operations, so in order to mitigate it, the first thing we did was shut off our passenger flow back from the United States so we would remove that vector," he told reporters in a call today.



When aircraft did have to land on a strike group ship to bring supplies, parts or mail, Loiselle said the aircrew were not allowed to leave their aircraft or have any interactions with CSG crew members.



"We gave them a boxed lunch and sent them on their way," he said, noting the same procedure will be in place as the strike group operates in the Atlantic in the coming weeks.



Additionally, Loiselle said the Navy worked with leadership at 5th Fleet, the U.S. Embassy in Egypt and the Suez Canal Authority "to find different and innovative ways to go through the Suez Canal while still accounting for security requirements and the pilots that have to embark our vessels."



For instance, it would normally take five pilot exchanges to get the strike group ships cleared and through the canal, but that was cut down to two. For the pilots who did have to come aboard U.S. Navy ships to assist with the transit, they were all screened for the coronavirus ahead of time, were outfitted with masks and gloves, and were given segregated areas on the ships' bridges to stand in to limit any ability to spread germs. Any ship crewmembers who were on the bridge at that time were also told to wear masks and gloves.



Loiselle said it had been 42 days since the strike group stopped in a port, and it had been more than 14 days since the Suez Canal transit, which was the last time anyone outside the CSG crew came onboard any of the ships. With zero reports of any COVID-like symptoms, "we are confident in the fact that it is not aboard any of the vessels in the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group."



As a further precaution during the time operating off the East Coast, Loiselle explained that all supplies coming to the strike group will come out of Naval Station Norfolk – which is taking extra precautions on the waterfront to limit the spread of the disease – and would be packaged in cardboard containers, on which the virus can only live for about 24 hours. Cargo will be sent by ship, meaning it will take a few days to arrive, and by that point any accidental contamination wouldn't be a concern any longer.



Lewis said during the call that it's possible personnel may have to fly out to the ships at some point to provide technical support, if any maintenance issues arise that cannot be dealt with by the ships' maintenance crews alone or with video teleconference support. If that were to be the case, only technicians who had been in a 14-day quarantine would be allowed to fly out to the strike group ships, to ensure the virus was not introduced that way.



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Thanks to Marcus

I guess for effect it is fine, but the actual quote was:

The words actually spoken, initially by Jack Swigert, were "Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here" (emphasis added). After being prompted to repeat the transmission by CAPCOMJack R. Lousma, Jim Lovell responded, "Uh, Houston, we've had a problem."



Difficult to imagine why Lovell would misquote himself.



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Begin forwarded message:


Subject: Written by Bill O'Reilly




This is a long read, but extremely important for the American people to know about. You be the judge of whether this is true or not or remotely possible.






GOOD READ!



Written by Bill O'Reilly



China's Bio weapon, and Pelosi..


My wife Angie will tell you that I study history and world events fluently every day. I have studied China for many years. To get answers I need to questions, I call many I know in Washington on Capitol Hill (from my tenure on two Presidential campaigns and Presidential talks) and I ask them for straight up answers to better understand what affects us as a nation.



Well, in 2016 America elected a new Sheriff: Donald J Trump. For decades the Chinese walked all over America but the new President said "not anymore". Trump literally strangled China's economy to the point their economy was in its worst free fall ever. Trump negotiated a new 50 billion trade agreement. He had Xi by the proverbial balls. America's economy was on fire and unstoppable. President Xi Jingping knew he could not beat the USA militarily and he knew any domesticated economic attack would fail as our economy was too strong. He had to act. But how?



Enter the USA democrats led by Pelosi and Schiff. Impeachment. A hoax. A distraction for our people and President. Xi Jingping and his thugs see this. They aren't stupid. They have very intelligent intellectual thinkers in their government. Now you must understand , the Chinese regime are truly Barbarians. Notice I did not say ALL CHINESE. The Chinese people are a good people. I enjoy my interactions with them.



The communist regime has millions of its own citizens slaving in gulags simply for speaking against the government or openly practicing Christianity. Knowing they could not attack us openly they needed to be coy, like a deceptive fox. In my opinion, I believe the regime released a biological weapon upon the world that doesn't kill everyone, but kills "enough," especially the elderly and in-firmed. Back in WW 2 Hitler thought the same way. He got rid of what he considered the useless and rejects of society.



Trumps task force uses models to figure things. Xi used and uses "models" too. China's president figured that if he killed a few of his own (a few hundred thousand to them would be a few out of 1.4 billion people) and spread the virus to other nations (especially to the USA) they would "level the economic playing field" and not have fired a shot.



Losses of his own people were acceptable costs of a new war. When China's own doctors attempted to sound the warning, they were immediately silenced. In fact one died and another has simply disappeared. Trump and the other allied leaders indeed KNOW this is what happened. They have under reported their own deaths. Trump knows he cannot rightly seek retribution. His news conference today showed me this when he balked publicly about no outright retribution over Xi's handling of this and he immediately brought up the "trade deal". However, Trump wasn't being weak, he too was now being coy. We know this was a biological weapon. The food market story is bullshit.



Xi knows we know it. Trump also today announced he sent two battle groups of destroyers and other ships to sea several days ago to fight drugs and rogue actors like Iran should they try anything.

I say he did this to show Xi he knows what has transpired (we have the greatest intelligence assets) and that they (the Chinese) should rethink further action. Politics is premier. We cannot overtly attack China for what they have done as we would also suffer greatly. We all know this.



But China has temporarily achieved its goal. America was literally consumed by Trumps phony impeachment brought by the ultra left democrats (supported by democrat rank and file and one Republican Mitt Romney) and Xi Jingping saw an opening. He took it. Xi did what Trump usually does...he walked onto the world stage and threw a grenade into the "room" and left. It exploded in the form of this worldwide pandemic. It brought the USA and the rest of the world to its knees and leveled the economic playing field.



Our economy is now near depression. Xi didn't fire one bullet. Trump needed to up his game of chess and putting our Naval ships to sea was his next move. He said he is a "war" President. He is.



But now on not one but two fronts. One front is the virus and the other front is the Chinese. While the Saudi's and Russians are screwing with oil prices they aren't overtly doing what this pandemic is doing. The drug smuggling story for dispatching the Naval Force is bullshit and the world knows it. I am of the opinion Trump can indeed bring us back from this catastrophe albeit with a changed playing field.



But Trump is a genius in chess and financial matters. He's become a champ at international politics too. I am sure Trump can once again lead the economy to even stronger strength and greatness the it was . He can do it quickly I'm sure of it. He has proved it. Xi Jingping needs to be sent a message loud and clear. NEVER AGAIN. We need to bring all of our critical manufacturing back from China beginning with our medicines they were recently threatening to withhold. We can do it immediately. Again, another reason for Trump putting to sea such a sizable Naval Force. Sending a clear message.



We all must ride out the next few weeks. Then we and the world pick up the pieces and move on. The democrats who have given Xi this opening wrapped in a bow must pay a heavy price in November as they (the democrats) truly have cost and continue to cost America precious lives by the phony scandals. Nancy Pelosi continues to help the Chinese by her daily shameless attacks upon the President and meddling in stimulus packages as she did this last weekend. Yesterday's statements she made were truly appalling and the lowest of low. I didn't think she could go any lower. What a disgrace she is to our nation.





But, Pelosi aside, make no mistake, China must and will be taught a lesson the likes they have never seen before and Trump is the man to pull the trigger.



We the people must teach the democrats the same lesson at the polls. They (the radical wing of the party) are the enemy of a free America. I am certain of it. The entire democrat party of our forefathers is dead. Remember people, Trump indeed tried to warn us all of the Conavirus in his State of the Union Speech. He spoke of it. He said he was on top of it.



After he spoke, Nancy Pelosi ripped up the speech calling Trumps words "a manifesto of lies". She disgraced the country and all of our fellow honored citizens present in the House Chamber. Well she now has American blood on her hands. She is very majorly responsible for these needless deaths as well as the Chinese. Her and Adam Schiff.



The left and democrats laughed as she tore up his speech. Well, as they laughed the disease he just spoke of in that speech came to our shores. Republicans and Democrats alike are now dying. Your family members and mine. Our grandparents and middle aged citizens alike. Bodies are being loaded in trucks with forklifts in Brooklyn outside of hospitals. No one is safe. Our liberty is for the most part suspended. As we bury our dead (without proper funerals) from this calamity let's drive the nails into the coffin of the Democrat party as well in November.



It's time people. Stand up for your rights and your country! Our Liberty and survival is at stake! I am praying for God's blessing on our nation. But, God also gave us the ability to think for ourselves and it's time we placed blame for all this death where it belongs: on the doorsteps of Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and Xi Jingping directly. Wake Up America.



WAKE UP!

Written by: Bill O'Reilly