American Destroyer Attacked in Yemen

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RedNinja:
I know some of you guys are military and I just wanted to say "Thanks for the job your doing" and that my thoughts are with the family's of those sailors.


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Ditto from me.



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Pete
"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."

I beg to differ with at least one detail that seems to be floating around. Ive read it as a boat "rammed" the destroyer, but then i read another report that says teh boat was helping the destroyer into port in refueling ops.

Now at first (before that report) i was scratching my head as to why the destroyer wasnt alert to such a "kamikaze" attack. But it does make sense that a small support craft would be able to get right up beside the Ship without any problems if it was acting as a maneuvering tug.

It may not have even been a terrorist attack in the first place. I think this is something that the Clinton Administration will screw up even more. Who knows. Obviously, if it was an attack, the terrorists felt they can get away with it in as much as helping thier cause. and THAT is the sad part. If it wasnt, then This administration needs to quit blaming errors on out part on "terrorists".

(Example, TWA flight 800, which *was* shot down by the Navy... HUNDREDS of witnesses saw the same thing on that one, the missile streaking UP from the ocean and hitting the Jetliner... yet they were all deemed "unreliable"... BULL-SH*T!!)

A co-worker was on a Nuclear Carrier in the Atlantic, and my oldest brother was on a Frigate in the Atlantic *and* Pacific, we've talked about these types of things at legnth and alot of these incidents happen (or are allowed to happen) due to US Navy incompetance. It only takes one guy to be a little "lax" and something like this happens.

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The preceding has been an EDITORIAL. So dont get all pissy with me!
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Fear Oil.

[This message has been edited by GreenNinja (edited October 12, 2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GreenNinja:
It only takes one guy to be a little "lax" and something like this happens.




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The big difference here is that RCJohn is no longer in the Navy. Seriously, this is f#$ked up and I feel for the families of those sailors.



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"I like the water gun idea..."~Will "the mad man" Darton

Posted by RUG BURN <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Squid, wake up and smell the C-4. They're terrorists, that's what they do. They can't brag to their terrorist buddies about what they did if they don't take credit for it. A lot of times several organizations will try and take credit for the same event--this is plagarism<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just seem's they'd brag/live longer if they didn't fess up ...

This reminds me of a story.. When I was young I used to get picked on by the local bully, I decided one day that his tough attitude was just a front and i stood up to him.
Lesson learned: Bully's attitude was not a front, Don't pick fights with a bully.

Just as a note, I don't mean this to be humorous. No disrespect to the sailers family's.


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If somebody sounds as though they might know more than you, talk more and louder.

Adam

GreenNinja, I agreed with your original approach until you stated "Navy incompetance". I'm not getting pissy but I am saying that you made a bad generalization. The Navy is not incompetant, however there are a very small number of incompetant people in the Navy.

For those thinking that this was an accidental ramming. Absolutely wrong, a simple collision with a small boat will not create that type of hole in a war ship. Note the term WAR ship.

Depending on where you are(ie, what port), you may not have time to stop this type of incident. Obviously if you are in a politically volotile port you would not allow an unknown craft that close without RAPID reaction. In a non-hostile port you aren't quite as quick to lock-and-load then shoot. I don't know the state of affairs there but it is a mistake none the less. We had our submarine tied up in Chesapeake Bay one summer for tours. Every damn pleasure craft in Anapolis wanted to cruise up to the Ballistic Missile Sub for a look. Our security watches were supposed to maintain security halo around the boat but it was difficult without resorting to harsh threats. They didn't listen until one of the watches cycled the slide on the 12 gauge assault shotgun. It wasn't loaded but the idiots in the cruiser didn't know. Deadly force was probably authorized given the situation but common sense prevailed. That was the end of the halo penetrations.

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John

"If Harley made an airplane... would you fly in it?"

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GreenNinja:
Ok John, i didnt insinuate that the ENTIRE US Navy was incompetent, but there are more than just "a few" complete incompetents in the Navy. (You know that!!)..

Also, there is no way a small rubber boat could put a hole in the side of a destroyer by simply "colliding".. But this port was deemed "unsafe" in recent years and it was only recently that USN vessels resumed stops there. I agree witrh you in that the crew should have been more concerned with who all the "support craft" were, and as ive now read this was a contracted company that was in charge of helping the USN ships get to dock or refueling stations.. Yeah id say SOMEONE was "lax"..

Ah well.... Im pretty sure the fatalities were probably all innocent sailors who had no say in these things... and that is whats sad in this case.

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Yeah, there's no way that was just a collision. If those were deemed unsafe water then there was definitely some lax controls.

It is very sad. From my limited knowledge of that type of ship, I would say that it was the engineering folks that operate the propulsion plant.

I was probably a little spoiled with with competance of my part of the Navy(Nuclear trained ). Ones we considered incompetant were considered sharp by the "rest" of the Navy.

When my boat pulled into Scotland during the Gulf War, a boat wouldn't have even come close to the ship before our watches and the Marines on the Tender would have blown it away. Things were very tense during that period.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the dead and injured sailer.


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John

"If Harley made an airplane... would you fly in it?"