The USS John Basilone

[Old No7]

The USS John Basilone is the topic for this post; named after the hero of Guadalcanal -- Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone -- who received the Medal of Honor for his acts of heroism in that battle, and is the only enlisted Marine to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

DDG 122 is the second Navy ship to be named in his honor. Rather than pasting in all the images -- see This Link (click here) for the images and story.

My family and I once watched as Bath Iron Works launched a new destoyer down the old slipways -- making quite the splash! -- but now they use a sinking dry dock, as shown in the images. Some nice images of her sailing on the mighty Kennebec River are included in the photo array. And for those not aware, the tight port/startboard "Z turn" at Fiddlers Reach (when headed out, or down river) is what limits the length of Bath-built ships for the Navy. We used to catch stripers there years ago.

A friend once complained to me that he had to go to see "yet again" for 5-day sea trials on one of the Arleigh Burke class missile destroyers he'd worked on, and he's miss his son's graduation... I quickly volunteered to take his place, but it didn't happen...

Never forget. Remember the fallen.

Old No7

Edit to add some images...

How they're built:


Almost done:


At Fiddlers Reach:

[jeepnik]

Basilone highway is on Camp Pendleton and is one of the off-ramps from the 5 freeway. I doubt more than a handful of drivers passing it know who he was. Or that he didn't have to return to combat where he was killed.

On the other hand of those who use the off ramp I'd bet almost everyone knows his story.

The Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton is visible from the 5 and just a very short distance from the main gate. But during its construction and frequently while servicing it I found it quicker to use the less used gate on Basilone and then drive parallel to the 5 on surface streets. Though a time or three I did get held up by armored vehicles crossing the road armed Marines start pretty early in the morning sometimes.

[TraderVic]

Cool. I served on DDG-13 (USS Hoel) 50 years ago. Would be real interesting to see how advanced the weapon systems are nowadays.

[Ray]

Deleted.

[Griff]

I served on the USS Somers, DDG-34, one of 4 converted Forrest-Sherman class destroyers, for my last two years in the Navy. My son served on DDG73, USS Decatur as a plank owner. I got to attend her commissioning ceremony in Portland, OR... My son's chief was a shipmate of mine... Good for a lot of laughs. It might be prejudice, but I prefer the lines of the Forrest-Sherman class destroyers, over the Arleigh Burke.

DDG-34.jpg

[TraderVic]

There were several of the Forrest-Sherman class destroyers in WestPac, both tours I was over there. We were tied outboard of the USS Turner Joy in Subic at least once.

[earlmck]

Mighta' staid in the Navy if I coulda' rode on something like that beauty!

I got to spend one night on a "tin can" in my short career. A helo flew me off the old Bon Homme (carrier) and dropped me onto a destroyer to help fix their radar, which was my specialty at the time. I recall the job of that fellow was to maneuver around a Russian trawler/eavesdropper to keep said trawler from interfering with air ops of the carriers there in the Tonkin Gulf. Woulda' liked to stay a while but got plucked off the next day and returned to the boring old flat top.

[OldWin]

We used to build the turbines for all the Arleigh Burke destroyers. Did them for the Boomer and SSN attack subs too.
About 90% of work was Navy until the early 90s.

[Ysabel Kid]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Ray]

Deleted.

[OldWin]

We used to build the turbines for all the Arleigh Burke destroyers. Did them for the Boomer and SSN attack subs too.
About 90% of work was Navy until the early 90s.

The tin can (knox class) I was on was scheduled to go to to the persian gulf in 1987 but we were deferred to the mediterranean instead and a perry class frigate took our place in the persian gulf by virtue of both its superior mode of propulsion (g.t. vs. our boilers) and its missile array & electronic countermeasures. You can easily guess who replaced us. USS Stark ! and the rest is history as they say.

I won't say anything critical of the stark & her brave crew but it is a fact that our phalanx c.w.i.s. was online round the clock with FCs & GMGs continuously on station. We were just in the placid mediterranean and not necessarily in harm's way but we were prepared to buzzsaw incoming missiles providing that the scope jockeys (OSs) weren't asleep on watch in combat control. It was indeed determined (later in 1988) that the stark's c.w.i.s. was inexplicably offline though now wikipedia cites that the radar did not detect the missiles on that fateful evening.

USS_Stark_(FFG-31)_memorial_in_Mayport_kindlephoto-686796085.jpg

The phalanx is an incredible weapon. Bullets ALWAYS work. Same reason I don't feel the big guns will ever be obsolete.

[Ray]

Deleted.

[rock-steady]

I worked on the repairs to the USS Stark and the USS Cole years ago. I saw on the news yesterday, that the Cole launched some anti-missile missiles defending Israel yesterday.

Time flies.....