[GreenKeys] Parts??
Don Robert House
packard42 at gmail.com
Sun Jun 25 22:05:26 EDT 2006
The bottom line is that the US Defense Dept. wants no carrier that is
not nuclear powered, regardless of it's condition.
The SINKEX cost us a couple of million dollars but supposedly the
folks learned a lot about what it takes to sink a carrier.
It is too bad more equipment was not salvaged. Does the Navy say how
deep the water is where the America is resting?
Don
On 25 Jun 2006, at 1:09 PM, Gregory W. Moore wrote:
GA, Bob,
Sure, look at our museum foundation website at http://www.ussamerica-
museumfoundation.org
or, at the USS America Carrier Vets Assn website http://
www.ussamerica.org/
We (the Museum Foundation) were trying to save her for a museum ship.
Sadly, all our efforts were unsuccessful
and documents on our site will show the frustration that we went thru
with the powers that be....
Now, what I know for sure is this... she was decommissoned in 1996,
and frankly, treated like hell, her catwalks
cut off, for use on another carrier, and basically left to rot. At
some point, she was chosen for use in a Sinkex,
supposedly for testing to prove engineering data for a new generation
of carriers. I had the honor of going back
aboard on 4 DEC 02, along with the prez of the Museum Foundation, Lee
McNulty, and one could really see the
effects of no maintenance or climate control.......there also was
wholesale vandalism (all the telephones smashed)
and (HORROR, HORROR) NAVSEA absolutely REFUSED!!!!! to allow me to
remove the inner components
from the only pair of M28ASR's left aboard, which were located in
CIC on the 02 level, and boy, they were full
up!!!!!! gearshifts, underdome reperfs, and some special relay units
and TEMPEST filters.... the only damage was
an attempt to demil them by some gorilla hitting the keyboards with a
hammer, and busting up a few keys, but, said
gorilla was evidently unaware of how to get the lids open, and the
insides were PRISTINE!!!!!. I did, however,
remove the type boxes and stick them in my pocket as a gesture of
defiance....... The other item which was sick
and twisted were 2 R-1051's up in Radio central, totally smashed with
sledge hammers and all the internal modules removed,
2 AN/URA-17's meeting the same fate, and boucoup patch panels (ditto)
both audio and DC...... there were also
several of the new printers (I forget the nomenclature, even tho I
have one in a box in ye olde basement) busted up,
and a large loop supply, intact, In addition, every single 26 circuit
audio switch panel was smashed with hammers
the switch knobs and shafts broken off at the panel, then the panels
hammered in, and the internal wiring cut at random...
I did spy 3 good patchboards, and respectfully requested permission
to remove same.... REFUSED!!!!
Anyhow, it was a damn sad day for both of us....... I got up in the
island, as I used to be Supervisor of the Transmitter
Rooms as my GQ station, and found there was no MF or HF left aboard,
and the only stuff in any of the 'mitter
rooms were some VHF and UHF stuff which had been thoroughly smashed
beyond recognition.......There
was NO Teletype repair shop space left, it was now a cleaning
materials storeroom......even the Teletype
logo was gone from the door ( hey, I left her 36 years ago--hi--- I
did, however, several years ago, in a
story worthy of "Ripleys" bid and win on a set of M28ASR manuals from
EGreed, and when the manuals
arrived, and I opened the box, I noticed the labels on the
spine...... a cold chill crept up my spine as well, as
the neat Engineering lettering looked SO familiar....I S L O O O W L
Y opened the cover, and saw
"PROPERTY OF G.W. MOORE RM2, USN CR DIVISION USS AMERICA CVA-66"
So, I bought my own manuals back..........
OK.. so what happened to the America..... On 14 APR 05, she was towed
from the berth at the
Inactive ships facility at the former PNSY to a undisclosed location,
and used for tests, and at
approx 1130EDT , 14 MAY 05, she went down. In response to a CVA FOIA
request, the following
info has evidently been provided ( this from the CVA website).......
In response to our Freedom of Information Act request, the U.S. Navy
released a general area for the sinking of USS America CV-66. The
operational area of the event were as follows:
33.40.0 N, 70.34.9 W
32.30.0 N, 71.34.9 W
32.30.0 N, 72.34.9 W
33.40.0 N, 71.34.9 W
Now, like your friend, I spent a good many months and am a full-
fledged Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club member, Class of
1970, she was a great ship, and took us into harm's way and out
again, and damn, I sure miss her......
73 de Greg
NNNN
Bob McConnell wrote:
> Gregory W. Moore wrote:
> I have boucoup parts that I have to sort
>
>> out and catalog, for at one time, they were going to
>> be used to restore the commo spaces in the USS America, but sadly,
>> we (we being the museum foundation) were unable to
>> secure her as a museum ship, and she now lies at the bottom of the
>> Atlantic..
>
>
> Greg,
>
> Can you tell me how to find more information about the demise of
> the America? I have a friend that served on her for several months,
> including a few running around in circles in the Gulf of Tonkin.
> While I don't like to pass on bad news, he does deserve to know
> what happened to her.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Bob McConnell
> N2SPP
> Participant in The Battle of Brandon Bay
> <http://web.archive.org/web/20050209184517/http://www.nichecom.com/
> ~vfw/ss/ss3.html>
>
--
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Greg Moore NNN0BVN PA
U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS)
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************************************************************************
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PRESERVATIONS OFFICER: USS AMERICA (CV/CVA-66) MUSEUM FOUNDATION
Please visit us on the web at http://www.ussamerica-museumfoundation.org
SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK! KEEP HER MEMORY ALIVE!
NERK NERK NERK DE NMIB NMIB NMIB SK SK SK
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