Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Funny how you've given getting it in with double suited kings 3 way more than 5 seconds of thought.

If you were playing a game that you were rolled for, like 10K hu plo then u could stress about it.

Til then don't worry.

Nicely phrased, Sir.

Honest to God, the thought of plonking that much money on a Heads Up Table would scare me to death.

Little & often, like so many other things, suits me better.

I just try & nick £50 to £100 per night - that ticks all my boxes. Dripping taps, baths, & all that.

[smashedagain]

Yes most people pull the plug out of the bath. Mr greekstein takes a 10lb sledge hammer and knocks the sides of it out

[Laxie]

But the greatest memory is visiting Pearl Harbor, & especially the War Memorial, which is effectively a raft, moored right above where USS Arizona was sunk, & still lies to this day. The water is crystal clear, so you can see the entire hull, & at low tide, parts of it protrude above the waterline. I believe the USS Arizona is still, officially, listed as part of the US Navy Fleet, & has never been de-commissioned, something to do with the fact that the remains of over 1,100 (ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED) Sailors bodies remain trapped in the hull.

[tikay]

But the greatest memory is visiting Pearl Harbor, & especially the War Memorial, which is effectively a raft, moored right above where USS Arizona was sunk, & still lies to this day. The water is crystal clear, so you can see the entire hull, & at low tide, parts of it protrude above the waterline. I believe the USS Arizona is still, officially, listed as part of the US Navy Fleet, & has never been de-commissioned, something to do with the fact that the remains of over 1,100 (ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED) Sailors bodies remain trapped in the hull.

Fantastic photo Dawn, thank you, it shows it so much better than I tried to describe.

The platform to the right is where the Launch that collects you from the shore berths.

Once on the Memorial, there is an incredible & collective mood of respect.

One interesting thing - & I hope this does not offend anyone - but I would estimate (though this was 25 years ago or so), that over half of the Tourists who visit Hawaii, & that includes the various War Memorials, are Japanese. There seemed, to me anyway, to be a sort of bonding, too.

Anyway, I've made my mind up now, I'm gonna go back there.

[RED-DOG]

This is the story of the USS Phoenix, christened 'The luckiest ship in the navy'.

Her story however has an unexpected post- script. Without googling, do you know, or can you guess what it is?


Her name was USS Phoenix (CL-46), a light cruiser of the Brooklyn class that her crew came to call the ‘‘luckiest ship in the Navy.” Despite heavy involvement in action throughout World War II, she would sustain few casualties among the crew and never receive more than minor damage. That luck would hold for over 40 years.

With a main armament of 15 six-inch guns, the 10,000-ton ship was launched in March 1938 and commissioned seven months later. Assigned to the Pacific Fleet, she would be moored at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Kentucky-born Clellan Keefe had just been transferred from one of the main gun turrets to an anti-aircraft battery, and was below decks on that lazy Sunday morning.

‘‘Everybody was late getting up; it was a holiday routine,” said Keefe in an interview 55 years later. ‘‘That morning I had a cup of coffee and was looking out the porthole and saw a big explosion go off by the ships on battleship row. I thought the Army was putting on a show, but after three or four bombs I realized it was for real.”

In short order the word was passed: ‘‘Man your battle stations. This is no drill.” Right away, two things began to happen. ‘‘They passed the word to strip ship, which means that anything you don’t need you throw overboard. If a bomb hits it, the shrapnel will kill you,” said Keefe. ‘‘They were opening the magazine lockers at the same time. They kept those locked except for drills or emergencies.”

The Phoenix was by herself just off Aiea, on the opposite side of Ford Island from the channel out into the Pacific. She was closer to a batch of destroyers and the hospital ship Solace than to Battleship Row, main target of the Japanese.

The destruction there was witnessed by John Simmons, a Calvert County resident who was due for assignment back on the mainland. At 7:55 a.m., Simmons was finishing up his watch guarding ‘‘a large metal building” across from the battleships, he said in a 1996 interview. ‘‘I don’t know what the contents were — all I know is we were supposed to guard it.”

He saw the first aircraft approach, but didn’t know he was watching the start of a war. ‘‘I saw the first squadron of dive bombers that started to peel off and dive on Ford Island,” Simmons said. ‘‘At first, I thought it was our own Navy planes, because before they had done practice raids, and the planes were painted the same color as ours. When we saw the rising suns on the planes, and then of course when the bombs started exploding, we knew that it was a real attack.”

On the Phoenix, Keefe knew it was the Japanese when ‘‘I saw one of them flying by in a low plane with a big grin on his face. That’s when I knew who they were.”

He saw the massive explosion that killed over 1,000 Sailors on the USS Arizona, but from that distance, ‘‘There wasn’t much noise. It was more like a rumble, not a loud sharp noise. I didn’t feel any concussion from it, either. It was too much underwater.”

Simmons was much closer: ‘‘It was a terrible noise, and of course after the fire started there were other explosions that followed when the ammunition blew up.”

Carpenter’s Mate John Bossert, seven decks down in the USS Maryland, two ships forward of the Arizona, felt the concussion. ‘‘I thought it was a hit on our ship,” he said. The Maryland was spared heavy damage because it was inboard of USS Oklahoma, which took the brunt of the attack. The Oklahoma was struck by five torpedoes and capsized.

Simmons had to stay on guard, and while ‘‘there wasn’t much that I could do,” he could help Sailors from the Arizona. ‘‘A few of the men jumped into the harbor and were swimming across to where we were, and they were covered with fuel oil,” Simmons said. ‘‘The only thing we had was paper towels to help them get cleaned up and get the oil out of their eyes. Then they went off to a first aid station and we didn’t see them after that.”

Keefe saw the oil from his station on the Phoenix, which by now was firing all eight of its five-inch anti-aircraft guns as well as its eight machine guns at the Japanese attackers. ‘‘Most of our five-inch ammunition was bad, and every time we fired a five-inch gun it wouldn’t burst,” he said. ‘‘Unless you actually hit a plane, it just kept on going. I think we actually bombed Honolulu.”

Eventually, it became a blur: ‘‘I can’t remember what was going on in the second wave. We were busy getting the ship ready. You spent most of your time just belting ammunition and getting it out of the magazines.”

The Phoenix was one of the few ships to get underway during the attack, and suffered little damage. ‘‘It didn’t get a hit,” said Keefe. ‘‘We said it was the luckiest ship in the Navy.”

Aiming to join other ships outside the harbor, Phoenix was blocked by USS Nevada, which had been beached at Hospital Point after its famous sortie. ‘‘The captain (Capt. H.E. Fischer) turned the ship around and came back the other way,” said Keefe. ‘‘Turning in that small space was a work of art.”

Phoenix, two other cruisers and a dozen destroyers formed a small task force off Pearl Harbor that ‘‘prowled around a bit to see what we could find, but there were no other ships out there,” Keefe stated, ‘‘so we came back to Pearl Harbor.”

With the attack over, the first priority was saving lives. Bossert, who appropriately for a Maryland crew member was a native of Baltimore, was part of the work party that helped rescue Sailors trapped on the overturned Oklahoma. It was a delicate task.

‘‘The Navy yard sent over blueprints, so that we could mark off where the oil tanks were,” said Bossert. ‘‘We also had to take into account letting all the air out and drowning everyone. We couldn’t just indiscriminately cut holes.”

A total of 2,335 American military men and women died that day. Another 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians died, with another 35 wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or seriously damaged; except for three, all would eventually rejoin the fleet.

Two — the Arizona and the Utah — remain today at Pearl Harbor, memorials to all who died that day. The third, the Oklahoma, was raised but declared unsalvageable. After the war, she sank while being towed to California for scrapping.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was the first on American soil since the War of 1812. Except for the Japanese occupation of two small Alaskan islands during the war, it would be the last until September 11, 2001. The count of dead and wounded is exceeded only by 9⁄11.

The Phoenix would earn nine battle stars during the war, all from action in the Pacific, including invasions of New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, New Britain, Biak Island, and Morotai in the Molucca Islands. She heavily bombarded beaches for the invasion of the Philippines, fought in the Battle of Surigao Strait and survived several intense kamikaze attacks almost untouched. Her luck held.

Phoenix was on her way to Pearl Harbor for overhaul when Japan surrendered, and she was reduced to reserve status on Feb. 28, 1946. On July 3 of that year, USS Phoenix was decommissioned.

[david3103]

Is it a floating casino somewhere?

[RED-DOG]

Is it a floating casino somewhere?

Good try, but no.

[david3103]

Is it a floating casino somewhere?

Good try, but no.

I know that now - I had my one shot and then went off to consult Mr Google. No further comments on it from me for fear of giving it away.

[AndrewT]

Answer was on QI.

[MereNovice]

Breaking cricket news.

In typical style, Virender Sehwag has just thrown away his wicket instead of batting out the overs for India v West Indies in the 4th ODI.

[RED-DOG]

Answer was on QI.

Yes it was. There was also another amazing fact right near the end that I wanted to talk about, but I've forgotten what it was now.

[MereNovice]

Answer was on QI.

That's where I learnt it too. It surprised me.

[RED-DOG]

OK. Here's the rest of the story.




Phoenix was on her way to Pearl Harbor for overhaul when Japan surrendered, and she was reduced to reserve status on Feb. 28, 1946. On July 3 of that year, USS Phoenix was decommissioned.

Luck followed her there, too. Avoiding the scrapyard, the Phoenix was sold to Argentina in 1951. In that nation’s navy, she was called first the Diecisiete de Octubre (October 17) and then the General Belgrano, in honor of General Manuel Belgrano, who had fought for Argentine independence from 1811 to 1819.

It was as the General Belgrano that the ship’s luck finally ran out. On May 2, 1982, she was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War. She remains the only ship ever sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine.

[tikay]

Breaking cricket news.

In typical style, Virender Sehwag has just thrown away his wicket instead of batting out the overs for India v West Indies in the 4th ODI.

Did we have a bet on the game, Vince?

Hope you are well, by the way. Soon be c---------, can't wait.......

[tikay]

OK. Here's the rest of the story.




Phoenix was on her way to Pearl Harbor for overhaul when Japan surrendered, and she was reduced to reserve status on Feb. 28, 1946. On July 3 of that year, USS Phoenix was decommissioned.

Luck followed her there, too. Avoiding the scrapyard, the Phoenix was sold to Argentina in 1951. In that nation’s navy, she was called first the Diecisiete de Octubre (October 17) and then the General Belgrano, in honor of General Manuel Belgrano, who had fought for Argentine independence from 1811 to 1819.

It was as the General Belgrano that the ship’s luck finally ran out. On May 2, 1982, she was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War. She remains the only ship ever sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine.

Fantastic twist in the tail!

They sure build them boats to last, eh?