SAILORS' SAD SALUTE

NY Post ^ | MARIA ALVAREZ

[Jim Robinson]

You could be right. I believe the picture I posted above was snapped sometime in the seventies. Here is what she looked like with the five inchers while I was aboard:

By the way, we melted those barrels down more than once hurling five inchers into Vietnam in prolonged rapid fire action. Our ship received a Navy Unit Commendation for our actions over there.

Anyway, the following is posted on the Hull's website:

Ex - USS Hull (DD-945) Sunk On April 7, 1998
Commissioned on July 3,1958, USS Hull, a Forrest Sherman-class ship, was one of the last destroyers designed and built with an all-gun configuration. As the USN test ship for the experimental Mk 71 8-inch/55 major caliber lightweight gun from 1975 to 1979, Hull was the only destroyer ever to mount an 8-inch gun. The veteran of 20 Vietnam combat patrols made her final sacrifice on April 7, 1998 not in the breaker's yard, but in the eastern Pacific Ocean as a testbed in the development of new weapons employment tactics. She served her country well.

http://www.plateau.net/usndd/dd945/index.html?

[Gumlegs]

This is where I was.

[Gumlegs]

The new pic clearly shows a 5" 54 as the forward mount. I believe the first shot you posted shows the experimental 8" because of the unique "gumdrop-with-a-tailfin" appearance of the housing.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Pearl Harbor Tribute in USO Canteen Today


Stop in and help support our military, their families and Vets!
Come on by and meet some very Patriotic FReepers.
See great graphics and posts and have a few laughs along the way.
New Thread Every Day!

[Jim Robinson]

Hmmmm... looks like the link to the graphic doesn't work.

[Gumlegs]

Arrrgh! It worked when I tested it. It worked when I posted it. And it worked when I checked back the first time. When I checked back to read your post ... it didn't work. Let me try again ... with a different image.