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Alert: 8 Sailors hurt onboard The U.S.S John F. Kennedy
ABC Radio News | 04 Feb 2002 | trueblackman

Posted on 02/04/2002 10:35:12 AM PST by Trueblackman

8 Sailor where reportedly hurt onboard The U.S.S. John F. Kennedy CV-67 during a refueling at sea when helm control was lost onboard The JFK.


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To: Trueblackman
Refueling at sea can be a scary operation, and we largely did it at night under the glow of red lights.

The fun was increased one moonless night when a Soviet Kashin-class frigate decided to run in between us and the oiler USS Sierra. There was diesel fuel everywhere and I and a bunch of my shipmates nearly were decapitated when the guy line was popped in an emergency breakaway. That experience taught me that sailors can end up being just as dead as Force Recon Marines and SEALs who find hostile fire.

My prayers go out for the sailors on the JFK. We sailed with her for nearly nine months a long time ago........

21 posted on 02/04/2002 10:51:18 AM PST by tracer
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To: Non-Sequitur
Is she the oldest nuclear carrier? I'm sorry to belabor this, but I thought I saw something on her recently and now it will drive me crazy until I figure out WHAT it was that stood out in my mind (old age is hell!)
22 posted on 02/04/2002 10:52:38 AM PST by Endeavor
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To: Redcloak
Why JFK (CV-67) is MIA
23 posted on 02/04/2002 10:52:49 AM PST by aomagrat
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To: Endeavor
Isn't it the oldest aircraft carrier in the fleet?

Fourth oldest, commissioned 7 September 1968; younger than Kitty Hawk, 29 April 1961; Constellation, 27 October 1961; and Enterprise, 25 November 1961.

24 posted on 02/04/2002 10:53:19 AM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: Trueblackman
Heck, this ship has problems. I served on her sister, the USS America (CV-66) and she has been decomissioned and is now in a drydock in Philly waiting for the burning torches. There is a group trying to save her, but we will see.

Seems like the Kennedy has some real trouble. CO relieved, failed an INSURV, and loss of helm control sufficient to cause uncontrolled course changes leading to injury is bad, real bad.

These older carriers (we used to call them black oil ships as opposed to Nuclear (this was in the '60s)) before the advent of DFM, are NOT being given the money to properly upkeep hull and engineering, let alone anything else. They apparently were run down and then ignored along with everything else during X42's watch.

Not to leave anyone out, there was a problem during the '80's with funding, left over from the Carter debacle. The BB's, which could have done some good with terrorist suppression other coastal fire support, are gone, victim of the backlash over the Iowa turret II explosion, which wasn't exactly a stellar era for Naval PR, nor its training records.

It really seems to me that a LOT of money went for grand social experiments, PR, and gee-whiz, and not enough either for training or to maintain what may be required in the terrorist fight. Once deteriorated, it is extremely hard to recondition a large ship, and the powers that be have evidently staked their hand on the Nimitz-Class Nuclear carriers, to the complete exclusion of the needs of the older carriers which could have been kept up.

Keep the Faith for Freedom

MAY GOD BLESS AND PROTECT THIS HONORABLE REPUBLIC

Greg

25 posted on 02/04/2002 10:54:50 AM PST by gwmoore
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To: Trueblackman
Putting a group of ill trained kids on a ship that is falling apart around them is not right at all.

Very, very true. A note on this the Helmsman lost control but I would guess steering was somewhat restored in minutes possibly seconds. A carrier has two rudders and each rudder has a snipe stationed at the actual steering gear to take over manual steering in event control is lost. If the hydraulics system at the steering gear was a problem then it may well have taken longer.

26 posted on 02/04/2002 10:56:17 AM PST by cva66snipe
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To: Endeavor
Kennedy is the youngest conventionally powered boat. The Enterprise is the oldest nuke.
27 posted on 02/04/2002 10:57:51 AM PST by SMEDLEYBUTLER
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To: Endeavor
Is she the oldest nuclear carrier?

JFK CV-67 & AMERICA CV-66 were origionally proposed as nukes. AMERICA's plans were origionally nuke it was changed early in building. The war in Nam heated up and LBJ made them conventionals.

28 posted on 02/04/2002 11:00:10 AM PST by cva66snipe
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To: Trueblackman
My brother in law is a Navy pilot. The JFK is scheduled to pull out any day now (I think) with him on board. He is leaving this week for 6 months. I don't think he is on there yet though. I certainly hope those hurt today will be ok. I’ll be praying for them and their families.

My sister is privately upset he has to be on this ship, but she is trying not to worry. I bet this will be upsetting news for her.

Prayers for our military everyday and always here in our home.

29 posted on 02/04/2002 11:01:02 AM PST by SpookBrat
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To: cva66snipe
Good afternoon, cva66snipe.

I was just commenting below (#25) and saw your post. Darn it, these ships SHOULDN'T be in the shape they have reached.

The problem is, once you have a seriously deteriorated ship, it just can't be brought back 100%. Someone messed up badly on this one (X42). We need this kind of force availablity if this "war" gets any bigger, and we just won't have it, in either personnel or ships, readily available.

There was a time, as we all know, when the 66 was the best in the fleet, no real contenders for the title ;-) We were proud to serve aboard her.

Keep the Faith for Freedom

MAY GOD BLESS AND PROTECT THIS HONORABLE REPUBLIC

Greg

30 posted on 02/04/2002 11:04:44 AM PST by gwmoore
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To: gwmoore
There are a group of lawmakers most of them Republicans who have been pushing for The America to be recommissioned as a fulltime training carrier. They are upset to the fact that one of the fleet carriers has to be used as a stop gap when The JKF is either away on being repaired. Fleet Carriers where basically ran into the ground during the Clinton Years!!!
31 posted on 02/04/2002 11:04:58 AM PST by Trueblackman
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To: gwmoore
It really seems to me that a LOT of money went for grand social experiments, PR, and gee-whiz, and not enough either for training or to maintain what may be required in the terrorist fight.

Absolutely! While the Kennedy was begging for money in 1996, my ship was in the shipyard, undergoing a multi-million dollar redesign of the berthing spaces to accommodate women. I think the money could have better served the navy by fixing the Kennedy instead of being spent on social engineering experiments.

32 posted on 02/04/2002 11:05:11 AM PST by aomagrat
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To: Trueblackman
Sorry about those typos Freepers.
33 posted on 02/04/2002 11:06:34 AM PST by Trueblackman
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To: CA-kgrif
I think we need to crank up the ship building yards. /These ships are old, old, old!!!
34 posted on 02/04/2002 11:06:49 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: SMEDLEYBUTLER
Seems like a lot of rust picking to do on those oldies.But they still outperform any French aircraft carrier. Why are the gunwhales of a French ship lined with trees?
35 posted on 02/04/2002 11:06:54 AM PST by Barry Goldwater
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To: Trueblackman
I for one, support this 100%. It would be great after 31 years to walk up the afterbrow again ;-)

Greg

36 posted on 02/04/2002 11:07:53 AM PST by gwmoore
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To: aomagrat
I wonder if this is what happened to Surface Warfare, period. All the money for berthing and accomodation for women & PR shows, and zero for actual operational upkeep. This, truly, is an X42 pattern, with actual thought processes supplied by the Hildebeest.

Greg

37 posted on 02/04/2002 11:10:22 AM PST by gwmoore
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To: gwmoore
I was just commenting below (#25) and saw your post. Darn it, these ships SHOULDN'T be in the shape they have reached. The problem is, once you have a seriously deteriorated ship, it just can't be brought back 100%. Someone messed up badly on this one (X42). We need this kind of force availablity if this "war" gets any bigger, and we just won't have it, in either personnel or ships, readily available.

By Mid Summer 1993 the AMERICA was as bad off as the KENNEDY is now I'll ping you to an article in a thread as soon as I find it again. She did 3 MEDS in 3 years.

38 posted on 02/04/2002 11:10:33 AM PST by cva66snipe
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To: cva66snipe
Thanks for the info. You guys are the best.
39 posted on 02/04/2002 11:11:06 AM PST by Endeavor
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To: Trueblackman
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we and possibly the British are the only nation that has the know-how when it comes to high seas refueling on the go. Anyone have the real poop on this?
40 posted on 02/04/2002 11:11:37 AM PST by semaj
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