Oriskany to be sunk near Pensacola

Ogden Johnson III wrote:

Mike didn't post a link, just quoted from the story.

Here are some links. (If your news reader splits the line, you may need to
cut and past.)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=oriskany+sunk+pensacola&btnG=Google+Search

--
John Miller
Email address: domain, n4vu.com; username, jsm

Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the
incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
-G.B. Shaw

Somebody re-post the link to this story, please. I'd like a shot at helping
to sink it.

--Woody


http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=12680

From: "Doug \"Woody\" and Erin Beal"
Date: 4/6/2004 14:50 Pacific Daylight Time

Somebody re-post the link to this story, please. I'd like a shot at helping
to sink it.

As already stated, I just quoted part of the AP release which came via my own
AOL link for news -- which apparently doesn't work well for "linking" to
non-AOL users.

However, go to:

http://news.google.com/

and type in "Oriskany" and multiple releases of this current news story will
pop up.

MW

Somebody re-post the link to this story, please. I'd like a shot at helping
to sink it.

--Woody


Pensacola beat out a number of communities to land the USS Oriskany, the Navy
and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller announced Monday.
The aircraft carrier will be sunk in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles off
Pensacola and become an artificial reef. It is the first time a ship this size
has been sunk deliberately to become a reef.

The ship is in Corpus Christi, Texas, undergoing preparations. It could be
towed here and sunk in three to four months. Preparations include stripping it
of contaminants.
News of the Navy's decision spread quickly Monday afternoon.
Miller was in Pensacola when he received word from the secretary of the Navy.
He immediately notified Jack Fetterman, the retired vice admiral who led
efforts on the federal level to get the Oriskany.
"You are talking to a man who is euphoric," Fetterman said. "The aircraft
carrier longs to be put in a resting place off of Pensacola, the Cradle of
Naval Aviation," said Fetterman, who also is chief executive officer of the
Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.
Monday's announcement followed more than a year of lobbying by military, local
and state officials and civic groups.
"There have been many people who have worked long hours to bring this to the
forefront," said Miller, R-Chumuckla, who said Pensacola's rich history in
Naval aviation played a major role in the decision.
The overriding factor, though, was that Pensacola's application provided "the
best value to the U.S. government," said Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman for Naval Sea
Systems Command Inactive Ships Program, the group that reviewed applications
and made the decision.
Officials reviewed applications from Florida, Texas, Mississippi, South
Carolina and Georgia. There were approximately 10 criteria upon which each
applicant was judged.
The state has a sinking permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. It has an
active reef-monitoring program and the Escambia County site plan showed a high
degree of public support, Dolan said.
The Oriskany was one of the Navy's most heavily used aircraft carriers during
the Vietnam War. Dozens of Oriskany pilots, including U.S. Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., were shot down and held as prisoners of war.
One local, former crewman, retired Navy Cmdr. Robert Price, 57, was a yeoman
onboard the Oriskany in 1966 during a catastrophic fire that killed 44 sailors
including two of his co-workers.
"I don't have the words to describe how happy this makes me feel as an
ex-crewman. To have something that means so much to me so close," said Price,
who lives in South Santa Rosa County, east of Gulf Breeze.
Fetterman, along with other local leaders, said this is a major coup for the
area's economy, its environment and history.
Business and tourism officials say divers and fishermen will flock to the site.
Scuba divers such as Scott Bartkowski are thrilled efforts paid off to get the
vessel.
"It's the greatest thing to happen in this area," said Bartkowski, a reef
engineer, scuba diver and former Navy navigator.
"The ship will have a tremendous impact economically on the county and area
because it will be a fantastic diving venue," said Bartkowski, president of
Gulf Breeze-based Artificial Reefs Inc.
Many of the area's divers, he said, are active-duty and former military who
will jump at the chance to dive the aircraft carrier.
County Commissioner Bill Dickson said it is a great day for the community and
region. Dickson, along with Marine Resources Chief Robert Turpin, began the
process more than a year ago to bring the ship to the area for its final
resting place on the flat, sandy bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
"A reef of this size will attract a quantity and diversity of marine life out
there that we wouldn't see in any other artificial reef in the northern Gulf of
Mexico. This will truly be a world-class artificial reef," Turpin said.
Before anyone is able to explore the Oriskany's watery grave, the county must
make good on its offer to raise at least $1 million to help offset the Navy's
cost of preparing the ship.
A number of unresolved environmental, towing and sinking issues will have a
bearing on the final price tag, he said.
Approximately $370,000 of the $1 million has been raised from the following
sources:
$250,000 from Escambia County marine resources.
$50,000 in private donations.
$50,000 from Okaloosa County.
$20,000 from a federal artificial reef grant.
The rest could come from Escambia County's share of bed-tax revenues, Turpin
said.
"We are committed to $1 million, and no doubt we will go ahead and raise
additional funds because we don't want to be in a situation that we are short,"
he said.
The Navy will pay a bulk of the cost. It has committed $2.8 million to the
project. Of that, $2.1 million has been dedicated to cleaning and preparing the
ship for scuttling.
Larry Wheeler of the News Journal's Washington bureau and staff reporter Sean
Smith contributed to this report.
A brief history of the USS Oriskany, which is to be sunk as an artificial reef
this year off the coast of Escambia County.
1945: Launched, New York Naval Shipyard.
1950: Commissioned, New York Naval Shipyard.
1952: Arrives at new home port, San Diego.
1952-53: Combat operations off Korea.
1953: "The Bridges of Toko Ri" filmed aboard the Oriskany.
1958-59: Angled flight deck added during a major renovation, San Francisco Bay
Naval Shipyard.
1963: President Kennedy witnesses operational readiness demonstration aboard
the Oriskany in San Diego.
1965: First combat operations off Vietnam.
1966: Magazine fire kills 44 crew members off Vietnam; arrives at new home
port, Alameda, Calif.
1967: Assists USS Forrestal when fire strikes that carrier off Vietnam.
1968: Overhaul and repairs, San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard.
1969-1973: Combat operations off Vietnam.
1975-76: Final cruise in western Pacific.
1976: Decommissioned, Alameda, Calif.
1995: Sold for scrap, Vallejo, Calif.
1997: Scrap contractor defaults, repossessed by Navy.
1999: Towed to Beaumount, Texas.
2003: Efforts under way to have Escambia County selected as site for sinking of
decommissioned ship. Cities in other states also make bids.
2004: Towed to Corpus Christi, Texas, to be cleaned and prepared for use as
artificial reef.
2004: Escambia County selected as site for sinking.
Sources: U.S. Navy, Oriskany Reunion Association
New program:
The sinking of the Oriskany is the first in a new Navy program to dispose of
surplus vessels by turning them into artificial reefs.

The Navy has committed $2.8 million to the project. Of that, $2.1 million has
been dedicated to cleaning and preparing the ship for scuttling. That process
is under way in Corpus Christi, Texas. Escambia County officials have pledged
$1 million, including a $50,000 contribution from Okaloosa County, for any
added cleaning costs to meet state regulations and to make the ship safe for
divers.
The decommissioned aircraft carrier will be sunk about 25 miles southeast of
Pensacola Pass. Once on the bottom, the ship will become a habitat for marine
life and is expected to boost fishing and underwater diving activity.
Selection factors:
According to information provided to state reef program managers, Naval
officials weighed many factors before deciding where to sink the USS Oriskany.
Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia also sought the vessel. The
factors depend on:
Potential for improving marine habitat and opportunities for fishing and
diving.
Plans to manage the reefed ship.
Local cost-sharing.
Public support.
The region's Naval heritage.

Any idea which other carriers?
Quote from AP---
",,,the Navy this summer also will begin taking applications for 24 other
ships including three aircraft carriers, the USS Forrestal, USS Independence
and USS Constellation, said Patricia Dolan, spokeswoman for the Naval Sea
Systems Command. Each displaces more than twice the Oriskany's 27,100 tons.

The 888-foot Oriskany is the first vessel in a new program designed to dispose
of obsolete warships by sinking them as a cheaper alternative to the scrap
yard."

SFBobby- AP story says: "Forrestal, Independence and Constellation". No
mention of Sara
and Ranger! I thought Connie nad the Big 'I' were in "ready-Reserve".
BRBR

I would have guessed the Sara would be one of the first, since it has sme
experience in 'sinking'..;-l)
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye Phlyer

snip

Somebody re-post the link to this story, please. I'd like a shot at
helping
to sink it.

--Woody


Woody, did you do time on the Connie?

On 4/7/04 8:37 PM, in article ,
"MATHEW BOGUE" wrote:


Woody, did you do time on the Connie?



Only a CQ det about 2 1/2 years ago. Cruised on Vinson, Kitty Hawk, Nimitz,
T.R.

CQ'ed on Lex (T-2, TA-4, A-6E--even night traps), Ranger (twice), Kennedy,
Connie (a COMPTUEX assist with CVW-2 and a CQ as a reservist).

--Woody

Accchhhh! m'wee bairns...I'll give y'warp factor eight and maybe a wee
bit more...

Mike Weeks... step forward laddie... have y'tried bull****ting the
people on this thread by pretending t'be a "jet fighter pilot" like
Kevin Brooks caught you bull****ting aboot the same thing... tsk!
tsk!.. m'wee bairn...the "self esteem" problems that cause you to go
swaggering aboot like a "jet jock"...



MIKE WEEKS, USS LIBERTY USS LIBERTY MURDERS ISRAEL AHRON JAY CRISTOL
A. JAY CRISTOL GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL GOI IDF THE LIBERTY INCIDENT
ASSAULT ON THE LIBERTY JIM ENNES JAMES ENNES JAMES A. ENNES JOE
MEADORS WAR CRIME stan engel shipfixr dn roberta hatch sheldon
lieberman little_people Ward Boston Admiral Thomas Moorer Robert
McNamara LBJ 30mm with proximity fusing 30mm cannon with
proximity fusing 30mm cannon shell with proximity fusing


kevin brooks said this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:...g.goog le.com

"No idea, but a good point. Heck, I am still waiting for ol' Mikey to
tell me of his vast experience in dealing with "arrogant jet jockeys",
since he made such a big deal of it. Odd how he gets rather quiet when
called upon his own "qualifications"."

Bwaaaaahaaa! LOL!!! ROTFLMAO!!!

C'mon mikey... tell an old scot your qualifications, laddie!

Acccch!!! M'wee bairns… I'll give y'warp factor eight and maybe a wee
bit more…

The following message has been designed to prevent Mike Weeks from
engaging in conduct on this thread THAT HE has engaged in on the
threads where the USS Liberty survivors gather….

….and to follow Zionist Mike Weeks, who got caught by Kevin Brooks
pretending on the Google Groups pretending to be a US Naval "jet
fighter pilot"...

…just like Week's good buddy, A. Jay Cristol(Ahron Jay Cristol),
author of "The Liberty Incident" has BEEN CAUGHT pretending to be a
"jet fighter pilot" who "flew combat missions in the Far East" during
the Korean War and who served as an officer in US Naval Intelligence
when in reality…

…Mike Weeks is IN ACTUALITY … a US Naval reservist…and "no";he's not
the "jet fighter pilot" he got caught pretending to be ….. he is
"computer operator" AND…

"the Korean War… snicker…heroooo",A. Jay Cristol never came within
thousands of miles of any combat… and he graduated from "flight
training school" only 90 days before the Korean War ended before he
sat his fat little rump down in the cockpit seat …not of his
...snicker… "jet fighter"… but instead a "Turkey Prop".. the US Navy's
slowest plane… and "no"… he never served in US Naval Intelligence
unless perhaps it was in the kitchen of the mess halls peeling
potatoes as punishment for bull****ting about his "war record"




Mike Weeks, who ALONG WITH HIS BUDDY, A. Jay Cristol, is actively
involved in helping the Government of Israel cover up the murder of 34
of his fellow countrymen…

In the following messages on this thread, you'll be able to determine
for yourself to just what extent, if any, Mike Weeks is a traitor to
both his country and fellow computer oper… er.. fellow servicemen in
the US Military
…

…but first to give you a snapshot of just what kind of individual it
is who ends up betraying his fellow Americans…. We'll repeat the "self
esteem" problems Mike Weeks has which cause him to pretend to be a
"jet fighter pilot" as Wing Commander of "The Data Entry Squadron"…


Hey, Mikey…. M'wee bairn… point oot t'the ladies the hyperlink Kevin
Brooks is talking aboot where he caught you bull****ting aboot being a
"jet fighter pilot"…

kevin brooks said this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:...g.goog le.com

"No idea, but a good point. Heck, I am still waiting for ol' Mikey to
tell me of his vast experience in dealing with "arrogant jet jockeys",
since he made such a big deal of it. Odd how he gets rather quiet when
called upon his own "qualifications"."



Odd how he gets rather quiet when
called upon his own "qualifications".


Odd how he gets rather quiet when
called upon his own "qualifications".


Heck, I am still waiting for ol' Mikey to
tell me of his vast experience in dealing with "arrogant jet jockeys",
since he made such a big deal of it.

since he made such a big deal of it.

since he made such a big deal of it.



Odd how he gets rather quiet when
called upon his own "qualifications".


since he made such a big deal of it.







ojunk (Mike Weeks) wrote in message ...
From: "Doug \"Woody\" and Erin Beal"
Date: 4/6/2004 14:50 Pacific Daylight Time

Somebody re-post the link to this story, please. I'd like a shot at helping
to sink it.

As already stated, I just quoted part of the AP release which came via my own
AOL link for news -- which apparently doesn't work well for "linking" to
non-AOL users.

However, go to:

http://news.google.com/

and type in "Oriskany" and multiple releases of this current news story will
pop up.

MW