Military Affairs & History

[Freddy Rumsen]

https://twitter.com/PaulGAllen/status/8 ... 2451653632

[Kaiser]

Now what?

Hunt down the sharks that fled to Argentina

[tifosi77]

Didn't see this story posted in here before I shared it in PDT, my bad.

Almost ever MSM story I saw on this failed to note anything about the sharks. Which is kind of burying the lede imo.

[dodint]

No worries, every commenter ever is just people parroting quotes from Jaws.

Lines they didn't write, spoken by a fictional person that wasn't there. Some tribute.

[tifosi77]

It's a great pop culture reference (which I know isn't your forte); the best scene in one of the best movies in American history, making reference to an obscure ship sinking that resulted in a loss of life that is largely unknown.

Let's just say it's probably fair to guess that 99% of people who know of the Indianapolisdidn't get their knowledge from the Stacy Keach TV movie.

[DigitalGypsy66]

There's also a Nic Cage movie from last year...that can't be good, can it?

[columbia]

His last good movie was "Valley Girl."

[stillgeezer]

They had a good documentary about the ship on the History Channel a few years ago (before it became a cheesy reality show channel). I may be off on a few details but a lot of guys died from exposure, exhaustion, dehydration etc. They were in the water for days (3?) with some guys that didn't even have life jackets. The Navy scapegoated the captain for not zig-zagging even though most experts believe that made no difference. The captain committed suicide years after after the war. The Japanese sub commander testified at the captain's court martial that zig zagging wouldn't have made any difference.
Three Navy installations received and ignored the Indy's distress transmissions. At one the CO was drunk, at another the CO told crew he wasn't to be disturbed while sleeping and a 3rd CO ignored the signal because he thought it might be a Japanese trap. As far as I know none of these 3 Dbags were court martialed.

[dodint]

Source of the post (which I know isn't your forte)

I was going to counter-snark but choose to take this as a compliment instead.

[tifosi77]

Source of the post (which I know isn't your forte)

I was going to counter-snark but choose to take this as a compliment instead.

You know that was how it was intended.

[tifosi77]

They had a good documentary about the ship on the History Channel a few years ago (before it became a cheesy reality show channel). I may be off on a few details but a lot of guys died from exposure, exhaustion, dehydration etc. They were in the water for days (3?) with some guys that didn't even have life jackets. The Navy scapegoated the captain for not zig-zagging even though most experts believe that made no difference. The captain committed suicide years after after the war. The Japanese sub commander testified at the captain's court martial that zig zagging wouldn't have made any difference.
Three Navy installations received and ignored the Indy's distress transmissions. At one the CO was drunk, at another the CO told crew he wasn't to be disturbed while sleeping and a 3rd CO ignored the signal because he thought it might be a Japanese trap. As far as I know none of these 3 Dbags were court martialed.

The long running myth was that, owing to the secrecy of the mission from which they were returning (delivering bits of the Fat Man atomic bomb), the captain was under orders to not transmit a distress signal in the event of trouble. Which doesn't seem to make sense, when you think about it. On the delivery leg, sure. But they weren't even technically on that mission anymore at the time of the sinking; they had even stopped off in Guam to resupply and pick up some new crew, and were traversing to the Philippines.

Two things stand out about McVay:
- Despite the court martial (sentence remitted), he still made flag rank upon retirement (which seems an odd time for that);
- He is apparently the only CO in the history of the US Navy who lost a ship to enemy action in war to be court martialed for it. (I've seen this claim narrowed to cover just WW2, too. So I'm not sure which is accurate)

[tifosi77]

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, has been relieved of command. When was the last time a fleet commander was relieved of command?

[Dickie Dunn]

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, has been relieved of command. When was the last time a fleet commander was relieved of command?

Can't think of any off the top of my head. However, shortly before I reported to NNPTC the CO was arrested for offering an undercover police officer on Remount Road 20 bucks for some oral favors while wearing his dress blues. So I mean there's always that.

[tifosi77]

The US Navy: Reinforcing goofy stereotypes about itself since 1775.

[Freddy Rumsen]

When I had decided to join the military I was down to the Navy and the Marines. My Marine Corps recruiter sold me by merely pointing at the Navy recruiter across the hall and saying, "He spends 6 months of the year with dudes locked in a steel box."

[tifosi77]

Yeah, Marines only do it like every four or five years.

[Shyster]

True about the steel box. But it's an air-conditioned steel box that is typically located many, many miles away from anyone who would want to shoot at you. Although those steel boxes apparently have problems avoiding those deadly, deadly cargo ships as they putter along doing less than 20 knots.

[Dickie Dunn]

The shower bulkhead on a Navy vessel is a crusty place.

[dodint]

Better than a desert portajohn. Finish or pass out.

[shafnutz05]

The shower bulkhead on a Navy vessel is a crusty place.

Cutters aren't any better. One thing I do remember, there was always an ample supply of pr0n in the heads...of course, it was for general use

[DigitalGypsy66]

Pretty cool story on the last time propeller planes fought each other:

https://warisboring.com/the-last-time-p ... -for-real/

Honduras vs. El Salvador in 1969. Mustangs vs. Corsairs; C-47s throwing bombs out side doors etc. Good stuff.

[Old Baldy]

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, has been relieved of command. When was the last time a fleet commander was relieved of command?

Was just going to ask, is he the first to be relieved since CINCPAC Admiral Kimmel was after Pearl harbor?

Better than a desert portajohn. Finish or pass out.

Dude, you have to wait until immediately after the local contractors clean it out, be the first in line. Then it's like a sauna in there, you sweat all that dust out of your pores (albeit a harsh disinfectant chemical smelling sauna but better than the alternative)

[Shyster]

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, has been relieved of command. When was the last time a fleet commander was relieved of command?

Was just going to ask, is he the first to be relieved since CINCPAC Admiral Kimmel was after Pearl harbor?

I've done some Googling on the subject, and if a fleet-level admiral has been relieved of command since Admiral Kimmel in 1941, I've not been able to find it.

[Kaiser]

Better than a desert portajohn. Finish or pass out.

I admit i have given up due to heat exaustion.

[Freddy Rumsen]

https://twitter.com/BillGertz/status/902284518819741698