I was stationed on the DD-951 and around 1975 while we were underway between SD and Long Beach. We were cruising at around 25 knots when one of these came up from behind us, did a circle around us then it just left us behind like we were stopped. That speed sure looked good. A few years later there was one of these at SIMA S.D. up on the pier with the front wing folded back the wrong way because it had hit a whale. If memory serves me the boat had been being used by the USCG for a test to see if they could use them when the whale committed suicide. I think that a few crew were injured by the sudden stop also.
That would have been USCGC Flagstaff. I understand she never worked right after that, in part because there were few spares available for her unique systems.
What the Navy never did understand is that HSVs need regular M&R. They balked at the shoreside support unit all the time they were in service. Even the older PGs got an AGP ex-LST when they went to the Med. All of that should be lessons learned for LCS. Let's see now: optimal (minimal) crew, limited spares onboard, fwd deployed, mission mods swapout, and NO forward logisitic ship planned~ Oh well maybe there will be a friendly port?
I was stationed on the DD-951 and around 1975 while we were underway between SD and Long Beach. We were cruising at around 25 knots when one of these came up from behind us, did a circle around us then it just left us behind like we were stopped.
ReplyDeleteThat speed sure looked good.
A few years later there was one of these at SIMA S.D. up on the pier with the front wing folded back the wrong way because it had hit a whale.
If memory serves me the boat had been being used by the USCG for a test to see if they could use them when the whale committed suicide.
I think that a few crew were injured by the sudden stop also.
That would have been USCGC Flagstaff. I understand she never worked right after that, in part because there were few spares available for her unique systems.
ReplyDelete'kaayy..the AIM option just leaves gibberish as a signature. Let's see how this works.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Navy never did understand is that HSVs need regular M&R. They balked at the shoreside support unit all the time they were in service. Even the older PGs got an AGP ex-LST when they went to the Med.
ReplyDeleteAll of that should be lessons learned for LCS. Let's see now: optimal (minimal) crew, limited spares onboard, fwd deployed, mission mods swapout, and NO forward logisitic ship planned~
Oh well maybe there will be a friendly port?