USS Fitzgerald

Surfref

PREMIER
My DD asked me on Saturday while driving home after refereeing 5 games why I seemed so impatient, distant and grumpy. Why, because two Navy Chiefs I know were stationed on the USS Fitzgerald and I had talked to them via email Thursday afternoon. I had no clue if they were alive or dead until Sunday evening. Both are alive and not injured. If I know them, they were at the front of the battle to save lives and keep that ship from sinking. I had briefly worked with one of the Sailors that died. He was a wonderful young man and had a promising career ahead of him. Please keep those seven Sailors that lost their lives in your prayers.

I have never been in a badly flooded compartment, but have had to fight my way out of a burning compartment at 3am. I feel great sadness for the loss of my shipmates on the Fitz and the guilt and anguish those that survived must be feeling. One of my Navy Chief friends posted this on Facebook to try and help his family and friends understand what we train for and have to sacrifice when a disaster such as fire or flooding occurs on a ship.....

Reposted From Another Chief:

Sailors joke about emergency egress training all the time... 'we will never need it'...

For my civilian family. You have all seen and heard about our Navy ship the USS FITZGERALD and it's horrific collision at sea. You have heard about the loss of seven Sailors. What you may not be able to understand is what happened in "real life." At the request of some, I will make this more real for you.

I want you to pretend all of this. Laying in bed at 0230 in the morning. Peaceful, with the hum of the fan and the gentle sway of your bed (imagine you are in a hammock of sorts). Or, you are on a quiet night shift, and suddenly- the most terrible noise comes out of no where, it's the sound of metal on metal, the ear bleeding collison alarm sounds, your bed will tip over, or tv flies across your the room, you are flung violently out of your bed onto the floor and within seconds your bedroom or office starts to flood. What you need to understand is that you have meer seconds to escape. You will grab anyone that you can and you will go, faster than you have ever gone. You will leave your clothes and all personal belongings behind. You will go to your assigned location (imagine meeting outside on the lawn of your house). This isn't a drill, this is real, that water will fill that berthing compartment filled with 50-100 Sailors in less than a minute...because what you don't know is that hole is massive. Your fight and flight instincts will kick in--because you have been trained for this very situation.

You will have to make sure that you get those doors to the berthing compartment closed, because if you don't your entire house (ship) will flood, you will in essence sink and lose more lives.. You have to get the doors closed....but once those doors shut because of flooding, they cannot be opened while at sea.
Ships sink because water gets in them. A choice was made- dog (the way doors are closed to be water tight) and weld the doors, or dog and chain the doors- sacfrice those in the berthing- for those fighting to save the ship.

The pain those Sailors are going through right now, the guilt that some may have because they couldn't save everyone, they had to close the doors, and keep them shut. The loss of their Shipmates, their friends, their possessions, their lives were changed in a matter of minutes. Their battle will forever be bittersweet, they saved that ship, they kept her from sinking...but they will have forever lost seven Sailors, Shipmates, brothers, sons, fathers, friends....amazing men that gave their life to our great country and United States Navy.

The Forward Deployed Naval Force in Japan is doing everything that they can to support this fighting ship, I am asking you....from the bottom of my heart to do something too. Send them a card, send toiletries, send clothing, send whatever you would like and if you cannot send anything--please send them your love, your prayers and thoughts of peace and strength. The ships information is below:

USS FITZGERALD
UNIT 100173 BOX 1
FPO, AP 96665-1280
 
My DD asked me on Saturday while driving home after refereeing 5 games why I seemed so impatient, distant and grumpy. Why, because two Navy Chiefs I know were stationed on the USS Fitzgerald and I had talked to them via email Thursday afternoon. I had no clue if they were alive or dead until Sunday evening. Both are alive and not injured. If I know them, they were at the front of the battle to save lives and keep that ship from sinking. I had briefly worked with one of the Sailors that died. He was a wonderful young man and had a promising career ahead of him. Please keep those seven Sailors that lost their lives in your prayers.

I have never been in a badly flooded compartment, but have had to fight my way out of a burning compartment at 3am. I feel great sadness for the loss of my shipmates on the Fitz and the guilt and anguish those that survived must be feeling. One of my Navy Chief friends posted this on Facebook to try and help his family and friends understand what we train for and have to sacrifice when a disaster such as fire or flooding occurs on a ship.....

Reposted From Another Chief:

Sailors joke about emergency egress training all the time... 'we will never need it'...

For my civilian family. You have all seen and heard about our Navy ship the USS FITZGERALD and it's horrific collision at sea. You have heard about the loss of seven Sailors. What you may not be able to understand is what happened in "real life." At the request of some, I will make this more real for you.

I want you to pretend all of this. Laying in bed at 0230 in the morning. Peaceful, with the hum of the fan and the gentle sway of your bed (imagine you are in a hammock of sorts). Or, you are on a quiet night shift, and suddenly- the most terrible noise comes out of no where, it's the sound of metal on metal, the ear bleeding collison alarm sounds, your bed will tip over, or tv flies across your the room, you are flung violently out of your bed onto the floor and within seconds your bedroom or office starts to flood. What you need to understand is that you have meer seconds to escape. You will grab anyone that you can and you will go, faster than you have ever gone. You will leave your clothes and all personal belongings behind. You will go to your assigned location (imagine meeting outside on the lawn of your house). This isn't a drill, this is real, that water will fill that berthing compartment filled with 50-100 Sailors in less than a minute...because what you don't know is that hole is massive. Your fight and flight instincts will kick in--because you have been trained for this very situation.

You will have to make sure that you get those doors to the berthing compartment closed, because if you don't your entire house (ship) will flood, you will in essence sink and lose more lives.. You have to get the doors closed....but once those doors shut because of flooding, they cannot be opened while at sea.
Ships sink because water gets in them. A choice was made- dog (the way doors are closed to be water tight) and weld the doors, or dog and chain the doors- sacfrice those in the berthing- for those fighting to save the ship.

The pain those Sailors are going through right now, the guilt that some may have because they couldn't save everyone, they had to close the doors, and keep them shut. The loss of their Shipmates, their friends, their possessions, their lives were changed in a matter of minutes. Their battle will forever be bittersweet, they saved that ship, they kept her from sinking...but they will have forever lost seven Sailors, Shipmates, brothers, sons, fathers, friends....amazing men that gave their life to our great country and United States Navy.

The Forward Deployed Naval Force in Japan is doing everything that they can to support this fighting ship, I am asking you....from the bottom of my heart to do something too. Send them a card, send toiletries, send clothing, send whatever you would like and if you cannot send anything--please send them your love, your prayers and thoughts of peace and strength. The ships information is below:

USS FITZGERALD
UNIT 100173 BOX 1
FPO, AP 96665-1280

I was stationed out of Yokosuka more than 25 years ago , Hope God comforts everyone in this tragic accident. Makes me remember what was stenciled on areas through out the ship
My Ship , My Shipmates , Myself
 
My son in law is an active duty sailor out of San Diego. We spent a lot of time discussing this horrific event on Father's Day. Very scary for sure!! Thank you for sharing.
 
This really hit home for us too. Although my husband is no longer in the Navy, he was part of the commissioning crew of the FITZ back in the mid-90s, essentially he helped build the ship as he was stationed on the ship from the time it was being built in Bath, ME through it's first deployment. All he could talk about Saturday night was the areas of the ship that had been hit. It was a very hard weekend for him thinking about all those currently serving on the ship. Prayers to the sailors and their families.
 
Back
Top