U.S.S Oriskany sunk in Pensacola, worlds largest
Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:00 pm
artificial reef
Oriskany Ready for Final Mission
The Oriskany is in place... Explosives ready for detonation at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
You can see it, 22 miles south- southeast of Pensacola Pass.
Hundreds of veterans who served aboard the Mighy "O" have told their stories to our Dan Thomas, who joins us now in the studio...
Dan, they have mixed emotions about the sinking, don't they?
It is a bittersweet event for them.
As we've seen over the past few days the Oriskany touched, and in many cases changed the lives of everyone who served aboard the ship.
It was the height of the Vietnam War and Jack Kenyon was headed into action at the helm of the U.S.S. Oriskany.
Jack Kenyon/Former Oriskany Commander: "There was something special about serving in Oriskany."
He found himself responsible for pilots making the same maneuvers he had made decades before, when he was a fighter pilot in World War II.
Kenyon: "You sweat every landing. I think the ones that the young guys are making more than you sweated your own years before."
It was a frustrating time for Kenyon, commanding a ship in a war that he felt could have been fought better.
Kenyon: "Under President Lyndon Baines Johnson with some recommendations from a perhaps not too popular Secretary of Defense by the name of MacNamara had things going not necessarily the way all of us military guys would liked to have seen them go."
Death was a part of life on the Oriskany, though it's not the lives lost in combat that haunt Kenyon the most.
It's a young man who took his own.
Kenyon: "I knew he was in such trouble that I had him put in protective custody in the brig. I was concerned about him."
But the first chance the man got, he jumped over the side of the Oriskany... Kenyon says it was the toughest letter he ever wrote.
Kenyon: "He had a young wife, young baby, parents As someone once said war is hell."
Now with the sinking of the Oriskany near. Kenyon is getting together with people he hasn't seen in years, trading stories with those who also served on the ship.
Kenyon: "It represents an extremely important part of my life because commander of that carrier was the most rewarding Naval experience I ever had."
He plans to watch the sinking first hand but admits it will be tough to watch his ship go down.
Kenyon takes solace that as an artificial reef it will continue to serve the public that it helped protect.
Kenyon: "You just have to realize that like people, ships wear out. Ships get old. Cycle of life if you will. Been there, done that."
Kenyon is believed to be one of just three former Oriskany commanders still alive today. He's also believed to be the only one who will watch his former ship sink.
As we said, the Navy is scheduled to set off the explosives at 10 a-m.
The sinking itself is expected to take anywhere from 90 minutes to five hours.
Channel 3 News will follow the process every step of the way... Bringing you live reports throughout the day.
And our sister station, WFGX, will have our beachcam shot of the Oriskany up live, beginning at 9:58 am... Until the carrier disappears beneath the waves.
here is video of it http://video.ap.org/v/en-ap/v.htm?f=113 ... 6&p=&t=s60
Oriskany Ready for Final Mission
The Oriskany is in place... Explosives ready for detonation at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
You can see it, 22 miles south- southeast of Pensacola Pass.
Hundreds of veterans who served aboard the Mighy "O" have told their stories to our Dan Thomas, who joins us now in the studio...
Dan, they have mixed emotions about the sinking, don't they?
It is a bittersweet event for them.
As we've seen over the past few days the Oriskany touched, and in many cases changed the lives of everyone who served aboard the ship.
It was the height of the Vietnam War and Jack Kenyon was headed into action at the helm of the U.S.S. Oriskany.
Jack Kenyon/Former Oriskany Commander: "There was something special about serving in Oriskany."
He found himself responsible for pilots making the same maneuvers he had made decades before, when he was a fighter pilot in World War II.
Kenyon: "You sweat every landing. I think the ones that the young guys are making more than you sweated your own years before."
It was a frustrating time for Kenyon, commanding a ship in a war that he felt could have been fought better.
Kenyon: "Under President Lyndon Baines Johnson with some recommendations from a perhaps not too popular Secretary of Defense by the name of MacNamara had things going not necessarily the way all of us military guys would liked to have seen them go."
Death was a part of life on the Oriskany, though it's not the lives lost in combat that haunt Kenyon the most.
It's a young man who took his own.
Kenyon: "I knew he was in such trouble that I had him put in protective custody in the brig. I was concerned about him."
But the first chance the man got, he jumped over the side of the Oriskany... Kenyon says it was the toughest letter he ever wrote.
Kenyon: "He had a young wife, young baby, parents As someone once said war is hell."
Now with the sinking of the Oriskany near. Kenyon is getting together with people he hasn't seen in years, trading stories with those who also served on the ship.
Kenyon: "It represents an extremely important part of my life because commander of that carrier was the most rewarding Naval experience I ever had."
He plans to watch the sinking first hand but admits it will be tough to watch his ship go down.
Kenyon takes solace that as an artificial reef it will continue to serve the public that it helped protect.
Kenyon: "You just have to realize that like people, ships wear out. Ships get old. Cycle of life if you will. Been there, done that."
Kenyon is believed to be one of just three former Oriskany commanders still alive today. He's also believed to be the only one who will watch his former ship sink.
As we said, the Navy is scheduled to set off the explosives at 10 a-m.
The sinking itself is expected to take anywhere from 90 minutes to five hours.
Channel 3 News will follow the process every step of the way... Bringing you live reports throughout the day.
And our sister station, WFGX, will have our beachcam shot of the Oriskany up live, beginning at 9:58 am... Until the carrier disappears beneath the waves.
here is video of it http://video.ap.org/v/en-ap/v.htm?f=113 ... 6&p=&t=s60
