Coontz (DDG 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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May 17, 1987 I' E i 1 1 l 1 I On May 20th, selected crewmembers from USS Goontz conducted a memorial service in honor of USS Stark at the Bahrain intemational Airport, during which 57 de- ceased crewmembers from the guided-missile frigate were sent home. Several dignitaries, about 125 members ofthe intemational press, and everyone with a television set watched as taps sounded and the last ooflin was Y canfied aboard the cargo plane. I I I I MEMBERS OF USS COOHTZ FIRE PARTY LTJG Woodson, ENS Nash, BMCS Patton, MM1 Williams, HT1 Squire, NC1 Gabor, SM1 Clancy, MM2 Kelly, lC2 Morgan, MM5 Stark, EN5 McCullough, BT5 Dolan, EMS Bunk, EMIS Panicci, EMS VlHlson, MM5 Parker, MM5 Bush, HTI5 Valdez, HT5 Carter, HM5 Schulze CMedical Assistantl, SMS Shavers, DS5 Snyder, OSZ5 Lawrence, SKI5 Arnold, SH5 Rushing, BM5 Kolbosky, GMGI5 Altese, STGZ5 Splinter, JMM5 Williams, BTFH Whitehurst. ICFN Kolb, HTFN Robertson. HTFN Dettman, EWSN Jackson, EWSN Hast- ngs, DKSN Faragher, SN Carr, SN Cash, SN Copley, SN Fhicksten, SN Woodyard, MMFA Grubb, OSSA Gormley '7 A DAYWE IIIILL EVER FGRGET On May 17, 1987, at approximately 9 p.m., the USS Stark IFFG- Zall was attacked by an Iraqi Mirage F-1 lighter jet at an operating area known as RPS-South. just 50 miles from the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain,where USS Coontz was moored. Little was known about the attack at the time, only that USS Stark had suffered two missile hits on her port side. That same night, USS Conyngham KDDG-175 and USS Waddell IDDG-241 steamed through intense fog to aid the crew of USS Stark in combating flooding and several fires which had broken out on the guided-missile frigate. When they arrived, the fire parties from USS Conyngham and USS Waddell found melted bulkheads, warped decks and ruptured fire mains. The Stark had a 15 degree list to port. The next moming, USS LaSalle KAFG-55 departed from Bahrain to assist the now-exhausted fire parties of USS Stark, USS Oonyngham and USS Waddell, and to lend medical support. A 45-man team from USS Coontz was flown to the scene on the Desert Duck helicopter. The oombined fireparties fought the fires and flooding of Stark for more than 18 hours. After the blaze was out, and the flooding was stabilized, the USS Conyngham began the arduous task of towing USS Stark to Mina Sulman. Bahrain for extensive repairs. - , ,.

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'The Frontline of Freedom Wce Adm. William F. McCauley. Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, was aboard the USS Coontz KDDG-ll-Ol June lst to inspect the day-to- day operation of a ship deployed in the Persian Gulf ln a speech delivered on the fantail of the guided- missile destroyer, Wce Adm. McCauley told the crew that it is the man who works out here on the deck plates, on the frontline of freedom, that carries out U.S. policy abroad. The highlights ofthe brief speech included the USS Stark fFFG-51l incident, American protection of Kuwaiti tankers, and the need for U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf While it is the job ofthe U.S. ships to 'showthe flag! that isn't what we were really hired for. We were hired for the purpose of protecting our interests, and that is what the American people expect us to do, said Vice Adm. McCauley. Vice Adm. McCauleywent on to laud the fire parties and damage oontrol teams of USS Coontz which helped iight the tires and flooding aboard the USS Stark QFFG-515 on May 18th. I am very proud of the job you have done, and of the life-saving heroics displayed on the USS Stark. The need for U.S. protection of Kuwaiti tankers was also explained to the crew of Coontz by Vice Adm. McCauley. lt is one more way for us to protect Kuwaiti interests. lf we hadn't agreed to protect Kuwaiti tankers here in the Persian Gulf, the job would have been offered to the Soviet Union, and they would have taken it That, said Vice Adm. McCauley, would have been one more foothold in the Persian Crulf for the Soviet Union. In closing, Vice Adm. McCauley expressed his gratitude for the job the U.S. ships in the Middle East Force have done, adding. The reoord the USS Coontz has established speaks for itself.

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W .,,,, 'Above' The USS Stark at Mina Sulman, Bahrain. The USS Acadia was sent to immediately following the missile attack to repair the extensive to the guided-missile frigate's port side. nu-, f :ng 31-.L Above: The 57 flag-draped ooffins of the deceased Stark crewmen in back of the Cargo jet at Bahrain lntemaiional Airport Following the ceremony, the bodies were flovlm to West Germany for further identification. X5 i- fs ,, so f ' f-N - -f-.ff A Q: 'H H 1 -I-135 Q! fi' :IH Y ,.,,,. l..,,,..,,l 'f Ig fa g , ' V ly ,. ,I ffff Above: The USS Stark memorial service at the Bahrain lntemational Airport Crewmembers from the USS Ooontz were needed at short notioe to help send their fallen shipmates home. Below: The flag at half mast aboard USS Coontz. .aff