The person that shot the video is a friend of mine who was stationed aboard the Oriskany after I was and has given me permission to host it on my website.
As Veterans of the "Big O", I have always wondered how you all felt about her being sent to "sleep with the fishes" in the Gulf of Mexico. As a decorated veteran of 3 wars, it seems she would have been a great candidate for the next 'Carrier Museum' for a major city. I enjoyed seeing that great photo of her on your website, with flight deck loaded with A-4s & F-8s readying to destroy targets & MIGs!
Oriskany served with distinction in WWII, Korea, & Vietnam. Just after the Korean war, she and CAG-19/VF-192 Panthers became Hollywood icons as stars in the Korean war movie
"The Bridges At Toko Ri", my all-time favorite flick.
During the Vietnam war, she more than heid her own, launching devastating Alpha strikes, and MIG sweeps with her two catapults vs the 'big' carriers four. Her combat record was impeccable.
When I watched the documentary of the ship's intentional sinking to become a sealife sanctuary, I felt a sinking sensation as well. I remember thinking that we had just done something that the Japanese, North Koreans, and North Vietnamese wished they could have done many years ago. I also wondered how all the Sailors who once called her HOME, felt about her final plunge, and her new mission? Oh well, better than cutting torches and razor blades, I guess (but not near as good as my previous, 2-cruise home... USS Midway)!
BzB
