The 1985 Sigonella Incident
As is often the case, we get deployed to places with little if any knowledge of where we are or why. I was on the USS Austin in 1985 during a series of events that damn near took a very bad turn. Too often, the Boiler Tech, Deck Ape, and the lowly rifleman have no idea how important or dangerous their mission is.
It was not until we were augmented with a bunch of Army guys, who had no idea how to dog down gear, that I became aware of the situation we were in. It was the second time the newly formed Delta Force had deployed in my AO. Many are unaware that the first Delta Operator who was killed in action had happened in Beirut not long before this incident.
This is an event worth remembering.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered
Category: Historical, Politics
I was there when the Tomcats forced the airliner to land. The field was shut down, of course, and our returning P-3s were diverted to Catania’s airport.
After all the drama the Italians allowed Abu Abbas, PLO ringleader, to escape.
OK, again here at TAH, I usually learn new and different things.
Can someone translate Dave’s comment…
“It was not until we were augmented with a bunch of Army guys, who had no idea how to dog down gear, that I became aware of the situation we were in.
What is dog down gear? Prep for combat? Tie down and secure on a ship?? Unload and inventory a CONEXX and then reload it? *grins*.
Thanks
Means to secure stuff(weapons, ordnance,etc) with nets, rope, etc to the physical structure of the ship so it doesn’t move at all, no matter how much the ship herself moves. Same same for aircraft.
I figured as much.
Box that shit up, tie it down then duct tape that motherfucker and then when it’s “secure”, sit on top of that mofo so if the ship does a 360, it better not wiggle a nano meter or IT’S YOUR ASS!!!!
Pretty much.
Thanks OldSoldier54
learn something new almost every day at TAH.
Typically one “dogs” a ship’s hatch, properly shutting it to maintain watertight integrity in that compartment.
Anything that flies around if it ain’t tied down is called a flying missile which is what it was called when I was on board. I don’t know if that term is used in today’s Navy though.
That’s “Gear Adrift” when I was in.
A missile hazard is the term we used.
Dog down = Secure for sea. That way shit like this doesn’t happen (granted, it was a cruise ship and not a cruiser). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMxag_Wezwg
Then, just to further confuse our Nautically Challenged brothers and sisters, was the call to “Trice down and make fast.”
*grin*
Interesting.
I only heard trice at reveille as “heave out and trice up.”
Same here. “heave out and trice up” Followed in rapid succession by “Check the setting of material condition Yoke, make Yoke reports to CCS” “Breakfast for the crew” and I think Sweepers was in the middle there somewhere.
Sweepers, sweepers man your brooms, give the ship a clean sweep down fore and aft. Empty all trash clear of the fantail.
Of course this was way back in the day when all the sweepers were male and emptying trash occured when outside the continental limits.
Yeah, I’m that old to have participated in those events.
Ok, now you’re just being mean.
Heard “make fast”before, but “trice?
I remember the Achille Lauro and the murder of Leon Klinghoffer.
I also remember the rage I felt.
I was a young meathead in high school at that time and remember how the terrorists chose a wheelchair-bound Elderly man to murder in the name of their death cult, and afterward they bragged “We have killed!”. Fuck them and may the days they were born be erased from the calendar.
Best use of an CVW EVER!
Kill.them.all. The only religion in the world that dictates to kill every other religion.
And we are steadily letting more and more of these sumbitches infest the rest of the world.
An interesting side note. So many operators from the unit were under investigation for misconduct during the Achille Lauro hijacking, that the SECARMY or SecDef had to issue a waiver allowing them to deploy to Italy. Newsweek mag broke the story in 1986. Mark Bowden mentioned it in his best selling book ‘Black Hawk Down’.
I subscribe to “The History Guy” on YouTube and love watching his items.
They’re about 10-15 minutes long and are a blast to listen to. Always something to learn from them.
“After all, it’s history that deserves to be remembered”.
He does a lot of pieces on the military and especially
WWII. I think he has some kind of a connection to the Military as he puts up names of those lost in the battles or the incidents at the end of the snippette.
It’s worth five bucks a month to keep him rolling !!!
Ditto. One of the best channels on YouTube. You can tell he has a passion for history and is a great storyteller. I watch him with my 12 year old son, and we are constantly amazed at the seldom mentioned moments of time that he describes. We also support him on Patreon, too.