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Elizabeth Bibesco

Elizabeth, Princess Bibesco (born Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Asquith; 26 February 1897 – 7 April 1945) was an English socialite, actress and writer between 1921 and 1940. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, the British Prime Minister, and the writer Margot Asquith, and the wife of Antoine Bibesco, a Romanian prince and diplomat. She drew on her experience in British high society in her work. A final posthumous collection of her stories, poems and aphorisms was published under the title Haven in 1951, with a preface by Elizabeth Bowen.

Childhood and youth
Elizabeth Charlotte Lucy Asquith was the first child of H. H. Asquith (British Prime Minister, 1908–1916) and his second wife, Margot Tennant. As candidly recorded in her mother's 1920 autobiography, she was a precocious child of uncertain temper.

Life as the Prime Minister's daughter thrust her into the public eye at an early age and she developed a quick wit and a social presence beyond her years. At the age of 12 she asked George Bernard Shaw to write a play to be produced by her for a charity benefit. He wrote The Fascinating Foundling, which she directed with other children as actors.

When she was just 14, The Times wrote that "many members of the House have made the acquaintance of Miss Asquith and in expressing their concern for her health, have referred to her charm of manner and to the interest which she has begun already to show in political matters." As a teenager, during World War I, she was given opportunities to do "good works", organising and performing in "matinees" for the servicemen. Her first known literary effort was a short duologue called "Off and On" which she performed with Nelson Keys in 1916 at the Palace Theatre. In the same year she organised a large show of portraits by John Singer Sargent at the Grafton Galleries to aid the Art Fund and a "Poets' Reading" in aid of the Star and Garter Fund. In 1918, she played small roles in two silent war movies by D.W. Griffith, Hearts of the World and The Great Love.

Marriage and travels
On 29 April 1919, she married Prince Antoine Bibesco, member of the House of Bibescu and a Romanian diplomat stationed in London, a man 22 years her senior. Taking place at St. Margaret's, Westminster, it was the society wedding of the year, attended by everyone from Queen Mary to George Bernard Shaw. The wedding was filmed by the newly formed British Moving Picture News organization. After the marriage, Prince and Princess Bibesco lived in Paris at the Bibesco townhouse at 45, Quai Bourbon at the tip of the Île St-Louis looking up the river toward Notre Dame cathedral. The walls of the apartment were decorated with huge canvases by Édouard Vuillard. "They weren't pictures. They were gardens into which you walked through a frame," wrote Enid Bagnold.

Antoine Bibesco was a lifelong friend of Marcel Proust and after his marriage to Elizabeth she too became a favourite of the reclusive writer. At the time of her marriage Proust wrote that she "was probably unsurpassed in intelligence by any of her contemporaries," and added that "she looked like a lovely figure in an Italian fresco". He would leave his house late at night to visit them, to discuss Shakespeare with Elizabeth or to gossip with Antoine until dawn. Elizabeth wrote a moving obituary for Proust in the November 1922 New Statesman. "Gently, deliberately, he drew me into that magic circle of his personality with the ultimate sureness of a look that needs no touch to seal it. Insensibly you were drawn into that intricate cobweb of iridescent steel, his mind, which, interlacing with yours, spread patterns of light and shade over your most intimate thoughts." Elizabeth also travelled with her husband in his capacity as Romanian ambassador, first to Washington, D.C. (1920–1926) and then to Madrid (1927–1931).

Their only child, Priscilla Helen Alexandra Bibesco, later Hodgson, was born in London in 1920; she died in Paris in 2004.

Writings
Between 1921 and 1940, Bibesco published three collections of short stories, four novels, two plays and a book of poetry. Katharine Angell, reviewing Balloons for The Nation in 1923 wrote, "Elizabeth Bibesco uses for her sketches material from which Katherine Mansfield would have made short stories, and Henry James, novels ... Elizabeth Bibesco has a genius for compression – the compression into a few phrases of all the details of a situation, into a few pages of the hopes and failures of a lifetime". Her collections of short stories were reviewed on both sides of the Atlantic and her novel The Fir and the Palm was serialised in The Washington Post in November and December 1924.

Bibesco's last novel, The Romantic, published in 1940, starts with a dedication to Falange Española founder Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, whom Bibesco had known during her stay in Madrid where her husband was Romanian ambassador (1927-31): "To Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. I promised you a book before it was begun. It is yours now that it is finished -- Those we love die for us only when we die--". A thorough appraisal of Bibesco's work was written by Elizabeth Bowen in an introduction to Haven, the 1951 posthumous collection of Bibesco's stories, poems and aphorisms. In her essay, Bowen wrote that, "The Bibesco characters seem to be the inhabitants of a special milieu, in which the more ordinary taboos of feeling and brakes on speech do not operate."

Final years
Elizabeth was in Romania during World War II and died there of pneumonia in 1945, aged 48. She was buried in the Bibesco family graveyard on the grounds of Mogoșoaia Palace outside Bucharest. Her epitaph reads, "My soul has gained the freedom of the night" – the last line of the last poem in her 1927 collection. Her death was the final sorrow for her mother, Margot, who died within months of her daughter's death. Prince Antoine, forced out of Romania after the war, never returned to his homeland. He died in 1951 and was buried in Paris. Priscilla Hodgson, the couple's only child, continued to live at 45, Quai Bourbon until her death in 2004.

Portraits
Elizabeth's portrait was painted twice by Augustus John, in 1919 and again five years later. The first painting (titled "Elizabeth Asquith") shows her as a vivacious debutante in a feather stole over bare shoulders. This picture is in the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. In the second portrait, seen at right (titled "Princess Antoine Bibesco"), Elizabeth appears slightly weary and melancholic, her eyes averted just enough to suggest a break in her former self-confidence. She wears a mantilla given to her father by the Queen of Portugal and holds one of her own books. When shown at the Royal Academy summer show in 1924, Mary Chamot, writing in Country Life, wrote of this painting that it "has the force to make every other picture in the room look insipid, so dazzling is the contrast between the mysterious darkness of her eyes and hair and the shimmering brilliance of the white lace she wears over her head."

Selected works

 * I Have Only Myself to Blame, 1921 – short stories
 * Balloons, 1922 – short stories
 * The Painted Swan, 1922 – play
 * The Fir and the Palm, 1924 – novel
 * The Whole Story, 1925 – short stories
 * There is No Return, 1927 – novel
 * Points of View, 1927 – play
 * Poems, 1927 – poetry
 * Portrait of Caroline, 1931 – novel
 * The Romantic, 1940 – novel

title: Elizabeth Bibesco


text:
Irena

Irena may refer to:

People

 * Irena (name)

Places

 * Irena, Missouri, a village in the United States
 * Irena, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, a village in south-east Poland
 * Irena, Lublin Voivodeship, a town in eastern Poland, merged into nearby Dęblin in 1953

Other uses

 * HD 146389 (also known as WASP-38 or Irena), a star with a yellow-white hue in the northern constellation of Hercules
 * International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organisation mandated to promote adoption and use of renewable energy
 * Irena (bird), a genus of passerine birds
 * IRENA, the Nicaraguan Institute of Natural Resources and the Environment, now the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Irena


text:
Patrol torpedo boat PT-109

PT-109 was an 80-foot Elco PT boat (patrol torpedo boat) last commanded by Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, future United States president, in the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific theater during World War II. Kennedy's actions in saving his surviving crew after PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer earned him several commendations and made him a war hero. Back problems stemming from the incident required months of hospitalization at Chelsea Naval Hospital and plagued him the rest of his life. Kennedy's postwar campaigns for elected office referred often to his service on PT-109.

Specifications
Hubert Scott-Paine of the British Power Boat Company had developed Air Sea Rescue fast motor boats in the UK. He took his PT boat to Elco in 1939 as there was a shortage of suitable engines in the UK at the outbreak of war. British Powerboat Company continued production of his designs in Britain throughout the hostilities. The seakeeping qualities of boats and ease of construction matched to the available Packard engines made a perfect combination.

PT-109 was an 80 ft, 40-ton Elco motor torpedo boat (MTB), one of hundreds built by the firm between 1942 and 1945 in Bayonne, New Jersey.

The seventh MTB of the PT-103 class, her keel was laid 4 March 1942, she was launched on 20 June, and delivered to the Navy on 10 July 1942 to be fitted out in the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn. Fully loaded, she displaced 56 tons, and could accommodate a crew of three officers and 14 enlisted men, with the typical crew size between 12 and 14.

The 80 ft Elco MTBs were the largest PT boats operated by the U.S. Navy during World War II. They had strong wooden hulls, constructed of two layers of 1 in mahogany planking, excellent for speed and reasonably adequate for seakeeping, but providing limited protection in combat.

Engines

PT-109 was powered by three 12-cylinder 1500 hp Packard 4M-2500 marinized aero gasoline engines (one per propeller shaft), with a designed top speed of 41 kn.

To accommodate three engines in the boat's narrow beam (and improve weight distribution) they were staggered fore-and-aft, with the two outboard motors mounted with their output shafts facing forward and power transmitted through V-drive gearboxes to their respective propeller shafts. The center engine was mounted forward of the outboard pair in a conventional orientation, with power transmitted directly from its output end to an extended propeller shaft.

The engines were fitted with mufflers on the transom both to mask the engines' noise from the enemy and to improve the crew's chance of hearing enemy aircraft. These directed the exhaust underwater at idle and extremely low speeds and were bypassed for anything faster.

Armament

The PT boat's principal offensive weapon was her torpedoes. She was fitted with four 21 in torpedo tubes containing Mark 8 torpedoes. They weighed 3150 lb each, with 386 lb warheads and gave the tiny boat a punch believed at the time to be effective even against armored ships. The Mark 8, however, was both inaccurate and ineffective until its detonator was recalibrated by the Navy at the end of the war. A major issue was that even in the unlikely instance they hit their target, they rarely detonated, even when they hit at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to their target. Also noteworthy, was that the torpedoes were slow, travelling at only 28 knots, thoroughly unable to catch faster-moving Japanese vessels. In contrast, the Japanese Type 93 destroyer torpedo, later called the "Long Lance", was faster at 45 kn, had an accurate range of 20000 yd, was far more powerful with 1000 lb of high explosives, and unlike the Mark 8, its detonator usually worked when it hit a target.

One naval officer explained that 90% of the time, when the button was pushed on the torpedo tube to launch a torpedo, nothing happened or occasionally the motor spun the propeller until the torpedo motor exploded in the tube, showering the deck with metal fragments. For safety, a torpedoman's mate was frequently required to hit the torpedo's firing pin with a hammer to get one to launch. Kennedy and contemporary writers noted that torpedo mates and other PT crew were inadequately trained in aiming and firing the Mark 8 torpedoes, and were never informed of the torpedoes' ineffectiveness and low rate of detonation.

PT-109 had a single 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft mount at the rear with "109" painted on the mounting base, two open circular rotating turrets mounting twin M2 .50 caliber (12.7 mm) anti-aircraft machine guns at opposite corners of the open cockpit, and a smoke generator on the transom, operated as needed when engaging the enemy at close range. The boat's guns were used both offensively and defensively.

Seeking to augment the boat's firepower (given the inaccuracy and unreliability of its torpedoes), the day before her final mission Kennedy had the PT-109's crew lash a U.S. Army 37 mm antitank gun he had bartered for to the foredeck, replacing a small, two-man life raft. Timbers used to secure the weapon to the deck later helped save their lives when used as a float while swimming over three miles to safety on an uninhabited island.

Ahead of the torpedoes on PT-109 were two depth charges, omitted on most PTs, one on each side, about the same diameter and directly in front of the launchers. Though designed to be used against submarines, they were sometimes used to confuse and discourage pursuing destroyers. With Kennedy's squadron commander, Lt. Alvin Cluster, at the wheel in storm conditions, PT-109 port Mark 6 depth charge was knocked through the foredeck unexpectedly by an inadvertent launch of the port forward torpedo. Cluster had asked Kennedy for a turn at PT 109's wheel, as he had only had experience with the older, Elco 77 ft PTs. The torpedo stayed in the tube, half in and half out on a hot run, its propellers spinning, until Kennedy's executive officer Ensign Leonard Thom deactivated it. PT-109 returned to Tulagi for repairs to the foredeck and the replacement of the depth charge.

PT-109 was not equipped with radar.

Early operations
PT-109 was transported from the Norfolk Navy Yard to the South Pacific in August 1942 on board the Liberty ship SS Joseph Stanton. Originally Navy grey, it is believed the ship was painted a flat, dark green at Nouméa, New Caledonia after being off-loaded. She arrived in the Solomon Islands in late 1942 and was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 2 based on Tulagi island. She participated in combat operations around Guadalcanal from 7 December 1942 to 2 February 1943, when the Japanese withdrew from the island.

Kennedy's training in motor torpedo boats
Despite having a chronically bad back and a history of other illnesses including abdominal pain and scarlet fever as an infant, John F. Kennedy used his father Joseph P. Kennedy's influence to get into the war. In 1940, the U.S. Army's Officer Candidate School had rejected him as 4-F, for his bad back, ulcers and asthma. Kennedy's father persuaded his old friend Captain Allan Goodrich Kirk, USN, head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, to let a private Boston physician certify his son's good health. Kennedy started out in October 1941 prior to Pearl Harbor as an ensign with a desk job for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was reassigned to South Carolina in January 1942 because of his affair with Danish journalist Inga Arvad. On 27 July 1942, Kennedy entered the Naval Reserve Officers Training School in Chicago.

After completing his Naval Reserve Officer's Training on 27 September, Kennedy voluntarily entered the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Training Center in Melville, Rhode Island, where he was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) (LTJG). In September 1942, Joseph Kennedy had secured PT Lieutenant Commander John Bulkeley's help in placing his son in the PT boat's service and enrolling him in their training school, after meeting with Bulkeley in a New York Plaza suite near his office at Rockefeller Plaza. Nonetheless, Bulkeley would not have recommended John Kennedy for PT boat training if he did not believe he was qualified to be a PT captain. In an interview with Kennedy, Bulkeley was impressed with his appearance, communication skills, grades at Harvard, and awards received in small boat competitions, particularly while a member of Harvard's sailing team. Exaggerated claims by Bulkeley about the effectiveness of the PTs in combat against larger craft allowed him to recruit top talent, raise war bonds, and cause overconfidence among squadron commanders who continued to pit PTs against larger craft. But many in the Navy knew the truth; his claims that PTs had sunk a Japanese cruiser, a troopship, and a plane tender in the Philippines were false. Kennedy completed his PT training in Rhode Island on 2 December, with very high marks and was asked to stay for a brief period as an instructor. He was then ordered to the training squadron, Motor Torpedo Squadron 4, to take over the command of motor torpedo boat PT-101, a 78 ft Huckins PT boat.

Kennedy's transfer to the Pacific
In January 1943, PT-101 and four other boats were ordered to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 14 (RON 14), which was assigned to patrol the Panama Canal. Kennedy detached from RON 14 in February 1943, while the squadron was in Jacksonville, Florida, preparing for transfer to the Panama Canal Zone. Still desperately seeking a combat assignment, and on his own volition, Lieutenant Kennedy then contacted family friend and crony, Massachusetts Senator David I. Walsh, Chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee, who diverted his assignment to Panama, and had him sent to PT combat in the Solomon Islands, granting Kennedy's previous "change-of-assignment" request to be sent to a squadron in the South Pacific. His actions were against the wishes of his father who had wanted a safer assignment.

The Allies had been in a campaign of island hopping since securing Guadalcanal in a bloody battle in early 1943. Kennedy transferred on 23 February 1943, as a replacement officer to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 2, which was based at Tulagi Island, immediately north of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Traveling to the Pacific on the large troop carrier USS Rochambeau (AP-63), Kennedy witnessed a fierce air strike that killed the ship's captain, and found Kennedy helping to hand shells to supply a large gun on board, giving him his first taste of battle. He arrived at Tulagi on 14 April and took command of PT-109 on 23 April. Although PT-109 was less than a year old, it had seen heavy combat service since its arrival in the Pacific, and considerable repairs were required on the boat; leading by example, Kennedy pitched in to help the crew get his vessel seaworthy. On 30 May, several PT boats of MTBRON 2, including PT-109, were ordered to the Russell Islands in preparation for the invasion of New Georgia.

After the capture of Rendova Island, the PT boat operations were moved north to a crude "bush" berth there on 16 June. The Rendova base held the potential for its residents to contract a host of unpleasant diseases like malaria, dengue, dysentery, and elephantiasis. The Navy men stationed there also contended with cockroaches, rats, foot diseases, ear fungus, and mild malnutrition from the monotonous and mostly canned food. On his first desk assignment with the Navy after his return to the States, Kennedy suffered from the aftereffects of malaria, colitis, and chronic back pain, all caused or aggravated by his experiences in combat or during his stay at the Rendova base.

From their crude base on the northern tip of Rendova Island, on a small spit of land known as Lumbari, PT boats conducted daring and dangerous nightly operations, both to disturb the heavy Japanese barge traffic that was resupplying the Japanese garrisons in New Georgia, and to patrol the Ferguson and Blackett Straits in order to sight and to give warning when the Japanese Tokyo Express warships came into the straits to supply Japanese forces in the New Georgia–Rendova area.

On 1 August, an attack by 18 Japanese bombers struck the base, wrecking PT-117 and sinking PT-164. Two torpedoes were blown off PT-164 and ran erratically around the bay until they ran ashore on the beach without exploding.

Crew on PT-109's last mission
The following men were aboard on PT-109's last mission:
 * John F. Kennedy, Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG), commanding officer (Boston, Massachusetts).
 * Leonard J. Thom, Ensign (ENS), Ohio State football athlete, and excellent swimmer, executive officer (Sandusky, Ohio).
 * George H. R. "Barney" Ross, Ensign (ENS), on board as an observer after losing his own boat. Attempted to operate the 37 mm gun but suffered from night blindness. (Highland Park, Illinois).
 * Raymond Albert, Seaman 2/c, gunner. Killed in action by Japanese POW during a rescue mission 8 October 1943 (Akron, Ohio).
 * Charles A. "Bucky" Harris, Gunner's Mate 3/c (GM3) (Watertown, Massachusetts).
 * William Johnston, Motor Machinist's Mate 2/c (MM2) (Dorchester, Massachusetts).
 * Andrew Jackson Kirksey, Torpedoman's Mate 2/c (TM2) Killed in collision. (Reynolds, Georgia).
 * John E. Maguire, Radioman 2/c (RM2) (Dobbs Ferry, New York).
 * Harold William Marney, Motor Machinist's Mate 2/c (MM2). Killed in collision, manning turret closest to impact point. (Springfield, Massachusetts)
 * Edman Edgar Mauer, Quartermaster, cook, 3/c (QM3) (St. Louis, Missouri).
 * Patrick H. "Pappy" McMahon, Motor Machinist's Mate 1/c (MM1) (Wyanet, Illinois). Only man in engine room during collision, was badly burned, but recovered from his wounds. Only member of the crew besides Kennedy mentioned by name in the song.
 * Ray L. Starkey, Torpedoman's Mate 2/c (TM2) (Garden Grove, California).
 * Gerard E. Zinser, Motor Machinist's Mate 1/c (MM1) (Belleville, Illinois). Erroneously called "Gerald" in many publications, Zinser remained in the Navy for a career following the end of World War II, eventually retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. The last living survivor of PT-109, he died in Florida in 2001.

Battle of Blackett Strait
At the end of July 1943, intelligence reports were received and decoded by Naval authorities at Kennedy's PT base on Rendova Island indicating that five enemy destroyers were scheduled to run the night of 1–2 August. The destroyers would cruise from the Solomon's Bougainville Island through Blackett Strait to supply provisions and bring troops to the Japanese garrison on Vila Plantation, on Kolombangara Island's southern tip. America's sophisticated deciphering of the Japanese naval codes had contributed to the victory at the Battle of Midway, ten months earlier, and the same technology had been used to break their code and provide the report of the Japanese destroyers expected 1–2 August. Despite the recent loss of two boats and two crewmen from a Japanese air attack, the skippers of PT-109 and 14 other boats met with Commander Thomas G. Warfield to discuss the details of a mission to head north through a cut in the reefs known as Ferguson Passage, to Blackett Strait between Gizo and Kolombongara Islands to block or attack the anticipated enemy destroyers. The resulting skirmish, sometimes referred to as the "Battle of Blackett Strait," should not be confused with an earlier battle of that name fought there on 6 March 1943. Commander Arleigh Burke had been ordered to sit on the northern approach to Kolombangara with seven American destroyers to ensure the Japanese were prevented from reinforcing their garrison, though he was not on station till 12:30 a.m. All four Japanese destroyers would evade his grasp, as they arrived one hour early, before Burke had reached his post. The resulting battle would become the largest use of PT boats in the war, and the results would not be promising for the future use of PTs against Japanese destroyers.

Failure of the PTs' torpedoes in action
On 1 August, fifteen PT boats, PT-109 among them, motored from the PT base on Rendova around 6:30 p.m. on strict but cursory orders from Rendova's top brass, Commander Thomas Warfield. The combined PT task force was divided into four divisions of roughly four PTs each. PT-109's "B" division also included PTs 162, 159, and 157, and were stationed the farthest north of the PT divisions, nearly midway up Kolombongara Island's western coast and around 6 mi to the west. The "B" Division left Rendova first, leading the pack, as their station was the farthest from the Rendova base. Most of the divisions reached their station by 8:30 p.m. The fifteen PTs carried four torpedo tubes each, for a total of 60 Mark 8 torpedoes, and roughly half of these were fired at the four advancing Japanese destroyers protected by Japanese float planes. The Navy's official report of the incident listed 5–6 torpedo explosions reaching the destroyer targets, but none, in fact, were actual torpedo hits. Of the twenty-four torpedoes fired by PT boats from eight PTs, not a single hit was scored against the advancing destroyers. Though each division of PTs was assigned a location likely to intercept the destroyers, several of those without radar cruised about aimlessly in the fog and darkness, unable to locate the enemy ships.

Separation of PT-109 from her division
Lieutenant Brantingham on PT-159, leader of Kennedy's division, and originally stationed near Kennedy, first saw radar blips indicating the southbound destroyers just arriving on the scene, and fired his torpedoes from about 1 mi away. As he advanced, he did not radio PT-109 to follow, leaving Kennedy and his crew behind in the darkness. All of Brantingham's torpedoes missed the destroyers, and his torpedo tubes caused a small fire, requiring Lieutenant Liebenow's PT, also in Kennedy's division, to swing in front of Brantingham's PT to block the light emitting from his burning torpedo tubes as they could have given away their location to the destroyers. Liebenow's 157 fired two more torpedoes that failed to hit their target as well, then both boats laid smoke from their smoke generator and zigzagged away to avoid detection. No signal of the destroyer's presence was ever radioed or received by PT-109, or the other boat in the division, and skippers Brantingham and Liebenow headed blindly west to Gizo Island and away from the destroyers and PT-109.

Many of the torpedoes that were fired exploded prematurely or ran at the wrong depth. The odds that a Mark 8 torpedo that made it to a destroyer would explode was less than 50%, due to faulty calibration of the detonators, a problem that was not known nor corrected by the Navy until later in the war. A few other PTs, including the leader of Division A to the south of Kennedy, intercepted the destroyers on their southbound route close to Kolombangara, but were unable to hit any with torpedoes. The boats were radioed by Warfield to return when their torpedoes were expended, but the four boats with radar fired their torpedoes first and were ordered to return to base. Commander Warfield's concept of sending orders to the PTs in darkness by radio from 40 mi away and without a view of the battle, was inefficient at best. The radar sets the four boats carried were relatively primitive, and sometimes malfunctioned. When the four boats with radar left the scene of the battle, the remaining boats, including PT-109, were deprived of the ability to determine the location or approach of the oncoming destroyers, and were not notified that other boats had already engaged the enemy.

Late in the night, PT-109 and two accompanying PTs became the last to sight the Japanese destroyers returning on their northern route to Rabaul, New Britain, New Guinea, after they had completed dropping their supplies and troops at 1:45 a.m. on the southern tip of Kolombangara. The official Navy account of the incident listed radio communications as good, but PT commanders were also told to maintain radio silence until informed of enemy sightings, causing many commanders to turn off their radios or not closely monitor their radio traffic, including Kennedy.

Collision with Amagiri, 2 August

By 2 a.m. on 2 August 1943, as the battle neared its end, PT-109, PT-162, and PT-169 were ordered to continue patrolling the area on orders previously radioed from Commander Warfield. The night was cloudy and moonless, and fog had set amidst the remaining PTs. Kennedy's boat was idling on one engine to avoid her phosphorescent wake being seen by Japanese aircraft when the crew realized they were in the path of the Japanese destroyer JAPANESE DESTROYER Amagiri, which was heading north to Rabaul from Vila Plantation, Kolombangara, after offloading supplies and 902 soldiers.

Most contemporary accounts of the incident, particularly the work of Mark Doyle, do not find Kennedy at fault for the collision. The lack of speed and maneuverability of PT-109 while the engines were idling put the vessel at risk from passing destroyers, but Kennedy had not been warned by radio of destroyers in the area. Kennedy believed the firing he had heard was from shore batteries on Kolombangara, not destroyers, and was focused on avoiding detection by enemy seaplanes.

Kennedy said he attempted to turn PT-109 to fire a torpedo and have Ensign George "Barney" Ross fire their newly installed 37 mm anti-tank gun from the bow at the oncoming northbound destroyer Amagiri, but Ross did not have time to load a shell into the closed breech of the weapon. Amagiri was traveling at a relatively high speed of between 23 and 40 kn in order to reach harbor by dawn, when Allied air patrols were likely to appear.

Kennedy and his crew would have had less than ten seconds to get the engines up to speed to evade the oncoming destroyer, which was advancing without running lights. The PT boat was run down and severed, between Kolombangara and Ghizo Island, near -8.05°N, 156.93333°W. PT-109 was struck on her starboard side at a 20-degree angle, shearing off a piece of the boat. There have been conflicting opinions about whether the destroyer captain had detected PT-109 and rammed her intentionally, or tried to avoid her at the last minute. Most contemporary authors write that Amagiri's captain, Lieutenant Commander Kohei Hanami, intentionally steered to collide with PT-109, and Hanami confirmed this, adding that PT-109 was traveling at a steady pace towards them.

PT-109 explodes
When PT-109 was cut in two around 2:27 a.m., a fireball of exploding aviation fuel 100 ft high caused the sea surrounding the ship to flame. Seamen Andrew Jackson Kirksey and Harold William Marney were killed instantly, and two other members of the crew were badly injured and burned when they were thrown into the flaming sea surrounding the boat. For such a catastrophic collision, explosion, and fire, there were few men lost compared to the losses on other PT boats hit by shell fire. PT-109 was gravely damaged, with watertight compartments keeping only the forward hull afloat in a sea of flames.

PT-169, closest to Kennedy's craft, launched two torpedoes that missed the destroyer and PT-162's torpedoes failed to fire at all. Both boats then turned away from the scene of the action and returned to base without checking for survivors of PT-109. No procedure had been specified by Commander Warfield for searching for survivors, or what the PT flotilla should do when a boat was lost. In the words of Captain Robert Bulkley, naval historian, "This was perhaps the most confused and least effectively executed action the PTs had been in. Eight PTs fired 30 torpedoes. The only confirmed results were the loss of PT-109 and damage to the Japanese destroyer Amagiri" [from striking PT-109].

Survival, swim to Plum Pudding Island, 2 August
Kennedy was able to rescue MM1 Patrick McMahon, the crew member with the most severe wounds, which included burns that covered 70 percent of his body, and brought him to the floating bow. Kennedy also rescued Starkey and Harris, bringing them both to the bow. On instructions from Kennedy, the eleven survivors thrown from PT-109 regrouped and, hoping for rescue, clung to PT-109 bow section for 12 hours as it drifted slowly south. By about 1 p.m., on 2 August, it was apparent that the hull was taking on water and would soon sink, so the men decided to swim for land, starting around 1:30 p.m. As there were Japanese camps on all the nearby large islands including Kolombangara, the closest, they chose the tiny deserted Plum Pudding Island southwest of where the bow section had drifted. They placed their lantern, shoes, and non-swimmers on one of the timbers that had been used as a gun mount and began kicking together to propel it. Kennedy, who had been on the Harvard University swim team, used a life jacket strap clenched between his teeth to tow McMahon. It took four hours to swim to the island, 3.5 mi away, which they reached without encountering sharks or crocodiles.

Additional swims, 2, 4, and 5 August
Plum Pudding Island was only 100 yd in diameter, with no food or water. The exhausted crew dragged themselves behind the tree line to hide from passing Japanese barges. The night of 2 August, Kennedy swam 2 mi to Ferguson Passage to attempt to hail a passing American PT boat. On 4 August, he and Lenny Thom assisted his injured and hungry crew on a demanding swim 3.75 mi south to Olasana Island which was visible to all from Plum Pudding Island. They swam against a strong current, and once again, Kennedy towed McMahon by his life vest. They were pleased to discover Olasana had ripe coconuts, though there was still no fresh water. On the following day, 5 August, Kennedy and George Ross swam for one hour to Naru Island, visible at an additional distance of about 0.5 mi southeast, in search of help and food and because it was closer to Ferguson Passage where Kennedy might see or swim to a passing PT boat on patrol. Kennedy and Ross found a small canoe, packages of crackers and candy, and a fifty-gallon drum of drinkable water left by the Japanese, which Kennedy paddled back to Olasana in the acquired canoe to provide his crew. It was then that Kennedy first spoke to native Melanesian coastwatchers Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana on Olasana Island. Months earlier, Kennedy had learned a smattering of the pidgin English used by the coastwatchers by speaking with a native boy. The two coastwatchers had finally been convinced by Ensign Thom that the crew were from the lost PT-109, when Thom asked Gasa if he knew John Kari, and Gasa replied that he worked with him. Realizing they were with Americans, the coastwatchers brought a few yams, vegetables, and cigarettes from their dugout canoe and vowed to help the starving crew. But it would take two more days for a full rescue.

Rescue
The rescue of PT-109 was a long process, largely achieved by the work of native Solomon Island scouts who first located Kennedy and his crew. The scouts were sent by Sub-lieutenant Reg Evans, an Australian coastwatcher, who had seen the 109 explode from his secret observation site.

Aerial search of PT-109 sinking site
The explosion and resulting fireball on the early morning of 2 August was spotted by Evans, who manned a secret observation post at the top of the Mount Veve volcano on Kolombangara; more than 10,000 Japanese troops were garrisoned below on the southeast portion. The Navy and its squadron of PT boats held a memorial service for the crew of PT-109 after reports were made of the large explosion, but Commander Warfield, to his credit, ordered an aerial search by Royal New Zealand Air Force P-40 fighters that spotted a few remains of the wreck, but not the crew, who had already swum to safety.

Coastwatchers Gasa and Kumana, 5 August
Evans had been the first to dispatch islander scouts, Gasa and Kumana, in a dugout canoe late on 5 August, to look for possible survivors after decoding radio broadcasts that the explosion he had witnessed was PT-109. Gasa and Kumana had been trained by the British and Australians in search and detection and were willing to sacrifice their lives as part of their duty to the British and American troops. Native coastwatchers were used because they could avoid detection by Japanese ships and aircraft and, if spotted, would probably be taken for native fishermen.

Before they were rescued by the scouts on 8 August, Kennedy and his men survived for six days on Plum Pudding and then Olasana Island. They had eaten only a few ripe coconuts, rainwater caught on leaves, and small amounts of fresh water and Japanese cookies Kennedy had taken from Naru Island. By chance, Gasa and Kumana stopped by Naru to investigate a Japanese wreck, from which they salvaged fuel and food. They first fled by canoe from Kennedy, who with his sunburn, beard, and disheveled clothing appeared to them to be a Japanese soldier. When they later arrived on Olasana, they pointed their Tommy guns at the rest of the crew, since the only light-skinned people they expected to find were Japanese with whom they could not communicate.

Thom's and Kennedy's rescue messages
Kennedy's message scratched on a coconut while he was on Naru, where he had spent some time from 4–7 August, was not the only communication given to the coastwatchers. A more detailed message was written by the executive officer of PT-109, Ensign Leonard Jay Thom on 6 August. Thom's message was a "penciled note" written on paper, which read: To: Commanding Officer--Oak O

From:Crew P.T. 109 (Oak 14)

Subject: Rescue of 11 (eleven) men lost since Sunday, August 1 in enemy action. Native knows our position & will bring P.T. Boat back to small islands of Ferguson Passage off NURU IS. A small boat (outboard or oars) is needed to take men off as some are seriously burned.

Signal at night three dashes (- - -) Password--Roger---Answer---Wilco If attempted at day time--advise air coverage or a PBY could set down. Please work out a suitable plan & act immediately. Help is urgent & in sore need. Rely on native boys to any extent

Thom

Ens. U.S.N.R

Exec. 109. Though the 1963 movie depicted Kennedy offering a coconut inscribed with a message as his idea and the sole form of communication, it was Gasa who suggested it and Kumana who climbed a coconut tree to pick one. On the instructions of Gasa, Kennedy painstakingly scratched the following message on the coconut husk with a knife: NAURO ISL

COMMANDER... NATIVE KNOWS POS'IT...

HE CAN PILOT... 11 ALIVE

NEED SMALL BOAT... KENNEDY

Coastwatchers' canoe trip from Olsana to the PT base, 6 August
On 6 August, Gasa and Kumana left Olasana and headed east, carrying the penciled note and Kennedy's coconut message 10 nmi to Wana Wana Island, south of Kolombangara and a quarter of the way to Kennedy's PT Naval base on Rendova Island. There they took little time to rest but linked up with Senior Scout Benjamin Kevu who they told they had found the crew of PT-109. Kevu sent another scout to inform Evans, north on Kolombangara Island, of the discovery. Gasa and Kumana departed Wana Wana with scout John Kari in a better canoe given them by Kevu, carrying both Thom's and Kennedy's messages to a military outpost on Roviana Island, close to the PT Rendova base in a total of fifteen hours by paddling their canoe all night through 38 mi of rough seas and hostile waters patrolled by the Japanese. From the content of the messages, it is clear both Thom and Kennedy trusted the coastwatchers with their lives, as neither message contained the exact coordinates of their location, nor the name of Olasana Island. Traveling in an arranged boat, Gasa and Kumana were at last sent south to the PT base at Rendova from Roviana Island, a distance of only 3 mi, with Gasa still clutching the coconut. Around 6 August, after speaking to Kevu about the eleven found on Olasana, Evans sent a canoe with fresh fish, yams, potatoes, corned beef hash, and rice to Kennedy and his crew with a message to return to him on Kolumbangara's Gomu Island in the canoe immediately. Kennedy followed this request and was the only one of his crew to go, since there were many Japanese planes flying above and the coast watchers' station was on the Japanese-occupied island of Wana Wana. Kennedy was instructed to lie underneath palm fronds in the canoe so he would not be spotted by Japanese planes. It was not until the morning of 7 August that Evans was able to radio Rendova to confirm the news that Kennedy and his crew had been discovered.

Battle of Vella Gulf, Admiral Halsey, 6–7 August
On the night of 6–7 August, while Kennedy still awaited rescue, Admiral William Halsey, now convinced that PTs were unsuitable against Japanese destroyers, sent six U.S. Navy destroyers equipped with more advanced radar to intercept the "Tokyo Express", again on their frequent run to Kolombangara Island. This time, the U.S. forces succeeded and sank four Japanese destroyers, two of which, the Arashi and Hagikaze, had eluded Kennedy and the 14 PT crews on the night of 1–2 August. This action became known as the Battle of Vella Gulf.

PT-157 makes final rescue, 8 August
On 7 August, when the coastwatcher scouts carrying the coconut and paper message arrived at Rendova, PT Commander Warfield was at first skeptical of the messages and the trustworthiness of the native scouts Gasa and Kumana. After finally receiving Evans' radioed message of the discovery of the 109 crew, and facing overwhelming evidence that Kennedy had returned from the dead, he cautiously consented to risk two PTs to rescue them. Warfield selected PT-157, commanded by Kennedy's friend and former tentmate Lieutenant William Liebenow, for the rescue, as he and his crew were experienced and familiar with the area. Liebenow later said that his crew were chosen because they were "the best boat crew in the South Pacific." PT-171 would travel ahead and radio Liebenow of any sightings of the enemy. Departing just after sunset from Rendova at 7:00 p.m. on 8 August, Liebenow motored PT-157 to Evans' base at Gomu Island, off Kolombangara. To avoid making a wake, Liebenow traveled at 10-15 knots, muffled his engines, and zigzagged to prevent being tracked by planes or shore batteries. The arranged signal when Liebenow picked up Kennedy on Gomu was four shots, but since Kennedy only had three bullets in his pistol, Evans gave him a Japanese rifle for the fourth signal shot. With Kennedy aboard, PT-157 rescued the weak and hungry PT-109 crew members on Olasana Island in the early morning of 8 August, after dispatching rowboats to pick them up. The 157 then motored the full crew and the coastwatcher scouts 40 mi back to the Rendova PT base where they could begin to receive medical attention.

Aftermath
There were reporters aboard PT-157, when they rescued Kennedy and his crew from Olasana Island. After the rescue, The New York Times announced, "KENNEDY'S SON IS HERO IN PACIFIC AS DESTROYER SPLITS HIS BOAT". Other papers wrote "KENNEDY'S SON SAVES 10 IN PACIFIC", and "SHOT FROM RUSTY JAP GUN GUIDES KENNEDY RESCUERS". All the published accounts of the PT-109 incident made Kennedy the key player in rescuing all 11 crew members and made him a war hero. His father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., made sure that these articles were widely distributed, and that it was known that his son was a hero. The articles focused on Kennedy's role in the incident, omitting most of the contributions of Thom, the crew, and the coastwatchers.

Thom, Ross, and Kennedy were each awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, though senior officer Lt. Commander Alvin Cluster had recommended Kennedy for the Silver Star. Kennedy was also awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in the collision. Following their rescue, Thom was assigned as commander of PT-587 and Kennedy was assigned as commander of PT-59 (a.k.a. PTGB-1). Kennedy and Thom remained friends, and when Thom died in a 1946 car crash, Kennedy was one of his pallbearers.

The PT-109 incident aggravated Kennedy's ongoing health issues. It contributed to his back problems, until his symptoms eventually progressed to a point where they were incapacitating. The incident also contributed to his gastrointestinal problems.

The coconut shell came into the possession of Ernest W. Gibson Jr., who was serving in the South Pacific with the 43rd Infantry Division. Gibson later returned it to Kennedy. Kennedy preserved it in a glass paperweight on his Oval Office desk during his presidency. It is now on display at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts.

A 2003 article in Naval History raised the possibility that Kennedy and McMahon conspired to mask the cause of 109’s failure to evade Amigiri. It examined Kennedy’s supposed statement to another PT officer that 109 had stalled because its muffler flaps had not first been opened when its engines had been throttled up. If, as radioman Maguire reported decades later, Kennedy signaled McMahon to speed up, it would have been McMahon's duty—and Kennedy's responsibility—first to open the flaps, which, in the other officer's account, were closed for quiet running. “[A]t no time did [Kennedy] ever officially or publicly acknowledge having sent a signal to the engine room to increase speed. … [McMahon] consistently played ignorant of any signal from Kennedy.”

Gasa and Kumana in later life
Both Solomon Islanders Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana were alive when visited by National Geographic in 2002. They were each presented with a bust and a letter from the Kennedy family.

Kennedy invited both Gasa and Kumana to his inauguration, but the island authorities gave their trip to local officials instead. Kumana and Gasa made it to the airport in Honiara, but were turned back by Solomon Island officials on the grounds that their appearance and pidgin English would be an embarrassment. Gasa and Kumana gained recognition, especially after being mentioned and praised by National Geographic, and the publication of William Doyle's book on PT-109. Gasa died in late August 2005, his death noted only in a single blog post by a relative.

In 2007, the commanding officer of USS Peleliu, Captain Ed Rhoades, presented Kumana with gifts, including an American flag, for his actions more than 60 years earlier.

In 2008, Mark Roche visited Kumana and discussed the PT-109 incident. Kumana had been a scout for the Coastwatchers throughout the war, and besides rescuing the crew of PT-109, he had rescued two downed American pilots who parachuted into the sea. Kumana noted that Kennedy visited him several times while still stationed at Rendova and always brought trinkets to swap. Kumana lived atop a cliff on his native island with his extended family. His most prized possession was a bust of President Kennedy later given him by the Kennedy family. Kumana gave Roche a valuable family heirloom, a large piece of Kustom Money, to place on the President's grave. (Among other uses, Kustom Money was used to pay tribute to a chief, especially by placing it on the chief's grave.) In November 2008, Roche placed the tribute on the President's grave in a private ceremony. The artifact was then taken to the Kennedy Library and placed on display beside the coconut with the rescue message.

Kumana died on 2 August 2014, exactly 71 years after PT-109's collision with Amagiri. He was 93.

Search for the remains of PT-109
The wreckage of PT-109 was located in May 2002, at a depth of 1200 ft, when a National Geographic Society expedition headed by Robert Ballard found a torpedo tube from wreckage matching the description and location of Kennedy's vessel. The boat was identified by Dale Ridder, a weapons and explosives expert on the U.S. Marine Forensics Panel.

The stern section was not found, but a search using remote vehicles found the forward section, which had drifted south of the collision site. Much of the half-buried wreckage and grave site was left undisturbed in accordance with Navy policy. Max Kennedy, JFK's nephew, who joined Ballard on the expedition, presented a bust of JFK to the islanders who had found Kennedy and his crew.

National Geographic produced a TV special titled The Search for Kennedy's PT 109. A DVD and book were also released.

PT-109 and American–Japanese relations
Nine years after the sinking of PT-109, U.S. Representative John Kennedy, engaged in a race for the Senate, instructed his staff to locate Kohei Hanami, Commander of the Amagiri, the Japanese destroyer that had run down the 109. When they found Captain Hanami, Kennedy wrote him a heartfelt letter on 15 September 1952, with wishes of good fortune for him and for long-term peace between Japan and the United States. The two became friends, and Hanami subsequently went into politics in 1954, being elected as councilman of Shiokawa, and later as mayor in 1962. Hanami hoped to meet Kennedy on his next visit to Japan, and though the meeting never took place, the United States and Japan remained close allies. Years later, Caroline Kennedy accepted the post of Ambassador to Japan, holding the office from November 2013 to 18 January 2017, extending the positive relationship with Japan her father had begun after the war.

While Kennedy was running for president in 1960 he met with Fujio Onozeki, a Japanese naval officer who was aboard the Amagiri when it hit PT-109, who gave him a card signed by other officers from the Amagiri.

PT-109 in popular culture
President Kennedy presented PT-109 tie clasps to key supporters in his 1960 campaign, as well as to close friends and staff members. Replicas of the tie clasps are still sold to the public by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. An original flag from PT-109 is now kept in the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. The story of PT-109's sinking was featured in several books and a 1963 movie, PT 109, starring Cliff Robertson. Kennedy's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., had a role in the production, financing, casting, and writing. As there were only a few 80-foot Elco PT-103-class hulls in existence by that time (none in operable condition or resembling their World War II appearance), United States Air Force crash rescue boats were modified to resemble PT-109 and other Elco PTs in the movie. Instead of the dark green paint used by PT boats in the Western Pacific theater during World War II, the film versions were painted the same gray color as contemporary U.S. naval vessels of the 1960s.

A song titled "PT-109" by Jimmy Dean reached No. 8 on the pop music, and No. 3 on the country music charts in 1962, making it one of Dean's most successful recordings.

Eroni Kumana named his son "John F. Kennedy". Plum Pudding Island was later renamed Kennedy Island. A controversy arose when the government sold the land to a private investor who charged admission to tourists. PT-109 was also the subject of toy, plastic, and radio control model ships in the 1960s, familiar to boys who grew up as baby boomers. It was still a popular $1/72$ scale Revell PT-109 (model) kit in the 21st century. Hasbro also released a PT-109 edition John F. Kennedy G.I. Joe action figure, dressed in Navy khakis with a miniature version of the famous coconut shell.

Two episodes of the World War II–themed television series McHale's Navy, which began airing during the Kennedy presidency, mention the PT-109 and its unnamed captain from Massachusetts (whose speech and accent Ensign Parker imitate in one episode). In one episode, the boat's captain is the ultimate choice to be the face of a congresswoman's bond selling tour, and in the other, Captain Binghamton lists the PT-109's captain as someone who has recently been promoted and of whom he is envious.

A video game marketing itself as a torpedo boat simulation was released by Spectrum Holobyte in 1987 with the title PT-109.

General and cited references

 * Hersey, John, "Survival", in The New Yorker, 17 June 1944.
 * Keresey, Dick (July–August 1998). "Farthest Forward". American Heritage.
 * Kimmatsu, Haruyoshi (December 1970). "The night we sank John Kennedy's PT 109". Argosy. 371(6).
 * Hersey, John, "Survival", in The New Yorker, 17 June 1944.
 * Keresey, Dick (July–August 1998). "Farthest Forward". American Heritage.
 * Kimmatsu, Haruyoshi (December 1970). "The night we sank John Kennedy's PT 109". Argosy. 371(6).
 * Hersey, John, "Survival", in The New Yorker, 17 June 1944.
 * Keresey, Dick (July–August 1998). "Farthest Forward". American Heritage.
 * Kimmatsu, Haruyoshi (December 1970). "The night we sank John Kennedy's PT 109". Argosy. 371(6).
 * Keresey, Dick (July–August 1998). "Farthest Forward". American Heritage.
 * Kimmatsu, Haruyoshi (December 1970). "The night we sank John Kennedy's PT 109". Argosy. 371(6).
 * Kimmatsu, Haruyoshi (December 1970). "The night we sank John Kennedy's PT 109". Argosy. 371(6).

title: Patrol torpedo boat PT-109


text:
Wikipedia talk:SQL query requests

Does this include requsts for updates to special pages? If so I believe there are outstanding requests for updates to orphans and most wanted. SimonP 20:40, Aug 1, 2003 (UTC)

 * I believe those put too much load on the server to be done at all at the moment. Angela

 * Yes, those features will probably not be available until someone improves the PHP code. There is already a large backlog of bugs and feature requests, so it might be a while. -- Tim Starling 03:46, Aug 2, 2003 (UTC)

Should this page be protected so only sysops can request queries, or is anyone allowed to? Angela

 * I don't see why it should be protected. The idea of making SQL queries sysop-only was to protect against malicious queries. Since queries are now developer-moderated, there's no need to restrict access. -- Tim Starling 03:46, Aug 2, 2003 (UTC)

Moved from Village pump:

Nutty sysop queries
I don't know who did it because this can only be seen when the query is finished. But someone started several queries of the form

select count(*) from old

or

select count(*) from old where ...

This is crazy! InnoDB has no rowcount, so it has to go through the entire table to count it -- that can take ages with our multi gigabyte OLD table that stores all revisions. With a WHERE condition on the content it's even worse. Worse, after I manually killed the query the person started it again! Whoever did this should never do an SQL query again because they evidently don't know how to handle this feature properly.

Furthermore, I have disabled SQL queries for the time being because they cause constant slowdowns and I don't want to wonder each time the wiki is slow whether this is caused by yet another out of control query. If you want to run a query, paste it on my talk page, I'll take a look at it and run it if necessary.—Eloquence 03:09, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

 * Tut! Some idiot's ruined it for everyone! CGS 10:24, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC).
 * Someone mentioned recently having different types of sysop - I can't remember who it was, but perhaps this coud be revisited now, so that those who can be trusted with SQL can read the database. I only ever use the queries that are shown on my user page. Is there a way that these could be okayed, and then I would allowed to run them, or do I have to go via Erik each time? Angela 12:31, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

 * In the long run it'd probably be better to have a separate server for analysis that runs a periodically updated copy of the database (maybe nightly). There's a lot of interesting (and potentially expensive) queries that don't really need to be run on the live database, but would be interesting to run on a backup copy (and not everyone has the knowledge or resources to download the dump and set up their own to play around with).  For example, Wikipedians by number of edits is an interesting page, but there's no reason that query would ever need to be run on the live database. --Delirium 19:36, Jul 29, 2003 (UTC)

Change of page title
Maybe this page should be changed to requests for people who have a recent download of the database and know how to do this stuff to do things. Obviously at a much better title than that. :)

Then it could cover requests that really are for SQL and other things that require perl and the like.

Angela 00:14, Oct 29, 2003 (UTC)

 * Make a separate page for the requests which need scripting. The special page updates have been requested in half a dozen different places, it would be nice if there was a place where they could finally be put to rest. Requests which require scripting are a different kettle of fish to the sort of thing this page was created for. I said I would be happy to run SQL queries, because they only take a minute. A couple of hours of rewriting PHP scripts is not quite what I was thinking. -- Tim Starling 00:20, Oct 29, 2003 (UTC)

 * Where is the right place to ask for those, btw? For example, it'd be nice if someone with a backup copy of the DB and the appropriate scripts would update Wikipedians by number of edits, and I know someone has the scripts to do so already written (since it was updated August 8), but I'm not sure where to request the updating. --Delirium 00:29, Oct 29, 2003 (UTC)

 * There isn't a place. You can create one if you like. Wikipedians by number of edits can only be updated by someone with a backup copy of the previous revisions as well. Ram-man rewrote the scripts to make them easy for him to use and impossible for anyone else, then he buggered off. -- Tim Starling 00:33, Oct 29, 2003 (UTC)

 * I created Scripting requests and moved the two things that had been wrongly placed here to it. Angela

title: Wikipedia talk:SQL query requests


text:
USS Minneapolis–Saint Paul (SSN-708)

USS Minneapolis–Saint Paul (SSN-708), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the first vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the metropolitan area of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, although each city had been honored twice before. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 20 January 1981. She was launched on 19 March 1983 sponsored by Mrs. Penny Durenberger (wife of Senator David Durenberger), and commissioned on 10 March 1984, with Commander Ralph Schlichter in command.

While Minneapolis–Saint Paul was the first vessel named for the Twin Cities as a whole, she is the third ship to be named for Minneapolis as well as the third to be named for Saint Paul. The previous USS Saint Paul (CA-73), was the last big-gun heavy cruiser in the United States Navy, and held the distinction of having fired World War II's final (naval) shots.

History
Minneapolis–Saint Paul took part in Operation Desert Shield and the Gulf War and was the first submarine to carry Tomahawk missiles specifically designated for use in strikes against Iraq during the Gulf War.

Four crew members were washed overboard by heavy waves on 29 December 2006 in Plymouth Sound, England, as the ship was exiting HMNB Devonport on the surface following a port call. This resulted in the deaths of Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas Higgins (Chief of the Boat) and Sonar Technician (Submarines) 2nd Class Michael Holtz. After the preliminary investigation, Commander Edwin Ruff, the commanding officer, received a punitive letter of reprimand and was relieved of command.

Minneapolis–Saint Paul conducted inter-fleet transfer from Norfolk, Virginia, to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, in July 2007 for decommissioning. Custody of Minneapolis-Saint Paul was transferred to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in August 2008. In 2022, the submarine's sail and rudder were shipped to Minnesota and are undergoing restoration at the Minnesota Military Museum for display at their new facility in 2025.

title: USS Minneapolis–Saint Paul (SSN-708)


text:
USS Memphis (SSN-691)

USS Memphis (SSN-691), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Memphis, Tennessee. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 4 February 1971 and her keel was laid down on 23 June 1973. She was launched on 3 April 1976 sponsored by Mrs. Cathy Beard (née Rieniets), wife of Congressman Robin L. Beard, Jr., and commissioned on 17 December 1977, with Commander G. Dennis Hicks in command.

In March 1981, Memphis completed an around-the-world cruise via the Panama Canal, including operations with both the Sixth and Seventh Fleets.

Memphis was redesignated an experimental submarine during 1989 to test composite hull structures, unmanned underwater vehicles, advanced sonars, hull friction reduction, and other advanced technologies for the Los Angeles and Seawolf-class submarine classes, but remained combat-capable.

During a mid-1990s refit, Memphis received numerous modifications, which added about 50 tons to her displacement, most of it aft.
 * a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) turtleback abaft the sail to accommodate remotely operated vehicles
 * a towing winch and drum for experimental towed sonar arrays
 * 4.27 m-high by 1.37 m-wide vertical surfaces at the ends of the stern stabilizers to accommodate sonar transducer arrays
 * a 54 mm towed array dispenser in the port fin leading to the new winch abaft the sail
 * supports for the stern stabilizers
 * new hydraulic systems
 * a fiber-optic databus
 * 58 standardized equipment racks to accommodate electronic test gear

In February 1993 Memphis ran aground offshore of Dania Beach, Florida. The grounding caused physical damage to the reef substrate and biological damage to the coral community, which was of the Holocene era and with no recent framework growth over 6,000 years. The State of Florida sued the U.S. Navy for $2.4 million, and was awarded $750,000 for mitigation and repairs.

In January 1994 Memphis entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for refueling, overhaul and modifications to support her research and development role. Upon completion of the shipyard availability she was assigned to Submarine Development Squadron 12 in Groton, Connecticut.

In 1998 Memphis tested the Lockheed Martin Undersea Systems Universal Gravity Module (UGM) passive bottom profiler navigational system.

On 3 May 2005, Memphis deployed conducting two polar transits, returning to New London on 3 November 2005.

Memphis won the coveted Battenberg Cup in 2005, as well as the Squadron 12 Battle E.

On 6 May 2006, Memphis deployed against Iraqi insurgency, returning to New London, Connecticut, on 7 August.

On 27 June 2007, Memphis returned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for a Pre-Inactivation Restricted Availability. She returned to Groton on 8 May 2008.

After 33 years of service Memphis was taken out of service in a decommissioning ceremony at the Shepherd of the Sea Chapel located at the US Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut on 1 April 2011. Memphis went to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to begin the inactivation process.

Parts from the decommissioned Memphis were to be used to repair the damaged USS Miami (SSN-755), until the decision to cease work on Miami was made in August 2013.

Cheating controversy
In November 2010, Navy investigators discovered rampant cheating taking place on training exams among the sub's crew. The sub's skipper, Commander Charles Maher was removed. Thirteen other crewmembers were also removed. Navy officers interviewed by the Associated Press stated that training exam cheating was widespread within the Navy's submarine force.

title: USS Memphis (SSN-691)


text:
USS Dallas (SSN-700)

USS Dallas (SSN-700) is a Los Angeles-class submarine nuclear-powered attack submarine of the United States Navy. She was the Navy's second vessel of that name, and the first to be named after the city of Dallas, Texas. The first USS Dallas (DD-199), a destroyer, was named for 19th century US Naval officer Captain Alexander Dallas. Another two ships with the name were scheduled but never completed. On 4 April 2018, after nearly 37 years of commissioned service, the boat was decommissioned at the Controlled Industrial Area of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The defueled vessel will eventually undergo recycling.

Service history
The contract to build Dallas was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 9 October 1976. She was launched on 28 April 1979, sponsored by Mrs. Rita Crocker Clements, wife of former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bill Clements, and commissioned on 18 July 1981. Dallas was the first submarine of the Los Angeles class to be originally built with an all-digital fire control (tracking and weapon) system and sonar system. After commissioning, Dallas was attached to Submarine Development Squadron 12 in New London, Connecticut, where she was involved in research and development projects.

On 27 August 1981 Dallas damaged her lower rudder when she ran aground while approaching the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center site at Andros Island, Bahamas. The submarine worked herself free after several hours and returned on the surface to New London, Connecticut, for repairs.

From September 1988 Dallas was a member of Submarine Squadron 2, New London. During her time with Squadron 2, she completed the first ever Depot Modernization Period and various overseas deployments.

Dallas completed an Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO) at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, in 1998. The D1G-2 core was replaced with a D2W core. Dallas has had a removable Dry Deck Shelter for over a decade. This large chamber, fitted aft of the sail, has an array of air, water and hydraulic systems that allow Dallas to employ the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle, a highly mobile and virtually undetectable means of carrying out special forces missions.

Dallas has completed one deployment to the Indian Ocean, four Mediterranean Sea deployments, two Persian Gulf deployments, and seven deployments to the North Atlantic.

Museum and delayed inactivation
Naval Sea Systems Command, the city of Dallas and the Dallas Navy League began discussions in 2008 for items from the boat in support of a memorial. These will become available during the actual vessel recycling phase, which is scheduled for 2023 for Dallas. Originally, it was planned to decommission Dallas in September 2014. In May 2013, officials with the city of Dallas, Texas, announced a plan to create a maritime museum more than 250 mi from the nearest body of water in which a submarine can operate. Mayor Mike Rawlings and members of a foundation formed to create the new facility revealed one of their goals is to acquire and display Dallas next to a 30000 ft2 museum building.

In 2013, the US Navy announced that the plan to retire Dallas had been extended to Fiscal Year 2017 and that instead, USS Norfolk (SSN-714) would begin inactivation in early 2015. The US Navy projected to save $10 million in Pre-Inactivation Restricted Availability (PIRA) costs as a result of the change.

The Dallas Maritime Museum, to be located along the banks of the Trinity River, is planned to contain some components of the original boat, such as her sail, although there is some discussion about moving the entire submarine to the museum if the money can be raised.

The Dallas Navy League had planned to host the four-day inactivation ceremony, to take place in Galveston, Texas, on 7 April 2017. The Navy League subsequently reported that this public relations event was canceled by the US Navy, citing "budgetary constraints" while operating under a continuing resolution. Additionally, costs to the City of Dallas and/or the US Navy from leasing back already-allocated pier space were judged as excessive. The requirement to compensate commercial shipping companies for their already-reserved commercial pier space resulted from the Navy's on-again/off-again planning cycle for the inactivation ceremony, which ultimately was re-canceled.

Awards
Dallas received two Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Navy Unit Commendations and was awarded the Battle Efficiency E for FY 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000 and 2013. Further recognition includes nomination for the 1993 Battenberg Cup as the best all-around ship in the fleet and the 1999 Engineering "E" and Medical "M".

In fiction

 * Dallas features prominently in the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October and the 1990 film adaptation.
 * Dallas is featured along with her sister boat USS Charlotte (SSN-766) in the John Ringo novel Under a Graveyard Sky.
 * Dallas is featured in the popular 2009 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the mission "The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday", alongside USS Chicago (SSN-721) when they were part of the Sixth Fleet.

title: USS Dallas (SSN-700)


text:
USS La Jolla

USS La Jolla (SSN-701/MTS-701), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is named for La Jolla, California. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 10 December 1973 and her keel was laid down on 16 October 1976. She was launched on 11 August 1979 sponsored by Mrs. Jean Bryant Wilson, wife of Congressman Bob Wilson, and commissioned on 24 October 1981. In 2017, La Jolla was converted to a Moored Training Ship and is currently stationed at NPTU Charleston in Goose Creek, SC.

Service history
During the sea trials for La Jolla, an unexpected depth excursion occurred during a propulsion plant "crash back" test at the direction of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. In late 1982, about 30 miles out of San Francisco, La Jolla, while at periscope depth, collided with the submarine USS Permit (SSN-594), operating on the surface. La Jolla suffered minor rudder damage, while putting a 10 x scrape in the paint on Permit's keel. La Jolla was the first to successfully test fire a Tomahawk cruise missile while submerged at the Pacific Missile Test Center on 29 April 1983.

The first West Pacific (West-Pac) cruise was between August 1984 and February 1985, in which La Jolla visited ports in Olongapo Philippines, Hong Kong, Chinhae Korea, and Yokosuka, Japan. All crew members participating in the second half of the 1984–85 West-Pac cruise received the Navy Expeditionary Medal for operations in the Sea of Japan.

On 11 February 1998, about 9 miles out of Chinhae, South Korea, La Jolla accidentally ran into and sank a 27-ton fishing trawler. The five crewmembers of the trawler were rescued by the crew of La Jolla. In 2000, La Jolla was modified to carry a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS). On 23 August 2004, La Jolla returned to Pearl Harbor after a six-month deployment in the Pacific Ocean. She conducted port visits in Korea, Japan, Singapore, Saipan, and Guam, and participated in five international exercises, including Pacific Reach 2004.

Post stand-down conversion to training ship

La Jolla was converted to a Moored Training Ship (MTS) in August 2017 and decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 November 2019. The conversion to a MTS began in February 2015 and completed in late 2019. After a "Fast Cruise" period in the spring of 2020, La Jolla was certified and cleared for student training. The conversion to a MTS was expected to take 32 months according to the commanding officer, however it took much longer. During her time in shipyard, the submarine was cut into three pieces, and a portion of the hull taken out. Three new hull sections from General Dynamics Electric Boat were added to accommodate the sub's new mission. A newly fabricated hull section was welded in place, and the new compartment (OPS, or Operations) contains training spaces, office spaces, and an emergency safeguard system. La Jolla is permanently moored at Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) at Naval Support Activity Charleston in South Carolina.

title: USS La Jolla


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USS Augusta (SSN-710)

USS Augusta (SSN-710), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Augusta, Maine. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 31 October 1973 and her keel was laid down on 1 April 1983. She was launched on 21 January 1984 sponsored by Mrs. Diana D. Cohen, wife of U.S. Senator William Cohen and commissioned on 19 January 1985.

1986 collision
The Department of Defense reported that Augusta required $2.7 million worth of repairs due to damage in an undersea collision while on a routine training patrol. On 31 October 1986 Augusta entered dry-dock at Electric Boat to have her sonar dome replaced and the repairs were completed on 13 December 1986.

The Soviet Navy claims that on 3 October 1986, Augusta collided with the 667AU Nalim (Yankee-I) class ballistic missile submarine K-219, commanded by Igor Britanov, off the coast of Bermuda. The U.S. Navy states that K-219 was disabled by an internal explosion.

CBS news reported that Augusta "very possibly" collided with a Soviet submarine.

Later service
In July 1987, Augusta began service as a trials boat for the BQG-5D Wide Aperture Array (WAA) passive sonar system and carrying the prototype BQQ-10 ARCI sonars, which incorporate off-the-shelf computer components, allowing easy introduction of modular upgrades.

In 2003, Augusta was part of a small group of submarines participating in Tomahawk Strikes against Iraq in the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The boat successfully launched missiles against all assigned missions leaving the theater with 100% completion.

Augusta underwent extensive maintenance during 2006 to prepare for six-month deployment in 2007, which began in March and completed in September. Augusta changed her homeport to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where she began decommissioning in January 2008, and completed the disassembly of her reactor on 24 November 2008.

title: USS Augusta (SSN-710)


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Giuseppe Abbamonte

Giuseppe Abbamonte (1759–1818) was a Neapolitan statesman who became secretary-general of the Cisalpine Republic in 1798 and a member of the Executive Committee at Naples. Upon the restoration of the king in 1799, he moved to Milan where he continued to do his job until 1805.

Biography
While living in Naples he adhered to the Jacobin ideals. The Jacobins were very different politically than those who held power at the time. They were radical in the time of change during the revolution. In 1794, after being involved in a conspiracy, he was forced to flee to Oneglia. He then lived in Loano and Milan, where he published the "Saggio leggi fondamentali dell'Italia libera" (Essay on the fundamental laws of Italian liberty) in 1797. In Milan he also founded the "Giornale dei Patrioti italiani" (Newspaper of the Italian patriots) and collaborated with the "Monitore italiano" (Italian monitor).

In 1798 he became general inspector of the ministry of police of the Cisalpine Republic, but later on, he was arrested for causing political conflicts.

After the proclamation of the Neapolitan Republic, despite being absent from the city, he was called up to be a part of the provisional government. He arrived in Naples in the second half of February 1799, and organized the court of justice. He was at first appointed as a Chairman of the Central Committee, and later of the Executive Committee.

He participated in the defence of the city against the Sanfedist troops. The full name of the Sanfedismo troops was the Army of Holy Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This group was a peasant army that became popular and wanted to resist the new French republic. After the surrender, he was supposed to go to Toulon together with the other Neapolitan patriots, but the winning party broke the agreement and imprisoned them. Abbamonte was sentenced to death by the State Council but, because he surrendered, the punishment was changed to life imprisonment.

He was liberated in 1801 and went to Milan, and in the end returned to Naples permanently when Joseph Bonaparte became king of the city. Here he held important roles in the magistracy and was later appointed as state counsellor by Joachim Murat. After the restoration, he still remained in the city, under the reign of Ferdinando, and was appointed as counsellor of the supreme court of justice.

title: Giuseppe Abbamonte


text:
USS Providence (SSN-719)

USS Providence (SSN-719), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is the fifth vessel of the United States Navy to be named for Providence, Rhode Island. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 16 April 1979 and her keel was laid down on 14 October 1982. She was launched on 4 August 1984 sponsored by Mrs. William F. Smith, and commissioned on 27 July 1985.

Providence is the first Los Angeles class submarine to be equipped with the Tomahawk missile Vertical Launch System (VLS). While others used test boxes and programs, Providence was the first submarine to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile from the VLS system using its combat system CCS MK1 and associated software Program C4.1.

History
Providence has been deployed several times to the Western Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Some of the ports visited have included Port Canaveral (Cocoa Beach, Florida) and Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, Tromsø, Norway, Halifax, Canada, Gibraltar, Toulon, France, Souda Bay, Crete, La Maddalena, Italy, and Koper, Slovenia, in the Mediterranean, and al-Manama, Bahrain, and both Dubai and Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf. The submarine has made transits of the Suez Canal in 1998, 2001, and 2003 and participated in Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where she earned the nickname "Big dog of the Red Sea wolf pack."

She has since been retrofitted with numerous upgrades including the AN/BYG-1 Fire Control system and AN/BQQ-10 ARCI Sonar suite. Her achievements continued in 2006–2007 as she has also completed an around-the-world deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean earning the coveted Order of Magellan certificate, participating in Exercise MALABAR 2006, and many other significant assignments. Port visits included Singapore, Yokosuka and Okinawa in Japan, Goa in India, as well as transits through both the Suez Canal and Panama Canal.

In 2008, she completed another deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean, only this time taking a northern route, successfully transiting under the arctic ice cap. On 1 July 2008 she surfaced at the North Pole to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the historic feat of the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) in 1958.

On March 19, 2011, Providence launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air defenses as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn.

With the decommissioning of USS Bremerton (SSN-698) on 21 May 2021, Providence became the oldest active Los Angeles-class submarine in the US Fleet. She was then assigned to Submarine Squadron 12 at US Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Connecticut.

Inactivation and decommissioning
On 20 August 2021, a Change of Homeport ceremony was held at the Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, Connecticut. Providence was then transferred to Kitsap Naval Base in Bremerton, Washington for decommissioning after 37 years of service. Providence was officially placed in reserve status, inactivated but in commission on 2 December 2021. The submarine was officially decommissioned on 15 August 2022 (although she was decommissioned on 22 August 2022 in the Naval Vessel Register) and the decommissioning ceremony for Providence was held on 1 September 2022.

Awards and decorations

 * four Navy Unit Commendations
 * six Meritorious Unit Commendations
 * six Battle E (Navy "E" Ribbon) awards (three of which were consecutive)
 * four Navy Expeditionary Medals
 * two National Defense Service Medals
 * three Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals
 * Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
 * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
 * Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

Providence won the Tomahawk Strike Derby in 1988 with a 5-second time on target. The USS Providence was the winner of the 2008 Arleigh Burke Award for superior performance in battle efficiency, presented by Fleet Forces Command on Monday 16 June 2008. Providence has, once again, earned the coveted 2008–2009 Battle Efficiency 'E' for COMSUBRON 2.

In popular culture

 * Providence appears in the 1986 Tom Clancy novel Red Storm Rising, along with sister submarines USS Boston (SSN-703) and USS Chicago (SSN-721).

title: USS Providence (SSN-719)


text:
Talk:Luton Town Supporters' Trust

Untitled
What is this? Sport? If so, which one? And what is a supporter's trust? Vicki Rosenzweig

Football (i.e. soccer :) ). The ownership of Luton Town F.C. is, ah, interesting at the moment (see the main article), and the clubs' supporters have formed a Trust to take the club over, hence this article -- though I agree it needs to be made a bit more informative and encyclopaedic. Several English league clubs are now owned by trusts, but it's not my sphere of expertise as my club (Crewe Alexandra F.C.) is properly run! -- Arwel 22:58, 1 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Copyright problem removed
Prior content in this article duplicated one or more previously published sources. The material was copied from: http://www.trustinluton.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=28. Infringing material has been rewritten or removed and must not be restored, unless it is duly released under a compatible license. (For more information, please see "using copyrighted works from others" if you are not the copyright holder of this material, or "donating copyrighted materials" if you are.) For legal reasons, we cannot accept copyrighted text or images borrowed from other web sites or published material; such additions will be deleted. Contributors may use copyrighted publications as a source of information, but not as a source of sentences or phrases. Accordingly, the material may be rewritten, but only if it does not infringe on the copyright of the original or plagiarize from that source. Please see our guideline on non-free text for how to properly implement limited quotations of copyrighted text. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously, and persistent violators will be blocked from editing. While we appreciate contributions, we must require all contributors to understand and comply with these policies. Thank you. John of Reading (talk) 15:36, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Luton Town Supporters' Trust


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USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720)

USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720) is a Los Angeles-class submarine and is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

History
The contract to build Pittsburgh was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 16 April 1979, and her keel was laid down on 15 April 1983. She was launched on 8 December 1984 and commissioned on 23 November 1985.

On 2 April 1991 Pittsburgh and USS Louisville (SSN-724) conducted submarine-launched Tomahawk missile attacks against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.

Pittsburgh departed in October 2002 for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. There, she again fired Tomahawk missiles into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She returned on 27 April 2003.

On 25 February 2019, Pittsburgh returned to her homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London after completion of her final deployment. The submarine then arrived at Bremerton, Washington on 28 May 2019, for a months-long inactivation and decommissioning process.

Pittsburgh was officially deactivated on 17 January 2020 at the Undersea Warfare Museum in Keyport, Washington, and awaited the Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. She was later decommissioned on 15 April 2020 and the crew released, 37 years to the day of her keel was laid down.

Of interesting note, Pittsburgh's final Commanding Officer, was (at the time: Commander) Jason Deichler a native of Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh suburbs, and brought the "Yinzer" spirit to the SSN-720, as he said, "I wear Pittsburgh on my sleeve."

title: USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720)


text: User talk:66.41.179.10

title: User talk:66.41.179.10


text:
USS Annapolis (SSN-760)

USS Annapolis (SSN-760), is the tenth "improved" Los Angeles-class submarine. Annapolis is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Annapolis, Maryland, site of the United States Naval Academy.

History
The contract to build USS Annapolis (SSN-760) was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 21 March 1986 and her keel was laid down on 15 June 1988. She was launched on 18 May 1991 sponsored by Mrs. Myra F. Kauderer, and commissioned on 11 April 1992, with Commander Richard Severinghaus in command.

Completing sea trials in April 1992, the ship had her first port visit to her namesake city, Annapolis, Maryland. She then entered Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) in January 1993. After completing PSA in July 1993, the ship had her first port visit to Bermuda.

In November 1993, USS Annapolis deployed on her first mission to the North Atlantic. Later that year she was awarded the Submarine Group Two Silver Anchor Award for enlisted retention. Annapolis returned to Groton, Connecticut for the Christmas holidays and then continued on deployment in the North Atlantic in January 1994. During this time the boat made her first visit to Bergen, Norway where some members of the crew had an opportunity to attend a few of the 1994 Winter Olympics events, including the Men's Gold Medal hockey match, before returning to Groton in March. During this deployment the boat and crew earned the Navy Arctic Service Ribbon. Following an in-port refit period, Annapolis participated in a six-month pre-deployment workup with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), and on 20 October 1994, began her first six-month Mediterranean Deployment with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Battle Group. During the deployment, the crew had a chance to make port calls in places as diverse as Gibraltar; Toulon, France; La Maddalena, Italy; Limasol, Cyprus; and Haifa, Israel. During this deployment Annapolis earned her first Sea Service Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal and Meritorious Unit Commendation. Upon the boat's return, Annapolis was "adopted" by the town of Montville, Connecticut in an effort to strengthen community relations.

The boat's next deployment was not until October 1997, when she returned to the Mediterranean Sea with the George Washington Battle Group. In November 1997, in response to an emergent political and military crisis in the Persian Gulf, Annapolis transited the Suez Canal en route to the Middle East. While on station, Annapolis played a key role as a Tomahawk strike platform as well as serving as a public affairs platform by hosting news crews from both ABC and CBS networks.

Port calls were limited but the crew did get ashore in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. While in the Persian Gulf, the boat earned her second Sea Service Ribbon and a Naval Unit Commendation. In March 1998 Annapolis was relieved of her duties by USS Providence (SSN-719) and began the long voyage home.

After more than two years of local operations and extensive upkeep, Annapolis transited back to the Mediterranean in the summer of 2000 for a six-month independent submarine deployment. While in the Mediterranean, the boat had a chance to participate in several multi-national exercises as well as in real-world operations in the Adriatic. Crew members had significant liberty in Gibraltar; Rota, Spain; Toulon, France; and La Maddalena, Italy, and earned its third Sea Service Ribbon and second Naval Expeditionary Medal. The boat returned from this deployment in January 2001.

Annapolis entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an extended overhaul on 23 April 2003. She set sail 16 May 2004, after completing a Depot Modernization Period one month ahead of schedule.

On 28 February 2008, Annapolis returned to homeport Groton from a six-month deployment. The deployment included visits to Rota, Spain; Toulon and Brest, France; Praia, Cape Verde; and Ghana. Annapolis was the first U.S. submarine to make a port visit to Africa (Cape Verde) outside the Mediterranean. In addition to functions supporting national security, Annapolis participated in the African Partnership Station (APS) 2007, an initiative with regional maritime services in West and Central Africa.

In March 2009 Annapolis took part in Ice Exercise 2009.

In April 2015, the boat entered an Extended Engineered Overhaul where she went through several modernizations both in the forward compartment, as well as in the engineroom. The boat returned to Groton in June 2017.

In January 2018, the boat transited the Panama Canal for her change of homeport to Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, CA.

In February 2018, she was homeported in San Diego, California, and assigned to Submarine Squadron 11.

Following a predeployment work up period, Annapolis set out on her maiden Western Pacific Deployment in March 2019. She made port in Yokosuka, Japan; Sasebo, Japan; and Guam. She returned to San Diego in September 2019.

In April 2022, she was homeported to Apra Harbor, Guam, and assigned to Submarine Squadron 15.

title: USS Annapolis (SSN-760)