[MRCA] Blue Eyed Alligator

[Ray Fantini]

While talking to Joe W4VAG at Gilbert he told us about back when he was in Vietnam his unit was having a problem with enemy fire from a hill. The Air Force was unable to assist being it was getting dark and they had him contact on HF call sign "Blue Eyed Alligator" after relaying the coordinates two huge red objects flew over and a large part of the hill they were taking fire from disappeared, two more salvos followed of two rounds each with similar effect. The next day examination of the site reviled nothing but churned up earth and fragments of trees.
The Blue Eyed Alligator was the call sign of the Battleship New Jersey, she received that name because when recommissioned for Vietnam two 40 mm Anti-Aircraft guns were removed and Captain J. Edward Snyder Jr. thought it would be beneficial for crew moral to install swimming pools in the remaining gun wells.
>From the air the two pools appeared as blue eyes in the forward section of the ship.
Looking into this saw that they just had a 50th anniversary "Pool Party" on the ship in New Jersey:

https://www.battleshipnewjersey.org/event/pool-party-on-the-battleship/

It's amazing some of the things are friends have been involved with.

Ray F/KA3EKH


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