[MRCA] Blue Eyed Alligator

[Mkdorney]

Largest shell I ever saw go down range was an 8 inch round out of an M110 SP Howitzer ( at Fort Sill, OK).  Also an Honest John Rocket ( in Greece ), and 4 Pershing 1A missiles ( White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, two from my launchers - I was the Missile platoon leader. ). Also got to stand on Trinity Site ( 1st Atomic Bomb) while down at White Sands.   

Mark D. 
WW2RDO

“In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of Principle, stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 30, 2019, at 7:56 PM, B. Smith <smithab11 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>  Flying out of Cam Ranh "Feet Wet" down the coast we always contacted the ship to obtain latest hot fire information. It was amazing to see the large shells go down range they were about the size of a small Volkswagen.
> Z
> 
>> On 9/30/2019 4:28 PM, Ray Fantini wrote:
>> 
>> 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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