OP
mike_s
Contributor
from http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060517/NEWS01/60517002
UPDATE 11 a.m.: Oriskany has sunk
Larry Wheeler
11 a.m.: Oriskany has sunk. The last tip of the Oriskany's hurricane bow disappeared into the Gulf at approximately 11 a.m., approximately 36 minutes from the first explosions, a far cry from the five hours engineers originally estimated it would take for the ship to go down.
It went down stern first, not the way the Navy engineers had hoped. They had hoped for an even settling. It is not yet known what effect the awkward sinking will have on the final disposition of the carrier on the Gulf floor.
The hundreds of spectator boats surrounding the carrier marked the sinking by sounding their horns.
As the carrier went down, its bow stuck up, straining the heavy metal anchor lines. The port side bow line appeared broken early in the process. Clouds of debris could be seen billowing from the hangar deck, and water churned and bubbled heavily at the submersion point. Towlines strained at the bow.
The 50-foot boat with the explosive generator and electronics gear appeared intact on the flight deck surface. The boat was expected to float away from the carrier after the Oriskany was fully submerged.
UPDATE 11 a.m.: Oriskany has sunk
Larry Wheeler
11 a.m.: Oriskany has sunk. The last tip of the Oriskany's hurricane bow disappeared into the Gulf at approximately 11 a.m., approximately 36 minutes from the first explosions, a far cry from the five hours engineers originally estimated it would take for the ship to go down.
It went down stern first, not the way the Navy engineers had hoped. They had hoped for an even settling. It is not yet known what effect the awkward sinking will have on the final disposition of the carrier on the Gulf floor.
The hundreds of spectator boats surrounding the carrier marked the sinking by sounding their horns.
As the carrier went down, its bow stuck up, straining the heavy metal anchor lines. The port side bow line appeared broken early in the process. Clouds of debris could be seen billowing from the hangar deck, and water churned and bubbled heavily at the submersion point. Towlines strained at the bow.
The 50-foot boat with the explosive generator and electronics gear appeared intact on the flight deck surface. The boat was expected to float away from the carrier after the Oriskany was fully submerged.
