Oriskany Honor Mission

摘要

The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CVA-34) was on station in the Tonkin Gulf on the morning of 26 October 1966 when a fire erupted on the starboard side of the ship's forward hangar bay and raced through five decks, killing 44 men. Many who lost their lives were veteran combat pilots who had flown raids over Vietnam only hours earlier. In 2006, the decommissioned USS Oriskany was submerged in more than 200 feet of water 22 miles south of Pensacola. Nicknamed "the Great Carrier Reef," the site has become one of the most popular diving destinations in the United States. For years, Captain "Brown Bear" Schaffert, who had been onboard USS Oriskany with Air Wing 16's VF-111, had written letters each year to squadron mate, LCDR Norm Levy, who had perished in the fire. The tribute letters could never, of course, be delivered, and were ceremonially burned each year by Captain Schaffert. A friend of Captain Schaffert's, Rick "Ranger Rick" Risher, former U.S. Navy Lieutenant and "Big Mother" combat SAR helicopter pilot, became aware of Captain Schaffert's letter-writing tributes. In 2014, following a chance meeting in Pensacola, Rick and Master Diver Susan Snapp came up with idea to physically place Captain Schaffert's next letter onboard the ship.