We talk with Tin Can Sailors about serving aboard medium-sized Navy warships called “Destroyers” that are both agile and heavily-armed. 21-year Navy veteran Jacob Vaught, Executive Director of Tin Can Sailors (The National Association of Destroyer Veterans) talks about his service and the work of the Tin Can Sailors organization. We’ll also have Carl Rectenwald, USS Myles C Fox (DD-829), Jim Smith of the USS Rowan (DD-782) and Operation Lion’s Den, Dennis McCarthy of the USS Cowell (DD-547), and Joe Hoffman, a survivor of the USS Frank E Evans (DD 754) disaster of 1969, when 74 sailors perished. We invite all who served in Destroyers to join the conversation. The job of the Navy Destroyer was to defend larger ships by striking fast against threats under, on, and over the water’s surface. Achieving both firepower and speed meant sacrificing heavy armor plating. Destroyers had thin metal hulls–only 3/8″ in some cases–making them seem like little more than “tin cans” bristling with guns, torpedos, missiles, and depth charges. The unique mission and characteristics of Navy Destroyers bred a special class of sailors with their own culture and camaraderie. Join us for a conversation as we cover all classes of Destroyer ships, from Fletcher to Zumwalt.
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