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Memories of My Shellback Initiation Aboard the USS Constellation (CVA-64), 1973

Crewmen aboard the destroyer USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD-968) participate in the traditional shellback initiation ceremony during Exercise Unitas XXI. The shellback initiation takes place anytime a U.S. Navy ship crosses the equator. By Donn Nemchick There is a long standing maritme tradition to have a ceremony when the ship crosses the

Remembering the Deadly Fire at the Kamiseya Naval Support Facility, September 24, 1965

Written by Todd DePastino Retired Navy Captain Bill Dempsey recently recalled to me a horrific fire on September 24, 1965 at a US Navy signals collection site in Kamiseya, Japan, that killed twelve Americans. I'd not heard of the tragedy, but Bill's story and the 60th anniversary of it prompted me to learn more and

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