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Midway E2 mishap was actually the summer of 85 North Arabian sea. It was between 7-8pm. We were in heavy seas and it was dark as hell. I was a boatswain seaman working the wardroom dinner, a while later I hit the showers,thats when the alarms went off, "plane in the water" We all had to get top side for the search. BM2 Bates had to get the boats in the water. But the ship was rockin badly, We managed to get the motor whaleboat out .If I remember correctly LT Velez was on board that boat. I remember seeing the plane semi-submerged. I remember seeing the pilot the next morning having breakfast in the wardroom. He was pale as death. they had lost 2 crew members out of 5. Helos picked up the remaining ones. Deck dept stayed up all night trying to recover and destroy the floating radar dome. I will never forget that night. That morning I spilled breakfast on Cpt Blairs lap. (heavy seas)
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Mike Spiers

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Midway E2 mishap was actually the summer of 85 North Arabian sea. It was between 7-8pm. We were in heavy seas and it was dark as hell. I was a boatswain seaman working the wardroom dinner, a while later I hit the showers,thats when the alarms went off, "plane in the water" We all had to get top side for the search. BM2 Bates had to get the boats in the water. But the ship was rockin badly, We managed to get the motor whaleboat out .If I remember correctly LT Velez was on board that boat. I remember seeing the plane semi-submerged. I remember seeing the pilot the next morning having breakfast in the wardroom. He was pale as death. they had lost 2 crew members out of 5. Helos picked up the remaining ones. Deck dept stayed up all night trying to recover and destroy the floating radar dome. I will never forget that night. That morning I spilled breakfast on Cpt Blairs lap. (heavy seas)
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LT Velez may have been on that boat, however, I remember BM2 French leading the charge. I'm sure CDR Blair appreciated having breakfast on his lap!!! I wish I was there for that Kodak moment.
Mike Spiers
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Mike Spiers

They almost lost the boat crew trying to get the boat back up with the davit because of the rough seas. the boat crew risked it all to save some fellow shipmates. The reward. The next day an Admiral from the Midway came on board and gave the crew Ice Cream.

ICE CREAM??? What have we got here, a bunch of gedunk sailors? We used to eat nails and if we were 4.0 swabbies, they would clean the rust off first for us......Tisdale, didn't we used to have a hidden away ice cream maker on board somewhere?? Thought we used to trade the ice cream to the PBR guys in Nam for certain items we couldn't get at sea.

Dirty Doty

Dave Doty ETR3 65-67

A.K.A. "Minnow"
(941) 693-3689

I remember that night, just Helo'd on not long before that, and as I recall, there was I thought 2 pilots / aircrew, and they both looked like they were more scared of us trying to recover the boat, in fact, they both looked like maybe it was safer back in the water...

I remember the e-2 missed the wire and was told "bolter bolter power go". The pilot stated I can't and it went off the angle deck. The plane floated for a day with a couple crew missing but they would not let the divers enter the mostly submerged aircraft because the radome was basically foam and was keeping the airplane afloat but might separate at any time. It did eventually seperate. They did do some strafeing runs at the radome with some A-7s which was pretty cool.
Randy