On Memorial Day I am always mindful of an incident that occurred on October 8th, 1990. It was during the Desert Shield portion of what later became the Desert Storm offensive maneuver. I was a Signalman in the United States Navy aboard the USS Okinawa (LPH-3) . This is my account of the event as I remember it nearly 24 years later. Any errors are completely mine and mine alone.
The Okinawa was an amphibious class man of war. Her main function, a helicopter base at sea for the Marines. She looked very similar to an aircraft carrier. A flat top that covered her entire width and length with a superstructure slightly aft of amid ship on her starboard side. My work station was on the upper level of this superstructure. From there I had a “front row seat” of the Marines helicopter flight operations.
I was the Watch Leader of a three man team on the midnight to noon watch. As Signalmen, it was our duty to send and receive ship to ship messages using primarily Morse code via flashing light. It is a nonexistent duty in today’s Navy.
In the pre-dawn hours of October 8th there was not a ship to be seen. We had other ships (US Navy) in the vicinity, they were just beyond the horizon. Without any ships in visual range, I sent my team down to the galley for breakfast. The seas were calm and peaceful in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman. Two Huey helicopters were warming up on the flight deck for a very early morning flight exercise. It was still dark and they both were going to use night observation devices to navigate with for acclimation. These were usually goggles that the pilots would wear in order to see while flying with lights out. These early models worked well but did have a distorting visual effect and took some time in getting use to. Soon after their Huey’s pre-fight checklists were completed the pair lifted off and were soon out of visual range. After their departure, a calm silence returned. All that could be heard was a gentle breeze in my ears and the rhythmic “swoosh” of Okinawa’s bow gliding through the Indian Ocean’s lazy swells. It was the last time we would ever see them again.
A little while later, I went to the starboard side of the superstructure to hoist the stars and stripes. It was our custom to bring the flag down during the night to save on the wear and tear of our flags. We ensured that it was hoisted again before dawn. Just as I was tying off the lanyard and still facing the bulkhead, I saw a flash of light reflected against the bulkhead. My initial thought was that some Marine just snapped a picture outside, violating the Navy’s “darken ship” policy. As I made my way back to the “Signal Shack” to log the time I hoisted the ensign, I overheard on the ships intercom CIC (ships Combat Information Center) telling the Bridge that they had just lost contact with the two Hueys and no longer saw them on their radar. It was then that I reported to the Bridge and CIC that I had witnessed a flash of light off our starboard. CIC confirmed hat was the relative direction they were last seen in.
The Okinawa and a couple of other US Navy ships spent the rest of the day searching for the crews and aircraft. I was in one of Okinawa’s motor whale boats assisting in locating and retrieving debris. In our boat we hauled in flight helmets typically worn by helicopter crew. (Helicopters typically kept extra helmets and head gear onboard). I also remember hauling in a first aide kit. The Okinawa was the primary recovery ship and all items found were brought to her. Late afternoon the search was concluded. No sign of the pilots or crew members were ever recovered. I recall seeing helicopter pieces being reassembled in the hanger bay like an NTSB investigation. A portion of helicopter’s main body, several pieces of propellers, (none longer that 6-10 feet), all laid out on the hanger bay deck. It was obvious that the destruction was utterly catastrophic. It was later concluded that the two helicopters collided into each other.
In a flash of light eight men perished.
Capt. William D. Cronin USMC 29 yrs old
Capt. Gary S. Dillion USMC 30 yrs old
Capt. Kevin R. Dolvin USMC 30 yrs old
Capt. William J. Hurley USMC 27 yrs old
Sgt. Kenneth T. Keller USMC 27 yrs old
Sgt. John R. Kilkus USMC 27 yrs old
Cpl. Timothy W. Romei USMC 22 yrs old
LCpl. Thomas R. Adams USMC 20 yrs old
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