Subscribe
USS OAK HILL, At Sea – On July 17, 1996 at 8:19 p.m. a Boeing 747, Trans World Airlines Flight 800, took off from Kennedy International Airport bound for Paris, France. At 8:31 p.m., Flight 800 exploded off the Long Island coast, killing all 230 passengers on board.
The newly commissioned USS Oak Hill was dispatched to the scene to assist in rescue and recovery efforts, charting a course for the ship’s history and her crew. Fifteen years later, the ship returned to the spot of the tragedy, allowing her current crew to reflect on the events of their ship’s history and to honor the memories of those who lost their lives on that day in 1996.
During the time after the crash, the massive search and rescue effort included 16 sailors from Assault Unit 2, 13 Seabees, 30 sailors from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8, four members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, three Coast Guardsmen and the crew of Oak Hill. It was Oak Hill’s very first mission, and the crew was responsible for recovering bodies, luggage and 187 tons of the wreckage that was ultimately delivered for assessment by crash investigators.
Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Manuel, is now serving his second tour aboard Oak Hill. The anniversary of the crash allowed him to reflect on his early days aboard the ship, shortly after the TWA Flight 800 mission.
“I checked aboard Oak Hill a year after the recovery operations and I had heard the stories from those who were there to take part of the mission,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Manuel, a Savannah, Ga., resident. “The stories were very emotionally charged and so detailed as to what went into that event.”
Anthony Hassano was a Petty Officer 3rd Class aboard Oak Hill in 1996. Now out of the Navy, he still reflects on his time during the rescue and recovery efforts of TWA Flight 800.
“We worked 20-22 hours a day, recovering bodies, plane parts and luggage,” said Hassano. “For some of us, it was our first time away from home, on a ship, and really out to sea. I can say for that it really hit home knowing that all those people lost their lives that day.”
Senior Chief Petty Officer David Leppelman was also on board Oak Hill during the recovery effort of TWA. Although he is no longer with Oak Hill, the memories of the search and rescue mission will always remain a part of his life.
“When I was on board, I remember one of my shipmates being sent to a salvage ship to help with diver support,” Leppelman said. “He was there for a few days and requested to be sent back to the ship because it became too emotionally overwhelming to recover bodies… of those that lost their lives (in the crash).”
Even though it has been 15 years since that fateful day off Long Island, the crew of Oak Hill paid tribute to TWA Flight 800 with a special ceremony to remind the present-day crew that at a moment’s notice the call could come again to recover aircraft and personnel from the sea.
“On our way back from our New England port visits, we were in the general proximity of the crash site, which was very moving,” said Lt. Cmdr. Garry Thornton, Oak Hill’s chaplain. “It gave the crew, even those who were too young to remember, a greater sense of awareness of how it happened.”
Before the wreath was cast into the Atlantic Ocean, Cmdr. David Bauer, Oak Hill’s current commanding officer, observed his thoughts on the tragedy as he relayed a message to his crew as to why this event impacts everyone in the world.
“TWA Flight 800 and the aftermath reminds us that our true strength as individual human beings, as a nation, and as a world community is to be found in people loving, caring for, helping, supporting, and even mourning and grieving for each other in good times and in bad,” said Bauer. “To the family members and loved ones of those who were lost on July 17, 1996 when TWA Flight 800 unexpectedly exploded after takeoff, we, the crew of USS Oak Hill sends our thoughts and prayers to you.”
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2011 15:54 |
| Story ID: | 74707 |
| Location: | USS OAK HILL, USAFRICOM, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Oak Hill sailors pay respects to casualties, by PO2 Brian Goodwin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
