ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. - Thirty-four years ago on May 17, two Iraqi missiles struck the Mayport-based USS Stark (FFG-23) in the Persian Gulf killing 37 sailors and injuring 21 others. It remains the deadliest attack on a U.S. Navy ship since the Vietnam War. This past Monday, people gathered for a solemn remembrance ceremony here at Beaches Veterans Memorial Park. A former crewmember rang a bell 37 times - once after each name was read aloud – a laying of a wreath, and a 21-gun salute while Taps was played. Survivor Richard Wezhsler said he couldn’t talk about it for 25 years. Fellow crew member Clyde Barrow felt survivor’s guilt. Many survivors spoke of this as a family - not just those who survived the attack, but who served in Stark years afterward. Stark was off the Saudi Arabian coast near the Iran-Iraq war exclusion boundary when it was hit by two Iraqi missiles. One detonated. The other started a fire. The initial explosion and fire killed 29. Eight would later die from injuries. The crew’s heroic efforts saved the ship. It was repaired and returned to service before its 1999 decommissioning in to Mayport, the memory still lingers. (Source: News4Jax.com 05/17/21) Gulf Coast Note: Seaman (SN) Vincent L. Ulmer of Bay Minette, Ala., was among those killed. Solemn ceremony honors 37 sailors killed aboard USS Stark in 1987 (news4jax.com)
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