The Rebirth of the Oriskany
Oriskany, New York is the site of one of the bloodiest and most significant battles of the Revolutionary War. A group of primarily Dutch and German colonists stopped a force of British troops, Tories, and their Native American allies, blocking the Mohawk River valley. The casualties were so great that there weren’t enough men left in the valley to bury the dead.
As a result, when the Lexington-class of carriers were being built, ships that carried the names of important battles, one of them was designated the USS Oriskany.
Oriskany is my Mother’s hometown and where I happened to graduate from high school, [military brats see a lot of schools].
The Pensacola Beach Blogger reported the Oriskany was sunk off the coast of Pensacola yesterday to become an artificial reef. He also has links to the museum in the village and to pictures of the sinking.
In the BBC article on the Oriskany there is a link to video of the sinking.
Like many who saw service on the “O” in Korea and Vietnam, she was buried at sea, now she will be reborn as a habitat for fish.
