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This is a piece of Naval history that you’’ll never read anywhere else, and I’’m glad I had my brother Butch help me with this. While I was in Maincomm handling the communication portion of this drama, Carl was in weapons, where the real action was going on. He’’s agreed to help as long he don’’t have to go to prison for it, so if you’re an ONI agent reading this, please stop reading now.

There were many reports made to various military factions but none to the civilian world. The way the press handles information, it was better they didn’t’’t. The headline would have read: “”Entire 6th Fleet sinks one French ship”“” “”Today, it was reported that it took the entire 6th fleet, seven days to sink one empty French ship. The Feudre was dead in the water and adrift, and yet …… So now you know why we kept it to ourselves, and here’’s the rest of the story.

On 08 June, 1967, an Israeli attack boat, along with helicopters, made an unprovoked attack on the U.S.S. LIBERTY, and did their very best to put her on the bottom of the Med. There’’s been a lot of controversy on whether Israel knew it was an American ship when it attacked, but that’’s not the point. The point was, it was attacked, and if it had anti-ship missiles aboard, it could have defended herself. Also during this period, the Soviets had developed and deployed PCE’’s (Patrol Craft Escort) with a ship to ship missile defense system, (KOMAR was the NATO designation) These little ships with their gas turbines and missile systems were a definite threat to the fleet.

The Columbus was a Guided Missile Cruiser with a Talos missile, as it’’s main weapon, and Tartar as it’’s secondary defense. Both were meant to be strictly anti-aircraft with Talos reaching out to 100 miles and Tartar 50. The Talos was also Nuclear capable and could take out a flight formation up to 80,000 ‘. The only anti-ship defense we had were two 5¢?/38 rapid fire guns, both mounted amid ships, port and starboard. Although the guns were used with radar tracking, and damned accurate, (I saw them chew up a target sleeve once while being pulled by an aircraft) they were of no use for short range firings. They could’’couldn’t depress the barrels enough to shoot something close in, and it was a major worry among Naval Strategists. When the Columbus went into dry dock the following year, there were some updates done to the Mk 118 Fire Control Computer as well as the Raytheon Mk51B’’s. The computers then were ‘‘analog’’ rather than ‘‘digital’’ that we use now. The computer was full of cam’’s and gears and there wasn’t always a perfect flow of information. The machine would see where it was and make it’’s adjustments rather than seeing where it is and make those same movement’’s. Anyway, the engineers and the technicians came aboard and made all the adjustments needed to become ship/ship capable. Then in 1970, the Navy was given a chance to do something about it.

After the end of the Second World War, the United States sold France an LPA (Amphibious Transport) along with a lot of other surplus we had, and they were giving one back to us. I have no idea what the ship was named when we had it, but when they gave it back to us, it was called Feudre. I had started reading about it a couple weeks ahead of the exercise. There were many messages sent and received of who was going to do what when, and it looked to me like it was going to be a lot of fun. Problem was, it wasn’t’’t guaranteed that there would be anything left after the first salvo. As I recall, the USS AMERICA got first dib’’s, and then a cruiser or two and then a string of destroyers. If there was anything left after that, the subs could get a crack at it.

I was watching with the Big Eyes, (which were a set of huge binoculars mounted on the signal bridge), when the F-4’’s had their say. From the distance we were at, the planes looked like hornets buzzing a cow, but I got to see the explosions as the missiles hit the ship. I wasn’t’’t able to watch very long, because I was supposed to be up there taking a leak in the head, not watching the war. It was pretty neat to watch though. That evening, we started getting traffic (messages) talking about the day’’s results and it looked like we were going to get our shot at it. The aircraft had great success in their hits, but as the missiles fire went out, the fire did too. Therefore there was still lots of ship to blow up yet.

Butch had spent the entire week before working on the computers for this event. I use to give Butch a lot of crap (and still do) about how much work he didn’t’’t have to do. The Weapons Department, unless they were on an operation like this, or we were being shot at, worked bankers hours. Right after colors at 0800 those men would head to work and headed right for the coffee pot. From there they’’d go to the book shelf and grab a “”Zane Grey”" or a “”Louie Lemouir”" and have a seat next to their computer. At noon, they all went down for lunch, and around 5 they all headed down to clean up for dinner. I know this for a fact. My security clearance pretty much let me go wherever I wanted. There were many places I couldn’t go, but Butch’’s wasn’t’’t one of them. I’’d go down there (he was one level below me) and I’’d give him some kind of crap and he’’d chase after me and I’’d head to Maincomm. ONLY Radioman walked into Maincomm. We even had the Master at Arms after us once, but that’s another story. Anyway, this wasn’t’’t a normal time for these guys. They ALL worked, ALL week, and none of them slept. It’’s NOT a good thing when your computers aren’t working. All you are then is a floating target, just like the Feudre’’. In all the time I worked in communications, I only had to stay awake once for 4 days. I don’’t know if I could have made it 7.

I was on duty when the missiles were launched, or I could have watched it happen. The Captain would let us watch from a safe distance back, and it was worth the smell of the toxic fumes to do it. I did hear the missile Butch fired, his launcher was just outside my bulkhead. It’’s not loud for very long, but it takes a while to realize you don’’t hear it anymore. Right after the exercise, I headed up to the Signal bridge and had a look. There was a huge hole in the Port side of the bridge and there was a hellava fire going on. The hole was 10 ‘ across with steel and aluminum pieces everywhere. Black smoke bellowing out of the bridge windows, it looked just like the movies. I remember feeling a shiver go up my spine though when I thought about people being on there.

I read all the ‘‘After action reports’’ that were routed through us and it sounded like she took a hellava beating. All the missiles that were launched made impact and caused considerable damage, but not enough to sink her. It was right after reading the reports, I looked into the teletype and saw a message from the FEUDRE’’ coming over fleet broadcast. It listed all the commands in the area and said “”We are under attack from the air and sea, took many hits but we endure. Long live France, and remember the Feudre’’”" . That message got pulled, routed and delivered faster than any Flash traffic ever had. Since the message arrived “”Unclassified”" we weren’t restricted in any way, to keep it from the ship’’s crew, so the word got out quick that the Feudre’’ survived. The guys weren’t real surprised to hear it, they’’d seen the damage done, and she wasn’t’’t listing yet. When some of them heard we’’d received a message from her, bragging, the fight was on.

The next morning, all the destroyer’’s had their shot (s) at it. They all lined up, (which is where “”Ship of the line”" comes from) in single file, about 1/4 mile between them. As they’’d come abreast of the Feudre’’ they would open fire with all their 5 inch’ers, and I assume later, they used everything they had. That ship really started looking bad! So far, the F-4’’s had bombed and sent a variety of missiles into it; we had slammed a couple missiles in it, one of which was bigger than a telephone pole; Another cruiser opened up with 8 inchers after we shot our load into it, and now the Destroyers were having their way with it. It really looked it too. Belching smoke from every hole in her, both small and large, and after dark we could see her glowing on the horizon.

All during this time, we were in a missile range, much like the one near Malta, but the winds had picked up and she started to drift at a pretty good clip. It wouldn’t be long before she made it into the shipping lanes, where it might be a real problem. That night we routed and moved traffic, just like we did all the time, but now we were watching for “”the message”". “”Has the message come in yet?”" would be the first thing said when one of the radioman were relieving the other of the watch. (a ‘‘watch’’ is a shift, as in ‘‘afternoon shift’’……) When the day’’s situation report came out, all of the Destroyer’’s had graded very well on their accuracy, which is always nice to hear.

Same way when you heard one of those F-4’’s fly overhead. When one of those was in the neighborhood, I always felt safe. Same way with our missile hits, and with the Destroyers. It can get pretty scarry out there sometimes, and it’’s a good feeling when you know the rest of the ships can help keep you alive.

Even the officers were asking about “”The message”". “”It”" came in around midnight. The message gave it’’s exact location, speed, and direction, along with a comment. “”We are holding our own, boiler intact, all fires extinguished, and looking forward to liberty two days hence”". “”REMEMBER THE FEUDRE’’”". As luck would have it, we too were going to be having liberty, two day’’s hence, in Palma de Majorca.

By 0400 the subs were on station and ready to do their bidding. Everyone in Communications figured she wouldn’t last till lunch, but we were all wrong. Two subs were given two shots each and once again, the accuracy was fine. The torpedo’’s made contact with the hull and all exploded, just like they were built to do. But yet, she floated, and was still heading toward Palma.

Now the officers started to get a little worried. I don’’t mean the Ensigns standing their JOOD (Junior Officer of the Deck) watch’’s, I’’m talking about the Vice Admirals, and the Rear Admirals, the Commodore, and the Captains. We had a circuit hooked up in the Receivers room, where all the commanders could talk to each other over a teletype. It wasn’t’’t uncommon to see a Captain acting like an Ensign, while the Admiral was raising holy hell. Must be they teach typing in Annapolis because the Captain was pounding that teletype pretty good. There was a lot of discussion about who was going to shoot what when, and how much time they had to do it in. By 0700 the plans were set.

The two Destroyers who’’d had the best score shooting earlier, along with the two subs of the day before would be used to finish her off. The two Subs would be given two more shots each first. Then the Destroyers would come abreast, almost point blank and punch as many holes at the water line as they could. They would remain in place shooting until either the ship went down, or they ran out of ammunition. If they should run low before it sank, another Destroyer would take it’’s place.

The Feudre’’ (or what was left of her) was lifted 4 times out of the water, and on the fourth hit, she started a list to Port. The Subs then cleared the area and the Destroyers finished her off. The two of them opened with everything they had to help her to her grave. She blew smoke, fires were everywhere and finally, she rolled on her side and died.

Not long after she slipped beneath the waves we received one more message. It gave its exact location and the comment: REMEMBER THE FEUDRE’’.

The reason we couldn’t sink her was because, like all Naval ships, she was water tight. That floating piece of steel had hundreds of empty water tight compartments. Every hatch had been sealed. All of these compartments had been emptied of everything, leaving nothing to burn. The fuel bunkers were empty and the ship had cold boilers. Usually it was the cold sea water hitting one of those hot boilers that really did the damage. None of that could have happened here. We had to literally punch hundreds of holes in her hull to get her to go down. All of the ships had some great target practice’’s, the engineers and the technician’’s learned a great deal about surface to surface missile systems, and we were all given a task. ““REMEMBER THE FEUDRE’’”"