My frigate pulled into Newport a couple times. The first was to have an experimental towed array sonar welded to the fantail. We were tasked with operating it at sea while tracking one of our submarines. We ended up chasing Ivan a long way across the Atlantic before being told to turn back. Meanwhile I had an older BT1 who had chest pain, shortness of breath, and diaphoresis. A classic heart attack but I was alone and two days from port. We were pulling in to Boston before going back to Newport so I got on the red phone to Coast Guard Base Boston medical and coordinated transport to St. Elizabeth's Hospital. BT1 indeed had a heart attack and we left him there at the end of the port visit.
Submarine IDCs brag they don't always have a carrier to medevac a patient to like surface ships do. Really Doc? Neither do we.
I agree. Newport is cold.
Here's the Connole and the Miller of the same class as mine. The open "back door" is where the ship's towed array sonar is fed from. The one we picked up from Newport was welded to the starboard side fantail.
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