USS Stark attack subject of Whistle Talk

Today at Beaches Museum & History Park

John B. Mitchell Jr., a retired Navy captain now residing in Ponte Vedra Beach, greets President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan in May 1987, during a national memorial service for the USS Stark at Mayport Naval Station. Mitchell was the commanding officer of the base the day the Mayport-based frigate was attacked by an Iraqi jet in the Persian Gulf. (photo submitted)

Retired Navy Capt. John Mitchell was in his quarters on a Sunday afternoon at Mayport Naval Station when he received a disturbing call from a higher-up. Hours earlier, the USS Stark, a Mayport-based guided-missile frigate, had been attacked in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. warship had suffered a direct hit, and was on fire and in danger of sinking. It was a sea captain’s worst nightmare come tru...

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