[ryan71]

I was aboard Deyo in ‘85 and ‘86 and ran into a former crew member of Stark. He said the fire in the berthing compartment was so hot the aluminum ladders, bulkheads, and decks melted.

Incredibly, Hazard Perry FFG-7, Spruance DD-963, and Ticonderoga CG-47 ships were largely, constructed of aluminum.

The Stark incident lead to Arleigh Burke DDG-51 having a steel hull and superstructure.

[rlmorel]

I got on the Kennedy a few months after she hit the Belknap...one of my squad mates told me nearly the entire superstructure of the ship melted off, he said you could see it run down the side of the hull into the water.

It was a miracle only eight men were killed.