CVW-3 and Harry S. Truman Strike Group sank the USS La Salle on 11APR07 off the coast of US Eastern Seaboard. Approximate location was about 150nm due east of MCAS Cherry Point. Before she rolled over and sank she took the following hits.

3 AGM-84E SLAM-ER
4 AGM-84D Harpoon
4 GBU-16 (Mk83) Paveway II
6 AGM-65E Maverick (Laser Guided)
6 AGM-114 Hellfire
4 Mk82 Iron Bombs
3 AGM-88 HARMS
2 RGM-84D Harpoons
Approximately 750 rounds of .50Cal (mixed bag of Tracer and HE)
Approximately 1800 rounds of 20mm (mixed bag of Tracer and HEI)
Approximately 30 rounds of 5in/54cal rounds from surface ships (AP and HE)

Flight ops as part of the SINKEX started at 0745 local time and wound down onboard the USS Truman by 1645. A 4 plane strike package left every hour on the hour. The USS La Salle went under at 1845 following 5in disabling rounds from the USS Hue City, USS Winston Churchill, and the USS San Jancito.


Yours truly was there to observe flight ops on the Truman and though there are pictures out there, as of right now they are still with Secret Squirrel and his assoicate Morocco Mole.

Let CNO we're getting JFK ready for a wee bit of SINKEX'ing. Give him a heads up, that if he provides a bit of warning and transportation to the site, about 2000 yardbirds will gladly pony up 100 bucks to see the SINKEX.


Byron

I wonder how that compares to the HC ponts model for sinking that class ship?

Overkill by a factor of about two ...

Just remember that all the haz-mat and explosive/burnable stuff whas removed from the La Salle before we started to drop bombs. So it probably would of been quicker if there was more explosions, plus a number of the hits were well above the water line. What is that line about needing to let water in not air to sink a ship?
The CAG operations officer got a good dig in with the F-18 bubbas on the air plan the next day, he was an ex-A-6 B/N. On one side of the air plan he put a reduced size of the F-18 poster will all the ordance beside it and a big fat zero. He then put a picture of a Tico firing it 5in mount with a 1 by it. Then at the bottom written in was the line about how long it would of taken if one of these was still onboard and put a copy of the Intruder patch at the end of the statement.

They might have kept pounding it after it took enough damage to sink, too, which would tend to run up the score ...

Question:

If the radar was clearly ripped of the LaSalle prior to the SINKEX, what did the HARMs lock on to?

The powers to be added a radar emitter that simulated a typical Early warning radar belonging to PACT naval units.