Thomas Edmund Spitzer

Vietnam
-
Fallen

Baldwin, ND


County:
Burleigh

Date of Loss:

Branch of Service:
Navy

Rank:
Lieutenant Junior Grade

Company / Ship / Flight or equivalent:
USS Oriskany

Listed on/in the:
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Washington D.C.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Profile

Circumstances:

At 0728 26 October fire broke out in a forward magazine and raged through 5 decks, claiming the lives of 44 sailors. Many of those killed were veteran combat pilots who, a few hours earlier, had flown on raids over Vietnam. Serious damage to the carrier ended ORISKANY's WestPac deployment and following limited repairs in Subic Bay (RP) she returned to San Diego on 03 Nov 1966.

The fire started when a magnesium flare ignited in a ready ammo locker near frame 44 in the forward section of the ship. Shipboard fires are not uncommon, and ORISKANY's crew responded promptly and properly to this one. However, the primary firefighting tool available in the magazine area was an inexhaustable supply of salt water - but water alone cannot extinguish magnesium fires. The heat of the flare ignited other ordnance, including 5" ZUNI rocket warheads.

Biography:

He is buried at Baldwin Cemetery - Baldwin, North Dakota