A Poem written by Shipmate
William 'Bill' Gowacki

This poem was written in July 1973 and dedicated to our fallen shipmates: Oct. 1, 1972

On October first, in seventy-two, 
A tragedy struck, an event so true, 
Twenty shipmates met their end, 
In Turret 2, on the USS Newport News, my friend.

The ship was patrolling the coast, 
In Vietnam, a war to host, 
When suddenly a shell went astray, 
And tragedy struck that fateful day.

The turret erupted in flames and smoke, 
As the shell exploded and tore it broke, 
The sailors inside, helpless and trapped, 
As the flames consumed and their lives zapped.

The Newport News was a vessel of might, 
But that day it succumbed to a terrible blight, 
As the sailors fell, one by one, Their sacrifice in war, forever done.

Their families grieved, their loss profound, 
As they received the news, it went around, 
The tragedy of Turret 2, so sad and cruel, 
A wound that time could never fully heal.

But their memory lives on, in hearts and minds, 
As we honor their sacrifice, and the war that binds, 
May we never forget, those who gave their all, 
And the tragedy of Turret 2, 
that fateful fall.