Sinking
On 22 July 2003, Samuel Gompers was sunk in the Atlantic as part of a fleet training exercise (SINKEX). USS Samuel Gompers departed Portsmouth at 08:30 on 18 July 2003 under tow of USNS Apache en route to her SINKEX position. Three ships were sent to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina: Destroyer Tender USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37), Fleet Tug USS Seneca (ATF-91) and Submarine Tender USS Dixon (AS-37).
Of the three ships, Samuel Gompers was the last to be sunk, and slipped beneath the waves at 00:06 on 22 July 2003. The first Harpoon missile to strike Samuel Gompers was from USS Cole, designation: Cole 4. Reports indicate it took 16 Harpoon missiles (400 lbs each) and over 40,000 pounds of ordnance to sink Samuel Gompers. When the Harpoons finished, a squadron of bombers dropped 2,000-pound bombs on her to sink her.
Samuel Gompers is reported to lie at 31° 17' N 073° 51' W
Read more about this topic: USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37)
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—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)