Another Coincidence, or two

[JOHN THURSTON]

The Original Light Cruiser USS Birmingham, was laid down and completed as CL-2 at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy Massachusetts.

It was adapted to take a front mounted flight deck and the famous picture you see of Ely's first flight off a US Navy ship, is that of the USS Birmingham.

The first carrier in US service was the USS Langely,

She was a converted Collier (coal carrier: "all hands to coal ship was an order the US Navy was glad to say goodbye to)

Her sister ship and Collier was reputed to have gone down under mysterious circumstances in the "Bermuda Triangle"

In fact she was found near the Mouth of Chesapeake Bay.

Her name was 'Cyclops'.

I will fill in dates as soon as I can. My last recollection of the Langely was her mission to ferry warplanes, probably F4F's, to Wake Island in 1941.

This thread is a sidelobe of the Unlikely Coincidences thread featuring the Cleveland Class Light Cruiser Birmingham, the New England Whaling Fleet, Uss. Kearsage the Confederate Raider Alabama,the Light Carrier Princeton.and the expatriot Actor Sterling Hayden.

If y'all think that a stretch, read the thread.

JT