Stark Steams Into Florida Home Port

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —  The wounded warship Stark steamed into home port Wednesday to a hero’s welcome.

The Perry-class guided-missile frigate, badly damaged in the Persian Gulf during a May 17 attack by an Iraqi warplane that left 37 sailors dead, was greeted by a brass band, the city’s mayor and an ocean of yellow ribbons.

“It’s the biggest homecoming this city has ever seen,” said Art Riccio, spokesman for the Mayport Naval Station on the outskirts of this northern Florida city.

The 15-foot gash on the side of the vessel, torn when two Exocet missiles slammed into it, was barely visible as the Stark slipped into its familiar berth.

There is now a stone and bronze memorial on the pier that was not there when the Stark left for Middle East duty in February. The memorial is to the dead crewmen.

For some of those on the pier to greet the ship, it was not so much a celebration as a solemn duty.

“It’s a final chapter for me,” said Bonnie Hansen, whose husband, William, was one of those killed in the first attack on a U.S. Navy vessel since the Vietnam War.

“God gave them dignity, and they earned their own honor,” Rear Adm. Michael P. Kalleres, commander of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 12, said of the 37 who died.

There were tears, too, from relatives of some of the survivors.

“I’ve cried a few times already,” said Tom Porter as he stood at the side of his son Tim, who spent 11 hours in the water the night of the missile attack.

Crewman Robert Kummrow, who was in the Stark’s communications center when the missiles struck, said they first feared that the ship would sink.

“You have your doubts, but you do your job until all hope is lost,” he said as his mother, Jackie Kummrow of Charlotte, N.C., squeezed his hand.

Three men were awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for fighting the fire that broke out on the Stark after the attack and for controlling the damage.

Last week, Kalleres said of the crew: “These kids did a magnificent job. The fact they saved that ship is just awesome.”

“After we were hit and I knew they had gotten away and I knew guys died, I just wish we could have shot them down,” said Kevin Cummings, 22, of Sandusky, Ohio. “That’s the only thing on my mind.”

“We don’t talk about (the attack) much more because it happened three months ago. Everybody is sad that they died and happy because we’re home,” said Chris Ryden, 22, of Minneapolis.

Of the original crew of 217 officers and men aboard the Stark when it sailed, just over 100 remained aboard for the 33-day return crossing.

The Stark, which underwent 25 days of repairs before steaming out of Bahrain, was accompanied on the crossing by the frigate Steven W. Groves.