Today I Learned

Try World of Warships Legends here: Use promo code 2021WOWSLSUMMER for 7 Premium Days, 2 free ships, 20 Eco Tile Camo, and 20 rare boosters! ______ During its last tour in the Vietnam War, the Belknap-class guided-missile cruiser USS Biddle scored what is believed to be the last enemy aircraft shootdown with hand-loaded guns in the US Navy’s history. USS Biddle was the last ship of its class and was launched in 1965, just in time to begin operations at the outbreak of the Vietnam War in early 1967. Displaying 8,000 tons and manned by 27 officers and 450 men, Biddle was built to take down enemy aircraft approaching American formations at sea. On July 19, 1972, the cruiser was monitoring an American combat air patrol when the duty watch officers spotted five incoming MiGs. Missiles were fired, and the two remaining fighters received the brunt of the ship’s three- and five-inch guns. Moreover, Biddle also went down in history as one of the few American warships that successfully pran