European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 the stars and stripes Friday May 22,1987 launch was t detected skipper says from Page 1 the equipment i Don t know whether ii was an act of god. I Don t know what in particular caused the missile id come in and hit the ship without warning Brindel said. The ship s computer terminals radar screens and electronic sensing devices failed to select the launching of the missile he said. And the  Phalanx defense system which would throw out a dense Spray of machine gun fire at anything coming near the Stark was not turned on. Frantically he said he sounded Gen eral quarters the Call that brings sail on to heir Battle stations and started to turn on Hie Phalanx system within second before the Phalanx could be activated an iraqi missile trav Eling Al 500 Runph hit the ship. Then an other slammed into bunk rooms under the Bridge. The missile attack turned the ship into a Nightmare of fire and smoke and 37 sailors died. Petty officer Michael o Keefe re called wednesday that was thrown from his bunk by the first explosion. I was in my rack asleep and suddenly i heard attic in saying Central quart ers general quarters All hand Man your Battle stations,1" he said. There was an explosion and i was thrown out of my rack t made it to the Hatch and there were flames already there. I smell smoke and saw a fireball thai s when i knew we were in trouble. And then the second explosion  Brindel said the Tiki indication i had the missile was coming at the ship was the Lookout report. The equipment did not detect an incoming missile that was what was reported to me. The informal Ion i received was that we did not receive any electronic  the Captain stressed that the Stark had been following Standard procedure Sand the careful rules of engagement in the persian Gulf. He said those proce dures Are intended not to further inflame the volatile situation by recklessly shoot ing at either of the combatants. There Are some Fanny things going on in the Gulf. I Don t like to say it but it May have been a matter of Lime before something like this happened he said. He said the Stark had gone through the Standard procedures As it tracked the iraqi Al Mirage fighter from 200 Miles away including sending two radio warn Ings Over an emergency band to stand Oil the second an ominous notice that it could be fired upon. Bui he said he had no idea until the last moment thai the iraqi plane which on the basis of experience Wasteen at a Friendly would fire. We did not realize the missile Wols fired until it was too late to engage i with our systems Drin Del said. Or incl said that after the second warning there was a Short time to the Lookout report and that it was Only a matter of a couple of  we sounded general quarters Assoon us we were aware of the attack he said. Unfortunately it was not in sufficient time to get people out of the compartment where a Large number of the had retired for the evening. A number of things were going on in just a couple of seconds he continued adding that he tried to bring up into automatic operations the weapons on the ship including  turned on of is automatic Mode the Phalanx would  its Spray of machine gun fire at the oncoming missiles. But the Phalanx system was in its nor Mal or manual Mode needing a Sailor to  and lire it. The Phalanx is not normally turned on to its automatic operation unless there is an imminent threat he explained because it then would open fire on anything that came close. If it is in the automatic operation then it will automatically engage any tar gel that comes near the ship he said. Asked if he thought that the Phalanx would have stopped the missiles if be had got the system turned on in time he said if the exocet was coming in and the Phalanx was on fully automatic then there was a High probability that it Wouldhave shot Down the  Bui critically he said the radar aboard the ship had failed to show the missiles separating from the iraqi plane. Initial reports from Washington on monday had said that the Stark bad 60 to 90 seconds warning hat the exocet missile had been launched. But Pentagon officials were apparently assuming that information gathered by an Azacs electronic reconnaissance plane had been instantly relayed to the Stark. That seems not to have happened. Safe f-4e Jet crashes in Spain killing 2 on Board Madrid Spain a a . Air Force f-4e phantom Jet fighter crashed wednesday near a firing Range in the Northern Spanish province of Navarre killing the two men on Board the . Embassy said. The embassy said the aircraft was based at the . Air Force base in Span Dahlem West Germany and had been on a routine training Mission. Spain and the United stale share a joint use air base at Zaragoza 62 Miles Southeast of the crash site. The Spanish air Force air transport command said the Cruh occurred at 11 50 . A statement from lit Navarre province governor office said members of the civil guard found the wreckage of the aircraft some 37 Miles South of Pam Plona near car Castio. The embassy spokesman said the names of the dead were being withheld until family members air notified. 3 French pilots Are killed As 3 Mirage Al jets collide Lyon France a three Mirage Al tighter planes collided wednesday while on patrol Over South Eastern France killing All three pilots French air Force officials said. The bodies of two pilots were found in a Forest about 34 Miles Southwest of Lyon on wednes Day morning. The third was found later in the Day. Sailors the first 24 to 36 hours after they two Saporsi arrived in Germany before Dawn and doctors determined tuesday night thai Able to be moved again. Bareford suffered Scea i wifi