Station HYPO

Early on June, 17, 2017, the United States Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) collided with MV ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, about 80 nautical miles (92 miles) southwest of Tokyo, Japan; 10 nautical miles (12 miles) southeast of the city of Shimoda on the Japanese mainland (Honshu).

The accident killed seven Fitzgerald sailors. Their bodies were recovered from the flooded berthing compartments of the ship. At least three more of the crew of nearly 300 were injured, including the ship’s commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson.

LCDR Francis Dixon Jordan
June 16, 1906 – October 24, 1944

A Japanese Language Officer who received his Japanese Language training in Japan from 1934-1938, LCDR Francis Dixon Jordan, USN, was serving as the executive officer of USS Luzon (PG 47) until ship was scuttled in Manila Bay on May 6, 1942,  shortly before Corregidor surrendered.   Following the ship’s scuttle, Jordan, was captured by the Japanese held as a Prisoner of War (POW) on the Japanese “Hell Ship,” Arisan Maru (A).  While in captivity, he was killed on October 24, 1944 when an American submarine, probably the USS Shark (SS 314), sank the Arisan Maru.

My name is Old Glory.
Long may I wave. Dear God,
Long may I wave.

After WWII, there were concerns in the U.S. government that coordination of the collection and processing of Communications Intelligence (COMINT) was not being done effectively, with duplication of effort. The Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) had failed to bring the Service Cryptologic Agencies into closer cooperation. In response to the dissatisfaction with AFSA, in December 1951, President Harry S. Truman ordered a study to determine corrective measures. A committee was formed to review, in-depth, the COMINT activities of the U. S. government. The committee was chaired by George A. Brownell, a prominent New York attorney who had served as a consultant to the State Department and traveled as Truman’s personal representative to a number of nations, including Mexico. For six months, housed at the CIA, the Brownell Committee consulted documents, heard testimony from AFSA and the services, and conferred with experts. Based on this study, the Committee issued a lengthy report in 1952. The result of this review was the creation of the National Security Agency.

Jerry Leroy Converse
June 11, 1943 – June 8, 1967

Jerry was killed three days before his 24th birthday.  Today, he and his family would have celebrated his 82^nd birthday.