Mayport pauses to remember and honor the sailors of the USS Stark

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 37 sailors who lost their lives when the USS Stark was attacked 37 years ago were honored Friday morning at Naval Station Mayport.

On May 17, 1987, two Iraqi missiles hit the USS Stark while it was stationed in the Persian Gulf. Hundreds of people gathered to remember the 37 men who lost their lives in the attack.

Nick Norfleet was serving on the Stark that day and remembered the moments after the first missile hit the ship.

“I was climbing the ladder behind the bridge when the second rocket exploded directly beneath me,” Norfleet said. “My best friend Chris, who had been behind me the whole time, had just gone into another room, the explosion actually killed him, so he was only a few meters away from me when he was killed.”

After the ceremony, the surviving members of the USS Stark gathered for a photo with their comrades.