Vengeance for the Ostfriesland?
By I’ve heard of inter-service conflict, but…
In 1987, while flying off the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, a Lt. j.g. Timothy W. Dorsey fired a missile at an Air Force F-4 reconnaissance jet piloted by then-Lt. Ross. He and his backseat officer ejected as the F-4 plunged into the sea.
A Navy investigation called Lt. Dorsey’s decision an “illogical act” that “raises substantial doubt as to his capacity for good, sound judgment.”
“The September 22, 1987, destruction of USAF RF-4C was not the result of an accident, but the consequence of a deliberate act,” the investigator wrote. “His subsequent reaction [to the radio command] demonstrated an absolute disregard of the known facts and circumstances.”
The Navy banned him from flying for life.
The Senate adjourned without considering Dorsey’s promotion to Admiral. The USAF crew survived, but the pilot has experienced severe back pain since the incident. To say the least, the story of Dorsey’s later career must be remarkably… interesting.