This Is Getting Abso-frickin-lutely Ridiculous

Cross-posted from The Stupid Shall Be Punished:

In my post below [actually at my home blog], I discuss how all the news reports coming out of Kings Bay today are erroneously saying that President Carter's underway on my old boat USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) marks the first time he has submerged on a submarine since he got out of the Navy in 1953. From my update to that post:

"It looks like all the stories (example here, with good pictures) that came out after the Carter pulled back in also mistakenly say that this was President Carter's first dive since 1953; the Navy Times article hedges its bets by attributing this "fact" to a Navy press release."

I decided to try to find the offending press release, and guess what I found: On the "official" Navy NewsStand website, in the text accompanying the picture of President Carter disembarking, the statement:

"President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn embarked aboard the submarine for and overnight tour. This was the first underway period on a submarine for the former president since ending his naval career in 1953."

Now, not only is it his first time submerged since 1953, but also his first time underway?!? (For those who didn't visit my original post, here's the key documentary evidence (on page 2) that President Carter not only got underway, but also submerged, on USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) in 1977.)

I know no one's as upset about this as I am, but jeez... doesn't anybody even bother to try to check facts anymore? Some AP stringer screwing up naval history facts I can see... but the official Navy website?

On a brighter note, there are more pictures of the Jimmy Carter in Kings Bay here and here.

Going deep...

Update 2143 12 Aug: I sent an E-mail to the Navy NewsStand informing them of the error. (I also let them know that it's "...for an overnight tour", not "...for and overnight tour".) I'm seriously turning into the crotchety old retiree I used to make fun of.

posted by Bubblehead @ 8:53 PM