User talk:Michael Prokopis
USS Iowa turret explosion[edit]
Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. If you would like to comment on the content of articles please do so on their talk pages, and please do not insert comments into the text of the article. I've removed the comments you posted into the USS Iowa turret explosion article, and you may wish to start a new thread at Talk:USS Iowa turret explosion. However, please note that changes to the content of the article need to be supported by references to published reliable sources. Regards, Nick-D (talk) 01:59, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
Hello back. It's a shame that this article is allowed to stand. It is FICTION as it's very core and does not portray the events leading up to April 19th 1989 with any level of accuracy!!! As the Fire Control Main Battery Officer on board USS Iowa from July 1988 - August 1990, I can assure you that your article is blatantly false in the areas that I have commented upon. After 25 years of silence, I am going public with what I know...it's time to show the frauds for what you are...glamouring attention hounds!!!
- You may find that difficult to do on Wikipedia since the threshold for inclusion here is verifiability, not truth. If you are looking to blow the whistle on something this is by far the worst place to come and do it, all the more so since the the article in question holds a rating that commands attention and review of most of the senior editors of a number of large projects. It's not that we object to the addition of the material, its just that the way our ops orders are for editing makes certain positions like the "truth" you claim to be adding harder to obtain. If you want add your two cents to the article it has to be done within the confines of the acceptable editing structure here, which includes external reviews and other community imposed checks and balances. If you are unable or unwilling to work within that structure, then odds are good you won't last long here. Its just my observation, but it's been a proven fact in the years I've been here. TomStar81 (Talk) 03:29, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
Interesting that your threshold for verifiable being people who are published with their version of the story. In fact, Thompson lost a lawsuit to Captain Moosally...so is that really your verifiable source!?! Also, the article positions, strongly, that an over-ram caused the explosion. However, NAVSEA's own experiments and documentation shows that the gun powder was made unstable in the summer of 1988 by the way the gun powder was stored in barges on the York River; temperatures were recorded in excess of 140 degrees fahrenheit. But hey, why confuse facts for fiction because it was verified by people who wrote fictitious books so they could claim personal glory and make money!!! You'll find my version of the story is much more in line with people like Captain Moosally, Commander Kissinger and Master Chief Skelley. Additionally, if this article was reputable it would have done primary research...and let's not forget that as the Fire Control Main Battery Officer I had an additional Master Chief and two Chief Petty Officers...where are their quotes??? To lend additional veracity to my claims, I was the first and only Ensign in the decorated history of the USS Iowa to become Surface Warfare Officer qualified and was continually rated #1 of 36 junior officers. There is much more to this story and it's time to honor the memory of my shipmates with THE TRUTH.
