this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
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History Memes

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Damn bro, there are easier ways to remove a president (media.piefed.social)
submitted 3 months ago by PugJesus@piefed.social to c/historymemes@piefed.social
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[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 29 points 3 months ago

Explanation from Original OP:

Context: The USS William D. Porter (DD-579) has a reputation for being the most chaotically incompetent ship in naval history. In November 1943, while escorting President FDR on the USS Iowa to the Tehran Conference, the crew managed to have the worst mission of all time. First, they tore the anchor off their sister ship while backing out of the harbor. Next, they accidentally dropped a live depth charge in calm waters, which terrified the fleet because they thought they were under U-boat attack.

But the finale was the worst part: During a drill to impress the President, the crew forgot to switch their tubes to dummy mode and fired a live torpedo directly at the USS Iowa. FDR actually asked to be wheeled to the railing so he could watch the torpedo miss him. After the entire crew was arrested, other US Navy ships would mock them for the rest of the war by signaling Don't shoot! We're Republicans!