This is ex-Stoddard (DD-566), a World War II Fletcher-class destroyer. She was equipped as a remote-controlled mobile target ship for testing various defensive systems against live-fire threats in the Pacific Missile Test Range. Here she is under tow, somewhere northwest of San Nicolas Island. I made hundreds of landings on the fantail of this ship, in all kinds of weather, carrying passengers, cargo, film and data tapes, and ammunition. After surviving numerous missile attacks over the years without a scratch, she was sunk by Navy SEALS north west of Hawaii 22 July 1997. (Bryan R. Swopes Collection)