the flames and became temporarily wedged between two of the carrier's overhanging stacks. A submarine and air alert sounded 30 minutes later and and Morrison, the two closest ships, pulled away from Princeton to take their antisubmarine stations. The determined firefighting efforts had nearly controlled the fire, but it raged again during the ensuing lull. Following the alert, Birmingham and Morrison closed and attempted to secure a line to Princeton. At 15:15 the cruiser succeeded on its third try, but at 15:23 the flames touched off four hundred 100-pound bombs stowed aft in the torpedo magazine. The resulting explosion blew off the upper part of the carrier's stern, killing Bradley and every man in the vicinity. Bradley had repeatedly risked his life, entering the most dangerous areas below deck to ascertain the extent of the damage and to fight the fires blazing on board. For his "outstanding fortitude, great personal valor, and self-sacrificing devotion to the completion of an extremely perilous task," as well as his "extraordinary heroism," Bradley received the Navy Cross posthumously. Bradley's name appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines. Service history Robert G. Bradley was laid down on 28 December 1982 at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works Corp. and launched on 13 August 1983; sponsored by Mrs. Edna D. Woodruff, Bradley's mother; and commissioned on 30 June 1984, Commander. Thomas I. Eubanks in command.Robert G. Bradley deployed to the Mediterranean (18 August 1986 – 7 March 1987; 4 November 1994 – 15 April 1995; and 28 June–21 December 1996); the Mediterranean and North Atlantic (5 January–2 July 1998); and the Middle East Force (Horn of Africa, Persian Gulf, 28 April–28 October 1988). In addition, she made multiple law enforcement and counter-narcotics deployments to the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and carried out a number of specialized operations in North American, Latin American, and European waters. The ship also took part in Operation Support Democracy: a UN attempt to restore order in Haiti (September–October 1993). Robert G. Bradley operated off Haiti's northern coast, tracking an average of more than 150 ships per day. During the ship's deployments, she normally embarked one or two Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawks of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadrons (Light) (HSL) 42, 46, or 48. Robert G. Bradley intercepted fishing vessel Recuerdo, smuggling of cocaine, in the eastern Pacific (3 August 2001). She subsequently turned over the suspects and their illicit