1953 – Collision:
There was an event aboard ship while we were operating in the Med. circa 1953. Memory doesn’t serve well enough to be more specific. I’m near 75 and feel I’m lucky to remember how to turn the computer on.
Back to the event. We were refueling av gas from the Matabasset (Unsure of the spelling) when she suffered a steering failure. Steering from the emergency aft station took too long and the result included the ships parting tearing the hoses apart and then a collision.
Why those two ships weren’t blown apart is something I truly believe no one can answer. I guess that constant painting finally paid off, eh?
You can well imagine the crew’s frame of mind for several days. With the exception of one tiny recurring event, I was completely unaffected by the incident. Every time I fill my car with gas, I start looking for the open sea.
Hope you enjoyed the story. By the way. I was ship’s company, V2 division. Served under a Captain Anderson and then Captain Thach who designed the Thach Weave a combat maneuver against Japan’s Zero fighter.