It was late at night on November 23,1966 when a simple refueling went so horribly wrong.
I was on board a Fletcher Class Destroyer. These are small, fast warships ships with a crew averaging around 200 so everyone knows everyone.
Seas were a little rough for refueling with swells in the 10-20 area as we steamed along the starboard side of an oilier which is over 3 times our size.
The oilier sent us a cable over to attach to our gin pole. A rope is normally used so if something happens it will part where a cable wont.
We were well into the refueling and replenishment of supplies when all hell broke loose. It was tough on the helmsmen trying to stay on course due to the heavy seas but for some reason the ships turned 10 degrees away from each other. The cable didnt part and ripped the gin pole right out of the deck along with two of the three supporting cables. The pole went over our port side before the cable parted freeing the two ships.
The one remaining gin pole cable kept the pole alongside the ship but it had pinned one sailors leg under it. By some miracle he didnt lose his leg. (We went to school together).
Several more were injured as cables, pipes and hoses separated covering the topside decks with Navy crude oil. Heavy seas and oiled decks do not mix well at all.
Being the ships rescue swimmer I was on the 0-1 deck (one above the main deck) just watching for the unusual, which never seemed to happen. But that night, in a few seconds, my life changed forever as the unusual did in fact happen.
Someone yelled, MAN OVERBOARD and at about the same time I saw him. I went in off the second deck and swam for him with everything I had. I was in between two ships steaming at around 10 knots and about 30 feet apart. I didnt ever think that oilier would get past me even though it did in just a few seconds. Man is awfully small in that position.
It seemed like I was swimming for hours when I got to the seaman. I was totally exhausted when I was finally able to grab him and roll him over. He was floating face down. I kept talking to him telling him he was going to be ok as we bobbed up and down in the black heavy sea. But when the search light from a second destroyer lit us up I lost every meal I had eaten in the last 6 months. My body tightened up like I had been hit by a freight train. I had never gasped for air like that before and I dont know if I yelled anything or not. In my arms was a young seaman that had not been out of boot camp a year yet and here I was, not yet 20, holding his lifeless body. There was no doubt about him being dead and I had never seen anything like that before that wasnt on a movie screen. The entire side of his head was gone where the cable had hit him and I was looking into an empty shull. He had died instantly.
An officer also went overboard and the second destroyer picked him up. He was severely injured but survived and was able to stay in the Navy as did everyone else involved.
It was a tragic accident on a cold November night, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in a storm that put me on the path to being a PSD.
This incident doesnt bother me at all but I will never forget about it. I have no idea where my life would be today had that night not gone as it did. Its just a shame that so many were injured and a young man barley old enough to vote had to die that night.
The first one kind of ingrains itself in you and may change your life for better or for worse. I was lucky as my life changed for the better.
Gary D.
I was on board a Fletcher Class Destroyer. These are small, fast warships ships with a crew averaging around 200 so everyone knows everyone.
Seas were a little rough for refueling with swells in the 10-20 area as we steamed along the starboard side of an oilier which is over 3 times our size.
The oilier sent us a cable over to attach to our gin pole. A rope is normally used so if something happens it will part where a cable wont.
We were well into the refueling and replenishment of supplies when all hell broke loose. It was tough on the helmsmen trying to stay on course due to the heavy seas but for some reason the ships turned 10 degrees away from each other. The cable didnt part and ripped the gin pole right out of the deck along with two of the three supporting cables. The pole went over our port side before the cable parted freeing the two ships.
The one remaining gin pole cable kept the pole alongside the ship but it had pinned one sailors leg under it. By some miracle he didnt lose his leg. (We went to school together).
Several more were injured as cables, pipes and hoses separated covering the topside decks with Navy crude oil. Heavy seas and oiled decks do not mix well at all.
Being the ships rescue swimmer I was on the 0-1 deck (one above the main deck) just watching for the unusual, which never seemed to happen. But that night, in a few seconds, my life changed forever as the unusual did in fact happen.
Someone yelled, MAN OVERBOARD and at about the same time I saw him. I went in off the second deck and swam for him with everything I had. I was in between two ships steaming at around 10 knots and about 30 feet apart. I didnt ever think that oilier would get past me even though it did in just a few seconds. Man is awfully small in that position.
It seemed like I was swimming for hours when I got to the seaman. I was totally exhausted when I was finally able to grab him and roll him over. He was floating face down. I kept talking to him telling him he was going to be ok as we bobbed up and down in the black heavy sea. But when the search light from a second destroyer lit us up I lost every meal I had eaten in the last 6 months. My body tightened up like I had been hit by a freight train. I had never gasped for air like that before and I dont know if I yelled anything or not. In my arms was a young seaman that had not been out of boot camp a year yet and here I was, not yet 20, holding his lifeless body. There was no doubt about him being dead and I had never seen anything like that before that wasnt on a movie screen. The entire side of his head was gone where the cable had hit him and I was looking into an empty shull. He had died instantly.
An officer also went overboard and the second destroyer picked him up. He was severely injured but survived and was able to stay in the Navy as did everyone else involved.
It was a tragic accident on a cold November night, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in a storm that put me on the path to being a PSD.
This incident doesnt bother me at all but I will never forget about it. I have no idea where my life would be today had that night not gone as it did. Its just a shame that so many were injured and a young man barley old enough to vote had to die that night.
The first one kind of ingrains itself in you and may change your life for better or for worse. I was lucky as my life changed for the better.
Gary D.
