Rouge Wave and Life

Aboard the Towers as we pulled into Subic Bay, Phillipines (1985?)

As we were approaching the island that marked the outer reaches of Subic Bay I was working a fresh water washdown hose team on the Port side.

I don’t know what happened. I only know the water was fairly calm. There was only a slight swell and beautiful sunny weather.

I was right behind the guy with the nozzle all of a sudden this huge wave just crashes into the side of the ship knocking all of us down. The wall of water hit me square in the chest and I felt my feet get knocked out from under me.

I was riding the water down the main deck. I could feel the fire hose sliding by under me so I grabbed it.

As the water went away I felt myself hit the deck and the saltwater drained from my face... I couldn't make out what was over me. I let go of the hose and tried to sit up - I hit something.

It was the bottom lifeline. I was literally lying on the edge of the deck facing the opposite direction I was when standing and if the fire hose had not kinked on a cleat, or I had leaned a bit to my left I would have gone overboard.

I was quickly gathered up by those around me - who were all equally as wet - only the guy on the nozzle had the same experience... he ended up by the quarterdeck well inside the lifelines but equally as dazed by the freak wave at the entrance of Subic Bay.

It’s life at sea. 

It’s also just life. 

We’re often just going about our business with the daily mundane stuff, when a force greater than ours takes us off our game - from behind - and without warning. 

So we hold on. Tight.  

Let the villain engulf us and simply wait for it to pass. 

When it does, we’re wet, bruised and a little embarrassed.  But we’re smarter than we were before we were knocked off our feet. 

At least for the nex lt wave. 

Oops, Sorry Cairns

USS Towers DDG 9 (1987?) Getting Underway from Cairns Australia

To this day I'm not sure why or how it happened. But as we were leaving the pier at Cairns, the little underpowered tug had no control over Towers.

I can only guess the typical maneuver to pull away from the pier was executed with the belief that the little tug could do a big tug’s job.

It didn't happen.

Towers stern was pulling away and out from the pier, but the bow was swinging toward the pier.

By the time anyone noticed what was happening it was too late.

Towers crushed about half of the city pier in Cairns. Destroyed it. Left it in splinters.

But there's not much you can do from the deck of a US Navy Guided Missile Destroyer, you shrug your shoulders and leave port.

Looking on various Navy web sites - this is actually listed as a Towers "incident".

The lesson here is a good one.  We all need help from time to time - even a U.S.Navy warship. 

Make sure the help you request - is really the help you need.  

"Wave Back or do Something"

Aboard the USS Towers as it leaves the pier in Brisbane Australia (1987?)

We had all been enjoying liberty in Brisbane. But as always it came time to get underway.

It was a cool morning, we were all in dress blues to man the rail. Being in First Division we were lined up along the forecastle standing at parade rest. The lines hit the water and the tug started to pull us away from the pier.

At that moment a red convertible raced up to the pier. Two very nice looking young ladies stepped out. Tossing their blonde hair back they take off on foot to get as close as they can.

Needless to say, everyone has noticed these two. Even the Captain (as I look up to my left) has zeroed in on them.

They start scanning the crew. Obviously they were looking for someone in particular and I swear the entire ship was holding its breath to hear who it would be.

Then came the call, "Chocolate Man!" "Hey Chocolate Man, we love you!" "We love you"

Everyone knew who "Chocolate Man" was. He was SR Jordan, one of my seamen in First Division.

Chief O'Connor grumbled at Jordan, something about the girls being blind. Jordan shot back something about O'Connor being old and used up.

Meanwhile the ladies kept on and on with the "We love you Chocolate Man" chant. It was funny to start with but they wouldn't shut up!

Finally Commander Burrows leaned over the bridge wing and shouted down to Jordan to, "Wave back please... do something to shut them up!"

Jordan, of course replied, "Yes sir and stepped up waving back. He shouted something like, "Chocolate Man loves you too!"

It was hilarious at the time. As I write this I can only imagine what Captain Burrows was thinking. After all the pier was crowded with sightseers, local public officials and -of course- the news media.

I guess at least two ladies in Brisbane will never forget the week Towers (and SR Jordan) spent there!

We should all strive to make the most of every opportunity for fun, and if a Navy ship’s captain can embrace the fun in a serious moment - so should we. 

Bored on Mid-Watch

Aboard the USS Towers in the Western Pacific 1984-1988

There were several things you could do to pass the time.

If you had the helm and the sea was calm you could literally 'rock the boat'.

If the sea was flat and calm, you could start a rudder swing 5 or 10-degrees to the left followed by 5 or 10-degrees to the right. Do that three to four times you get a 'flow' going.

To rock the boat, you simply have to (while spinning the wheel back to the opposite side) grab and stop the wheel at amidships. If you've done it right the water will slam into the rudders and force the ship to roll to one side - not a lot - but very much noticeable when there isn't a wave in sight!

We're Taking on Water and it's Nothing New

Aboard the USS Towers in the Pacific 1985

It's not what you think. But we did experience several serious weather events while transiting from point to point in the Western Pacific. Several times Towers expansion joint was stressed to the limit and cracks developed in the area around the joint.

On this one trip the cracks happened pretty early in the storm and as we tossed around slowly getting to where we were going the mess deck continually took on water.

With each roll to port or starboard, seawater would stream into the mess deck.

That meant as the ship rolled back and forth, the water would slosh back and forth on the mess deck as well.
The 'dance' we all got good at was while we ate - we would lift our feet to avoid the rush of water moving from one side to the other.

Then you had to time your departure from the mess deck so you wouldn't encounter the wave as it sloshed back.

Life lessons are wrapped into every destroyer sailor’s stories. Life parallels these shipboard experiences, and you don’t have to look hard to see them. 

Biggest lesson was there’s not much you can do about many challenges except accept them and find the funny. Life is too challenging aboard ship to let it get to you to deeply. 

After all it’s this kind of weather that made being on a destroyer a lot of fun. You could climb a ladder without much effort, sometimes with no effort - just time the pitch of the ship and step to the next level without ever touching a step.

I’d we see the challenge coming - and plan - we can make the most of it.  See? Lessons from a rocking and pitching ship at sea play straight into the real world of everyday life! 

With 30 foot seas - you get a 60 foot troth in the waves. A destroyer isn't very big so it's like living on (and in) a roller coaster. 

You learn more than you think. 

My Most Vivid Memory Aboard U.S.S. Towers

This is the story that bothers me the most. I think of the crew of this E2C Hawkeye at every holiday and sometimes just on an average day.

At the time of this incident, the entire battle group (Alpha) with the USS Midway at its center, was enroute to the North Arabian Sea at a very fast pace - we had to get on station quickly - I didn't know why.
 

It was late at night and we were at plane guard position astern of the USS Midway (CV 41).

It was one of those memorably strange nights at sea. The ocean was glowing green with phosphorescents and it was a little foggy after some light rain earlier.

I was on the 2000-2400 bridge watch team, rotating from helmsman to forward lookout and such. We were in the "plane guard" position 1000 or 1500 yards astern of the USS Miway aircraft carrier that was conducting flight operations. As the plane guard ship, we do two important tasks. The first is being something for the pilots to line up on as they approach the carrier. The second, is if a plane hits the water, or flight deck personnel get blown overboard - we "should be" in a great spot to rescue them.

We were relieved from watch just before midnight, and I had gone below to get some sleep.  The next thing I knew the lights came and over the 1MC I hear "aircraft down."  I got dressed faster than ever before and ran toward the boat deck. I could see the smoke from a couple floats that were tossed probably by Midway personnel. As I got closer to the starboard side, I saw the light beams from the searchlight cutting through the smoke and illuminating something that my brain wrestled with processing... It was an E2C, from the "Liberty Bells" squadron just floating just 20-30 feet or so from the starboard side of the ship.  Water was not quite to the cockpit windows, inside, the pilot and co-pilot were heads down, unconscious, water mid chest.  I noticed right away all the rescue hatches on the aircraft were still closed. No one was moving.

Chief O'Connor told me to 'tend the swimmer's line,' which I did.  The rescue swimmer was next to me and within a minute reported he was ready.  

Alongside the chief was the sound powered phone talker, who when he heard the swimmer say he was ready, passed that along to the bridge, "Bridge, Boat Deck is manned and ready!" 

Other Towers crewmen were busy readying rescue gear at the swimmer station. We were ready amazingly fast and my Chief made this request of the phone talker "Bridge, Boat Deck, request permission to put swimmers in the water for rescue."

"Negative" was the answer. BMC Chief O'Connor, a Vietnam War river gunboat 'veteran looked puzzled, and sad again, "Request permission to put rescue swimmers in the water." This time with a little more adrenalin in his voice. The phone talker passed it along and then said, Negative Chief." 

Chief O'Connor grabbed the phone mic off the talker's chest and yelled into the sound powered phone, "Request permission to put the swimmer in the water sir!" 

As he was yelling that, the Captain stepped onto the bridge wing and shouted something down about looking for movement - an attempt by the air crew to escape would - so it seem - trigger our team to get in action. Chief O'Connor couldn't digest what was unfolding and he shouted directly up to the bridge and yelled at the Captain directly, "Request permission to put the swimmer in the F*****G water!" 

The Captain turned and stepped to the after most part of the bridge wing to be closer to us, and shouted back, "Negative Chief, we will not lose anyone else here tonight!"

Chief O'Connor was mumbling f-bombs and the swimmer openly considered just going in... Chief told him not to until the captain says go.

So we stood there. Hoping and praying someone inside would move, so we would get the opportunity to do something besides watch this aircraft sink with these men aboard. 

But that chance never came. In just a few minutes Towers was ordered to clear away from the downed plane and return to plane guard position. The helicopter was inbound to attempt rescue. 

The aircraft sank not long after we departed.  I later learned (through this bog and a reply from the swimmer in the helo)  hat the rescue swimmer on the chopper was not allowed to go in either.

The next day was rougher, rainy and foggy. We were in a search pattern looking for anything or anyone from that E2C.

We found the EXC's radar dome afloat in the waves. Reported it to the Midway and was ordered to ensure it sinks and cannot be recovered by anyone else. 

We shot it full of .50 cal machine gun fire and it just sat there refusing to sink. We fired more, it continued to refuse to sink,

The captain grew frustrated and took the Towers on several 'runs' colliding with the dome and breaking it into smaller retrievable pieces. In the end we recovered most of the dome. It had been 4 days, time to rejoin the battle group.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: Decades later I visited the USS MIDWAY MUSEUM and stood next to an E2C Hawkeye, and placed my open hand against the aircraft. I was shocked by how much bigger the plan was. Meaning, how much of the aircraft was already under water that night long ago. Suddenly after all the years, the orders from that night made sense. That aircraft was 70% underwater when we were alongside meaning that at any moment - without any warning - it could have sunk and taken anyone who was climbing into it along.

I cried. Standing there touching the plane while museum guests strolled around the fight deck like it was nothing. I was finally aboard Midway - connecting with a part of me, and a part of the U.S. Navy we lost that night
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you know anything about this incident, please post it here - I'd love to know more of the story. But until I know I'll continue to think about that crew - every Veterans Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and birthday...

Royal Australian Navy vs the U.S. Navy

Aboard the USS Towers DDG 9 in the South China Sea, 1987 - Operating with the Royal Australian Navy DDG the HMAS Perth

I think it was a Sunday, I’m note sure why that’s important but there you go. We’d been conducting joint exercises with the Australian and British Navy for about a week when we found ourselves operating with the HMAS Perth.

I’m not quite sure what we were doing but we ended up with the Perth just a couple hundred yards off our Starboard beam. Both ships seemed to slow and stop, we bobbed around for a little bit. This wasn’t an ordinary thing, so people began to gather on deck to see what was going on. So did the crew on the Perth. In-fact, they began to yell and hold up something in their hands… The aft lookout took a look with the binoculars and reported they were holding up beer cans… and drinking beer.

Of course we started to moan and groan about how we don’t get that privilege in the U.S. Navy (see next story). It was about that time when Captain Burrows made an announcement. While this is not an exact quote it’s close, “Since the HMAS Perth was once an American Adams Class DDG exactly like Towers and the Australians have made many changes to her power plant we were going to conduct a test – not a race – but an ‘acceleration comparison’ of the two ships. All hands not on watch are invited topside to witness the test.”

Cool.

The same announcement was made aboard the Perth. We couldn’t hear it but we certainly heard the yells of the crew that had made their way topside.

The Captain gets on the 1MC again, “We’ve agreed to begin when Towers sounds her whistle”.

The ships horn rang out a few second later and the Towers began to shudder. The entire ship shook and we began to push forward. So did the Perth.

It wasn’t long before both ships –side by side – were kicking along pretty good.

Then it happened.

The Aussies began to pull away…

An entire line of crew on the Perth turned around and “mooned” us. They were pulling away and rubbing it in our faces.

But at that very moment – with their shorts down – the HMAS Perth blew her safeties and all her steam vented out of the stacks! They slowed and slowed, her crew looked shocked – they knew they were out of the race.

Of course we started to laugh and jeer, I’m sure they heard and saw all kinds of things from us in the 20-seconds before Towers caught up and immediately blew her safeties!

Towers, just like the Perth had completely lost power.

There we were, side-by-side, adrift while engineering worked to get the boilers rocking again.

That image always makes me smile. We were sitting there, two powerful Navy Guided Missile Destroyers from two maritime world power nations… adrift without power because we both pushed it just a little too much.

I always wondered what kind of paperwork, if any, reflected that “exercise” of the HMAS Perth and the USS Towers!

How to Get Drunk on Two Beers

Aboard the USS Towers in the North Arabian Sea and Straights of Hormuz, 1988.

The U.S. Navy is the only one in the world that doesn't allow some alcoholic beverages on board its ships. When I was aboard Towers, the rule was 45 days at sea got each crewmember two beers. Commander Burrows thought it would be better since it was nearly Christmas, to push that number closer to 53 days before opening the secure storage and passing out Milwaukee’s Best!

You'd be amazed, people went to the aft food stores area to peek through any opening they could find to see what kind of beer was onboard. Like it mattered!

Well, the 53rd day finally came. I stood a double watch (2nd &3rd) so someone else could take advantage of the day - in exchange I would get a break overnight. Little did I know I would need it.

I did get my cheeseburger off the grill for lunch but I had to wait until after I got off watch to get and drink the beer.

When 4pm finally came, I wandered down to the mt 52 area and signed for my 24 ounces of brew. A friend of mine had done the same double watch and was with me (although I can not remember who it was).

You don't get to walk off with the beer. You have to drink it right there. So we sat down and talked about how to make the most of it.

I lit a cigarette and it hit me.

I was pretty new at smoking and if I overdid it I would get dizzy and lightheaded. So I said why don't we -quickly- smoke a bunch of cigarettes, guzzle a beer down, and quietly smoke another while we sip the second beer?

Sounded good to my friend (Greg Mrozinski?) so he said, "The whole pack", I thought that was too much - we split the pack and puffed our lungs full of nicotine and whatever else is in those things.

My head was spinning when I reached for that first beer.

I chugged it down.

I couldn’t smoke another - so I just sat there, staring at the afternoon sun shimmering off the waves, sipping that second beer.

Now, I don't believe I was drunk - but it certainly felt like it.  

Mission accomplished.

To some degree we can control more of ourselves than we think we can.  If I can make my body and mind feel intoxicated when I’m clearly not, I should be able to do better at controlling the darkness when it roars in for a stay. 

Help in learning how to actually do that is out there. For those who look for it. 

What a Difference a Mile Makes

Aboard the USS Towers, Luzon Strait, S. China Sea - 1986

We were a day or two out of Hong Kong on our way back to our homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. Steaming solo - without any other US ships. It may have been a Sunday since it seems like things were pretty casual that day. It was time for my watch and I took over as Boatswain's Mate of the Watch on the bridge.

About an hour in the watch, there was a report of a surface contact closing on us at about 25 knots. I went around the tell the lookouts to keep a sharp eye and try to be the first to spot whatever it was...

The activity was increasing when I returned to the bridge, lot's of conversations with CIC (combat Information Center), the Captain arrived on the bridge and started getting briefed by the OOD.

Now an aircraft was in bound. Not good. The inbound ship or plane must have been barking out orders demanding to know who we were.. but in the process, we figured out who they were...

Tha Captain went to the navigator station and was going over things with the NAV Officer. All I remember hearing clearly and LOUDLY, was "I need to know exactly where we are and I need to know now!"

Now, I got to tell you that doesn't sit well in a Third Class Petty Officer's stomach. I figured we were someplace we were not supposed to be and the Chinese Navy is bearing down on us looking for a reason to shoot.

I was half right.

The forward lookout calls down he has black smoke on the horizon off the Port bow.

I hear the Captain's voice... Something about "One F*&%# Mile!"

Seems we had strayed into Taiwanese territorial waters... By one mile. It wasn't the Communist Chinese Navy bearing down on us - it was an old US WWII destroyer, now operated by the Taiwan Navy and I guess they figured we were the Chinese looking for trouble because they had that old bucket doing close to 3o knots!

There were sudden orders to change course, increase speed and send all kinds of radio traffic and even flash some signal on the signal light... We kicked it in gear and got out of there.

A couple Taiwanese Jets flew over us. They looked like old trainer jets... They circled once and left.

I don't know how big of a deal this was or wasn't. I only know as a spectator on the bridge when it all went down... It put a little knott in my stomach - but it was a lot of fun.

I imagine someone took heat for it. 

It could have been far worse.  Had the Taiwanese shot first and asked questions later it would have gone quite poorly for everyone on both sides.  

Something to remember: Know exactly where you are, so you can be prepared for what could happen. 

Plucky Yank Saves Cop

While on liberty from the USS Towers in Hong Kong harbor (1985 or 1986?)

That was the headline of the newspaper in Hong Kong the day before we were supposed to leave. A shipmate on the USS Towers happened to be down the street from a shootout as a jewelry store robbery went bad in Kowloon.

The bad guys were surprised to find cops waiting on them as they left the store and they opened fire. One of the cops was hit in the chest. As soon as the shooting stopped this shipmate, I belive it was FN Land,  ran down the street - and started to treat the wounded officer. His life-threatening injury was a sucking chest wound. By the time an ambulance arrived, the bleeding was under control and the cigarette/plastic wrap was in use - saving the cop's life.

What made it all so funny, was this shipmate was the kind of guy that shared what he thought, even if no one asked... he'd say anything, even to the Captain. So he had a reputation and a bit of a record as a troublemaker, so when the HK Police Chief came aboard to present the guy with a medal... The past was forgotten (temporarily)!

Is there a lesson out there with this?  I don’t know, but I do know the more training you have to deal with things - the better prepared you are to actually deal with them.  It seems odd, but I hear the phrase; “The life you save, may be your own.” 

The USS Towers got some great press for the US Navy, the cop got his life and the shipmate got a medal. 

I've looked online for archive versions of that story - but it pre-dates the Hong Kong newspaper's online searches. If someone out there has a copy of that article, I'd love to have it to post here. 

"It's a Mine!"

Aboard the USS Towers DDG 9 - 1988 - Going into the Persian Gulf from the North Arabian Sea.

A lookout spots a metallic object floating in the water. We get closer, it's black and appears to be a 55-gallon drum.

It could be a crudely made mine placed by the Iranians. A potential danger to commercial shipping, so the ship goes to general quarters - seems we're going to 'take this thing out'.

We had already set up several additional machine gun posts along the sides of the ship and all were quickly manned. I was at the ASROC deck gun station on the Port side. We slow and the "mine" is going to pass about 30 yards off our port side. We're told to standby to open fire on the object.

Now, I'm thinking if this is a mine and we blow it up 30 yards from the ship, aren't we all at risk of being hurt? Or the ship damaged? But, as you know... it wasn't my call!

We get the order to fire on the object. (somewhere I have pics of this but I have to find them)

We shoot who knows how many rounds into that thing... After about 10-15 seconds of gunfire the cease fire order comes....

Seems we've turned a floating hollow drum into a colander and it's sinks.

Not a mine - but it sure did break up the monotony of sweeping sand off the ship every couple hours.

We never know when da heroes obstacles are going to show up in our path. Shooting them full of holes - figuratively - is always an option.  In life, finding ways to deal with them are probably the better option. 

Memorial Day 2006

I've waited to start this blog until this weekend.
It will no doubt be filled with many funny stories - but let's never forget how blessed (or lucky) we are to be able to share ours. We wore - or still wear - the uniform, to think of how many others wore the same uniform and never had the chance to share their stories because they gave all to preserve our way of life. I'm, humbled by that thought - proud to have worn the uniform - yet somehow feel like I could have done more - because I was lucky enough to serve near the end of the Cold War, where not many shots were fired in anger.

That doesn’t mean people didn’t give their lives to keep us free. It happens more than Americans realize. We lose sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines to training, or small operations constantly. 

Because of that, if this blog had a theme song it would be Eternal Father, the Navy Hymn.

Take a minute - think about the price this nation has paid for freedom.

Enjoy your freedom - it's bought and paid for!