As we entered autumn of 1969, the end of my Naval career, i thought, was set even though it would be nothing like i thought it would be. There were two more operations for the Hawkins with me on board.
First, we headed to the North Atlantic operating areas to serve as a ship to be tracked on what i believe was a submarine towed sonar array. The second ship was an oiler taking the place of another destroyer which had experienced engineering problems.
En route, we hit a rogue storm. The after engine room had not set x-ray properly. It was standard practice to leave the starboard side hatch open as it was set forward behind the main deck bulkhead, designed to keep sea water from hitting the hatch. The fresh air contributed just a bit in providing fresh, cooling air into the tropical conditions of the engine room. It also, occasionally, would allow a watch stander to emerge and get some relief from the heat and the humidity in the space. As the ship rolled about on the evening watch, a wave of sea water caught the starboard side main deck, flowed aft and flipped into the bulkhead opening and down the hatch. It splashed down the hatch ladder and hit the secondary ship’s switchboard (the main switchboard was in the forward engine room, main control. A machinist mate on watch reported an electrical arc light a bolt of lightning jumped between the switchboard and the ladder, a distance of about four feet. The ship went dark immediately. Tin cans were built to survive and almost every piece of electrical gear had a steam backup. The Hawkins kept on steaming.
This happened 55 years ago, so forgive me if my recollection is a bit shaky. If anyone who was on the Hawk during that operation, please send me corrections.
Damage Control entered the problem quickly and efficiently (Thank you, Andrew Nemethy). Emergency electrical cables about six to eight inches in diameter ran down the main passageways and up and down ladders.
The seas were rough and it was cold. We weren’t sure if we could continue on for our rendezvous with the sub and the oiler. But our electricians and damage control got us back on close to normal operations.
It was a scary time. But what happened next was even scarier.
Jim I was on at that time and it was a scary nite fur sur , long ago but your report seems correct from my memory of that night, I was acting Jack I Dust trying to get next days chow breakouts from storage and then holds were really dark without the lighting
Thank you, Joe. i’ve been in similar situations but i imagine your job during that event would have been worse. Good on you.
I was on the Hawkins and I do not recall any of that story you are telling. Coming aboard in early spring of 69 our only North Atlantic time was while going to relieve another destroyer in Norway that had run aground losing one of its propellers ( forget the ships name.) We continued on the Nato Cruise in their place and never encountered what you described.
It did happen in ’69. Several other crew and wardroom have validated that, some agreeing with the approximate dates. i left on my way to Vietnam in December of 1969. i was not aboard when they replaced USS Steinaker off of Norway, indicated by a couple of sources to have occurred in 1970. Could you have your years off by one and reported in 1970?