There are many sea stories i’ve heard from others. i’m sure other Naval officers and enlisted, both while active, retired, or a veteran have heard plenty more. i’ve thought of several of these sea stories while i was writing my last post. Since i was ASW Officer on the Hawkins (DD 873) and the USS Stephen B. Luce (DLG 7) i’ve remembered a number of such stories about the nuclear capable Anti-Submarine Rockets (ASROCs), of which i was in charge on both of those ships.

Good (and old) Navy vets are in a Facebook group called US Navy Gearing Class Destroyers and several more in another group , USS Hawkins DD/DDR873 Association, responded to my question about the below tale actually happening. Many had some accounts i’ve heard and several i had not. I learned quite a bit about incidents that occurred with ASROCs. Phil Wilcox, Jim Bailey, Phillip R. Siebenaler, Dave Tomski, John Silcox, Rolland Garber, Tomas W. Vieth, Brian Rhodes, Joseph Markowski, Thomas Andruskevich, Stephen Clifford and Jim Parker, all added to my knowledge.

Rolland Garber provided the evidence to allow me to tell the tale enough to relate it here. And Jim Bailey corrected me in calling the missile containers “caskets.” Sailors actually called them “coffins.”

Thanks to Rolland, Jim, and all of the others for their input.

In 1961 in the Navy’s base in Mayport, Florida, the USS Meredith (DD 890) was nested with the USS Noa (DD 841), and the USS Stribling (DD 867). An ASROC booster in the Meredith’s launcher lit off, most likely due to the hot weather. It was duly reported as required, i am assuming as a “Broken Spear.” i do not know if it was a conventional or nuclear warhead because i cannot confirm or deny due to my oath of silence, not to mention i don’t know what weapons Meredith had on board.

i do know tugs came alongside, “ripped” the destroyer from the pier and took her to sea where the fire was put out. Incident over…but not quite.

The containers that held the ASROCs before they were loaded in the launcher looked like something you would lower into the ground at a funeral. Therefore, sailors called them “coffins.” News media learned of a problem and sent journalists to the base gate. Security would not allow them onto the base. They waited anxiously for any news when two sailors exited the gate on their way to liberty. The journalists began pelting them with questions. Not being on a ship that was involved, the sailors said they didn’t know what happened, but they heard they had brought several coffins aboard the Meredith. The evening news ran stories about possible deaths involving weapons occurred on a Navy ship earlier that day.

i don’t know if this was corrected by the deadline for the morning newspapers. But throughout my days of journalism, i remembered that story and made sure i had my facts write when writing a news story.