We were changing home ports in July 1969, and as i have noted, none of the wardroom or crew were too happy about that change. but first the Hawkins had a rendezvous with a couple of submarines.

In July, she once again traveled south, this time to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Her assignment was to serve as a location platform for two submarines going through Polaris missile firing tests off the coast. i was glad to visit with a very close cousin, Nancy Orr Winkler and her husband who lived there, and went to a disco, only to leave quickly after discovering a Naval officer, even in civilian clothes still had a haircut that did not attract Florida disco women.

Our first sub to undergo a three-week workup was the HMS Renown, a British submarine. It was difficult maneuvering to remain exactly on a point in the ocean, especially when the wind picked up, but we did incredibly and to watch that Polaris missile emerge from the sea and rocket (pun intended) into the sky was impressive. We were looking forward to repeating the process with the USS Thomas Jefferson, a US submarine.

There were a few problems in setting up the location in the first drills, but they were resolved before i caught a flight to Tennessee.

i was disappointed i wouldn’t be around for the actual launch of the Jefferson’s polaris missile. Taking a week’s leave, i went to Lebanon, Tennessee to attend my sister Martha’s wedding. The wedding and the week home was a wonderful respite. When i got back to Cape Canaveral and reported aboard, i found out i had missed some craziness.

You see, the British missile shot was relatively unnoticed. i don’t think we had any extra folks on board with the possible exception of a sub-expert to act as a go-between. With the Thomas Jefferson, the Hawk, sans me, had a flock of looky-loos, including VIPS. i’m pretty sure there was a least one US senator and one US representative aboard with their families. That meant their staffs, PR folks, media reps, and Lord knows who else accompanied them — actually, i don’t have a clue because i wasn’t there. i know there was a least one office holder and a lot of civilians on board.

There was a problem. The gimbals in the guidance system that directed the rocket motors locked. The fire control technicians could not turn the missile. Instead of soaring up and out into the wild blue yonder, the missile went straight above the Hawkins with its cast of onlookers including the ship’s officers and crew watching intently. That’s when the missile was destructed, as in boom. Fragments, even large pieces of the missile began downward, raining on the ship. The boatswain mate of the watch, was on the 1MC speakers urging everyone to go inside the skin of the ship and take shelter, explaining the dangers.

Apparently, there were a number of folks who wanted to see the spectacle and stayed on the weather decks with debris falling around them.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Unfortunately, i wasn’t there to see it.