Many trips do not turn out like we plan them.... So pay attention so you won't end up doing something you had wished you hadn't...

Date:   6/14/2005 7:12:21 AM ( 19 y ago)

Picking up where I left off, Key West Naval Station, DESRON 601, Fleet Sonar School Training....  Well life was nice in those days, I just was not smart enough to know better....  We worked four days a week, M thru R, F was a maintenance day and we were off every weekend except for the Duty Section.. {  On an active duty naval vessel there is always someone on watch 7 X 24 }  The weather was great, we could fish and catch Tarpon right off the sea wall, diving in the clear warm water was superberb...  There were plenty of fine looking females, in their next to nothing dress code, and life was easy....

Well one afternoon, returning from our training for the day, we were approaching the pier where we tied up...  These were concrete lined with large timbers to cut down the chaffing..  In order for new officers to be qualified as a conning officer { The Conning Officer was the one who is on the bridge, giving commands as to which way the ship would go or stop, ect... i.e. He be the Boss man Driver} 

 What is normally done is the ship comes up parallel with the pier, a small line is sent over from the ship to the pier...  Under normal circumstances it is thrown over using a weighted "monkey fist" on the bitter end; then picked up and pulled in at the pier... then this small line, which is attached to the larger 4 inch nylon retainer lines is pulled to the pier...  { pier line handling is a chore... one day even though they were warned not to park out on the pier, a car had the monkey fist weigh put thru their windshield... DUH...  We told them.... }   Once number one line, the first one from the bow, {the pointed end of the ship} was over it was placed on a windless.{This is a large winch, which is driven by an electrical motor, and can be used to pull the 4 inch line and move the ship closer to the pier...   Once we are with in less than ten feet, the ship should now be right along side the pier, the other five lines are swung over and attached to the bollards and / or cleats on the pier...  Once they are tightened up and finders are situated along the pier side, the gang way is put over...

So you see there is a lot of work each and every time we tie up... This was four days a week...  Some times it was nice to just anchor out, and not have to mess with all those lines.....  Back to the story, well the Captain was allowing one of the new Ensigns to bring the the ship into the pier for berthing {tie up}, so he was the Conning officer...  The twin engines were used to help position the ship... Go forward on one screw and back on the other... Then reverse the procedure and it was possible to lithely walk the ship into the pier... {This was under normal conditions} Well we were approaching the pier at a faster than normal rate, the Ensign was giving orders, but before you could say "Shu Fly" the collision alarm went off and we rammed the pier, that was a abrupt stop, if you can imagine a 2000 ton ship coming to a complete stop from several knots speed...  Well the Captain yelled " I have the Conn, go below Mr. Johnson..."   That is one of the worst things a junior officer could hear.. Plus everyone one the pier and the ship knew what had happened...  I felt sorry for the Ensign, but he should have paid attention....  

We will pick up with the submarine accident on our next visit....  stay tuned!! 

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