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Historian
Posts: 190
| Subject: 55 years ago
At about 0530 on a cold drizzly morning a bunch of duty people and all the non-quals the duty chief could lay his hands on were rousted out from their warm blankets on the living barge at the end of drydock #1 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. They were told to hustle over to where this nuc boat was getting underway to handle lines. As usual with things “Navy” the boat which was supposed to move out at 0700 got delayed the line handlers stood around in the damp wind while things got straightened out. At about 0800 the boat finally moved out with shipyard riggers lifting off the brow and the wire rope lines forward. The disgruntled wet crew from the living barge walked back over to get some breakfast and start a new week in the shipyard. It was Monday, 9 April 1963.
Their boat the USS Dogfish (SS-350) was undergoing an overhaul. It was torn apart in the basin of drydock #1. On Wednesday of that week things seemed different. There were clumps of shipyard workers standing around, not working. Some folks seemed to be moving about with some urgency. Then as the day wore on the word spread that the Thresher, that boat that got underway on Monday was missing while on sea trials. As the day turned to evening the shipyard turned from a general quiet to near silence as there was no work being done.
The next day at quarters, the crew of the Dogfish were officially notified to the missing boat but the news was hardly a surprise. At noon each division met on either the work barge or the living barge and were told by their division officers that if anyone wanted to 'non-vol' and obtain a transfer out of submarines that request would be honored with no question. With the official announcement that the Thresher was lost in water much deeper than her crush depth and there was no hope of survival, the shipyard and the Navy turned to the task of dealing with the relatives of the crew and the shipyard workers that perished. It was a daunting task that turned into a real job of problem solving. Many crew didn't have wills and many of the wills hadn't been updated. Insurance policies sometimes listed ex-wives as beneficiaries. Several members of the Dogfish crew along with other sub crews (Tinosa and John Adams) were tasked with clearing out the Thresher crew lockers in the barracks. The general rule in packing the personal effects for shipment was that if we would not want our parents or relatives to receive an item it didn't get packed. These were mostly cigarettes, books, magazines and the like.
As the week wore on into the following week memorial services were scheduled. Planned mostly by faith, Catholic, Protestant and so forth the little chapel at the shipyard was used. When it was realized that there were more people attending than the chapel could hold the services were moved outside to the bridge and conning tower shears of the Squalus memorial. Some crew members of the boats in the yard served as ushers and gofers for the arrangements and services. It was a very sad time.
As a new graduate of submarine school I reported to Dogfish in March of 1963. I can still remember clearly being well aft and helping handle #4 line as Thresher went on sea trials as well as the events of the following weeks. Some things kind of blur together but the memory of the feeling is still there.
Upon returning from a Western Pacific Deployment in June of 1968 I took my leave of another diesel boat (USS Sterlet SS-392)and made my way to Galesburg, Illinois where for the first time in my life I met my fiance's family. I got there on the first of June and we were married on the 8th. It was during that week that the story of the loss of the USS Scorpion broke. I asked my wife to be if she still wanted to go through with the wedding as I would be sticking with the Submarine Force as a 20 year career. I stayed with submarines until retiring in 1982; she is still with me. I got the better deal. But I never, ever handled lines for a submarine getting underway. Superstition I guess.
Be Well
Oldsubs |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9163
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: 55 years ago
Thanks Jim. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2671
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: 55 years ago
Amazing story Jim, thanks. |
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Admin
Posts: 2294
Location: Renton, WA | Subject: RE: 55 years ago
Gave me goosebumps Jim - thanks for sharing something so personal! |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 851
| Subject: RE: 55 years ago
oldsubs - 2018-04-08 5:50 PM
At noon each division met on either the work barge or the living barge and were told by their division officers that if anyone wanted to 'non-vol' and obtain a transfer out of submarines that request would be honored with no question.
Oldsubs
Not trying to steal the topic of the thread, When the draft ended, there was a personnel shortage. In and around 1975, you volunteered for subs, and there was no non-vol. I know of a PO2 O2 gen tech on Silversides whose request was denied. He lite up a joint and non-vol that way. I know of a PO1 O2 gen tech on Parche who requested numerous times to non-vol which was denied. He went off to GLakes instructer duty in the new Gas Turbine pipeline. He managed to change his rate to GS and it was caught to late by the submarine IC detailer. I know of several Nuc's who's request chits were denied. I no not how it works today, whether one can non-vol or not. |
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55 years ago
