Email I received yesterday:

I was an engineering officer on USS Independence (CVA-62) in late 1960 on a Med cruise when the Tusk collided with us from below. There was no damage to the Independence while the Tusk suffered some minor conning tower damage. Do any of your shipmates recall this incident.
Harold Krieger
Lt(jg) USN

My Reply:

Harold,
You bet, a couple of the crew have mentioned that incident. One sailor, Frank Chesky has kept a piece of the forward capstan all these years. A couple photos of it are here.  http://www.usstusk.com/miscellaneous.html  Surface ships and submarines have been bumping off of each other since they first shared the sea.
Regards, Gary Parker
Website http://www.usstusk.com

Frank's Reply:

The collision in 1960 With the Independence is very clear in my memory and goes like this:
I was wedged into my bunk in the forward torpedo room, the OD asked Sonar to search "around" and report all contacts which was "No contacts".  The command to come to periscope depth was given.
Being mid summer, the thermoclines were severe causing the sound to be deflected off the cold water never to be heard by Sonar causing the collision between the Tusk and the Independence.
I was bounced up and down like a rag doll in my bunk.  I could never imagine a mass of steel could be bounced so violently as was the Tusk that day.
After emergency procedures, we surfaced to inspect the damages.  To my recollection, we had no damage to the conning tower but there were a lot Super Zorro slashes in the deck. Not only was the deck damaged but the forward capstan and the torpedo recovery boom (that was up to recover the exercise fired torpedoes)  flattened-destroyed.
We did not know what we had struck because the ship had departed without sending out any communications.  It wasn't until a week later we found out that an Aircraft Carrier had pulled into a port in Italy to determine WHY they had a VIBRATION.  From what I understand, divers were sent down to inspect the screws and found that there was damage to at least one of the screws that needed repair.
Yes Gary, a bump it was, when ever you see a 20 year Torpedo-men turn WHITE, you know it was one Helluva BUMP. I don't know what was in their pants that day but i know what was in mine.

Harold's Reply Today:

Frank,
Thanks for your account of the collision of the Tusk with the Independence. I have posted it on the Independence Yahoo Group. What a contrast! Only one man (a lone shaft alley watch man) on the Independence even heard or felt the collision. I was Engineering Officer of the Watch (deep in the belly of the ship) (I think that it was the midwatch but it may have been on the 4-8 morning watch). The shaft alley watch man didn't think that much of the bump because he didn't even report it to Central Control. We didn't find out about the collision until a Sixth Fleet four stripper came on board conducting an investigation. Contrary to the rumor on the sub, there was no damage to the Independence. There was a short news report in US News and World Report on the collision at the time. The Navy put out the misimformation that the screws on the Independence had a secrect design that made them silent. What BS! Thanks for the thermoclines explanation.
What brought this to mind after all these years- It was the Collision of USS Hartford (SSN-768) and USS New Orleans LPD-18 in the Strait of Hormuz last week.
Thanks Frank and Gary
Hal