QM2
(SW) Jared Harvey
80-84
As
a Quartermaster (Navigation), I was on the bridge (though not on watch)
during the collision incident. If I remember correctly, we were doing
NATO signal flag maneuvers when the HMS Ambuscade came up our port
side very fast as if to take the lead in our single line formation.
She then went hard port in a tight circle as if to take up a position
on our stern (I remember watching her and wondering what her intention
was because her actions seemed somewhat odd) when she appeared to
either loose steerage or made a very bad maneuvering decision. Anyway,
I ran to the port bridge wing and noticed that she was still moving
fairly fast and was surprised at how close she was. (I remember hearing
her gas turbines wining loudly ¦reversing screws) ?
I ran back into the bridge and the OOD yelled a helm order (cannot
remember what it was) and told the bridge crew to sound the collision
alarm. I grabbed the 1MC near the Captains chair and started saying
"Collision alarm, collision alarm", all hands brace for
collision port side -this is not a drill, this is not a drill!! On
my second repeat I realized that the collision alarm had already been
sounding and thus killed my 1MC announcements. At the moment the Captain
came bursting onto the bridge and yelled an order and took the con.
At the same time I felt a slight shutter at impact on the port side.
All hell broke loose and I believe that we went to GQ, primarily for
damage control reasons. I looked out on the bridge wing again (GQ
station was the bridge) and was shocked by the deep bow imprint on
the HMS Ambuscade as she drifted away from us slowly. I quickly started
wondering about our own damage. First reports from DC central were
of some smoke in some engineering spaces and the loss of our stern
capstan and other deck equipment, a fuel leak as well as some minor
damage to the hull in the area. Overall, I was surprised that our
damage was so little when compared to our British friend. We soon
were able to maneuver safely away from the damaged British ship and
hold station from her in case the Ambuscade needed damage control
assistance. I believe that we were with the USS America Carrier Group
at the time and the group commander soon came to have a look see in
a H-3 Sea King and sent another to assist.
Eventually the Ambuscade secured her damage (luckily, the seas were
very calm) and got slowly underway. I always thought that the HMS
Ambuscade headed for Djibouti for repairs but it appears it was Bombay
(must have been a long haul with that kind of damage). I also thought
that this incident occurred in the Gulf of Aden and not the Gulf of
Oman as the web site states.
As for the lean mean CG-19, we sent our HTs over the side with some
plate steel and after some magic welding, we continued on with our
deployment without any further operational limitations.
Alas, I was sad to learn that the Dale ended its fine naval career
in a SINKEX ¦she was a good ship.
Larry Malloy
CDR, USN Retired
I
saw on the Dale web site that you were looking for recollections of
Dale sailors who were on board during the collision with HMS Ambuscade
in June of 1983. I was an Ensign aboard the Dale during that cruise
and remember the collision very well.
When
the Officer of the deck ordered the collision alarm to sound, our
boatswains of the watch hit the alarm before announcing where the
collision would occur. In talking to shipmates afterward who were
below decks, the thing that bothered them the most was hearing the
alarm go off, the ship begin healing hard over, hearing the engines
speed up - so they all new this was not a drill - and no one told
them where the collision would occur - so no one new were to get away
from!
Our
first concern after the collision was for our after lookout whose
normal position is on the stern of the ship on our port side. He was
missing, we couldn't raise him on the sound powered phone he wore
and he wasn't visible from the bridge. We found him on the starboard
side amidships with his sound powered head phones still on his head.
He had run so fast the he had snapped the cord connecting him into
the communication system.
There
were stories that right after the collision there were with beer cases
on our fantail. Spewed out from Ambuscade's bow. Serving in an unfortunately
dry Navy - it was amazing how fast that beer disappeared. No evidence
was ever found.
On
a side note, HMS Ambush (I believe the British were trying to tell
us something with the names) was part of out task group for part of
that deployment. I had the privilege of being sent over to her to
spend the day with the Royal Navy. I still remember that visit fondly
Gunners
Mate Missiles SN Tom Terry
I
was in the aft missile house when the accident occurred and have some
really good stories about it. One of my close buddies was in aft steering
at the time and is really lucky he did not get killed. It knocked
him out of his seat and threw him about ten feet to starboard.
My division officer was at the helm.
PS
Glad to hear no one was seriously hurt on your ship.
Larry
Thomas
I
was on the USS Dale during the collision I've never forgotten that
day. Someone rang the chemical alarm. I knew that the ship had been
hit by the way it felt. I was kind of nervous because the Chemical
alarm rang.
It happend during my shift. My station was the throttle.
Ew1
Jervis Mobley
USS Dale 1980-84
I was on board the USS Dale when it collided with the Ambuscade. I
was on watch in the Combat Information Center when I heard the collision
alarm sound. There was a hatch close to the EW shack and I walked
out to the signal deck to see what was happening. At first it appeared
that the Ambuscade would hit us amidships (in which case there would
have been casualties) but as the alarm was sounded the officer of
the deck ordered the Dale to make a hard Starboard turn so that the
Port Rear Quarter of the Dale took out the Ambuscade's bow.
I have a very clear memory of the poor guy who was our after lookout
as the collision occurred. He was running across the deck with the
bow of the Ambuscade chasing right behind him. It almost looked like
the shark in the movie JAWS. The bow must have chased him 15 or 20
feet and he fell at least twice all the time taking advantage of both
his hands and his feet to keep moving away. When the force of the
impact was spent the Ambuscade pulled away and ripped a very large
(several tons) capstan off of the deck. There was also a bunch of
rope and tackle out of the Ambuscade's boatswains locker left on our
deck.
After the collision we had some small holes in the hull below the
waterline but they were easily plugged and we made preliminary repairs
in Diego Garcia.
At the time it occurred, there was a Soviet May aircraft overhead.
It is very possible that somewhere in the Kremlin archives there are
soviet pictures or film of the collision.
Thank you for maintaining this website. This is one of my best sea
stories.
