Trying to Refuel at Sea - Movie

[Bill Jolliff]

Originally Posted by chris dawe

excellent video Bill ,I spent my share of time on the North Atlantic (well ,I can see it from the window ) not on ships but oil rigs ,its a rough spot and it can make a guy feel very insignificant I always say I never got used to it but got used to having my heart race .

the worst storm I ever encountered was on a tow on the edge of the Bermuda triangle ,we were two days going backwards 2 knots full stem ahead ,I watched the 120thou hp supply ship ride a wave and fall sideways ,thought I was never going to see home again ...the swells would expose the pontoons of the rig and crash through the moonpool into the second floor which was 130 feet ....it was pretty intense

Chris,

That's gotta be tough duty and I'm sure something you will never forget.

I also spent about a year and a half aboard a troop and dependent carrier transporting them from the Brooklyn Army Base in NYC to Bremerhaven Germany with an occasional stop in Southampton England. Usually via the North Atlantic.

Not a pleasant cruise in winter and may have soured some GI's into wanting to ever do that again.

In September 1956, we spent two days in Argentia Newfoundland pier side so I suspect we were taking on fuel. I wish I had taken a picture.

[Bill Jolliff]

Originally Posted by allen newell

JB, you just get used to heavy seas and after awhile just roll with it. On the Blandy in 68' we went went through 2 typhoons in the Tonkin Gulf and a hurricane south of Hatterus. We took a roll that was within 2 degrees of rolling completely over. I was strapped in my rack at the time as sonar was secured. Did not think the ship would come back but she did. Never got seasick, you just get used to heavy seas. But the cure was to never take a pleasure cruise anywhere after the Navy.

Allen,

That's about the worst any one or ship can encounter. We never came close to anything like that, thank God.

Man, you gotta be tough.

My wife and I have considered taking a cruise out of Boston up along the east coast to Canada. In the summer.

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

XXX

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

While on the topic of heavy seas...I was serving aboard the USS SHARK(SSN-591) coming back from a MED cruise in May of 1968. It was during that deployment that the USS SCORPION encountered trouble. We headed back towards her last known location to help in the search. Shortly after heading back we lost hydraulics to our sailplanes and had to run on the surface during a storm. It was the only time I've ever been seasick. Sadly, The Scorpion was never heard from again.

[Bill Jolliff]

Austin,

That was a tragic event and a sad day for a lot of people losing the Scorpion.

Your ship, the USS Shark SSN-591. I'm thinking that's 20 + from the the first nuclear sub, the USS Nautilus SSN-571?

Thank you for your service and sorry you had to endure running on the surface during a storm. That's not nice.

[ED J, MORGAN]

Thanks Bill. brings back memories. I was gunnery officer on the ammo ship Great Sitkin
59 t0 61 , Atlantic fleet. We actually did a transfer in seas like that to a cruiser,