Trying to Refuel at Sea - Movie

[Bill Jolliff]

A week or 2 ago I started a thread here on Foto Friday's of showing an attempt to refuel at sea while I was in the Navy. I used Snapshots.

I got my movies done and they are much more impressive, and if so inclined, check out this 54 second slow motion video of a destroyer, the USS Abbot DD-629 coming along side my ship, the USS Allagash AO-97, a fleet tanker, aka a sea going gas station.

This was in the fall of 1957 in the North Atlantic.

Here's the video: http://abbot.us/videos/DD629-1957.mp4

View it in FULL screen.

The powers that be decided to try it on another day. Good decision.

[Donald McQuade]

That is impressive, and scary. That,s why i choose subs, its a lot calmer at 500ft.

[Bill Jolliff]

That is impressive, and scary. That,s why i choose subs, its a lot calmer at 500ft.

Don,

That's "-" as in minus 500 feet.

Now, that's scary.

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

Not to scary Bill...more like a 3 month plane ride without windows.

[Bill Murphy]

And I thought I was a hard ass in 1967 and joined the Army. I guess we all had our crosses to bear. Thanks, Bill.

[allen newell]

Off the northern most coast of south Vietnam, (the DMZ) we refueled at sea frequently and while underway. Never an issue. There were times when we left the gunline to refuel and replenish with three simultaneous operations going on while underway. Refuel, mid ships highline and vertical replenishment on the fan tail. USS Blandy DD 943. 27,00 rounds of 5 inch expended and after 7 month o firing we finally left for home. The battleship New Jersey relieved us on station. It cured my desire to ever take an ocean cruise again.

[Bill Jolliff]

Off the northern most coast of south Vietnam, (the DMZ) we refueled at sea frequently and while underway. Never an issue. There were times when we left the gunline to refuel and replenish with three simultaneous operations going on while underway. Refuel, mid ships highline and vertical replenishment on the fan tail. USS Blandy DD 943. 27,00 rounds of 5 inch expended and after 7 month o firing we finally left for home. The battleship New Jersey relieved us on station. It cured my desire to ever take an ocean cruise again.

Allen,

Thanks you for your service in the Navy and aboard the Blandy. A genuine tin can sailor.

We did refuel the USS Wisconsin BB-64, sister ship of the USS New Jersey BB-62.

Here's a picture of the Whiskey coming along side for fuel. That was the same NATO cruise that I got the movie of the Abbot in nasty weather. North Atlantic about September - October 1957.

Geez, those things are big.

https://i.imgur.com/64GwRjs.jpg

[Pete Lester]

Watching that tin can in rough seas brought two things to mind; how does anyone on board function and the line in the movie Jaws, "We need a bigger boat."

[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

[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.

[Bill Jolliff]

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]

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,