MAN OVERBOARD

While on patrol off the coast of South Vietnam, the Prime required to be refueled, get supplies and mail at many times by Underway Replenishment ships.  The following is a statement about a incident that happened during one of these replenishment told by Bob Clark.

Paul,

I remember very well the incident but your right that was a lot of years ago.  How are things going now?  I didn't remember if you were on the WestPac cruise with me or if you left the ship before the cruise. But after you refreshing my memory I do remember you and me trying to get the rig off the stanchion.  Here is what I remember about going overboard Paul:

We were steaming somewhere in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam on Market Time patrol.  We were replenishing our ships supplies when I went overboard.  The following is how I remember it 36 years ago.  It was an experience I will never forget.

 One second I was on the deck helping you to get the fuel line off the stanchion.  The next thing I remember is the stanchion breaking off, me slipping on the metal that they had attached to the deck.  It was covered with diesel fuel and was very slippery.  I fell into the water rather close to the Prime.  The screws were pulling me towards the ship.  I swam as hard as I could to avoid being sucked into the ship and possibly into the screws. God must have been with me because I avoided going into the suction and remember a seaman named Felipe (a service person possibly of Pilipino decent who was stationed on the fantail during unrep) throwing me a life ring.  In no time at all both ships were out of sight and the life ring was about 40 feet from me.  The seas were quite high and there was a lot of wind. It seemed the harder I swam towards the life ring the farther away it was going.  I had on my May West and was fully clothed and felt like I was going to sink.  I kept trying to swim to the life ring and was finally able to reach it. By then I was nearly exhausted and started to panic.  All I could hear was the wind and was between approx. 10 ft. seas and in the valley of the wave most of the time watching the whitecaps at the top.  The water felt like two mountains around me and I couldn't seem to reach the top. 

 I finally calmed down and thought about my situation.  I somehow knew the Prime was going to return to pick me up but I never realized she had to break away from the unrep ship to do so. It seemed like I was in helpless, bobbing up and down barely keeping my head above water for an eternity.   The life ring had a light attached that remained on when the device floated.  Thinking I may still be floating in the ocean this night I turned the light upside down to keep it turned off and conserve battery power.  Once I had the situation in hand I began to relax and started to pray.  As I was about to resign myself to being a bobber in the South China Sea with nightfall a little over 2 hours away I spotted the top mask of the Prime.  Being quite young and not knowing the process I figured they knew exactly where I was and they would be picking me up shortly.  I then seen the mask disappear and began to panic once again.  I held the life ring in one hand, and held the light up in the other hoping one of the lookouts would spot it.  They must have because shortly after that the prime in sight steaming straight at me.  The Prime then slowed down, and turned sideway and the crew was yelling to me.  Someone shot a shot line which was just out of my reach.  They hauled that one in and shot another one immediately.  It went right over my head and landed right behind me leaving the line within my reach.  I began to tie the shot line around the life ring so the crew could pull me in but before I could secure it they began pulling.  The line was wrapped around my hands and tightened up and began to dig in the outside of my hands just below the little finger. To this day I have scars on both hands where the shot line dug in.

When I got close enough to the ship they lowered a boson ladder.  I reached the rungs and the ship rolled, next thing I know I was 10 feet out of the water hanging on for dear life. The Prime then rolled on my side lowering me back into the water.  I must have gotten half way up the ladder when Bo swain 1st class, and I can't remember his name reached down and yanked me right up on deck. I later found out how the Prime was able to track my position.  A 1st class radioman named Baldwin took a position reading at the exact moment he heard man overboard.  I never got to thank him but I am thankful for his ability to think quickly possibly saved my life. The Primes captain talked to me briefly with the ships doc gave me a couple of shots of whiskey and ordered me for at least 10 hours bed rest.  

Editors note:  I was working with Bob at the time, he and I were trying to get the hose off the lifeline when all of a sudden it took off the stanchion and knocked Bob overboard.  I remember looking aft at Bob floating in between the two ships, with fellow shipmates yelling for him to swim away from the screws.  The Prime then went to emergency breakaway, and started our search for Bob.  Found him and brought back to safety.  I will always remember this since it could have been me also.  Paul Wamsley