Joel L. Collins
I was
on the site
for Kawishiwi personnel and could not find a way to add my name. I
arrived aboard in late 1957 as a BTFN I left mid 1959 as a BT3. When I
served aboard the skipper was Capt. McDonald who went on to be CNO and
when I was transferred Capt. Joyce was the Skipper. I have many fond
memories of my time aboard, I went on to retire as a BT1 in 1978. The
Kawishiwi was my favorite ship.
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That's
the way I feel about "Special K" The Capt and reports all called her
the "Mighty K" but below decks she was the "Case of whiskey"
We
refueled gun boats and supplied advisers in Laos and Vietnam
way before Vietnam conflict was supposed to have begun. That was also
the time we crossed the equator. While I was aboard we went through at
least two Typhoons, and four collisions with the Lexington,
Phillippine Sea, Ft Ticonderoga and an ARS that came in too fast hit us
and heeled so far over that we thought it was going to capsize.
The Lex tore up our aft 3" 50 Gun Tub, the Philippine Sea got the Gun
tub plus other damage their elevator hung up on our side and we
were connected for awhile. They had a gash in their side and an av gas
line cut and their crews lounge on fire all caused by a man overboard.
The Ft Ti was a steering problem bumped together than an emergency
break away. No-one injured in any of them,
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