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Report by: Gary Carnot (GMG3 66-70)
Subject: I’ve
spent some
time in the Med Sea!
On the
19th of September 1969 we were at
refueling
stations, about 300 miles south of Crete, in the Med Sea. My duty
station
was that of the phone and distance line handler. It had been dark for
about
30 minutes when we received the word to secure from our station, as we
were about to "break away".
I had
been complaining about the deck line
that
had been laid out to dry next to our operating station on the 0-2
level.
All throughout the refueling I had been having to kick the line out of
my way to avoid tripping over it. I had just taken my lifejacket off
and
as I took a step back, I stumbled on the deck line. Trying to regain my
footing, I actually stepped up higher on the coils and when I realized
I had lost my balance I reached down behind me for the life line chain.
Because I had stepped up higher than I would have normally been, the
chain
was actually below my knees. The result was that I tumbled overboard
from
the torpedo deck.
I
remember yelling to the bridge lookout
"man
overboard" as I fell between the oiler and the Sumner. I hit the water
off the Port side upside down and on my back, having done a complete
flip.
When I surfaced, I immediately began looking for the CS types that
always
sit outside and watch the evolutions, but no one was on the main deck
that
night.
When I
got alongside the position of the
after
lookout I yelled "man overboard" again, and hoped that he was paying
attention
and could hear with his headphones on. I had stood that watch many
times
(I was there later when SN Ruhling fell off the fantail while we were
on
a full-power run to Rotterdam) and I always wore my phones with one ear
uncovered.
I was
turned upside down by the churning of
the
screws, and when I recovered from that I removed my wedding ring and
put
it in my pocket, was well as the brass belt buckle I was wearing. It
was
a full moon and I remember not wanting anything shinning underwater. We
had seen several sharks during the day when the garbage had been
emptied
by the messcooks.
When I
turned around, the lifeguard ship,
the
USS Damato had its search light on, but they were looking down the Port
side, and I was coming down the Starboard. After the Damato, there was
nothing but open sea. I knew that a Cruiser had been refueling at the
same
time as Sumner and I knew they had a helo onboard. I began to wonder if
they would bother to launch it for an enlisted man. Funny how your mind
works in situations like that.
Apparently
the Captain had been on the Port
wing
of the bridge and he had heard my original "man overboard" declaration.
He immediately initiated an emergency breakaway and notified the Damato
that he had a man in the water.
As the
Damato approached I was amazed how
striking
it looked from the water looking up. I thought they might run right
over
me, but I didn’t want to start swimming and causing a commotion in the
water, thus attracting any fishy friends. I also noticed that they had
moved their searchlights to the Starboard side, which I took as a good
sign.
As they
approached, I yelled "I’m over here
and
someone yelled back "we see you", to which I replied "gooooood".
I was
tossed a life ring, and pulled up the
starboard
side, just below the bridge area. They took me to sickbay and offered
me
a hot cup of coffee. Not being a coffee drinker, I declined, but I did
accept a shot of Coronet Brandy.
After a
while, a crew member took my wet
clothes
and I sat in sickbay with a blanket wrapped around me. In about 30
minutes
they brought my uniform back, washed , dried and pressed. I said to the
Laundryman, "the next time I fall overboard, I’ll remember to bring all
of my laundry...it takes me days to get it back on my ship".
Someone
brought me
a sandwich and I was given a bunk in the CPO quarters for the night.
The
Captain came by to tell me that I would remain on the Damato until we
arrived
in port, but the next morning while I was relaxing in the drone hanger,
the word to "man the highline station" came across the 1MC. Apparently
the Captain felt I was so important he wanted me back ASAP. A runner
came
to the highline rigging area with a clipboard and asked me for the
correct
pronunciation of my last name, for what reason I wasn’t told. It soon
became
obvious because when the bosun’s chair left the Starboard side of the
Damato
there came "ding ding, ding ding...Carnot Departing".
My division was
running
the tension line from the main deck and they made sure I had a bumpy
ride
with a slight dip or two to get my feet wet. When I was out of the
chair,
the Captain sent for me. He told me when he heard it was me he wasn’t
worried
about it. I told him in a laughing manner, "thanks a lot Captain". He
said
"Gunner, if I had to have a man over the side, I would prefer it be
someone
who was comfortable in the water and wouldn’t panic". He knew I had
been
a lifeguard in civilian life and while we had been in Malta,
successfully
completed the Pt/swimming tests for BUD’s training.
For the
past several years of my teaching
career
I have been teaching 7th grade Geography. When we cover the
Mediterranean
part of Europe, I can tell my students that "I’ve spent some time in
the
Med Sea" and really mean it.
----
The USS DAMATO's report on Gary's evening
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