Refueling at Sea: Dangerous Even with Safe Conditions

August, 1964 and the USS Cacapon (AO-52) was finally headed home after seven months of providing fuel and vital support to the Seventh Fleet off the coast of Vietnam, Market Time and Yankee Station being classified as combat zones. To avoid winter weather, the Cacapon steamed north only to run into the worst storm of the season raging out of the Bering Sea. With swells running forty to fifty feet, well above the freeboard of ten feet, the fleet tanker took on ballast and turned south and safety.

With tons of cold, gray water breaking over the bow and the inclinometer reaching thirty-five degrees, it was all the crew could do just to stand up much less do any work. The engineering crew stood six hours on and six hours off as they maintained a steady watch on critical equipment, an almost impossible task with the steel decks rising and falling ten to fifteen feet with each wave taken. The engine room may have been below the waterline but even standing up required hanging on for dear life to something solid.

The last thing the crew expected was to be called to underway replenishment (unrep) stations as the captain had forbidden any crew member on deck. At 0600 the captain talked to the crew over the 1MC, outlining the unrep. The USS Point Defiance was almost out of fuel, with just enough left for a few more hours of steaming then they’d be dead in the water and face almost certain sinking. Being on deck would be extremely dangerous and anyone being swept over the side probably couldn’t be picked up. Instead of ordering the crew to unrep stations, the captain asked for volunteers and was rewarded with a full unrep crew.

The engine room called for all four boilers to be brought on line and maximum steam pressure to the deck winches, it would be crucial that none fail. The engine room was especially critical during any unrep, constant speed and positive rudder control was vital, loss of either and it could spell disaster for both ships. CinCPac (Commander in Chief, Pacific) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii remained in constant radio contact until the captain ordered them to listen but not transmit; they were interfering with the unrep operation. If anything happened, they would know where we were but with little chance of helping until the storm subsided.

All stations reported ready and the Romeo flag was hoisted, signaling the Pt. Defiance that she could come alongside. Normal distance between refueling ships is one hundred fifty feet, to allow for the swinging of the two ships but today, the distance was stretched to two hundred and fifty feet, almost the limit for safe refueling. But even with this extra distance between ships, the waves funneled between the two ships were monstrous and deadly. It was solid water on the well deck, where men had to line up piping for refueling. Only by being tied off with thick ropes did they manage to survive.