1971: Somewhere in the South China Sea, off the coast of Vietnam…
I was stationed aboard the USS Loyalty, MSO-457 (MineSweeper, Ocean). Our mission was varied, however on this particular day, my mission, along with that of Max Henson, was to remove a 750 pound compressor from the top of the ship’s water maker. The motor had failed, and the ship was mostly without a supply fresh water. A secondary system could produce about 75 gallons per hour – not much for a crew of about 70 men.
We had just assumed the watch in the forward engine room, and picked up where the previous team had left off in the project. Block and tackle had been set up on the overhead, with the “hook” end over the top of the compressor end and the other 20 feet away over a space behind a generator. The entire space was tight, surrounded by switchboards (my responsibility), engines, and generators (Max’s expertise). The walkway was about 2 1/2 feet wide.
Max was at one end of the pulley, moving the compressor toward him, and I was situated between a twelve foot generator platform in front of me, the Internal Communications Switchboard directly behind me and the Main Ship’s Power Switchboard to my left. Pretty much boxed in. I was also less than 3 feet directly under the compressor, guiding it along.
That’s when the line snapped…
I stood there, paralyzed, watching 750 pounds of metal descending – in slow motion – upon my head! I couldn’t move – I could just stare. It didn’t seem to be falling – it was more like floating gently down toward me.
I blinked…
In a split second, during that blink, I heard the compressor smash the deck plates upon which I was standing, bounce up and smash the IC switchboard up against which I had been standing and come to rest, half way into the bilge below.
I opened my eyes after my blink…
It was at this point that everything came back to real time speed. And I realized that I wasn’t dead. Or injured. Or anywhere near the damage…
I hadn’t moved. Max hadn’t seen me move. One second I was trapped below a falling piece of equipment, and a nano-second later I was around two corners, standing almost against the opposite bulkhead, tucked safely around the far end of the massive main power switchboard.
Max and I stared at each other in shocked silence…
After a period of silence, I said, “How did I get all the way over here?”
Max responded, “You didn’t. You didn’t move!”
“What do you mean?,” I asked.
“I was watching, and you didn’t move. One second you were about to be crushed and the next instant you were over where you are now! I can’t explain it!”
