The Okinawa was lucky ship. We had a number of almost disasters, but somehow, managed to recover from them without serious damage or injuries. One such incident oc combined with fuel that was sprayed into the d when we were just leaving San Diego. There is a narrow channel between North island and point Loma peninsula. We were slowly traveling through it, heading out to sea.
The Okinawa had a steam propulsion plant. Fans brought in air that combined with fuel sprayed via the burners in each boiler to heat the distilled water we used to make steam. The steam turned the turbines that powered the ship. Spent steam was condensed after use to be recycled. Cooling and condensing the steam was done using sea water as a coolant. There was a big screened opening blow the water line where sea water was taken in. It was called the main induction opening. The water then circulated around the steam to cool it and was then pumped back overboard.
The crew was still on station for getting underway. We had left the berth at North Island and were close to passing the end of the channel near Point Loma when something clogged the main induction. Because of the lack of cooling water the engineering steam plant had to be quickly shut down. Without power the ship might easily drift to the side of the channel and go aground. The bridge watch decided to drop an anchor to stop the ship and keep her clear of the shore. But we were still moving ahead. The team on the forecastle let go the starboard anchor and it plunged into the sea. The flukes of the anchor engaged the bottom of the channel. Now it was time to set the brake on the anchor chain to stop the ship. The brake was set by hand by turning a large hand wheel.
But the chain was still paying out too fast. Trying to set the brake just made much more friction. That friction became heat. The heat ignited the lubricating grease on the brake. Now we had a live fire on the forecastle. The anchor team broke out fire extinguishers and tried to overcome the flames. Meanwhile, the ship continued moving forward dragging the anchor with her. The anchor caught the underwater cables of the degaussing range that ran under the channel and ripped them from their location. Everyone on the forecastle, especially the officer in charge, was concentrating on the fire. Everyone, that is, except one veteran seaman. He realized that tea anchor wasn’t holding. He picked up a sledge hammer and knocked the restraining hook off the port anchor in order to use it to stop the ship. The brake on the port side was set, and held. The ship came to a halt in mid channel.
Whatever it was that had clogged the main induction dropped away into the sea. The pumps were able to resume moving cooling water, and continue our sortie. The degaussing range was severely damaged and the cables had to be replaced, but that wasn’t our problem. One quick thinking veteran sailor had prevented the ship from running aground and causing much more serious damage.
Wetherhorn 