USS Corporal SS346
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Article on Sailboat collision can be found here: - Sailboat Collision -
Official Navy Report here: - Report on 1967 sailboat collision
Regarding the sailboat collision:
Stephen Persson and Tom Bartlett were on watch at the time of the incident. We did NOT hit the sailboat. He hit the tip of our bow with his boom while we were dead in the water. He then shined his spotlight on us, bow to stern to sail, turned and sailed away.
Bartlett spotted the sailboat approaching from the port side which is why we were dead in the water when he got close. He was in a race from NY to Martha's Vineyard. Neither Persson nor Bartlett were consulted about the events at the time and we both reminisced about the event at the '04 reunion in Saratoga Springs.
Duane Tollaksen's comments about sailboat collision
Hi Buck, Thanks for all your very fine efforts to bring us all together!! I just went to the link for the CORPORAL Newsletter. One of the stories was the reported collision with a sailboat in Long Island Sound. The press accounts at the time made it sound like the CORPORAL was negligent. You publish one of the accounts in the Newsletter. It also made the New York Times!
I had recently been ordered to CORPORAL and reported on board July 24, 1967, while CORPORAL was in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a battery replacement. My job was to be the Navigator and Operations Officer. I relieved LCDR C. H. Van Landingham as Navigator on August 10, 1967 while in the Shipyard. When we left Philadelphia to return to New London, I was under the XO's instruction as the Navigatior, with the navigation team in the Conning Tower.
At that time the Commanding Officer was LCDR Walt Hubbell and the Executive Officer was V. J. Leahy. Chief of the Boat was STC(SS) Melvin R. Hill.
The other officers were:
LT P. N. McGrath Weapons Officer
LT L. A. Mahaffy, Jr. Engineer
LTJG L. F. Taynton Supply Officer/Commissary
LTJG M. J. McGaraghan EMO/Sonar Officer
LTJG J. E. McCormack Communications/RPS Custodian
Ensign R. W. Kane Assistant Engineer
LTJG S. K. Rush First Lieutenant
Some of the Chiefs were: ICC(SS) Norman J. Martin; RMC(SS) J. A. Fitzgerald.
Some of the rest of the crew were: EM1(SS) W. R. Horne; HM1 J. N. Vintila; FTB1(SS) J. R. Hallum; CS2(SS) G. Broadley; MM1(SS) T. J. Allison; EN1 K. W. Ayers; YN2(SS) R. H. Fischer; TMSN (SS) J. F. Eagan, Jr.; MMFN (SS) G. Tobin.
In December 1968 additional officer on board were:
LT J. T. McAbee; Ensign J. L. Masnick, USNR.
My recollection of the events surrounding the collision are that as we came into Long Island Sound, it was a beautiful night. Seas were calm. The sky was clear with visability in the order of 20 miles or more. Lights were everywhere -- on buoys, fixed lights ashore, homes, etc. We were early and had to slow down not to arrive in New London before 0800. We steamed on the surface at ahead 1/3 on one engine. Radar was on and being used for navigation cuts and contact search. The sailboat was sighted visually as it appeared just yards ahead crossing from port to starboard--showing no lights! All hands on the sailboat were below and not on deck. As the CORPORAL OOD shown the search light on the sailboat they came up from below decks. There had been no watch on deck on the sailboat. The OOD immediately backed down Emergency on the battery upon sighting the sailboat. The only part of the sailboat that was hit was the boom of the mainsail. CORPORAL remained stopped while the sailboat continued on its course and opened range without stopping. As I remember, an investigaton was made by the Squadron and eventually all CORPORAL "interested parties" were cleared. My regret was that the Squadron made such a big deal of the whole thing and in my opinion were not supportive of the ship.
I checked my Service Record and can state that the Commanding Officer, Walt Hubbell was not relieved after the collision. He signed my transfer orders on July 28, 1968 when I was transfered to Washington D. C. for duty in the Deep Submergence Systems Project (PM-11). A few years later I saw him at NAVSHIPS HQ and he had made Captain, USN. I was working as a Civil Service Engineer test and training manager for DSSPO. I rode HALIBUT; SEAWOLF; and worked with a number of 637 Project Boats for which we were the NAVSEA Project Management Office.
I retired from the Deep Submergence Systems Project Office in April 1993, having served 37 years in the Navy--combined Naval Academy;active duty; and Navy Civil Service. I was a General Engineer GM 14 at the time of my retirement.
Diesel Boats Forever!!
Duane M. Tollaksen
Hi Buck,
Yes, you can use what I gave you and edit it as you wish. After 37 years I am surprised that I can recall it so clearly. I was not on the bridge but was in the Conning Tower. But I was initially designated as the Ship's Investigating Officer to gather facts because I was not an "interested party".
As I remember, the New York Times article was headlined something like, "Sub surfaces, hit sailboat and runs away." Of course we all knew it was BS, but the owner, skipper of the sailboat was a bigwig in the local Power Squadron or Sailing Club. The sailboat was getting ready for a race the next morning and was in transit during the night. We had stopped by the time the main boom clipped our bow! The owner or the owner's wife contacted the papers and put in his side of the story. We, of course, filed our report with the authorities right away, but the papers had the story first! They did not get the facts correct. I think it took about 6 months to complete the Navy investigation and put things to bed.
That is all I can remember, but the report of the investigation is documented somewhere in a dusty Navy archive.
Best wishes,
Duane M. Tollaksen
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