''W'ISky''Aground: Inter-Service ¡ Can-Do Saves the Day! by David F. Winkler, PhD
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ne of rhe US Navy's mosr embarrassing episodes, rhe grounding of USS Missouri (BB-63) ar Hampron Roads, Virginia, on 17 January 1950, led ro rhe relief of rhe commander. In rhe mud off rhe Army Officers Club ar Fortress Monroe, efforts over two weeks ro free the hisroric battlewagon drew national attention. Having ro live down this incident, the Navy could have faced even greater ridicule with the grounding of Missouri's sisrer, USS Wisconsin (BB-64). This happened on the morning of 22 August 1951 in the Hudson River, overlooked by midrown New York-but actions taken by members of the Navy's sister sea services saved Wisconsin from infamy. Wisconsin had been decommissioned and placed in mothballs on 1 July 1948, then recommissioned on 3 March 1951 in response ro the Korean War. "Wisky," as she was affecrionarely known, had picked up 800 midshipmen at Norfolk, Virginia, for a trip ro Halifax, Nova Scotia. Returning from Halifax on 21 August, Wisconsin passed through the Verrazano Narrows ro moor in the Hudson River ro give the crew some liberty before returning ro Virginia. The commanding officer was Captain Thomas Burrowes, USN. Joining Burrowes for the reactivation was Commander Charles H. Becker, who served as the executive officer. The navigaror, Lieutenant Commander Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., was a more recent addirion ro the crew, having relieved the firsr navigaror. Burrowes, Becker and Zumwalt had hoped to have Wisconsin pierside for the New York stay. However, the only space that could accommodate the 860-foot-long warship was occupied by the liner Queen Mary. The Port Authority did provide an option: a buoy moor in the Hudson River. This was acceptable ro Burrowes's immediate superior, Rear Admiral Clarence E. Olsen , Commander Battleship Cruiser Division Two (ComBatCruDiv Two). RADM Olsen wanted the "middies" ro have some good liberty and the proximity to Times Square and the attractions of mid-Manhattan assured increased time on the beach. He directed Burrowes to accept the Porr Aurhoriry's proposal.
Zumwalt and Burrowes, however, were not convinced that the buoys could hold the pull of the massive battleship. Zumwalt sent an advance party out, and they confirmed the buoys were properly anchored to the bottom. Still Zumwalr felt uncomforrable. Burrowes agreed, and again requested an anchorage assignment. ComBatCruDiv Two responded: "S uggest you carry out previously directed orders." Accordingly, with the help of eight tugboats, Wisconsin !arched herself to two buoys, one forward, one aft, headed downstream. At 1030, Captain Burrowes assumed duties as Senior Officer Present Afloat. Captain Francis E. Blake, USMC, commander of the Marine Detachment, returning to the battleship from a stint at legal school, reported aboard at 1040. He spoke with several more experienced deck officers during the evening meal about the possible hazards of the current moor. In the meantime, Captain Burrowes departed to overnight ashore with friends and family. After a hectic first day, all was quiet on the battleship on the evening of the 2 lst. When Capt. Blake assumed the watch as in-port Officer of the Deck on the aft quarterdeck, only boiler 6 remained on line to provide auxiliary steam. As dawn broke over Manhattan on the 22nd, the Junior Officer of the Deck QOOD) told Blake that the anchor watch had reported the port chain securing the ship to Buoy A, the upstream buoy, to be under heavy strain. Blake directed the JOOD to have the duty boatswain inspect the forward , downstream moor, and within minutes,
received a report that the wires were taut. He sent his messenger to contact the duty commander and rhen called the XO' s stateroom ro inform Becker. While talking to Becker, Blake received a report that the stern was swinging to starboard; a glance out the porthole confirmed the bad news. The upstream mooring was dragging! Back on the aft quarrerdeck, Blake ordered LCMs (landing craft) assigned to Wisconsin to take position on the starboard quarter and start pushing. Meanwhile, word spread through the messdecks that the ship was adrift. Many of the middies, blearyeyed after liberty in the big city, treated the scuttlebutt with skepticism, until the squawk boxes announced "station the special sea detail" and called all hands topside to quarters. As the crew and middies streamed out to their mustering stations, the watch was shifted to the bridge. Blake remained on the aft quarterdeck while Zumwalt and Becker assessed the situation from above. At 0656, Zumwalt informed Becker that the stern was approaching shoal water. As the stern swung thirty degrees off center, the bridge team took every action they could conceive of. Wisconsin's remaining boats were called away. Passing tugs and additional LCMs from the landing ship dock Lindenwald responded to signals for assistance. Down below, the engineers lit off boilers l , 2 and 5. At 0705, with the forward moor, downstream, beginning to drag, the signalman sent up the international distress signal. Becker ordered the starboard anchor dropped . That helped ro hold the bow, but at 0710, Zumwalt received so unding reports indicaring rhar rhe
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L CMs and tugs team up to keep the ship '.r stern from swinging into the New Jersey shore. (Photos courtesy Naval Historical Center)
SEA HISTORY 92, SPRING 2000
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