Photo and text courtesy Midway Joe

A large class oiler the USS Hassayampa AO-145 in rough seas off Formosa 23 Oct 1958. The wind was up to 50 knots and the waves were 30 feet high. One refueling hose broke right away causing about 500 gallons to be lost into the sea. In this photo Hassayampa had just broken off from trying to refuel the USS Midway. The Midway was also taking water almost continuously over the flight deck. A man was washed overboard off the oiler but was picked up OK by the Midway helicopter. As anyone who has manned a refueling station knows, it is long, hard and dangerous work. Even in calm seas, the wash from an aircraft carrier carries back to the other ship and with low freeboard like a tanker or a destroyer, many men get washed around and some end up in the sea. The two ships are locked together by the refueling hoses and cannot maneuver to pick up anyone in the water so the helicopter or a following destroyer usually effects the rescue. Note: In this photo there are no top outrigger booms on the after mast assembly like there are on later Neosho class oilers such as the Ponchatoula AO-148. I don't know if these were included on the later ships of this class or they were added on and Hassayampa doesn't have hers yet. On 01 May 1999 the Hassayampa was transferred to the Maritime Administration's Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet at Benecia, CA.

The following e-mail text is submitted for historical clarification purposes

Hi. My name is Charles Dougherty. First let me say that you have a great web page on all of the old fleet oilers. I served on the Hass. 3 years. From 1958 through 1960. She was the best ship I served on. There is one thing I would like to correct. In 58 when I think his name was Locket, "he was a gunners mate" was washed overboard, He was picked up by the Destroyer behind us. Not by a Helicopter from the Midway. I was helping him with the phone line when he went over. I had a death grip on the line or I may have went with him. It was an experience. I haven't looked at the whole page yet, but you have spent a lot of time and effort on this. Thank you so much for bringing back the memories.
Charles Dougherty. AKA dogy. R div.

Thank you, Charles, for your kind words. Please excuse me for asking you this, but could you please tell me what page of the site that that information is listed on? I would like to correct it. That must surely have been an experience.......

Anyway, thank you, again.....

Sincerely,
Terry Kuehn
USS Hassayampa (AO-145)
1960-1963

Hi Terry. Let me say again what a great website you have. The picture is in the photo album page 10. Charles Garner can tell you his name for sure. Charles doesn't have a computer. His phone # is-334-290-1747. I sent that picture to Dickido. He said it looked like home. Thanks again. Charlie.