Gar's Sea Stories of the USS Kitty Hawk

In the olden days of 1970, ‘71, ‘72, and ‘73, we were told that, if we fell overboard off the side or bow, we would be sucked under and ground up by the four 45 ft. propellers. On the other hand, if we fell in off the Fantail, the whirlpool would grind us up like a blender. In either case, the always-present school of sharks would finish us off.

In 1972 we (the USS Kitty Hawk) arrived off the area of Haiphong Harbor. I happened to be on the Hanger Level when out of a hatch came five US Navy SEALs. They marched single file to the Fantail and, one at a time, climbed the rail and jumped off. Mind you, we were doing about 30 knots and the water was real cold; all they were wearing were black trunks and K-Bars strapped to their calves. They disappeared in the foam.

Six days later, the fourth elevator came down and the Boatswain's Mates had tied a cargo net to it and the five SEALs climbed aboard. No one said anything about what they had or hadn't done. The next week in The Stars and Stripes was the headline: “Mystery Surrounds the Explosions and Sinking of Several Soviet Freighters in Haiphong Harbor Last Week.” All over the ship you could hear, "OORAH!"

© 12/1/2002 Garland L. Young