The Battleship U.S.S. New Jersey, BB-62
"Typhoon!" Part II

We quickly left port and ran right into a bad storm. Lifelines and many external parts of the ship were ripped off the starboard side. The serverly damaged deck door below was my responsibility.

As I explained it to a very unhappy Cmdr. Sabin, the Ship's Navigator, as we left port, I was closing up the Forward Deck Shack for preparation for underway. For some reason we had to leave very quickly. In the middle of all this I was summoned to report to the bridge immediately. I gave instructions to the Deck Messanger to immediately take the Ship's Log to the Bridge where they are urgently needed as I can see many commands were being given that had to be logged in. I turned my attention to another seaman who was on the watch with me to secure the compatment (Deck Shack). No sooner had I left the shack for the bridge we ran into heavy seas. (the severity of the storm is decieved by the "eye" to the left).

After I secured my position on the Bridge I wanted to go back down and ensure the deck doors to the Forward Deck Shack were secure. I remained on the bridge for the duration of the typhoon.

What we found, upon entering the "eye" of the storm and things had calmed down temporarily, was a completely destroyed Forward Deck Shack.

These pictures document the power of ocean waves. The entire starboard side of the New Jersey sufferd extensive damage during the first part of the storm.

The crew worked the repairs quickly. And if not, the ship was secured as best as possible as we were rapidly leaving the calm of the "eye" back into the typhoon.

Needless to say I was extremely embarrassed. However I did my best to follow direct orders without being negligent with the immediate task before me.

Had I sent someone ahead to the bridge while I stayed behind would have been worse. I never recieved a reprimand.

I think Cmdr. Sabin and the good Captain saw my confilct and understood I did the best decision under the circumstances.

The storm was in the Sea of Japan, I believe. The weather was very clear in the "eye" yet it was in the dead of winter and it was very cold as you can see by all the jackets.

Unfortunately I did not get any more photos as the repair work went on flawlessly. I was amazed at the skill demonstrated that day as the repair crew got the door back together before we entered the typhoon again.

By the way, the storm took us totally by surprise, even with the new computer navigation system we had aboard. The shipped moved violently all night as we had to get to our new firing station. I'm sure others have more details.

I can tell you that the bridge got hit by green water (04 level) dozens of times. We were walking on the deck and bulkheads simultaneously. Going down the ladder way behind the bridge was an exciting challenge.

As other crew members got sick or became freightened I was doing my duties and having a great time with the storm.