Texas Tower Disaster

By THOMAS M. SMITH, SMC

TEXAS TOWER #4 JANUARY 1961

Our destroyer squadron left Newport R.I. and headed out to rendezvous with USS Wasp to form task group bravo. Forming up our typical screening formation we headed for our operating area.

The day of Texas Tower #4, I was on watch on the signal bridge and over the bridge wing radio-telephone, I could hear the Wasp call the formation and said they were monitoring the distress frequency and that Wasp picked up a distress call from the tower. Wasp released two destroyers to investigate. As I remember it was only a very short time that Texas Tower #4 had disappeared from radar.

All remaining ships then turned about and proceeded at best speed to the area.

It was dark, cold, raining and high seas with saltwater spray coming over the bow. As we got close to the area extra lookouts were posted and all destroyers turned on their signal searchlights to comb the heavy seas. With the wind, rain, saltwater spray and the pitching the searchlights only reflected from the water in the air. Visibility was almost zilch. Any debris sighted was passed over while searching for survivors. All ships searched all night and recovered nothing. Shortly after dawn NORRIS DD-859 spotted a body and as we approached a deck ape up forward heaved a grappling hitting him in the back causing him to sink. Approx an hour later another body was seen and as we approached the skipper had a rescue swimmer go over the side and retrieved a U S Air Force E-9. We put him in a stokes stretcher and placed him in the frozen food locker near the galley. Weather conditions precluded sending the body to Wasp at this time. No further events and no other bodies were found by any other ships.

AFTERMATH

The following morning one of the mess cooks opened the frozen food locker and immediately fainted. The stokes stretcher had been tied in an upright position and the deceased E-9 was staring straight on.

This is how I remembered it.

Thomas M Smith (SM3 then)

USS NORRIS DD-859
DESRON 24 USS BLANDY - BARRY-FRED T BERRY-LLOYD THOMAS-HARWOOD-KEPPLER-MCCAFFERY