Correll-Jarrell

• USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829) - Cape Hatteras! - 1978

My worst experience at sea was aboard my first ship, the USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829), a small Gearing Class Destroyer, stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We were transiting South & got caught in a storm off Cape Hatteras. We were taking 42+ rolls & I swear that small ship was out of the water more than it was in it! Now the Fox was a FRAM I modification which basically was where the ship had been cut in half with a new center section installed to accommodate an ASROC Launcher to add to the ship's ASW capability & extend the ship's life. The only problem was this modification shifted the ship's center of gravity making rolls worse & made the point of no return from a roll smaller.

Every member of the crew wore their life jackets all day & through the night. Being a much older ship, the Fox always made noise, but that night I heard things I have never since heard. The creaks & groans were loud, acetylene bottles broke off deck mounts & were rolling around the topside, as well as loose fire extinguishers inside & out. The safe from the ships disbursing office broke its mounts & came through the main passageway. We sprung the after-escape scuttle on the fantail near after steering & for a while, we had a bucket brigade bailing water. As the buckets were passed down the passageway to be pumped over the side, guys were getting sick in them.

Chow was very limited & to be honest, not many of the guys attempted it! A lot of crackers were eaten that day!

During that time, I was an STG3 & stood bridge watch on the AN-UQN-4 Fathometer during sea detail. That sounding set had a Cathode Ray Tube display as well as a chart & tubes inside. It took a good 20 minutes to warm up to get reliable readings.

That night it felt like I had just gone to sleep when I was awakened by a flashlight in my face. It was my XO requesting my immediate presence on the bridge. As I reached the bridge, I had to step over a sailor. So, I grabbed my life jacket & ran up to the bridge in my skivvies to find out we were in shoal waters in danger of running aground! It was my job to get that Fathometer up & running to report soundings. From the moment I got on the bridge, everyone kept looking at me waiting for a reading!

• USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829) – After Magazine Flood - 1978

While on my first ship the USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Someone completely flooded the after magazine during the night. Nothing like being woken up to be told Naval Investigative Service (NIS) (now Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)) will be coming on board to conduct "interviews". The one & only time I was ever interrogated!

• USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829) - Fresh Water Washdown Incident - 1978

The ship had returned from sea & it was time to conduct the freshwater washdown. I was assigned to washdown the torpedo deck. I began washing down the overhead under the bridge wings then the bulkheads. As I was washing down the bulkheads I heard someone yelling. I shut off the water from the firehose & looked around. Not seeing anyone I began washing down the bulkhead again. And again I heard someone yelling, but this time I looked where the water was hitting the bulkhead. The water was hitting the portside porthole which was swinging open & inside the porthole I could see the captain waving his arms & yelling!
I immediately shut down the water, dropped the hose & headed aft to the quarter-deck. I decided to confer with a friend standing OOD watch. Obviously I was ready for being yelled at & who knows what! I then mustered up the courage & proceeded to the Captain's cabin. I was met by the XO who ask if he could help me. I answered no, but needed to see the Captain. As I entered the cabin I noticed a bookshelf under that porthole that was wet as was the deck. Now I thought this was going to be worse.
I began to apologize to the Captain, but he interrupted me & said it was his fault because he did not dog down the porthole when he heard the message passed over the 1MC to do so.
Boy, what a relief!!

• USS Vreeland (FF-1068) -  Assistance & recovery of a downed helicopter - 1982

Vreeland deployed to the Mediterranean in June of 1982.  Before crossing the Atlantic with the USS Forrestal Battle Group, she participated in the rescue of the pilots & crew of an SH-3H helicopter. The helicopter had just unloaded personnel & supplies while hovering over the flight deck then lost an engine, could not gain altitude & dropped into the water. 

Vreeland picked up the crewman & attended the floating helicopter until the Forrestal could maneuver into position for retrieval using her deck crane.  

• USS Vreeland (FF-1068) – Search & recovery of downed F-14 – Med Cruise 1982

While in the Mediterranean Vreeland participated in the search & recovery of material from the crash of an F-14 from the Forrestal which resulted in the death of the pilot.  This search was conducted at night in heavy seas. A party of sailors which included me, lined up on the starboard side of the ship to tend safety lines to the sailors that moved to the forecastle of the ship searching the waters by floodlights. 

• USS Vreeland (FF-1068) – Participates in the evacuation of PLO from Beirut, Lebanon – Med Cruise 1982

Vreeland participated in the evacuation of the Palestine Liberation Organization & their families from Beirut, Lebanon, which earned the Vreeland a Navy Expeditionary Medal.

During the evacuation of PLO troops from Beirut, Lebanon Vreeland provided emergency underway replenishment (UNREP) to the Greek ferry carrying the armed PLO evacuees. This unusual operation required Vreeland to operate alongside a vessel unfamiliar with the UNREP process and presented a risk of a hostile response by the Palestinian evacuees aboard the receiving ship.

Medical supplies, food, and potable water were transferred to the ferry without significant incident. This aid likely resulted in the transit to South Yemen being completed without loss of control of the ferry by the Greek crew to PLO troops. 

• USS Vreeland (FF-1068) – Participates in Operation Jittery Prop (Nicaragua) - 1983

Various ships from the East Coast forward-deployed to Rodman NB, Panama. These ships conducted SIGINT off the coast of Nicaragua and the Gulf of Fonseca. This operation was to intercept radio traffic related to arms shipments and to pinpoint locations of Nicaraguan military and Salvadoran radio transmitters. 

• USS Vreeland (FF-1068) – Hit in-port by the USS Samuel Elliot Morrison (FFG-13) - 1983

Hey, guys, I believe it was the Samuel Elliot Morrison (FFG-13) that sliced into us while doing the Mayport shuffle & became affectionately known as the "Slammin Sammy" & "the ship that put the V in Vreeland". And we were tied directly to Tango pier & not nested.

I was on-board that day & was Duty-Weapons Officer. I was laying in my bunk when the Collision Alarm went off & no sooner was "Collision Starboard Side" finished over the 1MC, we were hit.

The ship was pushed against the fenders & leaned toward the pier. That was a terrible sound when the Morrison pierced the hull, plus the groan of the ship against those fenders.

All hell broke loose over the 1MC calling for the Damage Control, Fire & Security Teams. I jumped out of my rack in WA Division & headed aft down the Port Passageway & the overhead fire-main had sprung a leak.

Future Vreeland XO George Schaeffer was on the flight deck of the USS Doyle & watched it happen, as well as GMT2 Roger Chaney who was on the USS W.S. Sims (FF-1059). SM3 Bill Zimmerman was on the Signal Bridge. STG2 Claude Morris (Bud) was a line handler. QM3 Howie Nash was the roving security, checking alarms on the bridge & was the one who hit the collision alarm.

I had to open the weapons locker; set a security detail around the ASROC magazine & we secured the ship. Of course, after things did calm down, I went out to the pier & relieved my wife of the pizza she had brought to the ship.