NavList:

Byron: While aboard the outpost, (1958+) we were a weather ship while on radar station a few hundred mile from the US coast. We sent synoptic reports in to the beach, and also launched weather blooms for upper air information. In those days the ships had to rely on onboard knowledge to protect from the Hurricane and other at sea problems. With early weather reports we left station and put distance from the beach guessed track… If caught with a dropping barometer and storm winds in the North Hemisphere. You need to know how to get to the safe semicircle. The wind on the right side of moving cell add to the speed of the wind as it moves fwd. and the left side the safer winds are slowed by the fwd moving cell. It’s best to maneuver to get to the safe side less winds.. If you got word that a hurricane is heading your way or near a port, navy ships would head to sea to put distance to a hurricane.(early and distance key words.) If caught at sea, you need to use the wind direction to determine the bearing to the center. Face the wind and the counterclockwise wind can indicate the well formed center at about relative 113 degree, if the wind hauls to the right you are in the danger semicircle (put the winds on the Stbd bow and make headway to the safe side, if on the safe put the wind on the stbd quarter if to the left, your in the safe semicircle. This Hurricane brings memories of past at sea or on board hurricanes. Import was my greater fear along side the pier at Davisville RI
I have been underway with 4 of hurricanes. One I cannot remember anything about.
Another we hide off Cuba to lessen the fetch and winds. Another ship AGR10 “Outpost.”
We were tied up at the Davisville piers in Narragansett Bay. On sept 12th 1960 Donna a 5 category hurricane was coming up the coast. Hurricane Donna entering RI. we on the Outpost were ready with doubled up 6 inch manila lines FWD & AFT (AGR11 was a Liberty Hull (built during the 2ww to make one trip to our Allies) She was old with steam reciprocating 66RPMS max 11 KTS large and top heavy with radar gear. We were manned with a bridge underway team and engineers were ready to get underway at a moment notice. I was on the bridge listening to the local radio station as it said the storm was breaking up near Block Island. At that time I heard pop, pop, and pop as our line started breaking us from alongside another YAGR we were tied to. Suddenly we were underway between the YAGR and another concrete pier. We drop the anchor and was steering in to the wind, the most dangerous situation, if we hit the pier the large old plates that were pop riveted and welded to each other would open up to the Bay water and quickly sink us. A call to Newport sent two yard tugs to our rescue, one ran aground and beached off of North Jamestown shore, the other, got between the two AGRS and almost was broke in half. After many hours the wind and sea calmed down enough to get back along side. The Local newspaper carried part of the story.AGR 11 Crew Member from 15 Aug 58 to 5 May 63.

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