Dale Rice
Former crewmember
We were heading home from a December patrol in 1974 and due in the day before Christmas when a call for a 400 foot freighter adrift due to the main engine not working was received We were diverted 200 miles South of Kodiak to assist them. They were attempting repairs and an engineering team was sent over to assist and assess the problem. An offer to tow them to tow them to Kodiak was made and turned down. How ever they would like a tow to Seattle. After a day of standing by the weather started getting rough and the freighter's Captain requested a tow to the closes port.
During the one of the attempts to pass a towing line they blew down on to us and we pick up two dents in the taft rail and hull on the port side aft. The first on was where the SK1's rack was. He was in it at the time but not for long. The blow was had enough he roll out of it and the force bent his upright locker out at the top. The second one was on the bulkhead between First Class Quarter's and Sick Bay. It buckled the bulkhead enough to jam the steering shaft where it past through it. A steering casualty was piped and sounding of all tanks and voids aft was started. No flooding was found and loosening the packing gland on the steering shaft restored rudder control to the bridge. They were taken in tow but the tow line parted.
After the second and last tow line parted we were ordered to stand by until another cutter could get on scene to relieve us. The CGC Confidence, W619, had to get under way to relieve us on the day before Christmas and we were able to be home in time for Christmas Day. During this time the Storis had as many days under way in a quarter as the Confidence did in a year which did not make us feel bad about them having to come out and take over our tow. However it did seem a little funny coming in to port without building 619 being there.
We did take on a little ice on the hull and superstructure as we got closer to Kodiak but it caused no problems. Most of it melted off the next day after tying up.
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