Water and more Water coming in on Raton

Since 01-01-05

From: <zany4god@juno.com> 
To: <bdecker@shentel.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 1:03 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: USS RATON

Of course, I don't know if this is the same typhoon I experienced on the Raton, but I do remember huddling under the plexiglas and looking up and seeing "green water."

The warm water would swirl around our legs and we would hang on to keep from having our legs swept out from under us. I also remember taking several steep angle rolls.

We had water coming in the upper conning tower hatch. I was at the helm. We pulled the lanyard to close the hatch and the lanyard broke. The water kept coming and the lower conning tower hatch lanyard also broke. It was a riot. Nobody got hurt or very excited, but it was something to behold. I know we all were thinking, "What if we couldn't have closed those hatches and the water just kept coming in?"

We lived to laugh another day. Later, I was down in some storage area, way down under the old radar section. I was sitting 'athwartships' and we started a huge roll, and I remember looking up at the overhead, planning how I was going to crawl/hobble up the bulkhead, across the overhead, down the other bulkhead and land on the deck. We didn't roll, but I believe it was a close one. That was exciting and I don't remember being afraid. Too young I guess.

Best wishes to all of you, and I pray for you a happy New Year!!

Mike Bennett