USS Leaky

This is not my normal Cold War Story.  Most of them meet a requirement that they either happened to me, or they happened to someone I knew.  I was only a witness to the after effects, but many of the events have been corroborated here.

Mid October, 1978, I was onboard the USS Oklahoma City, CG-5, returning to homeport Yokosuka after 6 weeks at sea.  One of the unusual sites that greeted us was a "double ender" cruiser in drydock.  There was cruiser of that class also homeported in Yokosuka, but the Worden, CG-18 was tied up in her normal berth.  

So what was this one?  Ships homeported stateside usually have their drydock work done stateside.  Their time on WestPac tours are planned out and at a premium.  

It was the USS Leahy, CG-16.  How she found her way into this unfortunate state is something of a legend.  

For the history buffs here.  This is the same drydock built to handle the Yamato.  There were some times where there were 3 ships abreast in it.

 

Sept 21, 1978, the Leahy was scheduled to depart for their next port of call in Hong Kong.  But due to unforeseen circumstances, her departure was delayed until after dark.  The story goes, and this I cannot corroborate, that the Captain had a side piece that he really wanted to get to.  Or some other pressing personal business.  

As the ship was transiting the out bound lane, they were stuck behind a freighter doing a respectful, and possibly speed limit of 5 knots.  Most of the shore line has homes and businesses, and large wakes were would make the port an undesirable neighbor.

Captain Pearlman decided to pass the freighter.  He called up 20 knots, and had the ship swing by the freighters starboard side.  At about the time they pulled ahead of the freighter, one of the lookouts shouted, "Lighthouse to seaward!"

Meaning, "The ship is closer to the shore than the lighthouse." 

About then the ship the sea wall that connected the shoreline to said lighthouse. 

The ship had the first ninety feet sheared off.  And as it rocked to a stop, the screws hit bottom, ruining them as well.  Men were injured, some permanently disabled.  But no one was killed.   Captain Pearlman was removed from command.

The ship thereafter was nicknamed, the Leaky.  And for months, the most popular drink on the Honch was Leahy on the Rocks.