On 22 November 1975, USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) was conducting night flight operations off the coast of Sicily. When ordered to a new station relative to the carrier, the OOD of USS Belknap (CG-26) made a disastrous decision to turn towards the carrier rather than away from it. 
The resulting collision ruptured a JP-5 (aviation kerosene) which caught fire spilling onto the superstructure of the Belknap.
Here are before and after pictures. 
The lesson in ship handling comes from the actions of the OOD of the Kennedy. When he saw that a collision was unavoidable, he ordered a 'Full left rudder', turning TOWARDS the Belknap.
When a motorcycle takes a turn it leans into the turn. When a ship makes a turn it leans away. The hard turn towards the Belknap had the effect of lifting the angled flight deck about 15 feet. Had he done nothing, or worse, tried to turn away, the Kennedy would likely have sheared off the superstructure before dumping burning fuel into the hole.
The accident killed seven crew on Belknap and one on Kennedy. A year later the Kennedy would collide with USS Bordelon (DD-881) earning it the nickname "The John F. Can-opener."
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)