I’ll maintain that hitting bow on is probably what saved them. That is where the frames are closest together, so a collision may rupture a lot of voids and compartments, but a ship should stay afloat. I remember in a course I took you were supposed to turn away in certain cases, but I had decided that in extremis I would always point my bow at the ship.
That day in the Tonkin Gulf I may have been just a 24 year old Ltjg, but I knew Yankee Station belonged to the airdales and I was trespassing.
I have always been interested in the process people like you had to go through to become a qualified OOD.
For a 24 year old man, that is a huge responsibility! And a lot to know...
One of my favorite stories involve Admiral Nimitz when he was Captain of the
USS Augusta, and as the ship was docking (no tugs) he relieved the young OOD so he could bring the ship in himself. He came in far too fast, and only an emergency All Back saved them from smashing into the dock.
After they were safely tied up and everyone exhaled, he turned abruptly to the young OOD he had relieved and said sternly: “Lieutenant...what did I do wrong there?” The young Lieutenant gulped, and identified the key mistake of approaching too fast, followed by a couple of less egregious errors.
Captain Nimitz looked steadily at him and said “That’s right. Don’t forget it.”
LOL, you can bet that young Lieutenant never did!