On Tuesday, October 23, Half Moon was at Base St. George, Staten Island, New York. A radio message was received on the mid-watch setting DEFCON-3, a higher state of military readiness - just 2 steps from all out war. Commander Dayton put the crew on Port and Starboard liberty and took other steps to increase the ship's overall degree of readiness.
History followed its well known course for the next 3 weeks, leading us to Tuesday, November 13. Half Moon was still at DEFCON-3. A nor'easter was forming off the Atlantic seaboard and the ship was ordered to assume Bravo-6 status. This meant that she must be ready to get underway in 6 hours or less in the event of an emergency. She was still under the Operational Control (OPCON) of Commander, Coast Guard District 3 (CCGD3), which was the norm for in-port periods. Half Moon was assigned Texas Tower standby for the Third Coast Guard District.
On Wednesday, the 24th, in the face of worsening weather, CCGD3 changed Half Moon's status to Bravo-2. The veteran cutter and her crew had to be able to get underway within 2 hours of receipt of orders.
Thursday, October 24 dawned ominous with still worsening weather. Phase-1 was set for Texas Tower standby. Shortly after lunch, a message was received from Commander Eastern Area (COMEASTAREA). Half Moon was ordered to make preparations for getting underway to assist the fishing vessel Monte-Carlo.
At 16:00 hours, the Officer-of-the-Deck ordered the setting of the Special Sea Detail. (This evolution was standard procedure for entering or leaving port). At 16:27 the ship was underway with all main engines on the line and #3 Ship's Service Generator carrying the electrical load.
Half Moon was enroute position 38-38.2N, 67-39.W (400 miles east of Cape Henlopen, Delaware) to assist the Monte-Carlo. Just over an hour later, Half Moon passed abeam Ambrose Light Ship at the entrance to New York Harbor. The Captain ordered course 115 degrees and speed 17.8 knots (240 rpms).
At 21:00 hours, with Half Moon at position 40-06N, 72-50W, COMEASTAREA issued new orders directing the ship to 35-03N, 64-25W. This new location was 550 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Half Moon changed her course to 128 degrees and headed toward the revised location. Over the next hour the weather worsened with winds from the North-Northwest reaching force 8. Air temperature was 48 degrees and the sea surface only ten degrees warmer. The seas were now at a moderate state 4, but were increasing as each hour went by.
At 22:50, due to the increased wave heights, Half Moon decreased speed to 17.0 knots. She continued on this course and speed until 01:42 the next morning. At that time her course was changed to 120 degrees. A number of further course/speed changes were made over the next several hours. At 08:40 on Friday, November 16th, the ship steadied up on a base course of 126 degrees, and an ordered speed of 205 RPMs or 15.0 knots.
Later that afternoon, at 16:45 hours, Half Moon changed operational control (CHOP'd) to Commander, Coast Guard District 5 (CCGD5) in accordance with instructions from COMEASTAREA. Minutes later, at 16:57, Half Moon received updated orders directing her to a new SAR
situation at 35-19N, 70-18W. Once there, she would relieve the US Navy destroyer The Sullivans (DD-537). A new course of 230 degrees was set as Half Moon headed for her new
destination, 260 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras.
Ten minutes later, speed fell off suddenly to 13.2 knots as the number 3 main engine went off the line. The engineers quickly found the problem and brought the engine back on the line at 18:13 hours. Another course correction, to 225 degrees was ordered at 20:02 hours.
At 21:05, the ship came about into the seas and slowed to 11 knots. She held this heading and speed for 25 minutes, then resumed her previous base course of 225 degrees and speed of 13.2 knots.
Midnight Friday night turned in to Saturday morning with the ship enroute 35-16N, 70-18W - under orders to assume the duties of On Scene Commander (OSC) upon arrival. Half Moon continued through the night on various courses and speeds, arriving on the scene at 07:00 hours on Saturday, November 17th. She immediately relieved CGC Cherokee (WATF-165) as OSC and organized the search for five men in the water.
Cherokee, the US Navy radar picket ship USS Lookout (AGR-2) and CG-1276 made up the remainder of the units assigned to assist Half Moon with the search. At 07:40, these units were joined by CG-7223, another fixed wing search and rescue aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City. Shortly before noon Half Moon altered course to reach a position that would allow her to relieve USS Lookout as Air Controller. Enroute to this location, a wooden panel that appeared to be a small boat's boom support was sighted in the water. At 13:11 hours, Half Moon relieved USS Lookout as Air Controller and the latter ship departed the area to resume her normal duties.
The search continued throughout the remainder of the day with negative results. Once night fell, the crew began using the 24 inch search light, sweeping the horizon every fifteen minutes. At 21:05 the ship began manuevering on various courses and speeds to investigate a reported light in the water. This too proved negative and the ships resumed a type Papa Mike search pattern in the dark stormy night.
Early Sunday morning, at 01:47 hours Half Moon departed the immediate search area to investigate explosive signals dropped by search aircraft. She secured from this investigation at 03:35 and resumed her search assignment. Shortly after dawn, the two cutters were joined by search aircraft from Elizabeth City and a daylight air-sea search was resumed. At 11:58 Cherokee was dispatched to investigate an object bearing 191 true, 16 miles distant that had been sighted by CG-7237.
Half Moon and the aircraft continue to search until the latter had to return to Elizabeth City for fuel. At that time Half Moon joined Cherokee in the search for the object in the water that had been sighted by the aircraft. Search efforts were hampered by decreased visibility that required the sounding of fog signals. The visibility improved to greater than five miles by 16:55 and the search resumed. The object in the water was not found before darkness fell on the area. The two cutters continued searching and Half Moon illuminated the horizon every fifteen minutes with her 24 inch searchlights.
Monday, November 19 began with poor night time visibility as patches of fog were moving through the search zone. Various areas were searched by the two ships while awaiting the dawn and the arrival of the aircraft. A Charlie Mike Charlie Sierra pattern, similar to the preceeding day's search, was again utilized. At 08:25 CG-1276 reported an object that could possibly be a body in the water eight miles from Half Moon. Cherokee was dispatched to investigate. Results were negative.
The search continued through the day as fresh aircraft arrived overhead to assist. At 15:45 an object was sighted in the water but it was not identified. As darkness fell, the aircraft departed and left the two cutters to continue the search. Shortly after midnight, a small boat was launched from Half Moon to transport a crewman to Cherokee. The small boat returned and Cherokee departed the area at 00:50 hours, Tuesday, November 20.
A series of electrical problems plagued Half Moon during the early morning hours. While operating with the load split between 2 generators, an electrical failure required the securing of all radar equipment. The load was transferred to the #1 generator, which soon after suffered its own casualty, requiring the load to be shifted to the #3 generator. Once the #1 generator was repaired (just prior to 6AM) the load was moved back to it.
CG-7237 reported for duty at 07:08 hours. The ship and aircraft began a Charlie Sierra Romeo search pattern that would cover an area twenty five (25) miles by twenty one (21) miles. While this search was in progress, the daily inspection of all magazines and ready boxes found water in compartment C-419-M that had somehow entered through the sprinkling system. Immediate steps were taken to remove water from the compartment.
At 10:20 CG-7237 reported a submarine snorkeling approximately 8,000 yards on the Half Moon's port quarter. COMASFORLANT and COMEASTAREA were immediately notified by radio message. Half Moon sonar operators manned the ship's sonar equipment and challenged the submarine repeatedly via underwater telephone with no response.
(Remember, the ship was still at DEFCON-3 and the Cuban missle crises was not yet fully resolved.)
At 10:30 the ship changed course to 150 degrees and began active pinging. Radar contact on the sub was held at 1,500 yards but due to the shallow depth of the sub, no sonar contact could be established. Screw beats were audible on the sonar equipment at a bearing of 100 degrees true. A radio message was received at 11:35 from CCGD5 directing Half Moon to immediately CHOP to COMEASTAREA. Minutes later, a second message was received - this one from COMEASTAREA providing Half Moon with tactical instructions. She immediately had all main engines on the line and began searching for the submarine.
CG-7237 remained in the area until her fuel supply forced her to depart for Elizabeth City at 13:46. She was replaced at 14:21 by Navy 49667, a patrol aircraft equipped with state of the art submarine detection equipment and effective ASW weaponry. Commander Dayton relieved the Officer of the Deck (OOD) of both the Deck and the Conn at 15:40, just ten minutes prior to the arrival of a second ASW aircraft, Navy 49673, from Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda. The cutter and the two ASW aircraft searched extensively for the submarine using sonar, radar and magnetic airborne detection anomaly or Maypole equipment. The search continued until 02:46 the following morning when COMASFORLANT radioed all three units to secure from the search. The sub had somehow snuck away under the cover of the waves.
It was now Wednesday, November 21. Hope of finding any survivors was growing dim. At 11:30 Half Moon rendezvoused with CG-2486. They began another slow, methodical Charlie Sierra Romeo search centered at 35-06N, 68-38W. Late in the afternoon the Half Moon investigated an object in the water that turned out to be half of a kapok vest-type life preserver marked PA-36.
At 16:40 CG-2486 left for Elizabeth City and the CGC Chilula (WATF-153) arrived on the scene to relieve the Half Moon as OSC. At 19:10, after formal relief and bringing all main engines online, Half Moon CHOP'd to COMEASTAREA and set a course of 322 degrees true for New York and home. The engineers managed to find a few extra turns on both shafts and the ship logged 18.1 knots for most of the night.
Thursday, November 22 was Thanksgiving. Half Moon had been scheduled to be in port for this holiday, but duty had called. Instead of turkey and all the trimmings with loved ones and family, the crew spent the entire day under-way in numerous patches of fog on the cold, bleak Atlantic.
As the day drew to a close at midnight, Ambrose Light Ship was sighted on the surface search radar and Half Moon came to All Stop 12 miles east of the familiar beacon.
At first light, the Bridge, C.I.C.Navigation, After-steering, and Anchor Details were set and at 07:21 Half Moon started up Ambrose Channel. Upon reaching Gravesend Bay at 08:10, the cutter stopped and waited for the arrival of USCG Helo UHF-92022. The chopper had been assigned to take pictures of the ship returning to port after her long, unplanned adventure. The helicopter arrived at 09:00 and shot pictures until 09:33. Two minutes later the Special Sea Detail was set and Half Moon was underway on the final short leg of this long journey.
Finally, at 10:18 on Friday, November 23rd, the log of the Half Moon reads ....
moored starboard side to berth 'Bravo-Charlie' at the U.S.C.G. Base, St. George S.I. N.Y. Vessel in Operational Status Bravo-6 (6).
