THE collision between an Australian and American warship was written into the history books on the morning of June 3, 1969.
On that day the history of two Highlands men changed forever.
One grew up in Bowral the other eventually retired here.
The accident - between the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and United States Navy destroyer USS Frank E Evans - occurred during a Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) exercise off the coast of Vietnam.
Bowral born and bred Ken Vandermolen was 19 years old and a leading seaman electrician on the carrier.
John Stevenson, the captain of the HMAS Melbourne, now lives in Bowral.
That morning, the HMAS Melbourne was engaged in an anti-submarine training exercise. Mr Stevenson recalls the event as if it were yesterday.
“There were two taskforces of one carrier and five destroyers each,” he said. “It was about three o’clock in the morning.”
“The carrier went along with a screen of five destroyers around it. Submarines were trying to intercept us and we were also due to fly off aircraft at three o’clock and bring some on.”
To deploy its aircraft the carrier had to be turned into the wind and, to avoid the submarines, the carrier also had to zig-zag, changing course all the time.
“The destroyers are out there, sometimes on your starboard bow [front right] and sometimes on your port bow [front left], depending on the zig-zag,” he said.
When aircraft fly onto a carrier a destroyer had to be behind it. In case a plane crashed into the water they were on hand to pick it - and the pilot - up.
Mr Stevenson said a destroyer was told to come in behind, initially having to turn away from the carrier for safety reasons.
“He turned the wrong way and, shortly, he was on a collision course,” Mr Stevenson said.
“I sent him a signal telling him he was on a collision course and kept an eye on him.
“He didn’t do anything except continue on his course ‘til finally it was obviously going to collide. So I pulled my wheel hard over to get away from him, telling him what I was doing at the same time.
“As it turned out later, he had untrained people on the bridge who didn’t know what was going on. He just panicked and pulled his wheel the wrong way.
“So, as I went to the left he came to the right.
“He spun under the bow and we cut him [the Evans] in two.”
The time was 3.15am.
Seventy-four of the 273 crew of the Evans were killed. Everyone on the bridge survived.
No Australians lost their lives.
The 1500 crew of the Melbourne were at collision stations before the two ships hit.
It stopped immediately and deployed her boats, life rafts and buoys. Australian sailors also jumped into the murky waters to rescue survivors. Helicopters and boats were used to rescue men further out to sea.
Mr Vandermolen, a teenager when it happened, said the first thing he knew of the collision were the alarms sounding.
“I recall vividly, due to the confined conditions of the electricians mess, I and three others were living of an evening in an electrical workshop with camp stretchers on the workbenches,” he said.
“One of the lads, an ex-merchant seaman who had previously been in a collision at sea, was first out of his bunk, up the ladder and slammed down the hatch, refusing exit for the three of us remaining.
“This situation remained as such for a good 20 minutes until it was confirmed Melbourne was in no danger of sinking.”
When Mr Vandermolen was able to get up on deck he saw a scene that remained with him throughout his life, even as a Queensland police officer, serving in the force for 10 years.
“I recall the seas were like a mirror and nothing could be seen for miles other than oil, debris, shark fins and helicopters.”
Some sailors were heard to say, “Oh no not again’, referring to the sinking of the HMAS Voyager by the Melbourne five years earlier.
The Americans looked to find Captain Stevenson partly at fault in the ensuing investigation.
Made up of three admirals from the American Navy and three admirals from the Australian Navy, the inquiry was headed up by the Americans.
John’s wife Joanne attended every day of the inquiry and later penned two books about the incident and following investigation.
“They tried to put all the blame on the Melbourne but they couldn’t... The inquiry eventually said he was partially responsible.
“[The Evans] captain was supposed to be on the bridge for the manoeuvres and he wasn’t. Before he died he admitted it was his fault.”
Captain Stevenson was court-martialled back in Australia, but was later found not guilty and he received a honourable acquittal.
It was bitter sweet. The Navy he had served since the age of 13 had let him down, so he retired.
On June 3 this year a 40-year reunion of the disaster was held in Ipswich, Queensland.
More than 60 crew from the HMAS Melbourne attended, with some survivors of the USS Evans.
Mr Vandermolen said it was an absolute buzz meeting up with the crew 40 years down the track.
“Some I barely recognised and others I knew not at all,” he said.
“I must admit, on seeing the captain for the first time in 40 years, and him, incidentally having his hands in his pockets - a military no-no - I thoroughly enjoyed coming up behind him and telling him to get his hands out of his pockets.
“It was an emotional ride for three days during the reunion and admittedly on several occasions I had tears running down my face. As indeed did many others.”
Another reunion is being held at Longbeach, California, in 2010. Details: Ron Baker, 07 3389 9325.
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