Aboard the U.S.S. Allen off Block Island

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I was a 17 year old Naval Reserve Hospital Corpsman on cruise aboard the U.S.S. Allen, DE-531, out of the 3rd Naval District in BrooklynAfter puting out of Brooklyn Naval Yards on 30 August, we tied in at Block Island for an overnight "smoker". When we turned to that morning of 31 August, I noticed that we were surrounded by submarines that had tied in to our ship overnight. It was a beautiful sight with Block Island as our morning picture window.

My buddy from Syracuse, Gerry Rolfe, worked in C.I.C. and told me that there was a Hurricane coming up the coast from Cape Hatteras. Was it ever! That day and evening would be the worst I would ever experience. The wind clocked 135 MPH at Block Island as we put out to sea. That evening around 1700 hours, I was ordered with a small 4 man crew to go topside and canvas cover the forward 5" 38 gunmount. It was a scene from the "Caine Mutiny." We were up there nearly one hour in "Carols" fury and at times our 143' mast was nearly in the water as the ship pitched every direction in 110 knot winds. After we finally all returned safely into the ship, my entire body was covered with washboard ripples from the fierce winds over the fore part of the ship hitting us with everything that Carol had.

We were at General Quarters nearly 24 hours through this "hell". I returned to my corpsmans duties at port hatch, midships. The huge diesel engines would vibrate the entire structure as our "screws" came out of the water. Our water cooling fountains were torn out of the deckplates. Thought the ship would break apart. Suddenly, to make matters worse, we had an ongoing fire in the after steering part of the ship aft. I was at the port hatch with a Chief Hospitalman and a first aid kit. The hatch moved. The Chief screamed at me, "Stormes", spin that hatch. I did and fighting the strong wind I was able to get it opened. A young sailor fell into my arms. He had a tremendous laceration on his head and was bleeding all over me profusely. I caught him and we struggled to get him below for treatment. He was a cook just out of boot camp and was trying to get a hose to the fire area when a wave from Carols fury put his head into a depth charge rack. The captain bravely turned the Allen 180 degrees and we steamed rather helpless towards New York. After 30 hours of ocean swells we transferred this sailor to a coast guard cutter in Gravesend Bay where he was taken to St. Albans Naval Hospital.

We steamed for two days trying to catch our sister ship, the U.S.S. Rizzi, DE-537, who was ahead on our mission to Halifax and a well deserved liberty. In the trek to catch the Rizzi, we overtook the carrier, "Phillipine Sea." She was beautiful sitting there in the North Atlantic after this vicious storm that knocked the steeple off the OLd North Church in Boston and created a fury that recorded the hurricane as the 19th worst in Maritime history.

We were happy to see the Rizzi at the "Halifax Lightship" on 2 Sseptember, 1954 and that she had not been lost. I am proud of the U.S.S. Allen who additional in July, 1956, was ordered to the scene of the collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm and rescued the captain and 76 crew members for which the Italian Government awarded awarded our captain with the Italian Legion of Merit.

I have relived that story of "Carol" a 1000 times and in 1988 secured a copy of Life Magazine, dated 9/13/54, depicting the amateur photos of this New England aftermath.

Roger D. Stormes, Hospitalman U.S.N.R. 53'-56'
Syracuse, New York 13209-1954
Author: Fifty Years, Fore, Aft and Midships, 1993