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Greetings Boat Dudes!
I’m QM1 (SW/CC) Howie Nash. I served in
Harbor Patrol Unit (HPU), Combat Craft Division,
Republic of Panama in the mid 80’s and SBU-26 of the
same locale, in the early 90’s.
HPU was started in 1978, primarily to
provide High Value Transit (HVT) capabilities for US
Navy vessels of sensitive nature transiting the
canal. Most of these vessels where submarines due to
their lack of defensive capabilities when surfaced
and in highly restricted waterways. High profile
ships, such as the Battleships, where also escorted
through. Civilian ships carrying sensitive materials
were occasionally escorted as where any nuclear
powered surface ships, such as cruisers.
The nature of the confines of the canal
required this type of attention. Small craft attack
was the primary danger. Operations could and were
often practiced from the many islands that dot Gatun
Lake, the largest part of the transit, or from the
lock walls from where one could simply lob ordinance
into a relatively small area. At times, HPU Crewman
or US Army assets would be positioned on or near the
lock walls.
The escort element consisted of one PCF and
two PBR’s. All boats and weapons were fully loaded
with live rounds. The Navy and SOUTHCOM took HVT’s
extremely seriously.
Life in the Locks
Imagine, and old steel helmet, Vietnam era
flak jacket, full uniform (No T-shirts allowed),
pulling on, or easing out lock lines (150 ft mooring
lines), in the hot tropical sun. All the while,
gazing at the top of the lock wall for trouble. The
Locks, for lack of a better word, in fact, sucked.
Maneuvering in the locks was perilous at
best, down-right life threatening at worst. Only
once had I ever locked with just our craft. All
others were with at ship. If the HVT started on the
Caribbean side, we locked from Rodman with civilian
vessels sharing the lock. Millions of gallons of
fresh water are required to lock just one vessel
through the canal. Not justified for 3 small boats.
When locking up, the boats took position
astern of the primary vessel. The boats always
positioned on the outer wall of the lock. The PCF
was first against the wall and when lock lines were
secured around the bollards by canal workers, the
first PBR would moor to the PCF, the last PBR moored
to the other PBR.
The outboard PBR was not a prized position
as you will soon discover. The PBR’s sent one
crewman over to the PCF to assist taking in the
slack from the lock line as the water level rose.
There was a bit of a delay after the level in one
lock was balancing with the one forward. Here comes
the fun part! After the PBR guys returned to the
boats, the outboard PBR cast off. During this, the
Ship ahead of you, your transiting with, has begun
to turn her screw(s). There may be as little as 100
feet between the stern of the ship, and the lock
doors behind you. I have seen many a PBR captain
spin out of control and at worst one guy, who shall
be nameless (K-Dog) was slammed into the lock doors.
Why not wait for the ship to move ahead
sufficient space you ask? Well the canal is a
business and time is money. In addition the first
boat cast of in one lock is the last nested in the
next. You got to let that PCF get out and in front
as soon as possible. I myself fore went the glamour
of spinning around like a Boatswain’s Mate (Ooops,
Did I say that?!) and I bee lined for the opposite
wall, having my Forward Gunner, Tom Craig, Toss an
eye over the closest bollard, and take a couple
turns until the other boats got ahead. No
embarrassment for Nasty.
Down locking was equally as fun. Here you
were in front of the primary vessel, say, a PANAMAX
(name speaks for itself. Those bad boys juuuuuust
squeak by the lock walls. Now you’re in front of a
ship that can’t pass a wake down its sides while
moving into position. All the water displaces
forward. That means the PCF guy better be good and
quick or the second, and mostly, third boat are hung
out to dry. Twice, as you guessed it, as mister
outboard, I had to steer to the stern of the PCF and
have the boys walk me around because the PCF Captain
didn’t hit the sweet spot the first time.
In the Lake, it is important that you
understand that the axis of the canal runs along the
old Chagres River, bed. The Lake is manmade so, all
the islands you see are actually hilltops. Outside
the bouy lines are up to 70 ft tree stumps of the
nice tropical hardwood typed. Our boats could pass
over most areas with ease, especially the PBR’s but
certainly not the ships.
When not in the locks, the idea was to not
let any vessel except the pilot and ship’s husbandry
boats between you and the package. The PCF was
usually ahead of the package checking out the coves
and inlets into the Lake as well as do the best it
could to corral other boats away from the package.
Ultimately, it was the PBR’s that bore the
responsibility, positioning their boats between the
ship and other watercraft. Civilians get so
awestruck, looking at a Boomer, they forget what
they are dealing with. Mostly Europeans and
Americans transiting on their sailboats.
The Mighty Ohio
Let me tell you how fast an Ohio-Class can go. The sub skipper
wanted to get though the Lake quick so, BMC Pete
Armstrong in PCF-4, decided the better part of valor
was to take up the portside of the sub, EN1 Wyatt
”Grit” Hart took up the starboard side. Pete told me
to take position astern, as this was my first HVT as
Boat Captain of PBR-3, and if I fell behind, they
would wait for me at Gatun Locks. I thought, “Fall
Behind? Get Real!” well of course I did, but I
wasn’t so Far behind that I didn’t miss seeing the
entire bottom of Grit’s PBR-1. The sub moved so fast
that Grit had to ride his bow wake. Waaaay different
than a surface ship’s wake well he did the smart
thing and spun out of the wake just before he was
sucked under. All I saw was red bottom paint on a
sideways boat. The canopy nearly collapsed and the
whole boat was douched but, no harm, no foul. Except
GMG1 Mike Wysocki. He was sitting on the forward
part of the cabin. He didn’t budge during the whole
affair. He was white knuckling the canopy frame
where it joins the cabin. I know everybody on that
boat pissed their pants, you just couldn’t tell as
they were all soaked.
I’ll tell some more history of HPU, especially it’s
coming of age from just an escort service to the
transition to SBU-26, soon. |
