The following is a representation of the headlines, photograph, and article announcing the infamous collision of the USS Wasp with the USS Hobson. The article appeared in the The Buffalo Courier Express, Buffalo, New York. I retyped the entire article, keeping the text in the same column format as printed in the paper. I know it is a bit awkward, but it gives a better feel for the nature of newspaper articles.
The Buffalo Courier Express
Monday Morning
April 28, 1952
Destroyer-Minesweeper Is Lost in Atlantic
The USS Hobson, shown above, a
destroyer-minesweeper was sunk
Saturday night in a collision with the
Aircraft carrier USS Wasp in Mid-Atlantic
maneuvers. The Navy said the loss
of lives was heavy, giving a tentative
figure of 176. (AP) Wire Photo
Hobson Goes Down
In Atlantic; Wasp
Hurt, Sailing Home
_______________Only 61 Saved From Smaller Ship
In Foul Weather Off The Azores; None
On Carrier Lost; Craft Collide
As Wasp Turns to Receive Planes._________________
Washington, April 27 (AP) - The USS Hobson, a destroyer-
minesweeper collided with the famous carrier Wasp last night,
and plunged to the bottom in mid-Atlantic. The Navy said that 176 men were reported missing, including the craft's skipper. Sixty-one men were snatched to safety out of a windy, rolling sea.In Charleston, S.C., Rear Admiral
William V. O'Regan, minesweeper
commander at the home base of the
Hobson, said there had been 237 men
aboard the ship.7 Officers Lost
In Washington, the Bureau of
Naval Personnel casualty section said
it was preparing "reported missing"
telegrams for families of 176 men, in-
cluding seven officers and 169 en-
listed personnel.The captain of the Hobson was 31-
year old Lieut. Comdr. William J.
Tierney of Philadelphia. He had risen
from the ranks and won his commis-
sion in 1941.Full details of the accident were
not immediately given by Naval au-
thorities.Earlier in the afternoon Navy head-
quarters said res-
cue operations
were still on.
That was nearly
a full day after
the mid-ocean
smashup in the
wind-lashed dark-
ness. The Wasp's
bow was dam-
aged in the colli-
sion. The acci-
dent was one of
the great non-
combat disasters
the Navy has suf-
fered in recent
times.On February 18, 1942, the USS
Truxton, a destroyer, and the Pollux,
a cargo ship, were lost in a storm off
Newfoundland with 204 dead.On April 19, 1942, 218 lives were
lost when the destroyer Ingraham was
involved in an Atlantic collision.Weather is Bad
Hobson rescue efforts were
hampered by the dark, and by foul
weather. A navy dispatch reported
that at 2:00 a.m. (EST) winds were "15
knots southwest, sea rough and con-
fused." That weather report came
nearly 5 hours after the crash.The Wasp suffer a slashing rip
for 75 feet along her bow plates,
the Navy reported. She was headed
for New York at reduced speed -
ten knots. There were no casual-
ties reported aboard the big carrier.Fleet headquarters spotted the scene
of the collision as 1,200 miles due
east of Boston and 700 miles from the
Azores.The time of the crash was given as
1:25 a.m.Sunday, Greenwich Time,
which would be 8:25 p.m. Saturday,
EST. The spot being well west of the
Azores, the theoretic time at the
scene was before midnight.The Wasp was on the way to take
up a station in the Mediterranean
when she collided with the Hobson
at latitude 42 degrees 21 minutes
north, longitude 44 degrees 15 min-
utes west.Two Ships In Rear
It was announced that the collision
occurred when the Wasp turned into the
wind to recover aircraft which were
returning from a simulated night strike
against other ships in the task
group, en route to the Mediterranean.The Hobson and another destroyer
minsweeper, the Rodman, were trail-
ing the Wasp in plane guard stations
- meaning they were a little to the
rear in position to pick up men in the
event any of the plans were ditched
in attempting to land.The skipper of the Wasp is Capt.
B. C. McCaffree. Commanding the
Hobson was Lieut. Comdr. W. J.
Tierney .
Palau Also in Group
The task group also included the carrier
Palau, the cruisers Worchester and
Baltimore, the fleet oiler Pawcatuck,
two submarines and 15 destroyers of
Destroyer Flotilla No. 4.The task group is under the com-
mand of Rear Admiral H.B. Jarrett,
who was aboard the Worchester. The
destroyer flotilla is commanded by
Rear Admiral C.C. Wood.The Hobson was hit on the star-
board (right) side. The Navy said it
had no information as to how long
she stayed afloat.
______________________
Go back to the Hobson Index
Go on to the second page, Hobson II
Back to the Wasp History Page.
