1951 — May 14, collier Thomas Tracy & USS Valcour collide, Valcour fire, off Cape Henry VA–36

— 36 US Dept. Navy. “Casualties: US Navy…Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured…”
— 36 Wikipedia. “USS Valcour (AVP-55).”

Narrative Information

US Department of the Navy: “Collier Thomas Tracy collides with seaplane tender USS Valcour (AVP-55) off Cape Henry, VA., starting a severe aviation gasoline fire. 36 lost. 14 May 1951.” (US Dept. Navy. “Casualties: US Navy…Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured…”)

Wikipedia: “On the morning of 14 May 1951, two months after she returned to Norfolk from her second Middle East tour, Valcour headed out to sea for independent ship exercises. While passing the collier SS Thomas Tracy off Cape Henry, Virginia, she suffered a steering casualty and power failure. As she veered sharply across the path of the oncoming collier, Valcour sounded warning signals. Thomas Tracy attempted to make an emergency turn to starboard but her bow soon plowed into Valcour’s starboard side, rupturing an aviation gasoline fuel tank. An intense fire soon broke out aboard Valcour and, fed by the high-test aviation gasoline, spread rapidly. To make matters worse, water began flooding into Valcour’s ruptured hull. Although fire and rescue parties on board Valcour went to work immediately, the gasoline-fed inferno forced many of Valcour’s crew to leap overboard into the swirling currents of Hampton Roads to escape the flames that soon enveloped Valcour’s starboard side. The situation at that point looked so severe that Valcour’s commanding officer, Captain Eugene Tatom, gave the order to abandon ship.

“Thomas Tracy, meanwhile, fared better. Fires aboard Thomas Tracy were confined largely to the forward hold and her crew suffered no injuries. She managed to return to Newport News, Virginia, with her cargo, 10,000 tons of coal, intact.

“Valcour, on the other hand, became the object of exhaustive salvage operations. Rescue ships, including the submarine rescue ship USS Sunbird (ASR-15) and the United States Coast Guard tug USCGC Cherokee (WAT-165) sped to the scene of the tragedy. Fire and rescue parties, in some cases forced to use gas masks, succeeded in bringing the blaze under control but not before 11 men had died and 16 more had been injured. Another 25 were listed as “missing”, and later were confirmed as dead.” (Wikipedia. “USS Valcour (AVP-55).”)

Sources

United States Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. See “Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action.” Washington, DC: Washington Navy Yard. Accessed at: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/accidents.htm

Wikipedia. “USS Valcour (AVP-55).” Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Valcour_(AVP-55)