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3 UNIT AWARDS AND CITATIONS
ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL (1),HUMANITARIAN SERVICE MEDAL (1) and NAVY E RIBBON
(1).
The second Dominant (AM-431) was launched 5 November 1953 by C. Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co.,
Kingston, N.Y.; sponsored by Mrs. B. S. Hiltebrant; and commissioned 8 November 1954, Lieutenant S. F. McMurray in command.
After extensive training at Key West, Fla., Dominant reported to her home port, Charleston, S.C., 16 April 1956 for
duty with Mine Force, Atlantic. She alternated operations from her home port with services for the Mine Defense Laboratory
in Panama City, Fla. In 1956 and 1957 she cruised to the Mediterranean for duty with the 6th Fleet, joining in minesweeping
exercises with ships of other NATO navies, and in 1958 she carried Commander, Mine Division 43 to the Baltic Sea for similar
exercises. From March 1959 her home port was Little Creek, Va., and the next month Dominant sailed for duty in the
Mediterranean once more. She returned in August for test operations and amphibious exercises through 1962.
My initial experience with MSOs was when I assumed command of MINDIV 43 (DASH, DETECTOR,
DIRECT and DOMINANT, with hull numbers 428,429,430 and 431), on 12 April 1962.
Peter McCormick became my Operations Officer
subsequent to his duties in DASH's ship's company. He was of invaluable assistance as my sole Staff Officer during our workup
and six month deployment with the SIXTH Fleet. USS Chewaucan (AOG-50) was our refueling source and escort for the Atlantic
crossing. The real foul weather and rough seas we experienced in the Atlantic weren't left behind when we sailed into the
Med.
Crossing the Atlantic we conducted all sorts of MINELANT required exercises and inspections, Peter and I boarding
one ship after the other (including highline transfer).
My ship Commanding Officers had to learn real fast how to MedMoor
(drop anchor and "back in" to secure the stern and therefore the gangplank).
I am proud to say that each ship's company
were dedicated professionals, both ashore on liberty and when underway. We met ALL of COMSIXTH Fleet's demanding assignments
and were proud to show the American Flag in numerous ports.
Bud Boule'
In '62 Dominant and Direct were returning to Little Creek from Martha's Vinyard during the night.
The exec said our yard arm was in the water twice when we were in a trough and leaned over. Both ships took a tremendous beating
and lost a lot of decktop rigging. Direct reported a huge cracking sound. Their damage control troops found a crack in a spar.
We eventually made it to the shore line in Rhode Island and found an anchorage about half a mile inland. (Dash and Detector
found a similar refuge in Connecticut) The fathometer showed ten feet under the sonar dome. We entered the refuge using radar,
sonar, charts and searchlights. (We trashed a few crab pots and mooring stakes. Restitution was made to all.)
The whole
neighboring community awoke to see two MSO's anchored in their little pond, you should have seen all the townspeople, reporters,
small craft and cameras coming out to see us. We made the front page of their weekly paper.
About mid afternoon the seas
subsided enough that Direct thought she could continue and the rest of the trip back to Little Creek was unevenful.
Quite
a ride, worse than any Cape Hatteras encounters I'd experienced
A couple days before Dominant was to leave Little Creek a new boot deck SA reported aboard. It was
just a matter of hours before he was completely terrified of our BM1. It didn't get any better by the time we left for Gitmo
and evaluations, Boats had this kid intimidated to a standstill.
We were abeam Cape Hatteras one afternoon when the Deck
Officer decided to do some practice for evaluations. The excercise was the nuclear washdown. We'd already done the 'stern
to the blast, full speed ahead' bit and the deck force was beginning the washdown in full protective gear including the OBA's.
Boats was adamant about keeping the OBA's on... no matter what.
We CIC pukes were up on the reel deck watching the activities
below. Boats wasn't wearing the protective gear so he could be heard shouting better. The newbie was holding a push brush
and sweeping around the deck everytime the hose spray came by. We could see him looking at Boats every few seconds to make
sure he wasn' t screwing up.
Well this was his first time at sea and Cape Hatteras was it's usual six foot seas and Dominant
had settled into a nice predictable wallow, pitching and yawing motion and it was a warm day.
As we were watching, we noticed
that the boot seemed to be convulsing and retching inside his OBA, but he kept scrubbing furiously, all the while glancing
at Boats for approval.
One time when he turned around we could see the level of vomit had half-filled his eye holes in
the OBA and scrambled eggs, juice and coffee was sloshing back and forth and the boot was gagging and struggling to breath.
We yelled to Boats and pointed to the boot, he saw the kid and ran over to rip the OBA off and the contents poured to the
deck, and the kid was a mess, but he wasn't going to take the OBA off, he thought Boats would kill him. Boats just stood there,
shaking his head.
The deck officer had seen the last part of this and asked us what happened. We told him. He later took
Boats aside and suggested perhaps he take it a little easier on the newbies in the future... yeah, right.
Dominant had an exceptionally good softball team. Everytime we'd steam into a port the signalmen
would start flashing/challenging the second biggest ship in the harbor to a game, we won most of them. The only ones that
could beat us 3 out of 4 times was UDT-21 in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, gawd what a bunch of jocks...many were minor leaguers
from some farm club of the pros. UDT-21 also had an outdoor bar there. After a game we'd wind up at their bar, the Silver
Bullet Club, and drink rum and cokes for a quarter each. Our engineering officer, LTjg Narcisso, was on military leave from
the Cleveland Indians' farm team, damn good...good officer too. I saw him up to his elbows in grease a couple times helping
an engineman overhaul a roots-type supercharger out on the fantail while underway. I liked the comraderie on the sweep, the
kind only present on small ships where everyone knew each other. I didn't like the duty well enough to ship over (never got
over sea sickness), but I'm glad I was there when I was.
Whit Brown SOG3
Dominant '59-'62
Jacana '62-'63
The USS Dominant (MSO-431) was on windward passage patrol duty. It was in 1964. I think it was during
the Spring season. I was RM3 at the time....., nineteen years old. We had been relieved of patrol duty by one of our sister
ships of mindiv43, and were looking for some liberty ports. The "old man" aboard the Dominant at the time loved to find really
unique, off-the-beaten-path, ports to visit.
We got permission to visit a virtually unknown port called Grand Caymen Islands! We were steaming
for the capital of the Islands, Georgetown. While still about 20 miles out, the "Lord British Governor", of the Islands had
come out to meet with us in his personal yacht. They came alongside, and the gov boarded the Dominant. The crew was called
to assemble on the fantail, the governor wanted to speak to the men. He told us that we would be the first American Naval
Vessel to ever vist the port, in fact the first American vessel of any kind to visit, other than a few very small cargo boats
out of Jamaica and other Caribbean Islands. The place was virtually unknown but to its natives and a small number of British
elite. He further told us that the Islands people were very excited about our visit, and were treating it almost as a holiday.
And then he dropped the bomb, it sounded almost like a warning when he said it......, "you will find that many of the women
of the Island want to be impregnated by you, light skin is highly prized here, so much so that in most cases, even the married
women will want to go with you, and with their husbands blessing!" He told us further that the women had been recently checked
by doctors for diseases, and that all on the Island were clean. He ended his speech, telling us that the Islands softball
team challenged the "ships softball team", to a game, as soon as we arrived.
All minesweep sailors know that there is no such thing as a ships softball team on an MSO! Nothing
even close. When the governor had returned to his yacht and gotten underway, the Captain advised us that there "will be",
a ships softball team, and he wanted at least 10 volunteers now! Now, in light of the news the gov had just given us, nobody
was into softball, and no hands appeared. The Old Man roared and cajoled a bit, and soon their were 10 of us raising our hands,
mine included. The Captain then advised all hands that the 10 volunteers would return to the ship after the game, and then
be the first to go ashore for liberty! At the time you see, even our 7' of draft was too much for the port, and we had to
anchor out about half a mile, and take the motor whaleboat ashore.
Softball team aboard, the motor whaleboat reached shore about the same time one of those drenching
tropic squalls did, and we got soaked. We made a run for an open door in the only two-story building on the Island. The roads
were dirt. The buildings, shacks. Electricity and running water were present, but not everywhere. Our guess had been good
though, and liquor was available in the two-story place. We spent maybe half an hour there, and the sun had come out. It was
time for the game. We walked the short distance to the ballfield....., nothing fancy, a grassy field with some bags thrown
around for bases. It was around noon when we 10 got there, carrying our 1 bat, 1 ball, and 1 glove that had been in the "recreation
locker". Kegs of beer had been readied for us by the Island team. It was beautiful, the sun, the sea, the freshly squall-scrubbed
air. I took right field. There was a young girl, probably high-school aged, she had an old bike and she rode in circles around
me each time I came out to field. It was a pretty strange feeling to a young Kansas boy. It was very obvious that she had
me in her young sights, and that I was gonna be pursued.
The "ships softball team" was roundly humiliated by the Islands team, but we were pretty ripped
by that time, and hardly cared. We had had a great time making fools of ourselves. We loaded back into the MWB, and returned
to the ship to make ready for liberty.
I witnessed everything the Lord Governor had said to be true. The whole Island was an open-house
party to us. I cannot adequately find words to relate how important it was to those Islanders to show us the ultimate in hospitality.
They were falling over themselves to do for us. Personally, I visited many of their homes, and would sit for a few minutes
with the family and try to communicate, mostly grinning stupidly, raising a bottle in salute, and drinking. I and two mates
walked up and down the dirt streets, stopping in at every house to visit awhile.
As the evening turned to night, we had found that there was an actual bar to sit and drink at,
there were of course many of the Islanders there, and there were lots of comings and goings to the beach, the return trips
accompanied by jokes and gripes about the damned bug bites on the butts. There was one hotel on the Island. The Nelson Hotel
was where the elite Brits would stay on their visits. That hotel is where the "officers and gentlemen", went to bend their
elbows. Some others of us found our way there too. There was some music and dancing. I personally found romance there, with
the U.S. Naval Attache's 16 year old daughter, who was pleased to have some American guys around for a change. I had beaten
an EM3, named Charlie Brown in a contest to win the girls heart. She and I had big plans the next day and evening, but while
aboard ship on radio watch, while Charlie Brown was acting shore patrol ashore, he got a message to her that I had to cancel
our plans because of a watch. It was a lie. It did keep her from coming to meet me ashore though, and I never saw her again.
Charlie Brown, I hope you read this and know that a lot of old minesweep sailors think you were chickenstuff.
But as I said, this is not my story. This is a story about a ship and her crew, and a very unique
event in what was once a unique place. We had a beautiful 3 days on the Island. I have never been back, and though the Caymans
are now on everybodys wish list for a tour, I think I want to remember her the way she was.
Bruce Purdy
RM2
1980 Mariel Boatlift
Cutter Ingham, now the on scene Commander of CoastGuard forces, took a 20-foot boat with one person on board in tow on 8 June.
The tow and man were passed to USS Dominant (MSO-431) for transportation to Key West. A half-hour later, a Cuban gunboat
approached to within 50 feet of Dominant and demanded that the Cuban national be turned over to them. The Cubans stated
that the man had stolen the boat, left Cuba without permission, and was wanted for murder. Dominant refused to return
the individual, stating that the man had been picked up in international waters and would be turned over to the authorities
in Key West. The Cuban gunboat departed to the south.
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