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Breakfast at
the USA Cafe
Photo Collage
 
A Daytime Nightmare
In July 1957, the USS Somersworth docked in Portsmouth
and its crew was met by Somersworth residents who welcomed them
to their adopted city. Somersworth High School was the site
of a banquet where city officials honored their guests with
pride and fellowship. Mayor Edward Charpentier and Commander
Roy McCoy presented gifts to each other on behalf of the citizens
of the HilltopCity and the ships' personnel. Following the meal,
a "Night Before the 4th" celebration was held at the
council chambers for the seamen.
A few days later, the USS Somersworth departed Portsmouth and
headed for New London, Connecticut to get ready for some experimental
testing projects to be held within the ship. But before Somersworth's
mission was completed, a fatal explosion took place on board,
killing 3 crew members and seriously injuring others.
Crew member Ted Frutchey, who was 20 years old
when the crew came here in 1957, recalls the aftermath of the
accident: "It happened so fast," he says pensively,
"like a car accident - a split second. We didn't have the
proper facilities to help the guys." He paused, recalling
the surroundings of the incident. "It was a beautiful,
sunny day. Lots of times, when experimental testing or work
was taking place inside the ship, the rest of us would be just
taking it easy - you know, resting or sunning out on the decks
- like we were doing that day." His face changed with the
next sentence. "The noise - the chaos - everybody just
ran. We needed help, and we could see the Queen Mary from our
position. But it took her a length of 3 miles to stop so she
could turn around and get to us."
The crew of the Queen Mary set a long boat into
the water with a doctor aboard to access the situation on Somersworth.
Enter the USS Tirante, a diesel electric submarine that came
to the aid of the injured crew members. Tirante swiftly transported
the men to the Queen Mary for temporary care. These men were
seriously wounded and needed hospitalization; the USS Sunbird
provided them a safe journey from the Queen Mary to the Naval
Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island.
That tragic accident changed the lives of many
people.
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