USSJamesMadison627.com

From: "Richard(Gold crew 83-87) QM2/SS" <sorrem@...>
Date: Fri Apr 30, 2004 8:45 am
Subject: So how many times did the Madison go aground

So which crew gave the Madison the nick name the Mud Puppy? I heard
it got stuck in the Mud a few times.
Richard

From: KRayALS@...
Date: Sat May 1, 2004 10:52 am
Subject: Re: [USS_James_Madison_SSBN627] So how many times did the Madison go aground.

It got stuck in the mud twice! Best as I can recall! Blue Crew both times!
LOL Go Figure

KJ Ray

From: "Clyde Porter" <cwporter@...>
Date: Sun May 2, 2004 12:25 am
Subject: Re: [USS_James_Madison_SSBN627] So how many times did the Madison go aground

Hey KJRay,

I was sitting at the feed pumps in machinery II lower level when they jammed the outboard in the mud. I saw a quick shot of water past the SPM's shaft seal when it struck the Cooper River's bottom too. It would not raise completely until after we moored and the divers cleaned the mud off of it. Kind-a funny how at first they tried to place the blame on the electrician at the controls operating under orders in machinery II lower level.

CWP

Although I do remember us jamming the SPM into the bottom of the Cooper River, I believe that the Mud Puppy was earned in the waterway leading to King's Bay. It was not until several years later (in the early 80's) that I heard the Madison called the "Mud Puppy" by a relation that had recently enlisted and got stationed on a boat out of King's Bay.

C Porter
Blue Crew '75 thru '78

I seem to remember an incident that happen shortly before or right after I reported aboard in 1970 at EB in Groton. The Madison was either going out or coming in from sea trials in the yards(Poseidon conversion) and didn't want to wait on the drawbridge on the river to raise fully so, they opened the vents, put the deck awash to the sail and commenced to drag the rudder in the mud and damage the "pit-swords". Can't remember if it was the Dolly or another boat. I think it was the Madison though.

It was leaving the weapons station in '82 that we ran aground with the pilot and squadron deputy on the bridge with the CO. I was on the ja phones in ops llfwd (lounge) when a loud sssssshhhhhhhh sound was followed by back emergency. The paper said we got out under our own power, but I remember at least 4 tugs.

I was on the sound powered phones in the torpedo room and remember the same swish sounds... The quote from the paper was "The crew was able to free the ship without assistance"!!?? As Jeff said, there were four tugs (BIG tugs) dragging us off the bottom and back to the tender. I also recall the Commodore being on the gang plank as it was lowered from the Simon Lake!! I don't think the CO had time to pack!!

Harold Maryea

I don't think the CO had time to pack!!

He didn't need time to pack. He wasn't going anywhere. He had already moved his stuff on board with the rest of the crew. He was in Command when we left the weps station in the next day or so.

I remember the Back Emergency...then the sudden stop. I think I was somewhere in the Engine Room, but I don't really remember.

Chuck Tisdale
Blue Crew
1981-1985

I was upperlevel ER we were stuck good tugs got us off went back to weapons station. Remember the helicopters and news coverage

Well, this is an old post but since I just registered for the site I thought I'd throw my line in the water. I remember a late underway due to a minor engine room steam leak. By the time we did get underway the sun was setting making for a more difficult navigation picture for the bridge team. Also remember hearing that they could not tell the color of the buoys due to the amount of bird guano on them... Anyway, I was a line handler topside when we ran aground which about knocked us over. There were three or four tugs pulling hard and we must have dumped our air banks blowing ballast tanks. Probably took an hour to finally get us off. This would have been about March of '82 after we had returned to Charleston on the surface from Cape Canaveral following a lead hydraulic accumulator explosion in port. And we had just left Newport News shipyard in February I think. Prior to this we hit the degausing pier in Chesapeake, VA. Not too good a start but we got better...

I was one of the topside phonetalkers and we were just turning and locking the last few cleats wondering why we were getting underway on Easter Sunday (1982) when all of a sudden everything got quiet. I looked around and the only movement was the Cooper River rushing by. It took three tugs to pull us out of the mud and one to tow us back to the Simon Lake. From what I remember, we busted off one of the sonar devices on the bottom of the hull. Divers did some quick repairs (they put a patch over the device and we got underway without it) and we headed over to the degaussing facility where we promptly rammed one of the pylons. Who WAS that Captain? From what I understand, he is working down at STP (South Texas Project) along with Steve Ross, John Hodges, and a few of the other refueling overhaul gang...