The preceding Friday night I had the 8-12 watch, as OOD. ( I had a  problem  with a late relief, so I was on watch again as I was later to  be, when we were hit by the plane.)

Hopewell was in the #2 Pouncer Station behind a bent line screen of  about 16 destroyers protecting a huge column of ships taking part in an amphibious operation. As I recall, there were about 135 ships involved.
Near 2330 an unidentified surface contact was picked up on a collision course with the center of the screen. No course changes were ordered, as I think everyone assumed that the contact would change course. It didn't. Finally the Convoy Commander ordered "All ships maneuver independently to avoid contact." This was followed by a similar order from the Screen Commander. By this time we could make out the contact as a dark freighter headed directly for USS Boyd, which was In Pouncer Station #1. We were figuring, if it missed Boyd we would have to move rapidly to avoid collision. At any rate the freighter, I think Taku Maru, steamed directly into Boyd hitting her on the quarter deck on the port side. Then the two ship slowly spun around with smoke rising out of the Boyd stacks. It was an eerie sight. Later we learned that the Japanese had departed from Sam Pedro. The crew had put the ship on "Iron Mike" and was having a party. They were not aware they were steaming into a very large naval formation. Unfortunately for the Boyd, her captain was not apprised of the contact and problem until the last minute. Apparently, he was down below, when he heard "Captain to the Bridge, Captain to the Bridge!" He arrived on the bridge only to find the Taku Maru close aboard the port side headed directly at Boyd. It was alleged that he ordered "full speed ahead" and "hard left rudder." Unfortunately, the order was changed to "hard right rudder", which put Boyd right back in the path with Taku Maru and the resulting collision.

At the time of the crash I was the OOD on the bridge with Capt. Gantar. Our first knowledge of the plane was when it suddenly dived on Hopewell about 0710. We heard the the scream of the engine and ran to the port wing of bridge to see the plane pulling up while hitting the tips of some of our antennas. The plane was very close to the water. It then headed for the replenishment formation off our port bow about a mile away. One of the tankers was refueling two ships and the plane flew low, dipped its port wing and passed between the masts. Capt. Gantar and I watched the plane fly down the port side of the formation.
After the plane dove on the ship I asked the Captain, if he wanted to call the crew to General Quarters. It was Sunday morning and the crew was at breakfast. Because of this, he decided not to sound General Quarters, and this was the reason that there was not a greater loss of life and serious injuries. Had we been at GQ the 3"/50's would have been manned along with the Damage Control center. When the plane struck, the Captain had again stepped to the port wing and I was just stepping through the port door, when the Captain yelled that the plane was going to hit us. We had periodically watched it flying around the formation, but had not seen it turn toward our starboard bow for a simulated torpedo or bomb run. When the plane hit, Hopewell rolled to port with the impact. Rather than pulling up the plane had "mushed" into us at the last minute. As Captain Gantar and I ran through the bridge, he sounded the General Alarm. Arriving on the starboard wing we found a badly shocked signalman holding on to the signal lamp with nothing of the bridge rail remaining aft of him. The wing had just missed him, as , I believe, he was sending a message ( Unfortunately, I don't remember his name). Looking aft, the starboard flag bag was gone along with the starboard support for the mast. The plane had flown into the supply division office and under the starboard 3"/50 and that area was an inferno.
The pilot of the Douglas Skyraider and the two radar operators were killed, Johnson, SH3, who had gone to the Supply Office to get some work done early in the morning. They never knew what hit them. There were one or two men in the galley, but the impact blew them out on to the portside main deck , so they were not injured. We immediately attempted to assess the damage. One of the wings was leaning against the starboard side of the house near the entrance to the supply office. Initially the extent of the damage was not clear, but shortly we found that the starboard deck in the 3" magazine had been breached, and flames were rising right into the magazine. It was too hot to open the magazine. BM1 Lauridson and BM3 Fisher had been detailed to rig a hawser to the top of the mast to secure it, since it was unstable and waving around. I believe Fisher scaled the mast. We realized that, if the magazine blew, Hopewell's back would be broken and she would sink The crew was ordered to the bow and stern for safety, and the operating room remained manned. The Damage Control teams were trying to work on the fire, but Hopewell was dead in the water with no power and, as I recall, the P-500 pumps failed even though they had been tested the day before. I think we realized on the bridge that we would be lucky to get away, if the magazine blew, since it was below us. I don't recall any order being given to throw the 5" ammunition over board. It was shortly after the crash that we saw Chief Manner wandering up the portside deck near the galley. He was very badly burned, because he had tried to exit the engine room scuttle on the starboard side, which was partially covered by the wing. He went right out through the av-gas fire. I rotated between the bridge and the deck aft of the magazine, where some men were trying to open the hatch into the magazine. As I recall, Seaman Charles D. Grosnick, 3rd Division, was the leader of the group. I remember he was short and had to keep jumping up to grab the dogs, which were very hot. Grosnick was later decorated for his actions. As I recall, E. P. Jones MM1 had his men under the deck boards to avoid the heat and fire. About this time I looked aft and saw two destroyers heading directly for us at what looked to be 15 knots. They were Ingersoll and Yarnall. They came in fast even though we were rolling badly in the seaway. It was an amazing job of seamanship. They still had their ship's boats rigged, and they were badly damaged. They came in with all their fire hoses spraying water as they came up the sides of Hopewell. That is what saved us. As they went by I heard the backing bells from the portside destroyer. When the destroyers stopped their seamen just handed the lines over. If we had blown, they would probably have gone too, because they were the same class as Hopewell and had their 3" magazines adjacent to ours.
Unfortunately or fortunately, I was standing on the portside in the line of fire for the hoses, so I was thoroughly soaked through. One of the first things the starboard destroyer did was to pass over a large pot of coffee from bridge to bridge. We are that close. About that time Commodore Harllee went over to the starboard destroyer to transfer his flag. Mention is made of Merrick. I believe she was the AKA that came up and laid off our port quarter, while sending over a fire fighting team and equipment. As I recall, later there was a question about their equipment lost at the fire. Much of the 3" ammunition removed from the magazine was badly bent. The fire was finally put out and we were able to get underway under our own power for San Diego. We arrived about dinner time and went starboard side to the Dixie, COMCRUDESPAC's flag ship. When I left the ship about 2200, I ran into a school friend, who was standing OOD (in port) watch. He advised me that COMCRUDESPAC had left his barge for the OOD of Hopewell, and that I could take it as long as I got it back by 0800 the next day. I thank him and immediately took for Fleet Landing where I found my bride. The barge created quite a stir, but it was very thoughtful of the admiral.
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After the collision of USS Boyd and the crash on USS Hopewell a number of us spent weeks testifying at Boards of Inquiry into the two events while Hopewell went to the DesBase for repairs. Some of the officers aboard at that time in addition to Captain Gantar, may have been, Harvey Toponce, LCDR, Exec., Lt(jg) Deise, Jt(jg) Quilico, Lt(jg) Berhow, Lt(jg)Etem, Lt(jg)Reinke, Lt(jg)Sprehe, Lt(jg)Profilet, Ens,Warren, and Lt(jg) Govan. I don't recall a Lt(jg) Davis.

Respectfully submitted,

William T. C. Stevens, LT, USNR, (RET)