Washington, April 27 (AP) - The USS Hobson, a destroyer- minesweeper collided with the famous
carrier Wasp last night, and plunged to the bottom in mid-Atlantic. The Navy said that 176 men were reported missing, including the craft's skipper. Sixty-one men were snatched to safety out of a windy, rolling sea.

In Charleston, S.C., Rear Admiral William V. O'Regan, minesweeper commander at the home base of the Hobson, said there had been 237 men aboard the ship.

7 Officers Lost

In Washington, the Bureau of Naval Personnel casualty section said it was preparing "reported missing" telegrams for families of 176 men, including seven officers and 169 en- listed personnel.

The captain of the Hobson was 31- year old Lieut. Comdr. William J. Tierney of Philadelphia. He had risen from the ranks and won his commission in 1941.

Full details of the accident were not immediately given by Naval authorities.

Earlier in the afternoon Navy headquarters said rescue operations were still on. That was nearly a full day after the mid-ocean smashup in the wind-lashed darkness. The Wasp's bow was damaged in the collision. The accident was one of the great noncombat disasters the Navy has suffered in recent times.

On February 18, 1942, the USS Truxton, a destroyer, and the Pollux, a cargo ship, were lost in a storm off Newfoundland with 204 dead.

On April 19, 1942, 218 lives were lost when the destroyer Ingraham was involved in an Atlantic collision.

Weather is Bad

Hobson rescue efforts were hampered by the dark, and by foul weather. A navy dispatch reported that at 2:00 a.m. (EST) winds were "15 knots southwest, sea rough and confused." That weather report came nearly 5 hours after the crash.

The Wasp suffer a slashing rip for 75 feet along her bow plates, the Navy reported. She was headed for New York at reduced speed ten knots. There were no casualties reported aboard the big carrier.

Fleet headquarters spotted the scene of the collision as 1,200 miles due east of Boston and 700 miles from the Azores.

The time of the crash was given as 1:25 a.m.Sunday, Greenwich Time, which would be 8:25 p.m. Saturday, EST. The spot being well west of the Azores, the theoretic time at the scene was before midnight.

The Wasp was on the way to take up a station in the Mediterranean when she collided with the Hobson at latitude 42 degrees 21 minutes north, longitude 44 degrees 15 minutes west.

Two Ships In Rear

It was announced that the collision occurred when the Wasp turned into the wind to recover aircraft which were returning from a simulated night strike against other ships in the task group, en route to the Mediterranean.

The Hobson and another destroyer minsweeper, the Rodman, were trailing the Wasp in plane guard stations - meaning they were a little to the rear in position to pick up men in the event any of the planes were ditched in attempting to land.

The skipper of the Wasp is Capt. B. C. McCaffree. Commanding the Hobson was Lieut. Comdr. W. J. Tierney .

Palau Also in Group

The task group also included the carrier Palau, the cruisers Worchester and Baltimore, the fleet oiler Pawcatuck, two submarines and 15 destroyers of Destroyer Flotilla No. 4.

The task group is under the command of Rear Admiral H.B. Jarrett,
who was aboard the Worchester. The destroyer flotilla is commanded by Rear Admiral C.C. Wood.

The Hobson was hit on the starboard (right) side. The Navy said it
had no information as to how long she stayed afloat.
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