J. L. Chirrick San Diego - Teetering through the Gulf Stream between Florida and the Bahamas, a submarine chaser runs a series of training evolutions designed to root out engineering problems. A four-knot, northerly current fights against the ship while a southbound wind cuts across the current creating whitecaps. Navy LT John A. Williamson stands out on the stern of the submarine chaser trying to maintain his balance amidst the fury. The ship comes about and the lookouts painstakingly search for their fallen shipmate.
Seconds pass, building into minutes, and the man is still in the water.
A series of turns are made while the time elapsed nears the hour, but the lookouts still report no contact. Solemnly, the submarine chaser's Commanding Officer bows his head and calls off the search. Fortunately, it was only a drill and the lost man, a box thrown overboard by Williamson. During lunch, Williamson took a maneuvering board and plotted the course necessary for a 173-foot submarine chaser to run back down its wake. At the time, Williamson was an instructor at the submarine chaser school in Miami, where he passed his findings onto other instructors.