Steve Straka (MM2, “A” Division, 1962-1965), was kind enough to provide the following story via email:

After leaving San Diego in January 1964 we went to Hawaii to pick up Marines to take to Japan. As is normal when a convoy leaves Pearl Harbor the submarines conduct war games on the convoys and the surface ships do anti-sub maneuvers. We settled into normal sailing, when over the loud speakers came “General Quarters – General Quarters – This is not a drill – Torpedo Port Side All Hands to Battle Stations.”

I was in the fresh water evaporator room on the port side. I heard a loud bang and felt the torpedo hit just forward of the evap. room, in the engine room. I had on my sound powered phone and heard the engine room say there was a hole in the port side and we were taking on water. This was getting scary.

As luck would have it. the torpedo hit on a heavy steel rib and it was only a small hole in the hull. The damage control party was able to slow the leak and we continued on to Youkoska Japan where a patch was welded on the. hull. If the torpedo had hit one foot either way, it would have been sitting in the steam generators knocking out all the power.

When we left Pearl Harbor we went into a anti-sub convoy formation. The sub had set up a torpedo plot on the USS Paul Revere (APA-248). When they fired a practice torpedo it was set to go under the target ship, it would then rise and continue to run until it ran out of fuel. It was then recovered.  Well the Paul Revere was on our port side. Need I say more! The Captain said that was the fastest the ship ever went to General Quarters.

–Thanks to Steve for sharing this great story!