By Gary Augustine, LT(jg), (’61-’64)
Sewickley, Penna.
I read Rick Erisman’s piece about the 1966 nuclear weapons inspection in the June/July NEWSLETTER. That really brought back memories for I was the T-bone’s first nuclear weapons officer. After the Navy decided that LSTs should have the ability to carry nuclear weapons, I along with officers from some other ships were sent to school at the Norfolk Naval Base to learn our duties and responsibilities, which were mostly administrative.
After the school on returning to the ship one of my first duties was to select a space in which the weapons would be kept. The key to passing the ORI inspection was to keep the large number of manuals, I had locked in my safe, updated with the many changes I continuously received.
Don’t know whether the duties changed later, but the function when I was aboard was mainly to guard, keep safe and especially account for the weapons. I learned nothing about how to use them.
Also during the inspection you better have them all and not have lost any of them for several were secret and all were restricted. I remember doing an ORI inspection on another ship and their nuclear weapons officer had failed not only to keep the manuals updated, but I think had misplaced one.
I didn’t realize when I wrote my report what would happen to the officer. My recollection is that the Navy kept him onboard beyond his discharge date and investigated his paper keeping.
At the time I along with the captain were the only ones allowed to see the manuals. I don’t remember the Exec having the required clearance. So, I spent a fair amount of time unscrewing the posts, which held the manuals together, removing the pages, then inserting the new pages, and screwing the posts together again.
In addition I trained a few gunnery personnel in what their duties would be if we carried weapons, which we never did during the time I was on board. The only time I saw a nuclear weapon was the dummies they had at the school.
Don’t know whether the duties changed later, but the function when I was aboard was mainly to guard, keep safe and especially account for the weapons. I learned nothing about how to use them. – Trimness Bravo