The ship was surfaced in heavy seas. It was night. The OOD was on the bridge and everything was rigged for red. PO. Busby requested permission from the C.O.W. to go to the bridge to relieve the watch. Permission was granted and he proceeded up the ladder. He almost made it to the top of the ladder when it all hit the fan....Click to read more

The ship took a sudden dive under a large wave. This flooded the whole bridge. Everyone on the bridge was secured. Busby, just arriving at the top of the ladder, got hit by the force of hundreds of gallons of water and was flushed down the hatch. For all of you that remember reporting to the bridge you also have to report when you are down from the bridge. So being an outstanding sailor, he miraculously missed hitting or getting hungup on anything in the hatch and was flushed all the way down to the bear trap at the bottom of the ladder. He hit the bear trap on his back and the force of the fall made him bounce back up on his feet. He looked at the C.O.W. and reported in a calm voice as if nothing was amiss "Busby down". Then collapsed. Amazingly he was not seriously hurt during this incident.

I just love this sea story. I can picture it happening, this sailor being flushed like in a giant toilet, bouncing off his back and then calmly reporting he was down from the bridge. I think there is some truth to this. I believe it was PO. Robert Busby this happened too. I just don't know how much of this yarn has been spun. If you have more details or corrections please fill them in. It this is just a sea story it sure is an imaginative and funny one.

Note added 08/16/08 by Steve Hady - I was the HM on the Key from 90-93, I don’t remember a PO Busby, but I do remember ENS Bob Busby.