About noon on this day 19 years ago, we were abeam Miami and the weather was exceptionally excellent, as it is behind a major storm. The sky brilliantly blue, the sea darker, and the waves very small.

Hugo was now a Category 4, about 240 miles SE of Charelston, SC, our homeport. Hugo was about 340 miles NE of us. The CO and I decided to turn north and begin to follow the storm. At that location, when we decided, our track to the sea buoy off Charleston was 000^oT, due north.

The journey home then began with a wide turn in the sea traffic, and we slowed, taking one engine offline. Having once before followed a strom home to homeport (Guillermo in the Pacific in 1979), I knew it was not wise to run right up behind it and assume you knew here it was headed.

Hugo had increased dramatically in strength, having pulled in the energy off the hot water of the Gulf Stream, as it had crossed in in the night, and had now set it’s sights on the low country Carolina area. It was heading that direction at about 19 mph. The exact landfall was still a question.

We went about our duties, minus a heavy dose of specific Navy related tasks. We were just mariners on the way home, with the thoughts and fears about our family and friends in the path of the storm.

The ships in Charelston had sortied, heading to the NE, “crossing the T” of the storm. I later heard more details, which I will discuss in this story chonologically.

The day had pretty much wrapped up. Yes, about this time. We were out of homeport, supposed to be out at sea and really had no plans, so work like we would have been doing, had we been at sea went on this day. Besides, a major storm was approaching, so there was some planning going on.

About 2200 (10PM), which was also Taps in the daily routine, the CO phoned me and said “XO, I’m nervous. You get the ship ready to get underway and I’ll get permission to sail.” My tasking was established and I rounded up the department heads. The Ship came back to life as all hands went through their duties.

Shortly afterwards, the CO told me we had been granted permission to get underway by the COMDESRON 8 Duty Officer, who had also notified the Naval Station to get us tugs and a pilot to return to sea.

Within moments of midnight, the CARR pulled away from the quay wall and made the turn out the short channel to enter then St James River and head for the sea. That trip, a delightful one, being the shortest sea and anchor detail, even at night was handled professionally. When we got to the Sea Buoy, we kept both LM2500 main engines on line, an abnormal procedure, but we wanted the speed. The lee helm was directed to advance the throttle to flank speed as we also executed a turn due south to make a run for the Strait of Florida.

Hugo had not yet settled on where it would strike, but we knew heading to the north east would have us “crossing the T” of the storm, and it was a big one. In addition, we’d end up on the “dangerous” side of the storm, and if it recurved, following the hot water of the Gulf Stream, we’d have to run far to the East, and then south, circumnavigating the entire weather phenomena. Taking the course we did also had it’s risk. like getting trapped between land and the high winds, but our plan was to get south fast to knowing there was less of a chance the storm, being where it was then, or turning to a south western course.

The night was quiet, but tense, as the we plotted Hugo and rode a port quartering sea, feeling ourselves surfing down the large wave fronts.

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