USS NESTOR (ARB-6) BATTLE DAMAGE REPAIR SHIP


TYPHOON LOUISE 9 OCTOBER 1945

Typhoon Louise struck Okinawa on 9 Oct 1945 and did extensive damage to all the military installations and ships around Okinawa. One of those ships was the USS Nestor an Aristaeus Class Battle Damage Repair Ship. During the typhoon the Nestor was driven aground in Buckner Bay. The incident was made even more astounding due to the fact that she struck the USS Ocelot (IX-110) and cut the stern off the Ocelot. The crew abandon Nestor after a desperate struggle to avoid the collision and took shelter on the APL-14, a barracks ship, which you can see in the photos that ended up next to the Nestor.

You can see in the photos an extensive number of ships that were driven aground, capsized, or damaged due to the estimated 150 mph winds of Typhoon Louise, estimated because all the wind gauges on Okinawa were destroyed when the winds hit 130 mph. A total of 107 Naval ships and craft were grounded or damaged during Louise.

Another interesting photo in the group is that of what is believed to be part of the crew of PC-1238 a Submarine Chaser that was capsized during Typhoon Louise.