Trackpads

On a moonless Atlantic night in 1952, routine carrier operations turned into catastrophe when the USS Wasp and her plane guard destroyer USS Hobson collided during a turn into the wind. In minutes, the Hobson was torn apart and over 170 sailors were lost. This extended version of our written article explores how doctrine, fatigue, and split-second decisions collided with unforgiving physics at sea, shaping one of the Navy’s most haunting peacetime tragedies.
Listeners will be taken onto the darkened bridges and into the chaos of the collision, hearing vivid storytelling that goes beyond the written page. From the perspective of sailors in the water to officers balancing command decisions, this episode draws leadership lessons on vigilance, communication, and the crushing weight of responsibility at sea. It is history told not just as events, but as lived experience. Produced by Trackpads.com.

What is Trackpads?

Step into the world of military history and strategy with Trackpads. This weekly podcast transforms insightful articles into engaging audio episodes, making it easier than ever to learn about the military, history, and beyond, wherever you are. Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a military aficionado, or just curious about the stories and lessons behind the action, Trackpads delivers a compelling mix of education and entertainment. Listen on the go and stay connected to the past, present, and future of the military.

The inquiry quickly zeroed in on seamanship. Doctrine had been clear: a plane guard destroyer must never attempt to cross a carrier’s bow during flight operations. The cardinal rule had been broken, whether by misinterpretation, poor judgment, or both. Testimony from bridge officers revealed confusion over helm commands, some insisting they had understood the order correctly, others acknowledging ambiguity. The carrier’s maneuver itself was standard, executed in accordance with procedure for recovering aircraft. The destroyer’s response was the anomaly. In the final analysis, the board declared that the Hobson’s decision to cross the Wasp’s bow was the decisive error, a violation of doctrine compounded by human misjudgment. For officers across the fleet, this conclusion struck like a hammer: no matter how experienced a crew might be, the laws of seamanship were absolute, and breaking them carried the highest price.