Kooiman Was Stationed On A Nuclear Sub During The Cold War
Don Kooiman was the third son born to Bernard and Henrietta Kooiman of Chandler. His family moved to Chandler when he was in kindergarten. He was in the first kindergarten class at Chandler Christian School.
Don’s older brother Dennis was drafted into the the United States Army after high school. When his brother Doug graduated from high school, he got married and went to work for their Dad’s earth-moving business. Don, along with a group of high school friends, decided to enlist in the navy.
At that time, the Kooimans had three younger sons – Dean, David, and Delwyn. His parents were understanding and encouraged Don in his decision to enlist. “I did not want to sleep in a foxhole,” Don said. “I joined the navy to see the world.”
One of the guys that Don enlisted with was Virg De Jongh, who was featured in the Enterprise in February. He and Virg signed up for the buddy system – they would be in basic training together and be stationed the same place later. They left for basic training together on December 20, 1966.
However, during basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Academy, Don inquired about the Blue Jackets Choir. He had an interest in singing and was told he could be in the choir. Unbeknownst to him, signing up for that put him in a different unit than Virg, so the two were never together after that.
“The whole thing all the way through was not my choosing,” Don said. “It was all God’s leading.”
After learning the basics of military life through the typical bootcamp exercise of marching, discipline, teamwork, and handling a weapon, Don was named the Company Honor Man. According to a newspaper clipping that was published at that time, Don’s commanding officer, Capt. C.W. Harrison, said, “On the basis of his high initiative, outstanding military learning, leadership ability, immaculate appearance, pride in the Navy, adaptability to military training, and because he best displayed a high example to his shipmates.”
After bootcamp, Don had a 14-day leave and then was sent to Machinist’s Mate School back at Great Lakes Training Center. A machinist mate in the navy is a mechanic
“I was fairly mechanical,” Don said. “My dad did his own mechanical work. I got into the navy and everything with that job was also mechanical, keeping equipment running and overhauling.”
For the next 16 weeks, he learned about repairing valves, pumps, and steam turbines – not only the function of those things but how to repair them. He also received basic electrical training. “This was all preparation for being on a ship,” he recalls.
In bootcamp already Don was interested in submarines. He asked some questions about submarines, and pretty soon he was signing up for nuclear power source training. Getting into that school meant he had to sign up for two more years – six years total – of navy service.
While waiting to get into nuclear power school, Don was stationed on a submarine tender for three months at San Diego. Most of his time there was spent waiting – and washing dishes. He worked in the galley for three months, washing dishes and making pancakes.
Nuclear Power School was six months of intense classroom training in Vallejo, Calif. Don studied chemistry, metallurgy, and many other subjects that would equip him with the skills he needed to work on a nuclear power plant. He studied night and day – because if he didn’t pass the first time, he would miss an important date – his August 2 wedding!
Don started dating Carla Schaap in high school and continued their long term relationship while Don was in the navy. Carla was a year behind him in school. Those were different times and Carla never jumped in the car or on a plane to come visit – “It never crossed my mind,” she recalls.
Thankfully Don passed nuclear power school and the couple was married as planned. They moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where there was a prototype nuclear plant located out in the desert. Don spent six months at this training facility, operating and learning the ins and outs of a nuclear power plant.
If a seaman is going to be stationed on a submarine, he or she needs to know how every system on the submarine operates. Don learned how to work with the torpedo systems, the sonar equipment, converting salt water to fresh water for drinking, navigation, weapons, ventilation – he needed a basic knowledge of all these systems.
From Idaho, Don and Carla moved to New London, Connecticut. The next three months were about learning how to live on a submarine – swimming, escape techniques, and living in close quarters. It was a mental test– could he tolerate living inside a submarine with no day light or contact with the outside world for weeks at a time?
Don was stationed on a fast-attack submarine called the USS Gato. He went on board May 20, 1969. This sub could be called on at any time to go out into action. When they were in port, the crew ate very well. They had fresh lobster and steak regularly. But when they were out to sea, once the good food ran out they had to eat a lot of powdered eggs.
Since they were going to be in Connecticut for a few years, Carla took a position working in the accounting department at the Sears Roebuck company. She remembers the day that Don came to her office dressed in his Navy whites. She had to sign their will and legal paperwork giving her power of attorney. He was being sent on a mission off the coast of Russia. There was certainly the possibility that he would not return. The Vietnam War was still raging and the Cold War with Russia was also going on.
“We were very close to the Russian coast. Our mission was to follow a new submarine that Russia was launching,” Don recalls. “Every sub can be identified by its sound. We were there to record its sound.”
Because sonar cannot detect something directly behind the sub, they followed very closely behind this Russian submarine. During the course of the mission, on Don’s 21’s birthday – November 15, 1969 – something happened. Don was working in the engine room when the Russian sub hit them.
Both ships were patrolling the arctic waters of the Barents Sea, north of Scandinavia and Murmansk. The Russian ship, the K-19, a Soviet nuclear powered ballistic missile Hotel Class submarine, and the USS Gato, were 200 feet below the surface when they accidentally struck each other.
According to Wikipedia, the K-19 was able to resurface using an emergency main ballast tank blow. The impact of the accident had completely destroyed their sonar systems and mangled the covers on their torpedo tubes. The K-19 was able to return to port, but was not in a position to do any damage to the Gato.
Some readers might be familiar with the K-19 because of a Hollywood movie that was made depicting this Russian submarine. The movie was called K-19: The Widowmaker and featured Harrison Ford and Liam Neesen.
