The Alertness of a Navy Lookout 43 Years Ago

Based on World War II experience, I can fully support The Times’ editorial (May 21) on the Navy frigate Stark, which said that sophisticated military technology has its limits.

For me, it happened on April 23, 1944. Our main carrier fleet under Adm. William Halsey was proceeding at high speed en route to attack the Japanese at Truk. The night was pitch dark, the formation was tight, all ships were darkened. I was stationed on the navigation bridge of the carrier Cabot, acting as command duty officer in the temporary absence of the captain who was resting in his emergency cabin below.

Suddenly, without warning, at 1:35 in the morning the cruiser Wichita blundered in the interpretation of a tactical signal and turned sharply into a direct collision course with the Cabot.

Like the lookout on the Stark 43 years later, it was lookout Seaman William Meier, not our otherwise vital and sophisticated radar, who first detected the errant and threatening Wichita and warned us on the bridge in the nick of time to take drastic evasive action to escape catastrophic collision by the margin of one second in time and a few feet in distance.

The Cabot might well have been sunk with heavy loss of life.

In 1986 the Cabot Assn. of Alumni honored lookout Meier for his heroic deed.

Clearly, there can be no doubt that sophisticated military technology has its limitations and the more sophisticated, the greater the limitations.

In light of this verity, it is incomprehensible how anyone can put any faith in President Reagan’s fantasy, “Star Wars,� the ultimate in untried and sophisticated technology.

FRANK A. ZIMANSKI

Coronado

Zimanski is a retired regular Navy captain.