All Times are Approximate:
0345… aboard RELIEF LV 78/505…
Bobbie R. Pierce BM3 entered the Wheelhouse (Bridge) to relieve the mid-watch from Seaman Blaine Kuhn. He discussed the events of the previous watch with Kuhn, reviewed and made log book entries.
The fog horn, mast light beacon and radio beacon were all on and working properly.
Pierce then relieved Kuhn and assumed the deck watch.

0400… aboard RELIEF LV 78/505…
Pierce took and logged in the 0400 weather report (mandatory every four hours). Portions of which were;
A dense fog covered the area; there was a light wind, and the sea was calm with a slight swell, visibility was zero. Pierce radioed in the weather report to Coast Guard Radio New York.

Edward J. Rothaug EN3 relieved Eugene Murray EN1, of the Engine Room mid-watch.

0400… aboard GREEN BAY…
The Pilot Launch was located. The GREEN BAY was drifting on a heading of 035º True with engines stopped. Before the Pilot, Robert W. Ahrens departed, Captain Mazzella with Sverre Midttun, Third Mate and duty watch officer looking on, took a Radio Direction Finder bearing on AMBROSE Lightship. Pilot Ahrens agreed that this RDF bearing was correct and also took radar bearing on a target he identified as the Lightship. Both bearings were determined to be 070º True on the Lightship. At the USCG Joint Marine Board of Investigation, “the Pilot Ahrens estimated the distance to the Lightship to be approximately ¾ of a mile by radar. The Master, on the other hand, estimated the LIGHTSHIP to be 1 ½ miles distant by radio direction finder, but this was not verified by any means”.

0403 … aboard GREEN BAY…
The pilot disembarked, as the 2nd. Mate Mr. James Houdek, had at this time reported to the bridge to relieve Mr. Midttun, but Mr. Midttun remained on the bridge till after the collision.

0404 … aboard GREEN BAY…
After discharging the Pilot, the GREEN BAY got underway and the engines were ordered to slow ahead (3.75 knots). Visibility remained at zero.

0405 … aboard GREEN BAY…
The engines were ordered to half ahead (7.5 knots), and Captain Mazzella ordered the helmsman to come right to 070º True, in order to “head the vessel directly towards the LIGHTSHIP”.

0405… aboard RELIEF LV 78/505…
Bobbie Pierce’s memories; “I went aft on the starboard side weather deck, to the Aft Deck Housing containing the Radio Beacon. I verified the Radio Beacon was operating correctly, and all was in proper order. On the way I first heard - but couldn’t see - the GREEN BAY coming through the fog. I could hear her coming closer and closer. She was blowing her fog horn”.

Authors’ Note;
Every hour, a routine mandatory monitoring of the Radio Beacon is conducted. It is part of the deck watch duties.

0408… aboard GREEN BAY…
Chief Mate Boyd J. Stokes and Robert E. Moshell, A.B., were on the forecastle head as lookouts. Mr. Stokes was manning the phones to the bridge. Moshell stated that about 3 minutes before the collision he heard the LIGHTSHIPS foghorn at 045º on the starboard bow then sighted the loom of the light on the same bearing; that he reported these to Mr. Stokes; and, the Chief Mate made a telephone report to
the bridge. Moshell also stated that the loom of the light gradually changed toward the bow;

0408… aboard RELIEF LV 78/505…
Pierce recalls; “I was returning on the starboard side to the Wheelhouse, the GREEN BAY loomed suddenly out of the fog - her lights shining bright - roughly about 50 feet away, moving slowly. She was bearing right for the Lightship. I ran back to the Wheelhouse and yelled down the ladder to the duty engineman, Edward J. Rothaug EN3, to alert him to the danger.”

Per Rothaug’s memories of the events and time frame; “I was making coffee when BM3 Pierce called down from the Bridge saying that a ship was coming dangerously close. As I reached the Bridge, a freighter, Green Bay, came out of the fog approximately 500 yards off and bearing straight for us. I told Pierce to sound the “GQ” (General Quarters) and proceeded below to wake the crew.”

Authors’ Note;
As was the normal routine at this time of the morning, Rothaug, after making his rounds at the start of his watch at 04:00 in the engine room, then came up to the Mess (second) deck, just below the Wheelhouse, to make a fresh pot of coffee.
Most of the crew’s quarters lined the port and starboard side of the Mess deck.

Pierce’s memories continue; “In the meantime, I immediately went forward to sound the General Alarm, sometimes called General Quarters (siren)”.
“I can’t explain why she didn’t hear us and veer away during those 5 minutes before she hit us”, Pierce later said.

0410… aboard GREEN BAY…
The loom of the LIGHTSHIP light was reported dead ahead by the Chief Mate Boyd J. Stokes to the bridge, at what he estimates to be approximately 1 ½ minutes before the collision. The Chief Mate relayed this information to the bridge by telephone. The Master upon receiving the report of the loom dead ahead went to the wing of the bridge but could see nothing. Moments later the thin loom of the light was visible ahead whereupon he ordered the rudder hard right to 090º True to clear the LIGHTSHIP and the engines FULL AHEAD (11.25 knots), to increase the swing. According to the helmsman the vessel had not yet been steadied on 070º True when this order was received.
Within seconds the light ahead became intense and, realizing the LIGHTSHIP was closer than he had originally thought the Master rang up “FULL ASTERN”...

BY THEN IT WAS TOO LATE!

By then it was too late!!