USS Vulcan (AR-5)-- Part 3: USS Niblack and More Iceland Service

Operations around Iceland proved to be often dangerous, fogs and storms frequently hampered the ships and there were collisions.    In November, the USS Niblack (DD-424) was rammed by a Norwegian freighter.  The destroyer had been scouting the coasts of Iceland when the accident occurred.

The Niblack suffered the loss of an anchor and a hole in her side, but the Vulcan quickly fixed it and the destroyer was able to continue her important convoy escort duties.  (There is no mention of this incident in the Wikipedia article about the Niblack.)

The Vulcan remained in the frigid Iceland waters until the spring of 1942.  After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Vulcan and other ships were ordered from Iceland to Boston. She was accompanied by the USS Tarazed (AF-13), USS Livermore (DD-429) and the USS Kearny.

The Vulcan was then placed in dry dock for repairs and then was assigned to assist the U.S. Navy in the North Atlantic.  She was based in Argentia, Newfoundland, from June to November 1942, then back to Iceland until 6 April 1943, when she was ordered to Hampton Roads.

--GreGen