NEAR MISS BY THE ''SHANG''

I never pulled duty on a ''flat top'' but we almost got hit by one down in the Caribbean sea.
The ''flat top'' was the USS Shangralah (sp). She is one of the carriers with the ''hurricane bow'' .... That means that her sides on the bow go all the way up to the flight deck. She has three or four portholes right in the flat part of the bow.
Anyhow, We were in ''convoy'' configuration with the Shang behind us and to our starboard side. Me and Burket came up out of the #3 mess haul and out on the edge of the flight deck on the Norton. (note the flight deck on the Norton was for the Admirals ''shux o copter'') mom dont allow me to curse......... Anyhow,,,
Me and Burket stopped there to lite a smoke and we noticed the Shang turning to her port and seemingly increasing speed. Hummmmmmmmm. The Norton was not turning. Hummmmmmm?
We stood there spell bound with our ciggies in our hand watching the Shang bearing down on the fantail of the Norton. We heard no collision alarm. Nothing. The Norton continued steaming in a straight line. Note .... At sea distances can fool you but I would swear that the bow end of the flight deck of the Shang crossed over the fan tail of the Norton. I could have spit on the bow of that carrier. We were so close I could see sailors looking out of the portholes in the bow of the Shang........
She cleared us by what seemed like 20 feet, held her port turn for a couple of miles or so and turned to starboard and came along side the Norton.....
I looked at Burket and asked him if I was as pale as he was. ''Shux yeah, Did that just happen that I thought I saw''? ''Yep, I saw it also and I think I need to go change my ''skivvies''. How bout you? ''Yep as soon as I can get my feet moving again.
We were the only ones topside for that matter. To my knowledge no one else even saw what could have killed us in an instant. The only thing ''out of sorts'' was the starboard life buoy watch guy was fainted dead away.
I watched the ''casreps'' (casualty reports) in crypto for a couple of days looking for a reference to the incident and found nothing. If Burket had not been with me I would have probably put off to ''bad bologna'' or ''mislocated gas pains'' or something....
So it went on the Norton a thousand miles from nothing (except the Shang)...
Seajay the sailor man