European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1962, Darmstadt, Hesse Lights end gauges cd pumping station keep Tab on fuel operation. I i pm of i to of � i 7 k k Bukent fill eel with mud. A Tiv m sgt Richard r. Cleek Waves at l20, which constantly flies Over to Check pipe in by Wallace Beenes a Madrid Bureau it was new Vear s ave when the Spanish policeman at Cordoba spotted the heavy Oil Ilick in the flooding Guht Lal quiver River. At s m Pablo almost 100 Miles to the Southwest the men of the 3977th Petroleum pipeline so were looking of Worth to a big night sympathy was in order for the Man still on duty along the 485-mile, 550-miliion pipeline that transports fuel from the Southern tip of Spain 1o the itch air Force any break in the line would be indicated by the pressure gauges at the pumping stations along the line but the flooding River had also fouled up the communications Wilson a Chapman commander of the Squadron and a Petroleum Engineer from the Texas Oil Fields was notified about the Oil Slick in the River. We did t know it at the time of course but it was the worst break in the history of the pipeline. About 120,000 Gallons of jp4 Jet fuel Xmas in the process of Chapman explained. Plans Tor parties went out the window As All maintenance Crews were alerted. It quickly became obvious the 12-Inch line had snapped under the water where the pipeline crosses the River in a swampy area near the Village of Villafranca. Chapman headed the Convoy that bulled the stars and stripes its Way through the Rii utly flirt from the Village to Edge of the River. With him were skin divers s sgt Frank. De la Iney and a1c Michael Printe. Arriving on the scene the men. Found the situation far from encouraging. The River a As out of its Banks and some 70o feet Witle at the pipeline crossing Point one of the two emergency cutoff valves located on each sine of the River was Ala under water. Delainey and Prindle were secured by ropes and plunged into the Muddy till that time we thought it was just a leak but we found the Fine sheared of completely and buried to the mud under six feet of water the two divers reported. Not Only was the pipeline snapped but the two jagged ends were no longer lined up. Sgt Albert f. Raska and his Road and grounds Crew got the Back breaking Job of digging up the line from the valve pit to the River s Edge. Back at san Pablo other members of the Squadron worked throughout the night loading vehicles with the heavy equipment needed to repair the break. A Large air compressor would be needed to drive the Large Power saw necessary to trim the jagged pipe. A Bulldozer was needed to move dirt and a truck with a heavy duty hoist was required to install the new Sec Tion of pipe. Sort is
