Before dawn on 1 February, with the sky still shrouded in darkness, "Washington" collided with when the latter left formation to fuel four destroyers. "Indiana" had radioed that she was going to make a turn to port out of the formation, but soon after starting the turn, her captain ordered a reversal, back to starboard. About seven minutes later, she came into view of lookouts aboard "Washington" at a range of . Although crews on both ships frantically tried to avoid the other, it was to no avail; "Washington" gave "Indiana" a glancing blow, scraping down a large aft portion of the ship's starboard side. "Washington"s fore end was severely damaged, with about of her bow hanging down and into the water. Ten men, six from "Washington", were killed or listed as missing. After temporary reinforcements to the damaged section, she was forced to sail to Pearl Harbor to be fitted with a false bow to make possible a voyage to Puget Sound. Once there, she received a full overhaul, along with a new bow; this work lasted from March until April. "Washington" did not enter the war zone again until late May.