New Homeport Island (6 page)

leaving that watch station to us. We alternated every time we set
 sea and anchor to prevent fantasies of suicide.  
Mitch walked up the steep ships stairwells referred to by
 sailors as ‘ladders’ and went to the boiler flat to find FN. Nueme
 looking for rags to preform ‘wipers’ a wiping down of the ships
 machinery throughout the aft engine room. “Hey, Hootie” she
 said to Mitch, “you seen any rags?” Mitch took a rag out of his
 pocket and tossed it at her. She caught it and checked it for
 stains then laughed and said, “Thanks but that isn’t enough.
Where’s the bail of rags?” Mitch reacted to her calling him
‘hootie’ with a stunned gaze and then broke out into a rendition
 of ‘let her cry-by Hootie and the blowfish’ and walked away.
Nueme sounded out as Mitch headed to the fantail for a smoke
 break, “I’ll take that as an ‘I don’t know.’” and she chuckled
 again. Nueme had a nice figure, always had her hair straightened
 and pulled back into a scrunchy. She had most of the attitudes of
 a nineteen year old boy trapped in a woman’s body…but has
 been trapped there so long he just came around and got with the
 program. Most of the ships female sailors had this persona to an
 extent.  
Nuema was standing Engine room monitor taking readings
 and wiping up any oil leaks or condensate, her patrol or ‘rounds’
 took her throughout the three level engine room as well as the
 generator flat, to stations further aft. Shaft alley is where the
 stern tube seals are located the shaft penetrations through the
 hull, the line shaft bearing there has had a signal problem with
 its thermal couple and the bearing temperature occasionally
 gives a false high temp alarm. GSM3 Joey Dipree was standing
Engine room operator as his special sea and anchor detail
 position and was not relieved by Mitch.  

“Nuema…!” Dipree called out just as she stepped down to
 the Console level. She responded, “Bearing temperature again?”
Dipree smiled pleased that once again she shows up just as he
 needs her and says, “Ya, check it out please.” As she heads back
 toward the ladder to make her way up and out of the space she
 called back, “One bravo lube oil pump’s mechanical seal is
 leaking by real bad again too and Lyon said not to risk my
 fingers wiping up around the shaft…nearly got Hackel’s fingers
 about a week ago.” Dipree responded, “Ya, we’ll fix it later.”  
In C.i.C. the maintenance rush was finishing, circuit cards
 found to be out of calibration were left in place with the
 unexpected underway. The systems were active but faulty.
Captain Artimus was present as they threw the cards back into
 their racks in their consoles. When informed the ‘gear my not
 respond’ he commented, “Well, you’re still not as bad as
 engineering.”  
The ship was cutting the waters as the wind sea’s produced
 white caps all around us flying toward the straights of Juan De
Fuca. With out having left Puget sound the ship was already
 listing up to fifteen degrees in a gentle roll from port to
 starboard, and the crashing of the breakwater at the bow was
 heard as thunder thuds as far back in the ship as the forward
 berthing compartments. We expected 12 foot swells, tool boxes
 we’re being thrown across the spaces in the machinery rooms
 and manuals were raining down from bookshelves above desks
 in the office spaces.  
In central the chief engineer had kicked the engineering
 officer of the watch from the E.O.O.W. chair to ride the swells
 there, the same type of chair as the Captain and X.O.’s
 chair…and according to the supply catalogues in reality they
 were just barber’s chairs. The EOOW Mr. Lees stood at the

stanchion pole next to the EOOW chair holding on to it for dear
 life and he figured he was closer to the squawk box giving him
 communications with the bridge anyways. The Propulsion and
 auxiliaries control console operator sat in a mounted chair
 before his console, it was a comfortable chair or all who slept in
 it claim it to be and had a race car like feel to it. The PACC
 operator GSE1 Orbly mentioned to the EOOW, “Still getting
 compressor surges on G.T.M. two alpha.” Mr. Lees responded,
“Is it a bad indication? Have we figured that out yet?”  Orbly
 said, “Gillis, is still looking…I’ll check.” Orbly picked up the
 sound powered phone mic and called over the amplified 2JV
 circuit, “Forward engine room…Gillis! What’s wrong with
G.T.M. 2A?” Gsm2 Gillis responded over the 2JV which called
 out from the speaker in central, “Nothing, it must be your
 console.”  
Gillis stood starring at his console rereading the same
 indications waiting for something he recognized. Gsm3 Tinnel
 was standing engine room monitor, he brought his log readings
 to Gillis for review before the EOOW’s review. Tinnel asked,
“Is that right?” as he pointed to the ‘Blow in door open’
 indicator light. Gillis replied, “Central didn’t say anything about
 it, and I’m not going up to the intakes in this weather. Are you
 volunteering?” Tinnel laughed and said clearly, “No.”  
Ice had formed over demister pads that help prevent water
 from being sucked into the ships gas turbine engines, there was
 also a wash space referred to as a ‘plenum’ with a deck drain.
The Ice on the demister pads had caused the differential pressure
 to rise high enough to cause the blow in door to open and
 preventing the loss of airflow from choking out the engines. In
 the current sea state, being on the weather decks at any level of
 the ship was hazardous, the cigarette smoking however could

not be interrupted and many crew members still ventured out to
 the fantail the lowest point of the ship and some found their way
 to the starboard break, an enclosed section just below the bridge
 wing. Ice had formed on the hand rails and Icicles were dangling
 down, seemingly soon to be projectile shards that would be
 carried by the sea spray right into the body of the sailors risking
 the weather for their dose of nicotine.
The forward engine room had enough water in the bilge
 from the deck drain in the intake plenum that the engine room
 personnel were succumbing to sea sickness, seeing it slush in the
 bilge, despite their years at sea.  
Just aft of the forward engine room was the auxiliaries
 space ‘AUX1’ the cricking sound in the hull was amusing to
 some a throwback to the wooden ships of the old navy, but not
 to young Mike Elper. He was a third class enginemen; “trained
 by the navy for the navy’s exclusive use.” was his catch phrase.
How he managed to actually have a catch phrase and not be a
 cartoon character is something we never really understood. He
 was on watch as the Auxiliaries monitor, taking readings on the
 reverse osmosis desalination plant was his ‘favorite part’;
 another catch phrase of his. As he checked around explaining to
 the other enginemen they needed to remain a quiet as possible
 because he needed his ‘super hearing’ to find that sound as the
 man currently responsible for the space. He crawled through the
 bilge over and under piping some of which was very hot, some
 of which was freezing cold, searching for the sound. He repeated
 to himself and anyone still listening to him, “What the hell is
 that?”  
The squealing sound from the bilge did alert some of the
 other enginemen and EN3 Rich joined the search, as it turned
 out the squealing sound was Mike squeezing under a pipe he

should have crawled over instead of under. As they moved
 toward number four electrical distribution switchboard the
 creaking sound became louder and more of a cracking sound.
Mike was looking directly at a hull penetrating pipe, a sea water
 discharge pipe just as the cracking sound became a crack. A
 radial crack around the pipe just downstream of a butterfly
 valve, Mike and En3 Rich were showered with sea water hitting
 them with the full force of a fire hose. At a rate of one thousand
 gallons a minute at a pressure of forty five pounds per square
 inch, En3 Rich was knocked to the deck, Mike Elper Enginemen
 third class of the United States Navy took a semi-kneeling
 position and looked across the space out and over number four
 generator to EN3 Gruble and with a grimace yelled to her,
“Abandon ship!” EN3 Gruble with the index finger of her left
 hand pointed directly into her left ear and said, “What..? I can’t
 hear you.”
Mike looked at her astonished and chilled to the bone by
 the freezing water and with new warmth to his blood raised by
 rage said, “Look bitch, you see all this water? I said ‘Abandon
 ship!’”  Gruble shook her head and shrugged and replied,
“Come over here so I can hear you.”
Mike looked over at Rich with a hysterical expression on
 his face and with eruptions of laughter said, “I’m trying to save
 the bitches life and now I’m gonna kill her for fucking with me”
Rick was still in cold shock, the only reason he could see EN3
Elper is he was standing in the water flow obstructing it while
 leaning in to make eye contact with rich. There was a small
 amount of oil on the deck and combine with the water and the
 effect of the cold on Rich’s muscle rich was unable to move out
 of the way or stand up. As Elper broke into a run with the
 intention of cold cocking Gruble he slipped on the deck and

nearly knocked himself out. He struggled to his knees and
 crawled out of the water spray. Pointing behind him he said,
“Do you see that!? Do you see that!!?” Gruble looked at him
 befuddled unable to comprehend what was effecting them so
 badly. Recognizing the look of astonishment and lack of
 comprehension he said to her with a look of defeat, “Get on the
2JV and tell central” he pointed at himself repeatedly, “that I
 said to abandon ship.” Gruble looked again at the water entering
 the space and pointed at it. Elpers laughed again and said, “Oh
 you see it now do you? Look bitch I am senior to you, call
 abandon ship over the 2JV; that is an order!” Gruble covered her
 face with her hand and shook her head. As she moved to the 2JV
 mic Elper laughed, “Ya, you’re a stupid bitch…haha,
 haha…you’re a stupid bitch”. His eyes were tearing up he knew
 he was stuck there and defeated. Gruble had made her way over
 to the 2JV mic and called to central, “Central, Aux 1…Elper
 says to abandon ship.” Central called back and was heard
 through the amplifier, “haha, Why?” Gruble replied, “Were
 flooding in aux1.” Central called back with a serious tone, “How
 bad?” She looked again at the water coming into the space and
 as she replied she tilted her hand back and forth, “About…one
 hundred gallons a minute.”  
Elpers yelled, “A hundred gallons a minute!? Fucking look
 at that you stupid bitch!” and he turned around lying flat on his
 butt and saw Rich slipping on the deck trying to get out of the
 water flow it almost looked as though he were trying to swim on
 top of a water bed with a shower raining down on him. Elper
 looked back at Tommi Gruble and said, “Oh…nevermind” and
 looking as though he were watching a baseball game on t.v. and
 asking his wife a random question he looked back at Gruble and
 said, “You sure that’s a hundred gallons a minute? Looks like

more…” Gruble replied, “I’m just guesstimating.” Eplers
 glanced back now obviously in the euphoria and de-realization
 of cold shock and trauma, “Okay. The DC-men coming?”
Having heard this traffic on the 2JV I headed to the space
 as I reached the bottom of the ladder I surveyed the scene. Rich
 doing the breast stroke in a shower, Elper at a greatful dead
 concert sitting in the cheap seats, and Gruble waiting for the
 crosswalk sign to change were what I first noticed. Then I
 noticed the water spraying onto number four switchboard. I
 shook my head and with a degree of irritation I asked, “Is
 anyone going to deflect that to the bilge?” Elper and Gruble
 responded in unison, “Go ahead.”  
“Did he just say that because I’m in the EOOW chair?” Lt.
Capes asked.  Ensign Lees looked down at his shoe and clearly
 but apologetically said, “Yes.” Lt. Capes laughing in response
 said, “Oh, fuck you.” and hopped out of the chair. Mr.Lees
 climbed into the chair and with a dutiful look gave the chief
 engineer a two finger salute and rotated the chair facing the
 propulsion console. Mr. Capes with a surprised look turned and
 left the space saying over his shoulder, “Well, steady as she goes
 ensign.” Lees responded, “Central Aye.”    
Out the port side door and forward down a short passage
 way lead to the engineering office space, the log room. Mr.
Capes poked his head around the corner and saw all the tech-
 manuals had fallen from their book cases and released the years
 of dust stored atop them as well as just within their pages. Ens.
Spayner sat at her desk rubbing her head and Swishzel was
 trying to look too busy to clean up the mess. Lt. Capes utter to
 himself, “No way am I going in there.”  
Captain Artimus received a call on the bridge from Senior
Chief Rickley of Aux. Division, “Sir, we have a problem.”

Captain Artimus replied, “Who is this and why can’t you idiots
 call me Captain?” Rickley responded with a degree of irritation,
“Well, Captain this is Surface warfare specialist; Senior Chief
Petty Officer Enginemen Rickley, United states Navy and I do
 call you Captain; Captain.” Artimus clenched his fist and
 glanced at the deck officer who was looking at him with a wide
 grin waiting for the next comical retort. Captain Artimus looked
 back to the phone and seemed to consider just hanging up but
 then said, “Okay…other than you, what is our problem?”
Rickley responded, “Well sir, it’s not supposed to be a Monday
 again but it apparently is…” Artimus interjected, “Okay what
 space are you in? Be prepared for me to beat your ass, and if
 someone has taken us across the international date line without
 my permission or knowledge I will more than make up for the
 ass beating you are about to receive.” Rickley replied, “AUX 1”
 and abruptly hung up the phone.
I tied a rag from my pocket on the crack in the pipe
 preventing it from spraying on the switchboard then helped EN3
Rich to his feet, he walk away as though he were walking on ice.
Elper said with an arrogant flare, “Well genius, you got that
 much right…” then shrugged with a smug look on his face, “but,
 now what?” I asked, “Did you say genius?” He said, “Ya, ya,
 you’re a geinus…” and I looked down and tried to act as though
I were in shock and said, “The department of energy aren’t here
 are they? …I…I really don’t want to go back to area fifty one.”
 then I slowly looked up at Elper. It was exactly the response I
 had hoped for…he was stunned. I then said, “Now, I need the
 portable arc welder brought down and I’ll stick weld it until
 were in port then a shipyard guy can check it.” He pointed at the
 ladder and scoffed, “you expect us to get that down that ladder
!?” I replied the mounted one in the passageway has extra-long