New Homeport Island

by Robert Lyon

  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 obstructin
g 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

  leads so they reach down here. I need the grounding clamp and the stick clamp, some sticks and gloves…and don’t let me forget the goggles or mask; flash blindness sucks.”

  Rich called out to me, “How about just a soft patch until the HT’s get down here.” I said, “If they get down here before we pull into port I’ll ask.” Elper looked over at Rich with a reassured look and said, “He’s right…where the fuck are they?”

  He turned to me and said, “I’ll get you the gear.”

  As Elper started to ascend the ladder he stopped and took a step back, Senior chief Rickly came down the ladder enraged and yelled at me from across the space, “You fix it yet!!?” Elper tried to calm him and said, “I’m getting him the gear.” Just then

  Captain Artimus came down the ladder at a slightly faster pace than the senior chief did and asked Elper, “Where’s your senior chief?” Elper pointed at Rickley and said, “He’s right there, sir”

  As senior chief Rickly turned Captain Artimus blindsided him with a right hook and tackled him. As they exchanged blows the

  Captain yelled, “I ain’t playin’!” Elper shrugged and shook his head and looked to me and said, “Maybe you should just go…” I replied, “I’ve seen this shit before, just get me the gear dude.”

  Elper nodded and said mostly just to himself, “You’ve seen this shit before…you’ve seen this shit before…I’ll just get you the gear then.” Elper made his way up the ladder and I fetched a mop. I through down some rags to wall up the continuing water flow and did what I could to make sure no splashes or sloshing got into the switch board. Captain Artimus and Senior Chief

  Rickly ended their ‘tussle’ and retreated behind the HVAC to discuss the situation in privacy.

  Down the ladder came HT1 Hefter he was guiding his work shop in bringing down the arc welder for the machine shop. He asked me, “You gonna weld it or do you want me to do it?” I

  replied, “I’ll do it.” Hefter laughed and said, “Ya right… where is it?” En3 Hadsey coughed from behind Hefter and said, “It’s the pipe with all the water coming out of it.” I stepped aside and pointed to it. Hefter was at the bottom of the ladder which enters the space at about the centerline betwee
n where I was and he was there was the opening in the deck for number four generator, hand rails edge the opening, he steadied himself at the handrail and asked, “How am I supposed to get this over there and how do you plan to stop the water for the welding?” I said,

  “I was waiting for the leads from the welder mounted in the P- way and we have to weld it with the water still flowing, the valve is already closed.” Hefter said, “Wielding against water pressure…okay, I guess you can do it.” He tossed the leads over and the gloves, he asked where the wielding mask was since

  Elper had just retrieved it from the shop. I continued to set up for the wielding as I asked, “When did Elper pick it up? You got here before he did?” Hefter replied, “About five minutes ago; but I told him his chief would have to get him some sticks…I didn’t know what the hell he was doing…I’m not sure I know what the hell you’re doing.”

  A few moments later after calling for Elper over the 2JV he came down the ladder mask in hand and said he’d been looking for some ‘sticks’ but no one knew what he meant and he didn’t know what else to call them. Hefter and I both replied, “Rods?” simultaneously. Elper wiped his forehead while shaking his head and said slowly and forcefully, “Help me … Help you...Help me!”

  Over the 2JV’s amplifier rang out the words, “Forward engine room; High Vibes number two alpha G.T.M.” The

  Captain and Rickly poked their heads out from around the

  HVAC and looked over at Hefter and called out, “What’d they

  say?” Hefter shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I just work here. Lyon what’d they say?” I replied, “high vibes two Alpha