New Homeport Island

by Robert Lyon

  G.T.M.” The captain walked over to the 2JV mic and senior chief Rickly stepped back behind the HVAC again. Artimus waited for a response as did the central watches which called out again, “Forward engine room, central…High vibes two alpha

  G.T.M.” A moment passed and the 2JV cracked, “Forward

  Aye.” The captain called out to me and Rich still dealing with the flooding and said, “Fix this!” I responded, “Yes sir.” and

  Rich did a double take and also said, “Yes sir.” The Captain headed up and out of the space pausing on the ladder for the upward pitch to cease and the downward pitch to begin. I snickered, “Some days, it’s all uphill.”

  In the forward engine room GSM3 Tinnel and GSM2 Gillis stood at the local propulsion console watching the edge wise meter needles dance. Gsm3 Cardel was checking out the lube oil storage and conditioning assembly glancing through the ‘bulls- eye’ sight glass looking to see if the level was dropping. Gsm3

  Washam and Kresney, were climbing over the main reduction gear casing wiping up oil to look busy. Central again called the forward engine room, “Forward, Central…status of G.T.M. two alpha?” Gillis replied by keying the 2JV mic, “Central, Forward high vibes G.T.M. two alpha.” Orbly snatched the 2JV mic from

  Mr.Lees and keyed it, “Forward, Central!” Orbly’s voice crackled and rattled in frustration, “…investigate and report!”

  In Aux1 the wielding had begun, “just a quick emergency wield”, I said. Elper smiled a sarcastic smile and said, “And, that is why you’re here Lyon…I mean this wielding thing too, but listen to those dumb asses on the 2JV.” I coughed out a forced laugh and said, “Ya, I’m trying to block it out. I’ll take one thing at a time today.”

  GSM1 Hudlow’s voice came over the 2JV amp, “Lyon, are you in forward engine room?” Gruble responded, “No, he’s wielding the cracked pipe in AUX 1.” Hudlow responded, “I’m hoping you said ‘cracked pipe’ and not ‘crack pipe’…why is

  Lyon wielding?” Gruble called out to me, “what do you want me to say?” I replied, “Tell him I’m handling it” Gruble keyed the mic, “He’s handling it” Hudlow responded, “what about forward engine room?” Gruble replied, “He’s already handling the flooding, do you do anything Hudlow?” Lees’ voice came over the 2JV saying, “The captain is in the forward engine room.”

  GSM1 Hudlow, in the log room, was reviewing man hour reports from years before that were found under the electrical division officers desk, he turned and looked at his division officer Ens. Dohann and said, “The captains up there…you better get up there, sir.” Ens. Dohann was reviewing the preventative maintenance schedule completion reports and contrasting them against personal training records. Dohann looked up slightly from his task and froze in contemplation of how to respond to Hudlow’s comment. Hudlow shrugged his shoulders and went back to browsing through old paper work and said as though he were talking to the coffee stains on the pages,”…Well, they said the captains up there.” Dohann coughed and cleared his throat, shook his head and went back to doing his job.

  Hudlow picked up the 2JV mic and keyed it, “Forward, where’s the captain?” Tinnel voice came across the amplifier,

  “He’s up here.” Hudlow looked over at Dohann and said, “Ya, he’s up there…so…” Dohann set down his paper work and adjusted his position in his chair like a talk show host settling in and said, “Ah…GSM1, I want you to go up there as quickly as you can, and ask the captain… personally…if he needs your

  help.” Hudlow looked as though he just lapsed out of a day dream and responded, “I…ah, okay.”

  In Aux1 I had completed the weld and reopened the valve.

  The forward engine room called over the 2JV, “Hudlow, why were you looking for the captain?” I said to Rich, “When it rains it pours.” Clarkson’s voice called out over the 1MC,

  “Commanding officer, contact the bridge.” Then over the 2JV

  Lees voice called out, “Forward, central high vibes shutdown on

  G.T.M. two alpha; investigate and report. Stand by monitor start

  G.T.M. two bravo.”

  Over the 2JV Gillis replied with an enraged voice, “The captain is down here!” to which Orbly nearly instantly called out from central on the 2JV, “Report it to central jack ass!” The

  Captain stood with Gillis in front of the local control console and with a chuckle he gestured behind him to the 2JV amplifier with his thumb and said, “Ya, report it to Central too.”

  There was a whirling howl, a screaming of demons in hell…the ship was smacking the break water slamming the bow and listing ten to fifteen degrees at a four/four time, absolutely rock and roll. The screaming gas turbine reached an unsustainable pitch and rather than give way it instead increased its pitch. Gillis’s shoulders were up around his ears and his eyes wide, the captain looked at him startled and said, “Isn’t that a normal start?” Gillis replied with a cagey demeanor, “Ya…yes, sir.”

  The Captain took a step forward toward the console with his sea-legs a little delayed and gestured at the consoles indicators and said, “What is it you’re supposed to be watching here?” Gillis was locked up in performance anxiety, he couldn’t utter a word and the engines howl has always struck he as the worst moment of his life. This was pointed out by several of his

  shipmates and his reply was always, “you know how the say the most dangerous part of the flight is the takeoff and landing…that’s the takeoff.”

  Before he could answer the Captains question the ship pitched in against a swell and green water came across the bow listing to starboard throwing Gillis into the Captain’s arms.

  Gillis uttered, “I’m gonna piss myself.” the captain pushed away from him but they were bound together by their own weight on the tilting deck and their mutual desire to not be thrown down to the generator flat landing on their faces. Washam was descending the ladder down to the PLCC level and was thrown to his knees; he picked himself up and saw the embrace between the Captain and Gillis. Washam said, “Well that hurt my knees like hell…but, it turns out it was totally worth it.” and with a huge ‘cat and canary grin’ glanced up the ladder for any other witnesses that might make it down in time. Gillis looked back and saw Washam’s grin and instantly blushed, and upon realizing he was blushing he looked at the captain apologetically and tried to pull his way up the slanting deck. Gillis told the

  Captain in an embarrassed whisper, “It’ll pitch the other way in a second.” and turned around to prevent seeing that look on the

  Captains face. As the Captain realized Gillis was turning around he considered throwing himself down to the generator level, but that level has diamond deck plates instead of a continuous metal deck and he decide against it and with a high pitched squeal he uttered, “I’ll never pay you alimony.”

  GSM3 Washam collapsed in uncontrollable laughter as the ship did as Gillis predicted, it proved that it does go both ways.

  Gillis and Artimus braced themselves better as the ship rolled back to its portside, and saved themselves another ‘sailor’s moment’. Hudlow scrambled down the ladder and looked at

  Washam and said, “At least I can stay on my feet” then timed his movements with the movement of the ship hurtling himself forward and blurted out to the Captain, “Sir, can I help you?”

  The Captain looked to his left and saw Hudlow and Washam standing their Washam was laughing himself to tears and

  Hudlow had an anxious and eager demeanor. Artimus checked his pants zipper and said, “You’re not my type.” Tinnel came down the ladder to the PLCC level and glanced around…it was official, the Captain felt crowded. The expression on Artimus’s face was unmistakable, it was the ‘only white guy in the bar’ look and in order to break the tension Tinnel said, “Meanwhile back in the bat cave.” Captain Artimus pushed his way back to the ladder to head out of the space; pale and in a cold sweat he said to Tinnel as he left, “Stay away from my cave.”

  We had secured all the gear from the flo
oding and I headed back to the aft engine room. As I descended the ladder the ship jutted to the portside and pitched up sharply I lunged toward the

  I-beam and grabbed the foam cover meant to prevent a head knocker and waited for my center of gravity to become my center of gravity again. I continued down the ladder and made my way to the boiler flat just as Nueme was coming up the ladder from the PLCC level.

  Nueme said, “Hey, been looking for one of you guys.” I smiled and said, “Sounds good let’s do that.” and she replied,

  “Ya…right. Well I need help with this PMS check.” and she handed me her preventative maintenance card. It detailed the replacement of the Mil-spec 2190 lube oil filter on the generator.

  I glanced at it and said, “Which part?” She replied, “I don’t know where it is and Mitch said to get you to help me. He stopped me from doing it the way Hudlow said to. He wanted me to pull the pump off.” I responded, “No, you do have to open

  the sump cover, but not pulling the pump off.” Nueme looked at me with disgust trying to discern whether or not I was messing with her and asked, “Sump cover?...Maybe I should just get

  Mitch.” I said, “I’ll show you.” She continued with a blank stare while nodding her head and said, “Ya, I’ll check with Mitch.”

  I looked at her dismayed that she apparently thought I was clueless, and I asked her, “Something I don’t know about this?”

  She looked down at her card as dismayed as I was and took a step in toward me, leaned in with her face right to mine and said,

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about a lot of things.” I squinted and leaned in and responded, “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to…about what I know and don’t know, but ah… I just do the job and you don’t want to get pulled into their games. So,

  I’ll show you where that filter is.”

  She nodded and blurted out, “Under the sump cover…ya.

  Okay” I said, “Let me grab some rags” we headed down to the generator and grabbed some tools from the tool box we kept there and began disconnecting the lube oil suction from the sump. Nueme said, “That’s like what Hudlow said to do…” I replied, “You have to disconnect this small pipe because the plate under it is the sump cover.” Nueme’s eyes widened a little and she said, “Oh…I thought you meant the one underneath.” I chuckled and said, “No not that one…I guess that’s why you thought I was clueless.” She let out a fake laugh and said, “You still clueless.”

  Hudlow came down to the generator flat and said, “Hey I told you I didn’t want her getting her hands dirty.” Mitch walked up and stood beside him and did the tough guy nod as he wiped his hands with a rag. I said, “Because she’s a girl?” and he replied, “Because she can’t get any blacker look at her hands now!” he said with a laugh. I retorted, “You fucking racist.”

  Hudlow took on a blank stare and said, “I only like black guys.

  I’m not a racist…I’m a sexiest”

  Nueme and I were bent over the generator removing bolts from the sump cover she leaned in toward me with a huge smile and laughing as she asked, “What did he just say?” I replied with a laugh, “He only likes black guys.”

  In the aft section of the ship DC3 Jennifer Hennely and

  DCFN Culd were trying to determine exactly what makes that sound as the rocking of the ship caused slamming noises with in the repair locker they were standing next to. Hennely said, “That sounded like the fire axe hitting the prefabricated shoring material.” Culd replied, “Sounds like a possum with a machine gun to me.” Hennely looked at him astonished at his redneck- isms to which Culd responded, “I’m just sayin’” Just then EN2

  Rivers ran by with EN3 Gruble and DC3 Risely to the steering gear room. As DC3 Risely passed Hennely she grabed his arm and said, “What’s going on?” Risely said, “…One of the steering gears.” and continued back toward the steering gear room.

  Culd yelled across the passageway into the machine shop,

  “Mic…something’s wrong with the steering gears.” Hennely looked at Culd and said, “A possum?...go get the keys.” Over the 1MC the word was passed, “Now man aft steering”

  The bridge crew was stumbling passed the captains at sea stateroom drenched in water as they left the bridge. Captain

  Artimus just outside the bridge door in the P-way leading back to officer’s country told the starboard bridge wing look out

  Seaman Tammy Melad, “Call it away.” Sn Melad replied,

  “What do you want me to call away?” she stood there soaked and trembling from the cold. Artimus replied, “Flooding on the bridge.” Artimus headed to his stateroom to change into a dry

  uniform. Tammy headed down to use the 1MC mic in combat information central. “Fuck this!” yelled seamen Sirey as she looked down at her drenched uniform and noticed it actually had ice crystals in it. She had been the port bridge wing look out, she looked over at Ens. Spayner standing there trying not to laugh with a delirious smile on her face. Spayner asked, “Weren’t you on the port bridge wing?” Sirey responded, “Ya…” Spayner then asked, “...And Melad was on the starboard bridge wing…” and with a laugh she continued, “ and your both wet…because it’s flooding on the bridge?” Sn Sirey responded in anger, “Okay ma’am first…fuck you I’m freezing. Second a wave knocked out the bridge windows.” Spayner continued to try and contain her laughter and told Sirey, “Go change before you get hypothermia.” Sirey recovered her sense of dignity and replied as she headed down to female berthing, “Thank you, ma’am.”

  DC3 Risely now in the steering gear room wearing a sound powered head phone blurted out, “Of course…I make my way back here and now there’s flooding called on the bridge.” He looked at EN2 Rivers and leaned over the starboard steering gear as he removed his headset with a cowboy like demeanor asking Rivers, “So, ben…what’s that…like nine decks up and a football field forward?” Rivers replied, “I think it’s more than one hundred yards forward…you better get started. I’ll wear the phones.”

  Nueme and I were finishing up at the generator in the aft engine room and she asked me, “Did they just say flooding on the bridge?” I replied, “Ya...” She asked with an obvious cold chill about her, “Why are you looking at the hull like that and doesn’t that mean we’re sinking?” She then visible shuddered and continued, “…I mean the bridge, that’s…that’s all the way up there.” I got a bit of a funny delirious smile myself and

  listened for any unusual hull noise. Once I realized no one was calling out any flooding over the 2JV and we were in one of the lowest points in the ship I said, “Probably just a broken water line to a fan coil unit. But, I’m not going to do what I’m supposed to do. I am going to head up there.” I smirked at her and squinted saying, “Don’t make me so nervous.” Nueme said,

  “Going up there isn’t what you’re supposed to do?” I replied as I left the space, “No, it should be the DC-men but the bridge flooding is absurd so I’ll need to figure out what they should have said.” And I sprinted up the ladder. Having done a significant amount of time in heavy sea’s on my first ship, about a week stuck in a hurricane in route to Singapore, being at a running pace on a ship rocking that hard was something I could manage.

  I reached the bridge and there stood Artimus and Clarkson discussing life at sea. As I walked toward the bridge door

  Artimus said, “Are you headed that way?” gesturing to the bridge door with his thumb. I replied, “Yes sir.” Artimus smiled and said “Perfect, show her how to properly enter a flood space that I have order no one to go into.” I replied, “Aye sir.” I then grabbed a dogging wrench from off its clip on the bulkhead and tapped from the center of the door down and then removed the bottom air test fitting. The captain had an astonished look on his face and blurted out, “And what are you listening for when you tap it like that.” Clarkson interjected, “He’s check to see if it’s flooded or at what level the flooding is at. But that’s the bridge sir.” Artimus looked at me with a glar
e and said, “What level are you at Lyon?” To which I responded, “There is no flooding sir the bottom air test connection is open and no water is coming through.” Artimus asked, “You mean that small tube there?

  Hand me the cap.” I handed him the cap and he added, “Well,

  that’s one instruction you followed properly.” I said, “Sir, our concern is hazarding the ship, a violation of the UCMJ and the only way the bridge is flooded is if we are sunk. The pitching and rolling of the ship isn’t that kind of descent.” The captain handed me back the cap and said, “You’re right.” Then he returned to his stateroom. Clarkson asked if it was safe to open now and I said with a degree of doubt inspired astonishment,

  “...Yes.”

  I was just beginning to stand up as she reach for the water tight door handle and we ended up in an ‘awkward elevator moment’ I said, “I’ll get it.” and she joked, “did someone knock?” I opened the hatch to find one of my suspicions confirmed the bridge windows had been knocked out. Clarkson sat down in the X.O.’s chair and said, “That’s what I was telling him, I’m not afraid of getting wet.” She turned and looked at me with a flirtatious smile. I winked back at her and said, “I’ll get the bridge window plates.” The cabinet at the back of the bridge on the starboard side is where the foul weather gear was stored, I grabbed myself a jacket and tossed one to Clarkson. Then I grabbed the bridge window plates and started putting them in the window openings and spun the clamps down as quickly as I could. As Ensign Clarkson watched me she uttered, “Oh shit…you got this?” I replied, “Ya.” She said, “Say it the right way” with a tremor in her voice from the cold. I announced,

  “This is Lyon…Acting D.O.D. deputy. I have the deck and the conn.” Clarkson uttered again this time an unintelligible noise,