New Homeport Island (5 page)

you understand what I am talking about? My direction alone.”
Swishzel nodded a yes and glanced around for anyone that had a
 sympathetic gaze; everyone however was staring at the table just
 in front of them as though they were in shock. Artimus glanced
 around and blushed; he began tapping his pockets as though he
 were looking for his car keys and said, “The squadron
 commander is now waiting on me to call him. And, I would like
 to point out a captain can’t mutiny his own ship.”  
After the captain stepped out of the space there was a
 general sigh amongst all the officers. Mr. Mormus asked, “Did
 you all get what he was saying?” and looked around at the
 officers seated there. With a general affirmative gesture from
 those officers he continued, “Then one of you is going to have to
 explain it to me. I have no idea what his point was.”
Over the 1MC the word was passed, “Relive the watch!”
Now that the crew was onboard in its entirety the normal watch
 rotation could be set. Mr. Mormus called down to the
 quarterdeck to speak to the off going watch and asked Williams
 to personally verify the captain had received the message for the
 captain to call the squadron commander. “I’ll go see what he is
 up to sir” was her reply.
The chief’s mess received a call from Ens. Dohann, “Tell
 chief ‘Pete’, the captain just left the wardroom he’s probably on
 his way down there now.” Chief Pete struck a manly
 commanding demeanor and authoritatively announced to the
 chiefs, “The old man is on his way down.” and seemingly with a
 sense of purpose and urgency he refilled his coffee cup, glanced
 at the chiefs and with an obvious sense of confidence and
 accomplishment slowly strolled back to his seat. The command
 master chief Hauldbalm added, “The old man is on his way
 down…well, that’s something.”

Seaman Williams arrived at the captain’s inport stateroom
 and knocked. “Come in.” the Captain said, he was seated at his
 desk reading a newspaper. Williams asked, “Did you get the
 message that the squadron commander needs you to call him
 captain?” The captain looked at her a little surprised about that
 being the reason for her visit and responded, “Yes. Did he call
 again?” Williams replied, “No, sir” The captain turned the page
 of his newspaper and dismissively said, “Let me know when he
 calls again, thank you.” Williams subtly shifted to standing at
 attention and said, “Yes, sir.”
Williams headed down to female berthing to change out of
 her working blues uniform and into her dungarees. She called
 the quarterdeck and told them to let her know when the
 squadron commander called again for the captain. A few of the
 women were hiding out from the cold, the ship was warm
 enough but it seems the freeze had made its way into their
 heads. As Athena left the space for her work center in her
 dungarees she flaunted a bit of a strut, she’s getting thing done.
Ens. Dohann and Petty officer first class Hudlow walked
 into central they announced to the few of us there that the ship
 may not get underway today Gsm1 Hudlow said, “The ship may
 not be getting underway today, it seems the hull having ice
 crystals forming below the waterline was an exaggerated
 concern, the Captain is waiting to call the squadron
 commander.” I responded, “Waiting for the squadron
 commander to call him or the other way around?” Dohann said,
“The other way around.” Hudlow added, “The weather report
 said it’s just going to dissipate in a day or two.”    
Over the 1MC the word was passed, “Commanding officer,
 you have a call on the quarterdeck.” Athena Williams called the
 quarterdeck, the petty officer of the watch answered, “Hello, sir,

you have a call from the squadron commander waiting on the
 outside line.” Athena responded, “Ya, it’s me Athena. I told you
 to call me when that call came.” Petty officer Brock replied,
“Williams, we can handle it. Get off the phone in case the
 captain calls.” and he hung up the phone.  
Captain Artimus put down his newspaper, stood up and
 adjusted his belt; he put on his working jacket and examined
 himself in the mirror. He opened his stateroom door and put on
 his ships ball cap, then checked himself again in the mirror to
 briefly admire or perhaps just to make sure, the fretting on the
 bill of his hat was there, and bright. As he headed down the
 officers country passage way Mr. Mormus stepped into the
 passage way and asked, “So, what’d he have to say?” The
Captain smirked and gestured with a raise of his hand and
 pointing his finger, not unlike an orchestra conductor bouncing
 his finger to the metronome, and told the X.O., “I’ll let you
 know after I talk with him.” and he continued down to the
 quarterdeck.
In the chiefs mess the Command Master Chief, CMC
Hauldbalm, looked around at the chiefs seated in the mess
 waiting for the captain and said, “I think he may have something
 else going on…go to work; I’ll call you back here if he makes
 it.”
When the captain arrived on the quarterdeck it was nearly
 the end of the workday. He answered the phone, “This is captain
Artimus.” The squadron commander Admiral Dufsin replied, “I
 can tell you’re a busy man captain, what I don’t understand is
 why you are not yet underway. I have it on good authority the
 icy conditions have not changed.” Captain Artimus said with a
 subtle sarcastically inquisitive tone, “I wonder…who that might
 be?” ADM. Dufsin replied, “That would be… ahh, look captain

whatever you’re going through today, just get over it. And
 regarding your apparent paranoia the ship across the pier from
 you is also in my squadron and they have actually suffered hull
 damage from this cold. Get it underway.”  Captain Artimus
 glanced across the pier at the ship there and said, “I’ll get it done
 admiral.”
Captain Artimus hung up the phone and yelled across the
 pier to the quarterdeck watches aboard the USS Ingraham,
“Hey! Is there something wrong with your hull?” They
 answered back calling out, “Yes sir. We have a crack right
 around a sea water pipe and it’s below sea level. They told us
 you guys were getting underway so yours doesn’t crack too.”
Captain Artimus called back, “Let your captain know we’re
 leaving now, and I wish him the best of luck.” Those watches
 aboard the Ingersol yelled back, “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,
 sir.” Boatswains mate third class petty officer Brock, standing  
POOW placed his hand in front of his face scratching his nose
 and whispered into his sleeve, “I don’t think that came out the
 right way…” and then asked the captain as he left the
 quarterdeck, “Should we announce ‘set the special sea and
 anchor detail’ sir?” The Captain appearing somewhat agitated
 said, “No, we’ll call it from the bridge.”
Combat Information central was knee deep in overdue
 preventative maintenance and many of the ships communication
 systems had been taken offline and tagged out in accordance
 with electrical safety procedures of NAVOSH which is the
 navy’s mockup of occupational safety and health administration.
The duty combat systems officer was in a near panic when he
 heard there was to be an emergency underway and in his panic
 he actually said, “We’ll have to reschedule it.” Captain Artimus
 was quoted by many sailors present within CIC and just outside

the door as saying, ‘we should have rescheduled your
 lobotomy’.  
Over the 1MC from the bridge the Captain announced,
“This is the Captain, we have a weather related emergency and
 we are to set sail as soon as possible. Many of you are
 preforming preventative maintenance and have systems tagged
 out. We need to restore those systems immediately. There may
 be a small craft stuck in the weather, a civilian sailboat with a
 family including young children the coast guard cannot currently
 reach. This is one of those moments life affords you to prove
 your valor. Let’s get those tags cleared and underway. That is
 all.”
Mr. Mormus stepped onto the bridge and looked at the
 captain with a degree of concern but then saw a familiar facial
 response. He then asked the captain, “Friends of yours
Captain?” The captain replied, “Ya, it’s the USS My Career.”
Mormus laughed and said, “Ya I think I saw that one sail by.” as
 he took his seat in the X.O.’s Bridge chair. The captain smiled
 then glanced out the bridge windows and looking back at Mr.
Mormus he made an exaggerated gesture of ensuring his pants
 zipper was all the way up.
Seamen Ebony Allick a member of the deck division and of
 the special sea and anchor bridge crew stepped onto the bridge;
 she was apparently suffering from cold shock and wasn’t
 wearing a jacket. She grabbed the 1MC mic from its hook in the
 overhead and keyed the mic, “Now set the special sea and
 anchor detail.” Captain Artimus smiling a huge grin looking
 over at the X.O. pointed at her with his arm just raised at the
 elbow and he and the X.O. let out a spasm of laughter and
 giggles again. And the game was on. Mr. Mormus asked her
 with a laugh, “On whose order?” Ebony responded, “On his”

pointing back to the captain. The captain replied, “Since when?”
Ebony retorted, “Since…okay, on BM3 Brock’s order.” The
X.O. shrugged his shoulders gesturing as though ‘I guess we
 have to do it then’ and the Captain said, “Damn that guy’s a
 slave driver.” Mr. Mormus asked, “Allick, how do you get
 you’re her so straight?” Ebony responded, “I use a straightener”
 as she ran her fingers over her head checking for stray hairs.
Captain Artimus asked, “Is it electrically safety checked?”  
Ebony rolled her eyes and said, “It’s a chemical...sir.”  
As the rest of the bridge crew took their stations the
Captain said, “I guess we are getting underway. Quarter
 master…did the engineers clear their tags?” To which QM2
Koleson responded, “I’d be surprised if those Neanderthals
 could write their own names, let alone read a tag out sheet.” The
 deck officer Mr. Deakson interjected, “Still pissed off that they
 proved you couldn’t find ‘labia majora’ on a map or recognize it
 if you were looking right at it?” And everyone on the bridge
 laughed. The Captain laughed and leaned in looking at the
 quarter masters eyes as he became enraged and asked, “What’s
 this then?” Koleson replied, “You ask that every time we get
 underway…do I really have to tell this story every time?” The
 captain laughed again and the X.O. said, “You change it a little
 every time you tell it.” To which the Captain added, “We just
 want you to know where that is in case it’s ever relevant.”
Over the squawk box came the word, “Bridge, Central
 control; engineering is manned and ready.” QM2 Koleson went
 to the Squawk box and keyed it, “Central, Bridge…Manned and
 ready aye.” The captain sat in his chair and struck his usual
 leisurely pose. Ltjg. Deckly went out to the bridge wing to
 observe the mooring lines being pulled in and the shore power

cables as well as the fresh water and sewage hoses being
 removed.
At the Aft shore power connection on the fantail EM1
Haydel was disconnecting the shore power with the assistance of
 a few other electricians’ mates. “I wonder why where getting
 underway this late…” said Fireman Ruaza. Haydel responded,
“Just to make sure I have a crap day.” Ruaza laughed as he
 moved the disconnected shore power cables back to the pallet
 and tied them down. Ruaza said, “We getting another gyno
 today, Haydel?” She paused from her work to flip him off and
 said, “Just me; but your welcome to join in.”  
Branson was walking the weather deck forward from the
 fantail and warned Seamen Melad, “Don’t slack the mooring
 lines to much, the engineers are still screwing around.” Melad
 glanced at her line and retorted, “I’ll leave it like this. Which
 ones are screwing around now?” Branson said, “The HT’s can
 find a spanner wrench to disconnect the sewage line, they said
 they’ve already closed the valves and can’t discharge to the sea
 yet…so we’ll be full of shit in no time.” As Branson lingered,
 glancing at the remaining mooring lines Melad asked, “Did A-
 gang get the fresh water disconnected?” Branson dismissively
 replied, “Ya, those guys work.” and with that Branson
 proceeded forward to the foc’sle.
The crane boom swang ‘round to the fantail to pick up the
 pallet with the shore power cable ends tied to it. As Haydel and
Ruaza discussed the finer points of Murphy’s Law, and the line
 handlers on the pier were anxiously waiting for the ship to get
 underway so they could get out of the cold. It was a swarm of
 pea coats on a snowy white backdrop, all befuddled by the cold.
The Icicles hanging from the aft five inch gun barrel, mount 52,
 was a testament to how cold it really was, sailors daunted by the

concept of getting underway just at the end of the workday
 because it was too cold to stay in port. With red noses and
 shivers they would claim, “This isn’t cold.” an accurate
 depiction of the impetuousness of youth.
From the bridge wing the deck officer called in to the
 captain seated in his chair, “All lines are away, sir.” The captain
 replied, “Okay.” The conning officer retorted, “Very well, all
 lines are away, aye.” The captain responded, “Conn. one third
 ahead, take her as she goes.” He then paused a moment and
 added, “I’ll be in my stateroom.” As he left the bridge SN Allic
 commented, “He’d going to sleep earlier than usual and in his
 rack instead of his chair?”  
As the ship pulled away from the pier there was the usual
 low rumble with the ship being so shallow, the wake behind the
 ship splattered throwing around white foamy water and creating
 whirl pools that danced in pirouette around the pier stanchions
 dodging observation until the wake drags them further out to sea
 where they dissipate. From the steam lines on the pier fog rolls
 under the pier and the air flow pattern is visible; tunnel like
 swirls that match those beneath the water there in the wake.  
Over the 1MC was the word was passed, “Shift
 colors…underway” As the bridge watch was turned over to the
 oncoming watches, a process that took about ten minutes the
 word ‘secure from special sea and anchor detail’ was passed.
For the duration of the special sea and anchor detail Gsm3 Mitch
Hackel had been at the oil distribution box in the event of
 hydraulic failure of the pitch control system of the controllable
 reverse pitch propeller he would be called upon to take manual
 control. That station was notorious for finding the watch asleep,
Hackel as well as myself suffered from sleep disturbance