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When we ran out of chemicals to run
evaporators to de-salinate salt water into fresh, we had to take showers on flight deck whenever we found a rain squal. Then, toilet paper went along with candy and chips.
The entire crew was under a tremendous strain. Shipmates were starting to do strange things that they wouldn't do under normal circumstances. The Captain became quite upset when he noticed one of my shipmates sun bathing stark naked outside his State Room.
People were tired and they started making mistakes. I wrote constant comedy scripts and long love letters to my favorite sweetheart to keep my mind occupied. Just as I was finishing page 68 of a love letter, I was only one to notice that a shipmate had fallen overboard. Everyone else had fallen sound asleep.
As my shpmate was falling overboard I was just ending my love letter with words I've always ended it with everything you do seduces me.
At time, I got quite a kick out of writing long love letters. I had realized that post office in that country had been making copies of everything I wrote and passing it all around country.
I was subtle of course, but I was making comical statements and little hints about how much better that counrty would be without its dictator. Soon after my 100th letter, there was a revolution that deposed dictator and restored democracy. Of course I can't take credit for revolution, but I enjoy thinking that I may have given revolution a little push with my love letters. Anyway, it kept me sane for all those months, but then again, I may have already been crazy to begin with.
Anway we got my ship mate back thanks to that long love letter. I was only one awake that day because I was determined to finish writing that letter. That day I saved a shipmate and soon after my vigilance perhaps may have even saved planet earth.
When a Russian sub came to close we almost fired. If we had fired that may have set off a series of events that could have destroyed planet earth.
Before joining Navy I had a job where everything had to be exactly percise. So when everyone else yelled that Russian sub was over line, I knew they were wrong.
Yes, Russian sub was for sure playing chicken and cutting it very close, but I was sure that they were still within allowed bounds.
At last Russian sub turned away. But if I had listened to calls to fire, then I fear, there would be no more planet earth today. No one was happier to see Cold War end than I. When you experience first hand just what sort of devastation can occur by an error in judgement, it makes you realize that no one should have weapons like this any where. Its just too dangerous.
Soon after earth was saved we ran completly out of fuel, and while anchored, I experienced first hand how oil industry is destroying echo system.
There was a major oil spill. It was so sad to see very proud Albertros's landing on ship and asking for our help. Under normal circumstances an Albertros will never land on a ship and never make human contact. But humans caused problem and only humans could remedy problem as well.
It was heart breaking to see proud birds all covered in oil. Oh, how I cursed our SUV's when I saw that sight of poor oil soaked birds for weeks on end.
We did best we could and cleaned off as many birds as we could, but they kept coming and coming. My only regret is that I didn't have a Cam Corder to document what happened.
We were stuck out there for five months until an entire Armada came to relief us. We were there alone for so long, but then sea was black with US Warships.
The CNO came aboard and stated that we now had four times fire power of entire Pacific Fleet during last World War sitting of coast of Iran.
For sure, we weren't playing with these people, but our job was over and we just wanted to go home. We had payed a heavy price for safeguarding hostages. Five shipmates had gone insane over that five months.
We had been at sea for so long that we got strange orders from Washington. They told us to all wear street clothes on board for three days just to get acclimated to a normal life again.
Then for first time in history Jimmy Carter ordered that beer be airlifted to us so we could drink it on board. Unlike other Navies such as Canada and Australia, US had never before allowed drinking on board.
So, this was a very unusual gesture for a US President to make. At last we hit a Port. We were first War Ship ever to pull into a Club Med.
When I first walked on to island I had to sit down for a minute to adjust my sea legs. I was so used to rocking of ship, I felt as if island should be rocking.
While I sat there adjusting my sea legs back into land legs a beautiful woman walked over to my table and presented me with a vintage bottle of wine on behalf of her country.
I figured she most likely thought I was an Admiral or something, but she was very beautiful, so I played along. After we finished bottle of vintage, wine she asked, "would you like to join me in a Mid Night swim on beach?"
I answered," I didn't bring a bathing suite."
She smiled, looking at me as if I were an exquisite chocolate and said. "Neither did I."
She then took my hand in hers and said," Moon is beautiful tonight."
I said, "If I'm dreaming all this please don't wake me. Its been a while since I've been in heaven."
She asked, "will you be my Angel tonight?"
I said, "Why not?"
Then she said,"you will be in heaven tonight."
We had quite a party in her island hut. We both fell sound asleep after a while. When we woke we realized that we had slept right through a tropical storm. When we walked out of hut we found that every hut around ours was totaly devestated. How our hut was spared is a mystery I have never figured out.
We made it home despite Jean Dixon making a prediction that we would never make it back. We defied all odds and accomplished something that may have given world a second or even a third chance.
Had we not have been there, hostages may have perished and we just might of decided to make Iran dissapear as a consequence. But worst for all parties was avoided. Since that day my views on many things have changed. In fact I'm now turned on like mad if I'm going with a babe that's really into politics and deep thinking in general. Because now, I always ask why. But how much longer can we keep pushing our luck? I wonder.
I have more stories listed on my Irresistible Du Jour journal at this URL. http://timothy.journalspace.com/
