*-
I took the liberty of placing Lee and Chip in their first year at the Academy
in 1976. I’m sure there are heaps of inaccuracies, but I write fiction for pleasure, mine and hopefully
others.
Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow...
By Albatross
SSRN Seaview, and her loyal crew, were currently
enjoying a bit of well earned R and R whilst the visiting scientists onboard
correlated their most up-to-date data on the latest research project the Gray
Lady was conducting in the
The submarine floated calmly on the water just
off a pristine looking beach off a stunning bay surrounded in thick colourful
flora. Trees and shrubs of various sizes could be seen as far as the eye could
see encompassing both the beach and the bay. Unfortunately many still had a
charred surface, testament to the terrible fires that had ripped through the
area last year at the height of the summer’s bushfire season.
Seaview was a hive of activity. Men were
throwing various bits of sporting equipment and picnic items into the
inflatable rafts and heading off to the beach. The Admiral had only been issued
one rule, before dismissing his men.
“Men I know you need to stretch your legs and
feel the sun on your face, even if here it is the end of winter, but you are
not, under any circumstances to enter the bay area, either by water or land.
That whole area is a no-go zone” Admiral Nelson explained in no uncertain
tones. “You have the entire beach and the coastline waters as well as the bush
beyond it to explore. Enjoy!” he continued.
A chorus of happy “Aye Sir” rang back at him.
Before the men had a chance to disburse their
Skipper called for their attention warning them of the native wildlife that
flourished in this area.
“Be very careful of the many forms of wildlife
that live in the bush here. Especially the Kangaroo’s, they may look like cute
furry animals but the larger ones can kill if agitated enough, now I believe
there are no Big Reds here but still don’t try and cuddle any, Okay men?” Lee
Crane urged them with a bit of a smile crossing his face as the image of Chief
Sharkey going all soft over a Kangaroo and trying to cuddle the beastie only to have it rear up on it’s tail and
giving him a swift kick in the pants came to mind. Not that he wished his Chief
any harm, far from it; it was more the exasperated look that he knew would
cross Sharkey’s face until he himself saw the funny side and began to laugh
himself silly at the situation. Of course by the time he would reach home base
the size of the animal would have doubled, maybe even tripled and the
confrontation would have taken on biblical proportion, that’s what brought the
smile to the skipper’s lips.
Giving the last two men remaining on the Bridge
a brief grin Nelson returned below to grab a quick shower before returning to
the lab and his research
“Well Lee that just leaves you and me. The watch
is set, the rest of the guys are off to play, and the old, old man is in his
element, what does that leave for us to do?” Chip Morton cheekily asked his
friend, knowing only too well what his captain was going to say.
“I don’t know about you Chip, but there is a
small mountain of paperwork threatening to overwhelm my desk if I don’t get
some of it done.” came what was the standard Lee Crane answer to any similar
question.
“All work and no play makes Lee a dull boy you
know, just ask anyone?” Morton quipped as he ducked the open palm that was
headed for the back of his head.
“No, seriously Lee, you need to unwind as much
as the rest of the crew. Why don’t we grab a couple of wetsuits and check out
the marine park?” the blond asked, seeing the interest reflect in his captain’s
eyes at the thought.
Crane was just about to answer when movement on
the wharf in the bay caught his attention. Lifting his powerful binoculars for a better look, he
noticed the Frigate that had been anchored in the bay had moved it’s position
and beyond it an orange and yellow survival raft could be seen bobbing up and
down on the water, obviously empty. Looking back to the wharf itself the dark
haired man noticed a group of thirty or so Australian sailor’s, officers by the
look of their uniforms, coming to a stop at the end of the wharf. All looked
toward the raft floating quite a distance away. Crane suddenly knew what was
about to happen as his memory stirred to a day many, many years ago.
Handing the binoculars to his friend he pointed
in the direction he wanted him to look as he called down for a second pair, so
they could both watch what was about to unfold.
Crane and Morton watched with amusement as what
appeared to be a Chief pointed out to the raft and bellowed a set of
instructions. The assembled officers did not look very pleased as they
contemplated what they had to do for a few moments. Suddenly in one and twos at
first, then the rest of them all jumped off the end of the perfectly good
wharf, in full uniform, shoes as well. Off they headed towards their waiting
raft.
The two man audience both gave a little shiver
in sympathy as the water was only about 8 degree Celsius which equalled 46.4
degree Fahrenheit, and the wind chill factor on the wet clothes would add to
the icy temperature they would experience.
Looking at each other, their eyes twinkled identically as they both
remembered that day in 1976 when they were first year Midshipmen at the
Academy.
*****************
1976
Midshipman Lee Crane and his friend of three
months, Midshipman Charles Morton, better known as ‘Chip’ stood on the end of a
wharf a short distance from the open sea on a cold wintery morning, at some
unknown area, with the rest of their company waiting for the order they knew
was going to come.
“Do you all understand what is required of you?”
The Commander asked
“Aye Sir”
“Just to make sure I’ll go over it one more
time. When I give the order you are to proceed into the water - do not remove
any part of your uniform or even take off your shoes – then swim out to the
survival raft and climb aboard, put on a life jacket and then you will stay
there for the next eight hours. Questions?” he asked gruffly not really
expecting any.
“Uh Sir.
Where is the females raft?” a young Middie, Mark Marsden wanted to know.
Not quite understanding the question, the
officer repeated what he said and pointed to the single raft afloat in the
water.
Not wanting to make his feelings too obvious the
young man continued, trying to get across what he wanted to say without
actually having to verbalize it.
“But Sir, well the ladies sir, we... what
if...how can...” he mumbled saying a lot but saying nothing at the same time.
“Midshipman, I realize this is the first intake
that has accepted women into the Academy, and as such your company has three of
them. But surely you do not expect them to be supplied with their own raft do
you?” The older man demanded. Looking around at many of the faces gathered he
could see that many of them did
expect just that.
“Sir, to be honest yes... I mean, eight hours,
that is a long time to go, you know, watching what we say and stuff. ” Marsden
said indignantly, his words accompanied with quite a few heads nodding in
agreement.
“Well
excuse me Mr Marsden, but are you telling me that if your ship was torpedoed
and the call to abandon ship was given you would want all the ladies onboard to
run to their own lifeboat, even if it was out of reach in an emergency? You
wouldn’t share yours with them?” But before the Midshipman could answer the
Commander stepped forward, invading the man’s private space while jabbing a
digit into his chest. “Now get this Mister, this is a fully integrated navy,
and as of this class these ladies will be your fellow officers. They will work
and live on the same ships as you. Learn to see them as sailors, as officers,
understood?” He heatedly told him, but including all the other dissenters with
his glacial glare.
The expected answer rang out as they all
answered. “Aye Aye, Sir!”
“Right, in you go. Jump!” he ordered.
The first in was Lee Crane followed very quickly
by Chip Morton. The others all took the plunge into the cold water, many losing
their breath momentarily. Some of the more pretentious Midshipmen turned the
swim into a race, whereas Lee, Chip and others of their little group just swam
the distance with a leisurely stroke. After a few minutes the water did not
seem to be as cold, of course that was because their bodies had gone numb, but
it wouldn’t hurt for this swim. Those who started out as if they were in the
Olympics were now starting to flag a little as they started to realise what
Lee, Chip and cohorts already knew, that over the coming hours they would need
all their energy reserves and to waste them now would not bode well for the
long hours ahead.
Finally reaching the raft, one by one they
either pulled themselves up or were aided onto it by those already within and
keeping the light raft stable. The next step was to correctly put on the
lifejackets, a difficulty in itself with this many people shuffling about at
the same time. Of course the raft having a survival cover over the top to help
protect its inhabitants from exposure did not help matters with so many
climbing in. Once everyone was aboard it soon became obvious to the wet and
cold Middies that there were just a few more people on the raft than it was
supposed to house. So if some of the young men were a little put off at the
thought of just sharing a raft with the young women, they were even more aghast
at the thought of having to be so close to them, without actually being
affectionately close to them.
Noticing that trouble was on the horizon, well
in the raft anyway, Morton spoke up trying to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay, let’s get organized here and work out our
game plan” he said trying to involve everyone. “Suggestions anyone?” the blond
asked
Lee Crane opened his mouth to speak but thought
better of it as he realized his friend’s strategy. This was Chip’s way of
inducing the boys and girls to work together, as well as getting people to stop
worrying about how cold and miserable they felt. They were in for much worse
yet, of that he was certain.
“We should really set a watch, and work up a
watch roster, shouldn’t we?” The smallest of the female Middies, Jackie Carne
asked a little timidly.
A couple of the lads sniggered at her suggestion
and someone mumbled “why bother” from within the group.
“That’s a great suggestion Carne, we don’t know
what might be out there, and of course we need to watch where we may drift to.
We don’t want to end up miles out to sea, do we?” Crane answered while most of
the Midshipmen laughed at the thought of them all getting lost at sea, how
would that look for the future of the navy to need rescuing like that... How
embarrassing.
Ideas were coming in now that the ice had been
broken. Most of what they came up with was just plain common sense and which
they had covered in many of the lessons they had been given.
If the crowding wasn’t a reason to forget gender
and huddle up to the person next to you, trying to keep the cold out by sharing
body heat was. After spending an hour or so singing every latest hit on the
charts and a few golden oldies as well as the obligatory navy anthems and such
the Midshipmen came to the conclusion that they were only going to make
themselves thirsty, and they were without any drinking water, so the community
sing song came to an end. As quiet fell on the crowd Lee Crane decided that
there was only one thing to do, so he shifted a little so that he was sort of
lying over a bit and placed his head on his best friends shoulder and almost
immediately went to sleep. It was a knack he had; he could sleep just about
anywhere, catching up on lost sleep.
Chip smiled down at the dark head resting
against him, the warmth from the body matched only by the warmth in his heart
as he contemplated this unusual young man who had insinuated himself so rapidly into Chip’s life, who was more
like a little brother than a mere friend. Without knowing it Lee had led the
way yet again. Others began to make themselves as
comfortable as they could under the circumstances and drifted off to sleep,
aided no doubt but the slight movement of the raft upon the water.
Sometime later the red headed Midshipman who had
the watch yelled out to the others that there was a frigate bearing down on
them and she wasn’t crawling either. Heads popped out of the canopy to see what
the alarm was about. Sure enough there she was heading their way, but it was
obvious she was not on an interception course. Unfortunately, a few Middies
began to panic, none of whom happened to be female. Two young men were out of
the raft and into the water before anyone could stop them. Calling them back
was useless.
The frigate went right past them, not close
enough to harm them but close enough for the momentum to set the raft rocking
in the disbursed water. Everyone held on until the raft or the nearest person
until it ceased rocking. The two young absconders headed back to the raft,
their faces bright red with embarrassment. Suddenly one of them screamed out.
“Something just brushed past me, it was big and
slimy. I saw a fin, it’s a shark! Get me out of here!" he panicked as he
began to hyperventilate. A series of
shouts and yells and orders snapped out, which only served to cause more
confusion and absolutely nothing to help, especially to the two terrified men
still in the water. Just then a fin did broach the surface just a few feet away
from the raft but as luck would have it the cooler heads onboard noticed the
shape of the fin and were able to calm their raft mates and the swimmers with
the revelation that it was not a shark but rather a dolphin that was by now
swimming away having lost all interest in the strange craft on its home.
As the pair was pulled back onboard water
drenched the near dry Midshipmen, wetting those close to the two once more. No
one wanted to hear the two Middie's apologies; they didn’t want to talk to them
period.
About
forty minutes later, as everyone had settled back down to sleep or rest, it
happened all over again. This time, at least, no one left the raft.
Four times this happened in all. As a few of the
Midshipmen were discussing what the frigate thought it was doing so close to
them Lee looked up at Chip and as their eyes met it was as is they were having
a silent conversation.
“What
are they worried about?” Lee
thought to himself
“Are
they stupid or what?” Chip
thought, after interpreting Lee’s look
“Don’t
they realize it won’t happen again? That was the last pass.” Lee
wordlessly indicated
“The
first one was to see how we reacted; the other three were to help us to drift
back toward the bay.” Chip agreed with what he knew
would be going through the other man’s mind. After all, to him, as to Lee, it
was so transparent
“The
tide is turning. We’ll be alright now,” they
both thought simultaneously, both men
shaking their heads on cue.
Crane and Morton were not conceited as to think
they were the only two in the group who had figured this out, but it was clear
that there were a few who had not. And that was beginning to worry the young
men.
It was not much longer before the next problem
that needed to be overcome arose.
People were becoming fidgety, and it did not
take a nuclear physicist to work out what the problem was. Midshipmen were
becoming in need of the head. In previous years this was no trouble, there was
the obvious answer, just go over the side. But this time there was ladies
present, and although most sailors often say that they are not embarrassed of
their ‘equipment’, saying it and meaning it are two different things.
“What are you complaining about, it’s worse for
us” Leanne Baker berated her fellow Midshipman who was making matters worse for
many by constantly broaching the subject.
Not immediately getting her meaning, he spread
his two hands, palm up to show his lack of understanding.
She shook her head in disbelief “You only have
to unzip and point that’s it. It’s not that easy for us.” And to punctuate her
explanation she promptly slipped over the side of the raft and swam off a short
distance. A few minutes later she swam back to the raft and pulled herself back
in, once again adding fresh water to the semi dried off occupants. At last the
male she was addressing understood. The ladies just politely turned their heads
to accommodate the men. Although there was one fellow who was not as lucky as
the others. Andrew Dunlop was a very shy young man and everybody teased him
about it. When it was his turn to relieve himself, one of the other lads had to
have a dig at him. Waiting until the poor victim had unzipped, he calmly spoke
up.
“Hey, Andy, I hope you realise that if anyone on
the shoreline is looking through binoculars they will be able to see you... all
of you, if you know what I mean?”
Before he could even draw breath to laugh at his
own joke Andrew had spun away from facing the shore too fast and his feet got
caught up with the entwined limbs all around him and before anyone to grab him,
into the water he went. He came up spluttering which only seemed to add to the
amusement. Chip tried to keep a straight face, but he knew he was fighting a
lost battle. He turned to look at Lee hoping to find a tranquil harbour there
until he was able to pull himself together, but the sight of his dark haired
friend in similar trouble was enough to push them both over the edge and they
too broke out laughing, at the same time apologizing for it to Andrew. Luckily
he saw the humour in the situation and joined in holding no malice towards his
temporary ship mates.
Again a long lull overtook the Midshipmen as
boredom led to eyes closing once again. No one had a watch on but the next and
last obstacle thrown at the group came in the guise of a helicopter. As helo’s
had been passing by all day no one thought anything of it as they heard yet
another one approach. That was until the noise got louder and louder and the
raft began being tossed about on the water as if it were a mere scrap of paper
as the down draft of the rotors churned
the water up all around them. Peeking out from their canopy it was like being
in the wake of a hurricane. Wind was tossing them about and water sprays were
soaking them all, yet again. It hovered over them for what seemed an eternity and
then it was gone again, leaving behind the group to face the hardest part of
this test.
The sun was getting ready to go to bed for the
night and as a result the temperature was dropping. Once again wet and cold and
now very hungry and thirsty this last stretch was trying on them all. Still,
they all knew it was nothing compared to what they could face one day, so with
that in mind and knowing the finish line wasn’t too far away, they once again
started singing together as a group.
When the bells were heard onboard the frigate it
sounded the end of their trial, now all they had to do was to be ‘rescued’
Morton lifted the flare pistol and fired off first one, then a second
flare... It was over and he and Lee had
passed with flying colours
Lee Crane only knew a couple of Midshipmen
really well, being a private person himself, and at the head of that small list
was Chip Morton, of course, but he had learned an awful lot about some of his
fellow classmen today, not to mention what he learned about himself. But then,
the steadying factor all the way through was Chip. He had never really depended
on any one before, but now he realized that with Chip by his side to
counterbalance his occasional impulsive behaviour just about anything was
possible, that he could overcome any problem, any hardship with his friend; no
friend didn’t go far enough to explain what they had ...his... brother... that
was it (he finally realized what already knew)... his brother at his side.
*********************
Back to
Jervis bay
The two Seaview officers knew that Nelson had
made the bay off limits, which they thought was a little inconsiderate of the
R.A.N not to offer its base to visiting US submariners, but now they
understood. Still watching as the 29 Australian Midshipmen, both male and
female began their Sea Survival Training both young men remembered the main
personal lesson they had learned on that day long ago. That they shared a bond,
a brotherhood that had surprised them both and surpassed anything either had
experienced either prior to or since with anyone else. These memories also awakened a realization in
the young skipper’s mind, when was the last time he and Chip played hooky and
just did something for the fun of it? Lee cast his thoughts back but couldn’t
remember, it seemed as if duty always got in the way; his duty to the Admiral,
to the boat, to the men, to the paperwork and occasionally to O.N.I (the one
that Chip hated more than anything else in Lee’s life). Coming to a decision
Lee reached out taking the binoculars from Morton’s hands. The blond threw a
questioning look at the brunet, hoping that his friend was going to say what
Chip thought Lee was going to say.
“Didn’t you say something about going out for a
dive?” Capt Crane queried as he leaned
casually against the bridge.
“Well yes sir, I did, but you have all that
paperwork that so desperately needs
your attention don’t you?” the exec asked so innocently that he almost had as
much trouble keeping a straight face today as he did back in that raft in 1976.
And again, as then, looking at his friend was his undoing. The laughter that
echoed down to the men below was infectious. As the two men descended the
ladder to prepare for their dive the men knew their XO had once again pulled
off a miracle and had cajoled their overworked skipper into taking a break.
As he walked on Crane let it be know to his
diving partner that the only reason he had time to indulge himself now was that
he had decided that his Exec had such good organization skills that he would
gladly pass on half of his paper work to his loyal First Officer.
An over exaggerated groan was the only reply
that Morton gave to this comment, thought the smile on his face told a
completely different story as he was already undoing the buttons on his shirt
as he was really in need of some down time himself and what better way to relax
than to do what you enjoy most with the friend you enjoy being with the
most.
Chip had a final thought in his head before the
dive took all his attention.
“Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow, my friend."
A prerequisite for joining the Navy is serving at sea requires being able to abandon ship correctly. Such knowledge includes how to: wear a thermal suit, enter the water from the side of a ship, use the life jackets, enter a standard RAN life raft as well as attracting rescuers' attention.
H.M.A.S.CRESWELL
JERVIS BAY