Here’s another from an Ol’ Shipmate from the
PacNorthwest! I spent much of my career
in that area and am currently residing there as well… I can picture this just
how he tells it!!!
Ships back
in the day were like a floating sweatshop for young Booters underway! They were
worked like galleon slaves to earn their Salt!! It’s just the way it was!! It’s
what made us into the Sea going Warriors we all turned out to be!!!
As a Deck
Seaman I was the ‘Special Sea & Anchor Detail’ Helmsman, and was called to
take the helm when entering or leaving port and at any time we were at
‘Restrictive Maneuvering!’
We
were near the end of underway workups, and were entering Puget Sound, off the
Washington coast where ground swells always make steering difficult! To
make matters worse, there was a strong wind off the port quarter!! As a
result, I was called out of the rack at about 0300 Hours!!!
Now with the
0400-0800 watch the night before, I didn't get much sleep! But I dressed
as quickly as possible and headed up to the pilot house to see what was up!!
Just as I stepped in, I heard the Officer of the Deck shout down the voice tube…
"Helmsman what are you doing thirty degrees
off course?"
The response
from the beleaguered helmsman was…
"Coming back from forty-five Sir!"
After I
stopped laughing, I requested permission to take the helm, much to the relief
of the young fella who was steering… those were the days!!!
