Letters Home - 3 rd Mail Call
June 21st
Lt. Ralph Bishop
SSRN Seaview
NMIR
Santa Barbara
California.
Hi Honey,
We’re shoving off on a routine mapping mission soon but I just had to get the news to you as I know you’re en-route to your parent’s place and I can’t tell you by phone -- Morton’s not coming with us this trip! There’s a snafu with the diving bell repairs in New London and he and Chief Jones are staying ashore with it! You know what that means? I will be acting exec for this mission!
This is my big chance sweetheart. I finally get to show Nelson and Crane what I can really do! I’m going to have this boat running like clockwork! I’ll teach this goldbricking crew that I’m no pushover for slackers and informality. Admiral Nelson likes efficiency, well; I’ll show him that Morton isn’t the only officer aboard his boat that can provide that. I’ll bring a little precision to things around here in no time; they’ll have to notice my skills then!
It won’t be easy, the crew have been used to an easy ride most of the time. Curley Jones is a seasoned CPO but past his prime… he would’ve been beached before now if it weren’t for Nelson. Morton is good at the paperwork and organization but mostly green when it comes to military discipline in my opinion. He listens to all the crew’s gripes too much; doesn’t he know sailors are always griping about something? I don’t want to hear about their broken hearts and emotional problems --- this is the Navy, you sign up to do you duty and serve your country anyway an officer decides, not to fly home every time a kid grazes his knee! I get the feeling he doesn’t agree with my way of dealing with the men but I rely on my years of experience to handle them!
Morton’s just too young and untried for active duty in the position he’s in; he still has a lot to learn about leading men into battle. He may think they’ll follow him because they think he’s Mr Nice Guy but a crew looks to officers who know what they’re doing when the chips are down-- that’s got be why Admiral Nelson didn’t promote him when Captain Phillips got killed…not enough command experience in emergencies, he knew Morton wasn’t ready to step into a captain’s shoes. Well, he may have seniority thanks to a lot of luck but I have had command experience and I don’t care if a crew likes me or not as long as they snap to and obey my orders!
I’m going to make sure Nelson and Crane notice that I can do the job just as well if not better than our esteemed exec! I know all the scuttlebutt about him and Crane being big buddies means that Morton is pretty secure aboard Seaview for now but he must have some ambition for himself, he can’t want to stay in Crane’s shadow forever! When he does go after his own command, I don’t want there to be any doubt who the next XO should be.
After all, Crane is off boat as much as he’s on for ONI, so when our captain is off playing hero, the XO’s in charge, I can live with that for a while. Who knows, Crane is in a dangerous line of work, if anything should happen to him it’d be only natural for the right exec to step up and take charge.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the guy, he’s an okay skipper and we all know Nelson’s pleased to have him so he might take too many personal risks for the admiral’s liking but the guy’s just a natural hero type. He’s Navy and seen a lot of action but he’s just as soft on the crew most the time!
The command staff maybe set tight but when it comes to commanding Seaview, but a man can have expectations can’t he? I just have to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time to take over.
You’d like that wouldn’t you sweetheart, being married to Seaview’s skipper? Just think of the prestige that would get you. We’d be calling the shots then. That would impress all those officer’s wives that you think ignore you now and your father would have to stop harping on about my lack of rank then would he?
This has to go into the mailbag. I’ll let you know all the details when I get back honey - I just have a good feeling about this cruise, this is my chance to get noticed and I’m going to make it count!
Love you,
Ralph
Dear Mrs
Blake,
It is with
deep regret that I enclose the unfinished letter of your son Seaman Alan Blake.
It was found in the crew’s quarters after Seaview was raised and returned to
port for repairs. As it was addressed to you I am sending it for him.
You will
already know of the circumstances surrounding your son’s bravery. He gave his life to help his boat and friends
and I would personally like to add that I consider it a selfless act of courage
that saved the lives of everyman aboard and that his record will reflect the
valor he displayed!
The full circumstances of the incident preceding the
accident have been investigated and minimum blame attached to your son. It was an error of judgement that he bitterly
regretted and considered himself solely responsible for but that was not the
case and I’m sorry that I cannot tell him that personally.
Yours
truly,
Captain Lee
Crane.
Dear Mom,
By now
you’ll have heard the bad news and be worrying worse than you normally do about
me. I wish I could call you or talk to
you somehow to tell you it’ll be okay but I can’t -- things are real bad here
Mom, and I’m more scared than I’ve ever been.
Mom, you
remember how you used to tell me wishes are just dreams that haven’t come
true yet---- well, I wish this weren’t happening. I wish none of those guys was dead and most
of all I wish I was coming home on leave again to find you fussing over me cos
you think I haven’t been eating right!
I screwed
up! I screwed up so bad and because me a
lot of my friends are dead already and the rest of us could be that way real
soon.
I love you
Mom. I know I never said it enough before but when Dad walked out on us you
were the strong one and I guess I took everything you did for granted. I don’t
think you ever knew how proud I was of you. The way you never gave up, the way
you kept a roof over our heads, made sure there was food on the table, clothes
on our backs. YOU did that Mom, only you.
I know I
wasn’t much help, I was real a wild, stupid kid growing up and gave you a lot
of heartache and still you never gave up on me and I never stopped loving you
for it. I felt like I was going nowhere
and needed to get out to make something of my life before I ended up in real
trouble! You thought I was just running
away but it wasn’t like that, honest, none of this is your fault, the Navy was
what I wanted and the Navy’s been good to me Mom; it made me grow up. I like
having friends like Evans and Ski and Patterson that I can rely on and having a
job where guys respect what I could do…till now anyway. I’d do anything to put it right again!
I know if
the worst happens you’ll be hurting but you gotta promise me Mom, you’ll get
past it! You’re still young enough to
have a decent life …I know you and Barney are close so why don’t you up and
marry the guy like wants you too and let someone else take care of you for a
change? I know you aren’t waiting to get
my permission exactly but if you ever needed it, you got it. I should’ve said
something sooner but I figured there’d always be enough time; you deserve some
happiness Mom -- take it. Remember I’ve
always loved you and I’m sorry for all the bad stuff I did, it was never meant
it to hurt you.
… geez, the
air down here is foul, it’s making me all light headed … I’m sure the boat just
moved again, I can hear some of the guys talking, I better go see what the
problem is……
Hi ya
Sharkey,
Hehe, I
just found out why you only get called by your surname -- Francis. That’s one heck of a fancy name for a crusty
old sea dog like you bud! I’m just glad I lived long enough to laugh about it
with you. I’ll just stick with Curley thanks!
I tell you
Sharkey this mission was a doozy! I must be getting old – I used to enjoy a
little excitement but I guess you can do without it when you know the lives of
all your buddies depend on you getting them out of a fix!
When we got
word Seaview had gone down with all hands, it was like a punch in my guts –
they needed help and we were stuck in New London with a busted diving bell!
When Mr
Morton got back from talking to them on the emergency phone I knew it was
bad. He don’t like to show what he’s
feeling much— he kinda hides behind military discipline most the time but I’ve
got used to reading those blank looks of his and I knew he was real
worried. He was as antsy as I’ve ever seen him and if you knew this guy you’d
know that weren’t good!
We worked
on that guidance system for hours but couldn’t find the bug in it! Finally Mr Morton just up and ordered the
bell loaded on the carrier and said we was going to try getting to them by
controlled descent! To his credit he
said he wasn’t going to order me along –he gave me the out if I wanted one but
I wasn’t about to let him go it alone, he’s got guts alright but he needed help
and they were my friends down there too for Pete’s sake!
It was
pretty hairy, maneuvering
through an abandoned minefield without
guidance
control ain’t my idea of fun. I thought
we’d bought it when we tangled with one of them and it exploded just above us;
that shook us up pretty good I can tell ya!
I still
remember the look of surprise when I called Mr. Morton ‘skipper’ just about then,
it just sort of slipped out but that’s what he was in my book. He’s going to
make one fine captain some day; I can always spot the good ones!
You shoulda
seen the guys’ faces when we got there – and the admiral, he was smiling like
he was fit to bust! It weren’t all good
news though, we lost some real good guys – I guess you heard all the poop
that’s been going round over what caused the accident – I tried to tell the
admiral Mr Bishop wasn’t right for Seaview but I guess he just wanted to give
the man a fair chance.
Blake made
a bad mistake for sure and I guess it coulda happened to any of us but he sure
made it right for the guys. It was a crying shame it happened that way at all!
Now
Seaview’s all raised again and the repairs are about done. Mr Bishop has left us. The Doc said it was
because of his injuries but the guys think different – they could be
right. The admiral ain’t saying nuthin
but I reckon he knows who was really to blame for the foul up. He won’t ever say it but I figure he knows Mr
Bishop was a rare mistake for Seaview --- the guy just didn’t fit right.
Did you
hear Bull’s in town? We met up last
night and sank a few beers together – he sends his regards and wants to know
what happened with the little redhead you were keeping company the last time we
saw you – he reckons she had the eye for
him all night and wouldn’t mind renewing aquaintences he says!
Be seeing
ya around Francis Ethelbert Sharkey --- he he, no wonder you kept a name
like that to yourself!
Curley.
Any comments always welcomed : Ladibug@talktalk.net