... is what I heard this afternoon, exactly 10 seconds before I was to leave the ship's bridge, done with my marine-mammal-lookout watch for the day. I lifted a pen to sign the roster, and at that exact instant, the bridge radio bursts into frantic yelling from the engine room, which, we were to find out at that instant, was filling up with seawater.
What ensued immediately was one whole minute of wild chaos, with more incoherent, panic-stricken engine-room hollers coming through the radio, and the captain running up to the bridge, banishing all us lowly seismic crew to the instrument room (where we spend over 12 hours a day), while he set about, with unnerving calmness, to decipher what exactly was underway. We tore back to the instrument room, on standby to shut all systems down in case a blackout was issued. Senior crew members on night-shift, frantically summoned, poured into the instrument room, bleary-eyed and puzzled at first, then quickly progressing to urgent alertness. Guns stopped, ship to a grinding halt, the chase-boat racing towards us to tow the ship if needed, and frazzle, frazzle, all around. Morbid excitement. Every person in the know making mental checklists of precious personal belongings to abandon ship with, if needed. It's embarrassing, the enlightenment that comes with making that checklist. Of priorities, imagined. Versus those, real.
In the end, in a nutshell, valve shut, leak stemmed, water pumped, and back to business, an hour later. Like nothing ever happened at all. I don't know what's more horrifying -- The possibility that things could have gone very wrong, or the fact that an hour later, it was all back to business. Frantic business. Single-minded business, unwavering priorities. Tick, tock, tick, tock, must catch up with the clock. Must make that money, must not stop, no matter what.
What ensued immediately was one whole minute of wild chaos, with more incoherent, panic-stricken engine-room hollers coming through the radio, and the captain running up to the bridge, banishing all us lowly seismic crew to the instrument room (where we spend over 12 hours a day), while he set about, with unnerving calmness, to decipher what exactly was underway. We tore back to the instrument room, on standby to shut all systems down in case a blackout was issued. Senior crew members on night-shift, frantically summoned, poured into the instrument room, bleary-eyed and puzzled at first, then quickly progressing to urgent alertness. Guns stopped, ship to a grinding halt, the chase-boat racing towards us to tow the ship if needed, and frazzle, frazzle, all around. Morbid excitement. Every person in the know making mental checklists of precious personal belongings to abandon ship with, if needed. It's embarrassing, the enlightenment that comes with making that checklist. Of priorities, imagined. Versus those, real.
In the end, in a nutshell, valve shut, leak stemmed, water pumped, and back to business, an hour later. Like nothing ever happened at all. I don't know what's more horrifying -- The possibility that things could have gone very wrong, or the fact that an hour later, it was all back to business. Frantic business. Single-minded business, unwavering priorities. Tick, tock, tick, tock, must catch up with the clock. Must make that money, must not stop, no matter what.
9 comments:
WOW. What excitement!! When I started reading, I thought you saw a whale or something.
Hmm, am very curious to know what went into that list of yours now:D
Yes, I am quite aware that I am spamming your blog with comments:D
Spam away! :D
And the list wasn't exceptional by any means. That was the embarrassing realisation... the fact that it was so.. practical, and soulless.
hmmm...what was on the mystery list? Gnu is growing up - what excitment! Njoy and take care in this soulless world
It was the most ordinary, boring list ever, dumdum :P
WHOA!!!! this is so cool!!! okay maybe not at the time I suppose, but still!! as for the list, I'd started making one at some point (just in case :D) only to realize that u aren't allowed to take anything but urself in an abandon ship :-<
It was rather madly exciting. Not for the obbies, however. They had shut down one of their systems as precaution, and then couldn't bring it back up for the next 6 hours!
And yeah, know the 'drill' about abandon ship. But then again, what are pockets for? :)
:)) yeah right, what all were u planning to take? toothpaste and contact solution?!!
Hardly :P
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