"Shooting the green" You wait at the fwd door of the fore and aft passageway. The green water pours through filling the midships passageway. Now you make your break. You get to the aft door. Its dogged. With superhuman strength you open it and go aft. The next green comes through right behind you. If it had hit you would have been extruded through the boat winch or carried off to nowhere..

The chief say,"We're ready, but you don't have to do this." You head down the ladder into the fuel tank that has a leak in it leading to the stbd shaft alley. The stench is overwhelming. The red devil blowers are putting in fresh air but it's not enough. The rungs of the tall ladder are coated with oil and it's slippery in a way you can't believe. It's hard to see with just a couple of portable gas lights for illumination.

You lay out flat and work your feet into the boiler firebox first. My God, it's hot. As you work your shoulders over the sill the metal rim burns you across your back. Its better when you're laid out on the fire brick and then stand up but the floor was hot on your hands when you stood up. Boilers are slow to cool in Subic Bay. The firesides look good, though.

The night order book says' "The OOD will stand his watch on the open bridge." The center section of windshield is removed to improve vision. The windshield wipers never worked anyway. The green water comes through powerful enough to damage Mount One. You dodge behind the captain's chair and wait for the next one. The canvas overhead leaks water down your neck. When you can go below you'll sleep with your arms beneath the mattress so that you don't roll so much.

God, I loved it.

Al Tilley