Captain Puckett by William D. LaRue

Author:William D. LaRue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: William D. LaRue
Published: 2018-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

11. Water buffalo

Once I got to Step One, my relationship with the senior pilots improved quite a bit. The anti-apprenticeship attitude toward me faded as I worked my way up through the system. During this period, I made an effort to introduce myself to Panama Canal office staffs. I tried to meet everybody, including the administrator of the canal, retired General Dennis P. McAuliffe. Some ex-Zonians didn’t like McAuliffe. A few even referred to him behind his back as “General McAwful” because they resented the growing loss of privileges for Americans and his work to integrate Panamanians into the workforce.

A few months after I became a Step One, I got a call from the port captain, John Meeker, with an assignment. John, one of those who interviewed me in Seattle when I applied for a piloting job, was among the best Panama Canal pilots and merchant mariners I have ever known. He was also a gentleman and just a nice person.

Anyway, that day I was a little surprised he called. It was not typical for the port captain to call a pilot directly with an assignment.

“Ken, how are you today?”

“Good, Captain Meeker. What can I do for you?”

He asked if it were true I was from Kentucky.

“Yes, I grew up there.”

Then he asked me about my military background, about being in both the Navy and the Army and the inter-service transfer, and about my piloting assignments in Asia. This went on for a few minutes. The questioning seemed a little odd because he had been on my selection board and had to already know that information.

“Well,” he said, finally, “with your credentials, we’ve got a ship for you. It’s a ship only you can handle.”

That sounded good to me. As a Step One pilot, I didn’t expect to get any especially important assignments, certainly not one in which I had any specific qualifications.

John didn’t offer much about the assignment. All he told me was that the jitney would pick me up at 5 a.m. the next day for a northbound transit.

The next morning, I put on a nice pair of slacks and a crisp white shirt, as well as my pilot’s cap, making sure I looked my best before I stepped into the launch. I saw I was the only pilot aboard.

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