Through Ice & Fire by Sarah Laverick

Author:Sarah Laverick
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760788018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Chapter Seven

THE RULE OF THREES

On 11 January 1999, two weeks after her safe return to Fremantle, the repairs to the Aurora’s propeller system were complete and the Aurora was slowly lowered from the dry dock. She passed a sea trial for seaworthiness just off the West Australian coast and, having been declared fit for operation, was once again loaded with cargo, this time at the North Quay container berths in Fremantle. From there, she would depart for a resupply voyage to Casey and Mawson, with a quick stop along the way to retrieve some of the moorings that had been deployed before the fire had erupted.

As the Fremantle twilight dwindled to darkness on 13 January, Second Engineer Robert Cave (the engineer who’d been on duty on the night of the fire) bustled around the lower plates of the windowless engine room. The engineer, wearing his oil-smeared orange boilersuit and black earmuffs, was preparing the Aurora’s larger V16 engine system for the departure push from the wharf. He opened the pistons, clearing them of water. ‘The engine room’s looking good,’ Rob thought as he ran his safety checks; the last time he’d seen it, it was depressingly dark and gloomy after the fire. Now the only sign there’d ever been an incident was the conspicuously fresh paintwork of the nine-year-old engine room.

He walked over to the control panel and hit the switch to start the V16. But as soon as the Aurora’s large engine rumbled to life, a dirty cloud of exhaust spewed into the engine room. Rob frowned and hurriedly fiddled with couplings and hoses, running checks and searching over the engine; but try as he might, he couldn’t find the source of the smoggy leak. Stumped, he phoned Keith Thorpe, Chief Engineer on this voyage, for his opinion. A few minutes later, Keith’s tan steel-capped boots clunked hurriedly down the steep ladder treads to the engines.

But even Keith couldn’t find the fault. After running his own checks, the chief stood back, twisting his lips as he stared thoughtfully at the engine. He signalled to Rob to shut down the V16. They could go out on the V12 and fix the exhaust leak on the bigger engine while they were at sea. Rob nodded his agreement and set to work preparing the Aurora’s smaller engine. He quickly fired it up and it purred happily while it came up to operating temperature.

Shortly after, Captain Dick Burgess stood alongside a Fremantle pilot at the Aurora’s helm. After receiving clearance to leave the port, Dick sounded the Aurora’s horn in one long, booming blast. Down on C deck, near the raised gangway, a handful of expeditioners vainly waved and called out cheery farewells to the near-deserted floodlit commercial wharves below.

John Kitchener, a plankton specialist from the Antarctic Division, was among them. Despite the empty wharves below it didn’t feel right not to farewell civilisation when they were leaving. John stood at the rail, quietly waving. He was looking forward to the voyage. Like

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