Three Knots to Nowhere by Ted E. Dubay

Author:Ted E. Dubay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 2014-02-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

* * *

Christmas on Patrol

I was perched face-down atop an air mattress floating on my parents’ pond. The float was gently rocking back and forth. Warm sunshine bathed me. Faint wisps of a cool breeze tickled my head and shoulders.

The sound of something sliding combined with a clicking noise, disrupted the peaceful setting.

My brain tried to connect these particular noises with a summertime foray on the small body of water.

I opened my eyes. Darkness surrounded me. Confusion swirled in my mind. A perplexing dim light was nearby.

I heard someone softly saying, “Dubay, Dubay. Hey, Ted.”

My fog-enshrouded head turned towards the sound. With eyes slowly focusing, I tried to comprehend the source.

They encountered the kind face of Third-Class Sonar Technician E.K. Lingle, the messenger of the watch. I checked my watch. He had let me sleep as long as possible. If I wanted breakfast before relieving the watch, I had to hurry.

Reality gradually dawned on me.

I had been dreaming.

In actuality, I was aboard the nuclear-powered submarine USS Henry Clay. She was somewhere in the Pacific. It was several weeks into my first patrol. Her slow rolling motion told me she was at periscope depth. Connections evolved between my dream and present situation. Both involved an association with water. The cool air emanating from my rack’s air conditioning vent equated to the wisps of a cool breeze. Sun-warmed air surrounding me matched the tepid atmosphere in the submarine. We were still cruising in tropical water and the Clay’s air conditioning system barely kept the inside of the boat cool. While getting dressed, I assessed the disparities of the conditions between my actual circumstance and those in the dream. I was not surprised about having such an apparition; it was wishful thinking.

I found no novelty in my first patrol, having already experienced extended time submerged during shipyard testing and the transit to Hawaii. Like the other two occurrences, electrical maintenance and pursuing qualification in submarines and nuclear watch stations filled my off-watch time.

My current circumstance had a difference: the end of my qualification process was in sight.

I had one more under-instruction (UI) electric plant control panel watch. I would be standing it under the tutelage of Davis. His presence was a mere formality. After many hours of study and practice, I knew all of the necessary procedures and was proficient at operating the electric plant control panel’s touchy controls.

In a few weeks, I would complete the progression through submarine qualification and earn my coveted set of Dolphins.

These tasks helped suppress the agony of not knowing Frank’s reaction to my unrecoverable letter.

I entered crew’s mess. It was breakfast time. Eggs were not rotten yet, so I ordered two over-easy, bacon, and toast. A glass of tomato juice completed the meal.

Davis was already eating and I sat with him. Between mouthfuls of steak, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and grits, he asked if I was well rested.

I told him I was and wondered why he asked.

He put on his most innocent expression and explained that

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