THE DAY I TOOK ON THE U.S. NAVY AND WON

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At 4,000 miles it is quite a distance between Los Angeles and Port of Cristobal, the entrance of the Panama Canal. The tropical voyage along the western seaboard of the United States was likely the last place on earth where one might expect high drama but on the high or tranquil seas always prepare for the unexpected.

As a Junior Ordinary Seaman (JOS) I took my trick on the ship’s wheel, which, because of the balmy weather was situated on the monkey island rather than the wheelhouse. The monkey island is a small platform atop a ship’s wheelhouse which means the helmsman’s virtual isolation.

MV Columbia Star docking in Los Angeles

The officer of the watch was in the chart room and the ship’s deck crew were nowhere to be seen as I held the ship’s course. We sailors take great pride in a straight wake abaft and I had the vastness of the Pacific Ocean all to myself, or so I thought.

Not quite for on the horizon I spotted another vessel but there was nothing unusual in that. Dramatically, there was something unusual about to happen for as our two ships converged it was apparent that the approaching vessel was on a course set to cross our path. Not good at the best of times but disastrous when the other vessel is an American warship.

As a 16-year old, I had little idea what action to take to avoid what looked like an impending collision? With an oath coarse enough to curl a fair maid’s hair I called down the voice pipe for the ship’s Second Officer. My cries went unheeded; I presumed the officer must be fast asleep.

By this time, our vessel was closer to the warship whose course was now a clear invitation to our ship to take evasive action or to hew it in two. In the case of the latter, Whitehall’s War Office would have some explaining to do to avoid all-out war with the United States.

16-year old sailor Mike Walsh

Wet behind the ears I lacked the experience (and brains) to alter the course that would take the MV Columbia Star around the stern of the warship. We were taught that when an officer gives a helmsman a course to steer he steers it no ifs or buts about it.

Holding my ship’s course I put the onus on the American Navy to take evasive action. Anyway, by now I had left it too late to alter course.  A ship will travel a mile or so before it responds to a turn of the wheel. The distance between our approaching vessels had narrowed to a point where I could see her sailors scurrying about on her decks.

Me, Blue Star

Steeling myself for the inevitable collision I watched my life pass before my eyes. Then, unexpectedly, the warship’s stern plunged deeper. The boost from its powerful engines turned the warship’s wake into a maelstrom, the bows reared and the destroyer moved quickly aside to allow the British merchantman to cleave the warship’s wake instead of its topsides.

Although merely a cadet I did know that the protocol of the sea is that merchant ships give way to warships. Furthermore, the practice is for the merchant ship to first dip its jack in salute to the warship.

The latter does likewise and again raises their ensign at which point the merchant ship raises its ensign. As the crew of the Columbia Star were ‘otherwise engaged’ and quite unknowing of the drama one assumes that the bare flag pole of the passing merchantman was seen as a one-fingered salute.

MICHAEL WALSH is a British born Irish journalist, author, and broadcaster. His 52 books include best-selling A LEOPARD IN LIVERPOOL,  EUROPE ARISE, THE RISE OF THE SUN WHEEL,  BELIEVING OF LIVERPOOL and ALL I ASK IS A TALL SHIP.

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