Abe's Misadventures 6

USS Machias

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The ship Derrick and Abe selected was a kind of prototype with a first-in-class weapons system, carrying the sway of a flagship but not different enough to designate as a new class of ship like the U.S.S. Arleigh Burke or U.S.S. Zumwalt. They made a show cruise from Maine to Florida, stopping at significant Naval sites to present the ship. Nobody cared about the cutting-edge telephone system unless it didn't work. Then they crossed the Panama Canal and returned its crew home to San Diego.

Shipboard life was easier to adapt to than Abe feared. Spending six-months exploring the ship while under construction in dry dock provided familiarity as the crew explored every nook and cranny freely. Abe felt blessed. He took his share of hazing, sheltered in part by Derrick's outsized personality, but was generally judged on his performance. And he was a Plankowner, a member of the original crew.

The work was not intimidating, filled mostly with highly detailed regular maintenance and menial repair tasks. He was engaged but not overwhelmed. Abe felt confidence in his role grow, and people appreciative of his efforts, new sensations for him. Every so often the quirky nature of electricity would present a seemingly inscrutable problem, but Abe would eventually prevail.

Soon the days at sea grew longer than those in port and the focus shifted from polish and present to non-stop drilling, putting the ship and crew through their paces. It was exhausting but leadership was strong and clear, morale was high, and recognition of efforts piled on. Abe felt great being on a winning team. The troublesome little voice in his head still telling him he as a fake, he was riding on coattails, that he didn't belong. The roar of success drowned it out.

It seemed like little time had passed when the ship was scheduled for repairs and put into drydock again. The drilling had shaken loose yet undiscovered weaknesses and unfinished work in the ship and the crew. Abe's days were split between work, study, and rest in descending order. The crew slept in berthing barges in turns when repairs were made to the ship’s berthing areas. The barges were aged, musty, with leaking pipes and rusted fittings, a taste of the old Navy.

The repair period seemed long in its midst but short when it ended. The days at sea were numerous thereafter. Each underway period taking the crew farther and farther into the ocean. Months passed and a new tension settled over the crew. Mundane routine, a layer of dust building speck by speck, nothing to fight against but trifling matters and one another.

And just like magic the ship’s first port of call was announced. Hawaii. No one was more pleased than Abe who had finally reached the grand age of 21. He was not new to alcohol but drinking legally in establishments outside the base was novel. He could drink with the men now. And he did. Abe was not the only one coming of age and more than one made poor decisions about christening their newfound status in society, baptizing themselves in Blue Hawaiians, Singapore Slings and Long Island Ice Teas.

The morning muster was solemn and quiet. Abe’s breakfast consisted of ibuprofen saved from his last dental appointment and coffee that had been on the burner too long. The messages of the day led with belated warnings about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption interfering with the performance of duties. To underscore the point, it was announced the ship was headed to South Korea to participate in drills and wargames.

The crew's excitement was muted.

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