Deck Department, Crew Journal

November 18, 2009
The day started as any other, but the evening would soon be filled with the excitement of land. After muster deck force took some of the gear from the B-Hole and moved it to GSK for storage. When we had completed that task it was time to get out the mooring lines, and get everything else prepared for entering port. Stepping outside I was surprised to find huge, bigger than silver dollar, snowflakes. SN Walker described them as snowballs, not snowflakes. Whatever you called them they looked beautiful floating gently down from the heavens. I do however hope that they have ceased their downward flight by the time we get ready to pull into port. Even if they are lighter and softer, and the wind isn’t so fierce, I would still rather not handle lines with any kind of precipitation. They may not hurt when they hit you, but a large ‘snowball’ getting blown into your ear is still not a pleasant experience. The mountains we began to pass were spectacu
lar. Covered in a dusting of snow, the spruce and hemlock trees looked like a picture from a Christmas card that had come to life. A few whales were spotted by some of the crew and gave a display although at a distance, even jumping out of the water a little. Coming in to moor, an eagle took flight from a tree on the Coast Guard base and gave everyone on the fan tail a ‘fly by’ as he came in close and along the stern of the ship. A second eagle flew up from the trees a moment later and circled off into the distance. Seeing them soar gave me a burst of national pride at the display of their freedom.

November 17, 2009
The BMOW on watch at mids tonight had a good description of the weather; if you dare to venture outside the skin of the ship, the spray is so fierce from the 30-40 knot winds it is like getting a tattoo on your face. However none of the crew except the BMOWs should be venturing outside as the weather decks are secured due to the high waves, and pounding winds. The last several days have definitely been interesting. So far we haven’t had any serious injuries due to bad weather. Thanks to the BMOWs making rounds about the ship, gear that was shaken loose was put back in order before we lost anything overboard. We still have not done initiations, but hopefully they will take place soon.

November 14, 2009
We finally pulled out of Dutch Harbor and are canceling some of our port calls due to staying the extra days for bad weather. Line handling in the cold, snow, and high wind is certainly a good base for a sea story, but not something you really enjoy while it is happening. Yesterday we had tripled up the lines as the high winds had pushed the ship out and we nearly “lost the brow in the drink” as one of my shipmates put it. Thanks to a lot of hard work from everyone on board we saved the brow, and managed to secure the ship once again to the pier. I hope the weather isn’t so bad when we moor up in our other port calls. The mountains were definitely awe inspiring coming out of the harbor though. With the fresh snow that was coming down they had a fine dusting of white that really made them stand out. As we left Dutch Harbor I was on the helm once the “at sea watch” was set, and it was definitely the worst I have seen in my short Coast Guard career so far. We were hitting some pretty big rolls, and the foc’sle was taking green water, meaning the waves were not just breaking off the ship, but coming over the bow. OPS took control of the helm and instantly the ride smoothed out. I hope to someday be able to drive with that kind of assurance. We still rolled about, and the waves were still crazy, but we were on a sure course out of the harbor to open ocean. Once out a little ways it wasn’t quite so bad, and in the evenings the roll of the ship actually could put you to sleep. Ship life can definitely be entertaining with the movement of the ship. Everyday tasks suddenly become a great adventure, even trying to shower or brush your teeth can be difficult when things are rolling around.
~SN Klineburger