On Board the RBNF Destroyer Kampioen (Victor)
West Batavia Sea (Lyric Sea)
Northwest from Windhoek Island
The wind billowed across the sea-washed deck, never for a moment ceasing for even a brief pause. The overcast sky and the grey coloured water made it difficult to differentiate between ocean and sky above. Henrik stepped out onto the deck with his navy commissioned coat wrapped tightly around him. The loud slam of the steel door from the main deck did not startle him, not any more at least. It was his ninth month at sea. He had forgotten what land felt like. The destroyer suddenly rocked sharply upwards from the bow before plunging back into the head of the wave it had just crested. The water from the wave that the captain had decided, rightly, to assault bow-first came streaming down the side deck, washing over Henrik's black leather boots. He held his ground firm, his sea legs far too used to such a movement.
He was down to his last packet of cigarettes. He tried rationing them until the next time the supply ship would meet up with them, but that was delayed once again. They were waiting until the diesel and food ran out rather than waste money on an unneeded shipment. Nonetheless his frozen fingers reached for his last cigarette and his lighter. The unsatisfying sound of the lighter failing to ignite perturbed Henrik. The wind was too strong, yet suddenly a flame appeared and lit the end of his cigarette. A match, held by the hand of Henrik's bunkmate.
'You should know better by know, Henrik, to try and light a cigarette with a lighter. The butane is blown away too quickly....matches.' the sailor smiled and waived his Navy-issued box in Henrik's face.
Henrik gave a small smile and passed the cigarette to his comrade after taking a long drag.
'What are you doing outside, Piet? You have cleaning duty I thought.'
'Sanitation ran out of steel cleaner. Got the afternoon off. Thought I'd get some lovely grey daylight while I still could.' responded Piet, handing back the cigarette.
They both stood their for a few minutes in silence, finishing the cigarette, allowing the wind to whip their faces. The destroyer went once again head on into a yet lager wave.
'So where do you think we're going this time?' Piet asked rhetorically. There was only one answer.
'Gee, I don't know, maybe we'll cruise around for a bit, keep an eye on the shipping lanes and fishermen before taking a turn further north to those beautiful rocks...er...islands up there, home to those mythical celts.'
'Ah yes, the beautiful Antilles.' chuckled Piet the Batavian name of the centuries disputed islands, called the Caorachstyr by the Warric peoples. He searched for his own packet of cigarettes when suddenly the deck alarms sounded.
General Quarters, General Quarters. Standby for directives.
The two sailors turned on their heels for the deck door as more of their fellow comrades began pouring out on the deck to their stations. They ran down the narrow corridors, being ever so careful, as trained, not to run into their colleagues.
'What is it? They never pull this shit on this cruise.' yelled Piet over the alarm and shouting of officers to Henrik.
'Maybe it's not a cruise.' Henrik rounded the corner to the stairs in the direction of his station, the engine room. Piet turned the other way to the radio room.
The hum of the diesel engines in the belly of the ship began to grow louder. Henrik reported to his commanding officer and took his place at the monitoring desk.
'What's going on boss? They trying to drill us or something?'
The CO was reading a message on the command screen coming from the bridge. He ignored Henrik's question.
'Full ahead! And I would hold on boys. They're gonna start taking evasive manoeuvres in a minute.'
Henrik tried forming yet another question when the destroyer lurched to the port side and his body was thrown into his keyboard. The CO laughed as he himself would have been thrown around the engine room like a rag doll had he not grabbed on to the safety rail.
'Told ya to hold on.'
The same manoeuvres 5 kilometres back were taking place on the sister destroyer the RBNF Noordkaap.
West Batavia Sea (Lyric Sea)
Northwest from Windhoek Island
The wind billowed across the sea-washed deck, never for a moment ceasing for even a brief pause. The overcast sky and the grey coloured water made it difficult to differentiate between ocean and sky above. Henrik stepped out onto the deck with his navy commissioned coat wrapped tightly around him. The loud slam of the steel door from the main deck did not startle him, not any more at least. It was his ninth month at sea. He had forgotten what land felt like. The destroyer suddenly rocked sharply upwards from the bow before plunging back into the head of the wave it had just crested. The water from the wave that the captain had decided, rightly, to assault bow-first came streaming down the side deck, washing over Henrik's black leather boots. He held his ground firm, his sea legs far too used to such a movement.
He was down to his last packet of cigarettes. He tried rationing them until the next time the supply ship would meet up with them, but that was delayed once again. They were waiting until the diesel and food ran out rather than waste money on an unneeded shipment. Nonetheless his frozen fingers reached for his last cigarette and his lighter. The unsatisfying sound of the lighter failing to ignite perturbed Henrik. The wind was too strong, yet suddenly a flame appeared and lit the end of his cigarette. A match, held by the hand of Henrik's bunkmate.
'You should know better by know, Henrik, to try and light a cigarette with a lighter. The butane is blown away too quickly....matches.' the sailor smiled and waived his Navy-issued box in Henrik's face.
Henrik gave a small smile and passed the cigarette to his comrade after taking a long drag.
'What are you doing outside, Piet? You have cleaning duty I thought.'
'Sanitation ran out of steel cleaner. Got the afternoon off. Thought I'd get some lovely grey daylight while I still could.' responded Piet, handing back the cigarette.
They both stood their for a few minutes in silence, finishing the cigarette, allowing the wind to whip their faces. The destroyer went once again head on into a yet lager wave.
'So where do you think we're going this time?' Piet asked rhetorically. There was only one answer.
'Gee, I don't know, maybe we'll cruise around for a bit, keep an eye on the shipping lanes and fishermen before taking a turn further north to those beautiful rocks...er...islands up there, home to those mythical celts.'
'Ah yes, the beautiful Antilles.' chuckled Piet the Batavian name of the centuries disputed islands, called the Caorachstyr by the Warric peoples. He searched for his own packet of cigarettes when suddenly the deck alarms sounded.
General Quarters, General Quarters. Standby for directives.
The two sailors turned on their heels for the deck door as more of their fellow comrades began pouring out on the deck to their stations. They ran down the narrow corridors, being ever so careful, as trained, not to run into their colleagues.
'What is it? They never pull this shit on this cruise.' yelled Piet over the alarm and shouting of officers to Henrik.
'Maybe it's not a cruise.' Henrik rounded the corner to the stairs in the direction of his station, the engine room. Piet turned the other way to the radio room.
The hum of the diesel engines in the belly of the ship began to grow louder. Henrik reported to his commanding officer and took his place at the monitoring desk.
'What's going on boss? They trying to drill us or something?'
The CO was reading a message on the command screen coming from the bridge. He ignored Henrik's question.
'Full ahead! And I would hold on boys. They're gonna start taking evasive manoeuvres in a minute.'
Henrik tried forming yet another question when the destroyer lurched to the port side and his body was thrown into his keyboard. The CO laughed as he himself would have been thrown around the engine room like a rag doll had he not grabbed on to the safety rail.
'Told ya to hold on.'
The same manoeuvres 5 kilometres back were taking place on the sister destroyer the RBNF Noordkaap.