by Lee Thomas
“You need to come see this then.” He answered, turning and heading towards the ready rooms. I assumed we were heading towards the weather station since that was Jackson’s area, so it was not surprising when that’s the door he turned into. “We have been tracking a front to the west for a few days, and it appears to be building in to a fairly strong storm system. There have been scattered showers all along the leading edge of it, but it now seems to be gaining strength and forming into one long line of storms. I don’t know how that’s going to affect your plans.” He said as he started pointing out the data on the sheets, as well as the screens. The computer models were showing that it could possibly be quite a large, powerful storm, so I would have to get with Tony and the others to ask if they wanted to postpone it a few days or if they thought the weather would not be a deterrent.
“Keep watching it, I’ll get with the team leaders and find out if they want to push through that or wait a few days to let it pass. Depending on what the models say near the end of the day tomorrow, we’ll make the decision. Thanks for bringing this up.” I responded, clapping him on the back before turning to leave. A massive storm would make it more difficult, I just wasn’t sure if it would make it too dangerous. With those thoughts in mind, I finally made it to my cabin for some relaxation and sleep.
Sept. 18th, 2020
I awoke late morning, which was surprising since I usually woke by nine at the latest. My alarm said it was already just past eleven, so I rolled out of bed, went to the restroom and then came back and got dressed for the day. I noticed I was getting low on socks and underwear, so laundry would be a priority today. I made sure all my laundry was gathered in my bag and pulled it close, then set it by my door to take down to the laundry room later. Looking in my cabinets, I realized I was out of coffee, and instead reached for my last water bottle.
Taking my bottle and laundry bag with me, I left my cabin headed towards the laundry room first. There were four volunteers there that took the bags from people, ran all the laundry, then returned them to the proper cabin, or waited for you to pick it up. I figured they volunteered because they wanted an easy job, or just didn’t want to do anything and figured this was an easy assignment. Whatever their reasons, it helped the rest of us by making sure we had clean clothes without having to take the time to do it ourselves. After dropping of my bag, and making sure it was labeled properly, I headed for the weather station to see if anything changed overnight.
“Jackson, why am I not surprised to see you here already?” I asked as Jackson looked up as I knocked when I entered. He waved me over even as I walked over to the computer screen he was looking at. I could tell he was still watching that storm system, and the fact that he was still studying it did not bode well.
“According to the newest computer model, that system is going to roll over us sometime tomorrow night, and could potentially be severe overnight. It should over by Sunday morning, so you should be okay to start everything. I would tell the men to be careful though, it could drop enough water to make some areas flood, or at least be marshy.” Jackson reported, much to my relief.
“That’s good, right?” I was confused by why Jackson looked so worried when the news he gave me was good.
“That? Yes, it’s good. What the long-range satellite radar is picking up, is not. There is a strong tropical storm developing out to sea. We will have a better understanding of what it will do once it hits the Bahama’s, especially if it turns north and hits hurricane strength.” He answered, showing me another screen.
“How soon do you think you will know?” I asked.
“Depends on how fast it moves, and develops. I would guess that I could have a better answer for you by Tuesday, and a definitive answer by Thursday. Will that work?” Jackson asked, turning form the screen and looking at me.
“It will have to, you’re the weather man, I can’t make you give me information you don’t have. Just me let know when you know, and we will go from there. Thanks.” I told him. I nodded to him and his assistant, Greg, then headed out for the bridge. I wanted to see if anything had been reported anything overnight, but I knew I would have been sent for if anything important happened. I stepped in and got a nod from Brandon, who still preferred to be called Chief, and that told me everything I needed to know.
I then strolled throughout the ship for most of the afternoon, just talking to people, checking on things, and seeing that all the civilians were off the ship, those that were supposed to be on here had their things settled, and all preparations were being double checked one last time before my mandatory time off. I was so thankful that we had found so many sailors still on board, and other military folks, that allowed us to keep this ship running at not necessarily peak performance, but more than enough for our needs. Since we didn’t have to worry about things like missile firing systems, any of the aerial aspects, or any of the offensive capabilities, we could focus on just keeping the ship running and the life support functions working.
Almost everyone was relaxing already today, mentally preparing for a weekend break and knowing that everything was done and ready for our big push up north. This was by far the largest undertaking we had even thought about doing since arriving here, even with the construction of the wall, and everyone’s stress level was going to skyrocket while we were doing it. I knew everyone needed this break to be as sharp as possible for the upcoming mission. We were in the last few hours before our actual break, and all the preparations were done already, so today was not necessary, but at least it gave a hard timeframe for people to go by. Every station I checked on was ready to go, so after a little while I made a decision and headed for the bridge. Brandon nodded to me as I entered the bridge, and stepped away from the window he was staring at.
“What can we do for you Sheldon?” Brandon asked.
“Everything is set already to set sail on Sunday, correct?” I inquired, already knowing the answer, but another point of view would be good.
“Yes, sir, according to all the reports we have from the department heads.” He answered.
“Good, pass me the 1MC then please, Chief.” I replied, reaching for the mic as he handed it over, then nodded when it was keyed up. “Attention, crew of the Nimitz. This is Sheldon speaking. I would like everyone’s attention for a few moments, please pause whatever you are doing and listen. My original timeframe was to put everyone on leave as of 1800 this evening. After walking through the ship and seeing where we are at with our preparations, I have decided to move that time to 1200, which is approximately twenty more minutes. We are all set, thanks to all your hard work, and there is no need to keep double and triple checking everything when it already has been. Please, finish whatever project your currently on, then consider yourself on leave. We will set sail at 0800 on Monday, so enjoy the weekend, and be back on board by 0600 Monday to make sure we are still set. I can’t convey how thankful I am for the trust and willingness of everyone here and on shore to see all of this through. Thank you again, and I will see everyone on Monday. Sheldon out.” I handed the mic back to Brandon and simply nodded at him, and he nodded back.
I headed back to my quarters then and decided to try to relax a little. I turned on my tv and PlayStation on, put in my game disc, and sat down on my couch to play for a bit. After a few hours, I figured the ship would be clear, except maybe a few stragglers that either didn’t have friends or family, or those few that had such a strong military mindset that they wouldn’t abandon a post even under an offer of leave. I made my way up to the bridge, and was pleasantly surprised to see no one there. I figured I would have seen Brandon up there, so if I could get the Chief to take a break, maybe that meant everyone did.
I started walking around the ship then, going to the various offices to see if anyone had stuck around, but so far they were all empty. I didn’t see anyone in the passageways, or hear anyone talking, and the silence was almost eerie in this giant ship. A lot of the lights were off, which made it even more disturbing, but I deci
ded to leave most of them off to conserve power. Checking the galley showed me that everything had been stowed away there and turned off, the same with sickbay and the armory. As I made my way into the hangar bay at last, all the doors had been left open to allow the air to circulate, and the smell of the sea air was relaxing, along with the splash of the waves, and the occasional cry of a sea bird. Still seeing no one on board, I finally made my way down to the pier and headed towards my kids’ house to spend some time with them. I grabbed an electric cart and set off through the base, stopping at Michelle’s house first, and after talking to her, headed off to Kenny and Katelyn’s house to invite them over to Michelle’s so we could all hang out for a few days as a family. The next few days were peaceful, and relaxing, and helped me renew my determination to see this thing through to keep them safe.
Chapter 5
Sept 21st, 2020
Slapping my alarm off at 4:30, I groggily got up and sat up on the side of the bed, staying there for a few minutes waiting for my brain to wake up too. It had been a wonderful couple of days, being with all my family, but now it was time to get back down to business. The ship was leaving at 0800, and I had told everyone to report by 0600 to make ready. It would be a poor example if I was late. After using the restroom, I quietly got dressed, and went to each room, kissing everyone goodbye while they slept. I left a note for them on the kitchen counter, and then headed out the door. As I drove, I passed several people headed in the general direction of the pier, and after stopping them discovered they were on their way to report to the ship, so I gave them a ride until the cart was full. As we approached the pier gate, we saw several more carts approaching as well, so someone had the forethought to go and collect people, which was a good call.
Stepping back on board, I nodded at and greeted everyone as they each headed towards whatever department they were assigned to. You could tell which ones were former military and which weren’t as the ones who were military wore some form of uniform, and the civilians wore whatever they wanted. I didn’t enforce any kind of uniform standard, but some of the veterans took it upon themselves to wear one anyways. I think it was simply one aspect of this crazy new world they could control, so it was a coping mechanism for them. I made my way to my cabin to drop off the things I had taken with me, and then headed up to the bridge about 7:20. Unlike when I left, the ship was now abuzz with people and activity.
“Good morning Sheldon. Coffee?” Brandon asked, handing me a cup, still steaming. I smiled and took it, nodding my appreciation.
“I should’ve known you would have been here early Chief. Anybody report in as ready yet?” I replied, taking a sip of the coffee.
“Engineering reports all systems are nominal, but not everyone is reported as arrived yet. Weather reports all crew accounted for, and operations reports all areas ready, but also still waiting on crew to check in.” Brandon answered after consulting his clipboard.
“Good. Hand me the 1MC, would you?” I said. The sailor closest to it handed me the mic and keyed it up, sending the alert tone throughout the ship.
“Good morning crew, this is Sheldon speaking. I know everyone is probably keyed up and nervous, but so am I. I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and can go into this with a clear understanding of what we are doing, what we are fighting for, and what we will be saving by doing this. As you all know, the gates have been setup for a while now, preventing any new infected from wandering in, and the small garrisons that are there have started reporting fewer and fewer incidents with infected. Our hope is that means there will be relatively small numbers of infected left to clear out. If that is true, then this should be an easy, and quick task to accomplish. Everyone please get checked into your departments quickly, so we can depart on time. Pier crews are standing by to cast off the lines, and as soon as they are clear we will be moving.
“I just want to thank everyone once again on their willingness to volunteer for this. Without you, this could never happen. If the captains of the search teams would meet me in ready room 1 at 0815, I would appreciate it. We have thirty minutes before cast off people, lets hustle and get this beast ready. Sheldon out.” I finished my speech and handed the mic back to Joe, who placed it back on the cradle with a nod.
“Sheldon, look at this.” Henry said, pointing out over the bay. I walked over to the window at where he was pointing, and apparently even at this hour, several people wanted to watch us depart as several small boats filled with people were tacking in to the bay. I smiled at that, then turned to the others.
“Chief, do we have enough people to move this beast, and provide a decent man-the-rails?” I asked him. Man-the-rails was a Navy procedure that was exactly what it sounded like. Crew would line the rails on departure or arrival so the watchers could see the sailors.
“I’ll do my best.” He replied with a grin. Walking over to the 1MC, he then grabbed the mic and made his own announcement. “All available personnel please report to the flight deck immediately. If you are not absolutely needed for ship movement, gather near the tower by 0755. Chief Smith out.” After repeating the announcement before saying out, Brandon replaced the mic, looked at the clock, and headed towards the stairwell. It was now 0740, which left twenty minutes until I gave the order to move the ship. I looked around at the remaining men on the bridge, and noticed that they were all dressed in full uniform, which told me they were all military.
“Any of you that want to go man the rails, you can. There are people watching. Anyone interested?” I asked to the room.
“There will need to be at least two people here to safely move the ship, bare minimum. I’ll stay and help if anyone else wants to go out.” One of them said, Gonzalez by the name tag. Another, Sammy, also agreed to stay, and the others agreed to go out and man the rails with the Chief. The rest followed the Chief down the stairwell, and as I looked out the window, I could see a decent gathering already. It wouldn’t be as impressive as it would have been if the ship was fully crewed, but it would be a good sight for those watching. I watched as Chief gave instructions, pointing as he talked, telling the men where and how to stand. I could tell he was not going to make it as official and it used to be by making them stand at parade rest, simply at the edge and allowing them to wave to those staying behind. I grabbed a portable radio and told Sammy and Gonzalez to listen for my orders.
Stepping onto the flight deck, I could hear the cheers from the boats, as the crew lined up along the edge. I knew most people were scared and nervous about us leaving, feeling like they were losing the safety of the ship, even though the Jefferson would still be here and just as functional. I walked to the bow to look at the boats in the bay and saw even more people standing on the pier. Apparently most everyone wanted to see us off, and as long as there were still guards on the wall, it didn’t hurt. I knew most of them had never seen a Navy ship in person before this, let alone seen one this massive move on her own, and it was an impressive sight. Looking at my watch, I saw it was about ten till eight at this point, so I radioed to the bridge and Sammy replied all departments had reported all crew accounted for and ready to go. I then told them to call for the linemen on the pier to release the lines, but to do it over the exterior speakers so the people watching would hear it too. After his announcement, I glanced over the port edge and saw the line crews hurrying to undo the lines and heard the people start to cheer again. We were far enough away from the wall that I wasn’t worried about any infected hearing it, so I didn’t try to stop it. Once the line crews were all done and had stepped back with arms raised to indicate the lines were free, I passed the order to haul in the lines to the bridge, and shortly after watched the lines being slowly pulled into the ship. Once they were far enough in to prevent them from being caught on anything with our movement, I passed the order for reverse one-third to back us into the open bay. I had made my way to the aft edge of the deck so I knew it was clear, and the churning of the water told me the propellers had started spinning.
The ship wa
s large enough you couldn’t feel it move this slow, but watching the pier start to slide forward told me we were underway. The cheers got louder as the people realized we were moving as well, and I just smiled as I heard them. I had been waiting for an excuse to take a ship out and sail again, and even though this was a dangerous mission, it was also exciting to be sailing again, something other than a small boat.
Once the end of the pier was even with the tower, I gave the order for hard starboard rudder so the bow would swing to port, away from the pier. I made my way to the bow as I waited for the ship to turn, and only the slightest tilt of the deck gave it away. I knew if we were at speed the ship would lean quite a bit during a hard turn like this, but at this slow of speed it wasn’t much. By the time I made it to the bow, we were far enough into the bay I gave the all stop order to stop our backward progress, and waited for the screws to stop spinning. I then ordered half port rudder and ahead slow to finish swinging us out into open water, and there was already a plotted course out of the bay and up to our designated docking area. As we moved forward, the men on the rails had all moved to the starboard side, fore and aft of the tower to wave at the watchers as they said goodbye. I stayed at the bow as we churned forward slowly, ordering rudder amidships as we neared a safe angle away from the pier. The rudder had to be changed in advance, not like the steering wheel of a car where you had instant response, so it took planning and skill to know when to turn the wheel and when to straighten it with a ship. Once we were moving straight, away from the pier and the small boats, I passed the order to follow our plotted course, and trusted Sammy to follow it accordingly. I knew he was a helmsman from before, so I trusted his skill and judgement to keep the ship from running aground.
I stood at the bow as we passed the point, feeling the slight dip as we heeled to port slightly to turn towards the opening in the bridge. It was an awesome feeling, the wind blowing past and knowing the awesome power just behind you of this massive ship cutting through the water. As we neared the bridge, I saw even more people standing along the bridge, waving as we approached. We had somewhat restored the fort there to serve as a lookout position for any boats or ships coming into the bay area, and secured the tunnel entrance so nothing could come in that way either. So far they had both been unnecessary, but it was easy duty for those assigned or volunteering there. I hadn’t visited there much since it was setup, but we did make sure they had power and radios so they could stay in contact. I could see they had built some low walls around the island, probably to help stay hidden if anyone in a boat did sail by.
