The Gray Ship

by Russell F. Moran

  “No, I want you and Jack to hear it as I read it.”

  Ashley began to read Davis’ letter.

  My Dear Captain Patterson:

  As you read this letter, you shall already have met with President Lincoln and have given him my letter. I trust that my entreaties to him shall put us on a course toward peace. But in this letter, Madam, I wish to express to you my personal thoughts on your diplomatic mission along with your two able colleagues. I wrote this letter after I retired to my home for the evening. I was greeted at the door by my trusted servant, the head of our household servants, Mrs. Ida Mae Bardwell. Yes, Mrs. Bardwell is a slave. As I looked at the woman, who my wife and I hold with affection, and I believe it to be likewise with Ida Mae, my thoughts went back hours earlier to my meeting with you, Captain. Ida Mae is, I believe, about your age. You, Madam, if I may be so bold, are a courageous and talented woman of proven deeds. Your Nation has entrusted you with the Command of a powerful warship, and I am sure that such trust was not granted lightly. I looked at Ida Mae, and realized that she would never have the opportunity to achieve your accomplishments, for one reason. She is my property.

  I have long been uncomfortable with the institution of slavery. You, Captain Patterson, have turned my discomfort into action. As you read this letter, Captain, I am pleased to inform you that Ida Mae Bardwell is a free woman, no longer my slave. It is because of you that I made this decision. Ida Mae is pregnant with the child of her husband, Joseph, also my property until this morning. I have freed Joseph, as well as all of my other slaves. I am happy that Ida Mae and Joseph will stay on with me as salaried employees. I told them about you. They asked me to tell you that their child, whether boy or girl, will be named Ashley.

  God bless you.

  Jefferson Davis

  Father Rick looked at Jack, gave him a squint and a sideways shake of the head, indicating that

  they should give Ashley some privacy.

  Ashley hugged each of them before they left.

  Ashley walked to the door leading to the weather deck. She wanted to breathe in some fresh salt air, and to be with her friend the ocean.

  Chapter 91

  At 0800 on August 5, Ashley met with the ship’s navigator, Lt. Wayne Bellamy, in her office. She also invited XO Ivan Campbell to the meeting.

  “We’re going to do a bunch, and I mean a bunch, of modified Williamson turns,” said Bellamy. “The Williamson Turn is the good old fashioned lifesaving turn that we used to pluck Lt. DeLouker from the water during the storm. We turn the rudder on specified and timed commands and wind up where we started, but facing 180 degrees in the opposite direction. I call it modified, because we don’t want to wind up in the same spot, but a spot a few yards to starboard. We then steam for three miles and do it all over again. We don’t have satellite navigation, of course, so we’ll be plotting by dead reckoning, marking a fix based on our known speed and compass heading.”

  “I know you two have worked on this plan, but tell me,” said Ashley, “are there any downsides?”

  “Yes, Captain, there are two big downsides,” Bellamy said, “monotony and seasickness. We’re going to be spinning in the ocean like a top until we hit that sweet spot of a wormhole that Lt. Jack is looking for. I recommend that we have a quartermaster next to the OOD at all times with a stop watch so we can execute the turns correctly. I also recommend that we have two people qualified as OOD on watch and that the watch be two hours, not four. I can’t overemphasize the monotony of these repeated maneuvers. The Williamson turn is designed to get the ship to the approximate spot of the guy who fell overboard. It wasn’t designed to be executed every three miles.”

  “Nobody ever said getting home would be easy,” Ashley said. “I accept your recommendations gentlemen. Ivan, post the watches accordingly.”

  “Aye aye, Captain.”

  * * *

  After the Navigator and the XO left, Ashley met with Father Rick and Jack. She told them about the Navigator’s warning of monotony as they carved circles in the ocean. She wanted to talk about morale, and what could be done to help during long and sickening maneuvers.

  Father Rick talked about his most recent meal with the crew, which was yesterday after he made the announcement that the California was heading for home. It was a different experience from the sad, sullen and angry emotions he had seen.

  “Handling periods of monotony and a rocking ship should not be a problem,” said Father Rick.

  “I don’t want to throw cold water on people preparing for a big party,” said Jack, “but I want to talk about something we have to face. Nobody on this ship, and that includes me, can guarantee that we’ll ever find the wormhole. We’ve been making our plans based on my book research and my personal experiences. Find the place where you crossed the threshold and just cross back. It sounds easy and logical, but, as I’ve said before, I’ve never heard of this being done on the ocean. All of my interviews as well as my own experiences have always involved a specific spot on land. I recommend that we don’t put out a lot of ‘any day now’ reports. Truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve all heard stories of the Bermuda Triangle. What if all of those lost ships, boats, and planes went through a wormhole and could never find a way to get back.”

  Ashley looked at him.

  “Jack, I want you on the ship’s TV. I’m thinking of a sort of call in show where you tell the crew what you know, including a sprinkle of reality like you just gave us, and then take calls from the crew.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, Captain,” said Father Rick. “Jack is the obvious person to talk about hunting for a wormhole.”

  “We’ll arrive on location where we start our search tomorrow,” said Ashley. “Jack, could you be ready to go on tonight?”

  “No problem, Captain.”

  The ship’s TV station operated throughout the day. It was a valuable outlet for the Captain to get word out to the crew. Ashley called Petty Officer Wally Cabrerra, the host of TV California, and told him to start announcing that tonight’s special show will be entitled, “Lt. Jack Thurber Talks About the Hunt for the Wormhole.”

  Chapter 92

  “This is Petty Officer Wally Cabrerra, host of TV California. I realize that I haven’t been much of a Leno or Letterman substitute these last four months, but hey, you get what you pay for. Tonight, however, you will get a break from my endless bad jokes. You will get to listen to a man who has a lot to tell us about something we’re mildly curious about — How the hell do we get home? Lt. Jack is a highly accomplished author of ten non-fiction books and three novels. He even won a Pulitzer Prize for an article he wrote about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, something that happened before a lot of us were born. The book that we’re really interested in hearing about is Living History — Stories of Time Travel Through the Ages, which was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 48 weeks. This guy is no slouch. I think this is a man we should listen to. Lt. Jack has agreed to take calls from our viewers, which means I get to do my Larry King, Murray from Sheboygan, Michigan, You’re on.” Cabrerra prided himself with his excellent imitation of Larry King.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Time Travel himself, Lt. Jack Thurber!”

  “Good evening, Wally, and good evening to my shipmates,” said Jack. “Some of you know me as Seaman Jack, some as Lieutenant Jack. In a pinch, Jack works fine. The Captain has asked me to talk to you about something I have done a lot of research on for the book that Wally mentioned. When I reported aboard the California I never thought I’d get the opportunity to plug my book, so I figure this is just a hidden Navy benefit.”

  Jack discussed his book, especially the interviews with the six time travelers, how they crossed the portal and how they got back. He also went into detail about the time lapse in past and present time, and how when they got back to the present, they were amazed that so little time had passed.

  “So the good news, folks, is that we may have been gone a short period of time, maybe ho
urs or days from 2013. But Captain Patterson has asked me to be frank with you. I have never, in all of my research, encountered a person, not to mention a ship, that crossed a time portal or wormhole in the middle of the ocean. As I said before, the way to get back seems to be to find the way you got in. But the ocean presents something new to me. Now, I’ll be happy to answer any questions.”

  “Lieutenant Cheryl Goveia from the engineering department — By any chance are you from Sheboygan? I love that word. You’re on Lieutenant,” said Wally the showman.

  “I’d like to ask Lt. Jack if there is any chance that we may not make it back,” said caller Goveia.

  “No,” Jack lied. “In all of my research and interviews there was a way back in time and a way back to the present. Sure the ocean complicates things a bit, but I’m absolutely confident that we’ll find our way back to 2013.” My lips to God’s ears, thought Jack.

  “Yes,” said Ashley as she slapped her desk. She was watching the Jack Thurber show with Father Rick. “That’s leadership. That’s called taking command.”

  It occurred to Father Rick that Jack could have belched and Ashley would have thought it was wonderful.

  “Here’s a caller on line 2, Lieutenant Tom Lawlor from CIC. Talk to us Lieutenant,” said Wally.

  “It seems to me that we changed a lot of history in the last few weeks,” said Lawlor. “Will the world be different when we get back?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jack, “I really don’t know. We’re still in 1861. Whether our actions changed all history going forward or whether we carry our own time with us is something I don’t have an answer for. Some people believe that there is such a thing as a parallel universe, two realms of existence separated by a wormhole. We’ll find out soon.”

  “Caller on Line 1 — Lieutenant Donna Perricone from Personnel. Go ahead Lieutenant Perricone.”

  “I realize that this is a tough question, Lieutenant,” said Perricone, “but do you have any idea, any guess, how long it will take us to hit the portal?”

  “I wish I did,” said Jack. “Once we hit the wormhole, it will be a matter of moments, but how long it takes us to find it is anybody’s guess. Our Navigation department has plotted a well thought-out series of maneuvers to try to get back to our last position in 2013. But I can tell you this. It may be a good while before we get there. On the other hand, it may be a short time. It won’t be comfortable. We’re going to be making circles in the ocean every three miles. It’s likely to get rocky, maybe even rough. But we’re going to do what we need to do.”

  “We have a caller on line 3, Warrant Officer Phyllis Ozarin from Personnel. Fire away, Ma’am.”

  “I’d like to ask Lieutenant Thurber if we can expect the same event that got us here, a bumping followed by bright daylight,” said Ozarin.

  “All we have to go on is what happened before,” said Jack. “Whether we cross the portal in daylight or darkness is something I can’t predict. In April, we experienced that strange bumping sensation and then the Daylight Event. My guess is that we’ll feel it again, but it’s only a guess. I hate to be evasive, but there’s no book out there called Time Travel for Dummies. We can only take guesses based on the small amount of data that I’ve found in my research.”

  “Caller on line 2, our very own favorite Chaplain, Father Rick Sampson. Talk to us Padre.” “Lieutenant Jack,” said Father Rick. “I’m going to be holding a special prayer service at 0730 every morning. Will you join me?”

  “Count me in, Father. I’ll be there.”

  “We have a special caller on line 3, the Commanding Officer of the California, Captain Ashley Patterson. Please go ahead, Captain.”

  “I’d like to ask Lieutenant Thurber if he could share with the ship his personal thoughts on the last four months,” Ashley said.

  “That’s a tough question, Captain, but I’ll give it a try,” Jack said. “I think, like everybody on the California, that the last four months have been a time of fear, sadness, fascination, and wonder. But my most intense thoughts on the last few months involve the friendships that I’ve made. Some of those friendships are very deep and I have no intention of ever letting go. Whatever happens, these friendships will last.”

  Both Jack and Ashley knew that they were having a personal conversation on the ship’s TV. Ashley thought of saying I love you, but concluded that it would be too adult for this viewing audience.

  “It’s a wrap, ladies and gentlemen, another Emmy Award quality show from the TV California,” Wally said. “Remember, the early bird gets the wormhole.” A collective groan was heard throughout the ship.

  Chapter 93

  Lt. Cmdr. Frank Orzo has been the watch officer at Naval Operations at the Pentagon since midnight. He volunteered to extend his eight-hour watch because he thought it was important to have continuity in the search efforts for the California. Lieutenant Talierco, agreed to extend her watch as well. Orzo had served a lot of time at sea and had stood many watches as Officer of the Deck. Sometimes those watches could be emotionally draining. They were nothing compared to this.

  Orzo and Talierco had been on emotional high alert for over seven hours, and they were beginning to feel it in their muscles. Warrant Officer John Chinnici, who worked in the physical therapy office at the Pentagon, walked into the room. He had orders from the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

  “Somebody tells me that massages are in order,” Chinnici said.

  He first walked behind Orzo and said, “Just relax, Commander.” After five minutes of muscle manipulation, Orzo was grateful that this guy was on duty. Chinnici then went to Lieutenant Talierco and did the same.

  At that moment, neither Orzo or Talierco had any more information than anyone else in the world about the USS California. But looking at a display screen and knowing that the California should be there brought on a special kind of stress.

  Orzo went to visit the head. There’s something about taking a leak that seems to make things happen. If you’re in a restaurant waiting for your dinner to be served, going to the john is a great way to make your meal show up. Orzo realized that he was just playing mind games with himself, but there was little else to do.

  Petty Officer Dirkson, one of the screen watchers said, “This is hopeless. This is fucking hopeless.”

  “Secure that talk Sailor,” Orzo barked. “I can’t control what you people think, but I can goddamn well control what you say in this room. Stow the word ‘hopeless.’ ”

  Everyone in the room knew that Orzo was right. The guy may be a pain in the ass, but he’s right. All they can control is their attitude, and it may as well be positive.

  * * *

  At the White House, Chief of Staff Bill Daley entered the Oval Office.

  “Mr. President, the Coast Guard Sector Commander wants to know if we should convert the operation from Search and Rescue to just Search.

  “No!” shouted Obama, smacking the desk. “Until further notice this is a Rescue operation. Any change will only be on my direct order.”

  Obama knew that, of the many tasks of a Commander in Chief, one of them is to give the people hope.

  * * *

  Janet Sampson is at the beginning of a busy day. Besides being choir mistress at church, a job that took a surprising amount of time, she taught a few courses at a local community college. She has classes at 11 A.M., noon, and two more in the afternoon.

  She’s glad that she’s busy because she is frantic about her husband Rick, the Chaplain of the California. Cancelling classes and sitting in front of the TV is a stupid option, Janet thought. Rick, a man she both loves and looks up to, had long ago convinced her of the power of surrendering to God things that you can’t control. “Give it up to God, Rick would say.” Still, the tension wrapped around her like a python. She thought of Rick, and of their mutual friend, Ashley Patterson. It’s in Ashley’s hands, and God’s, she thought.

  * * *

  The comedy writers for the Leno and the Letterman shows were having
a tough morning, and so were the writers at Saturday Night Live. It’s an unbreakable rule of comedy that you can’t make jokes of a bad situation until the situation is resolved. Not only couldn’t they make humor of the California situation, they were wondering if they could write jokes about anything for the upcoming show. Like the days after 9/11, laughter was temporarily on hold.

  * * *

  Daytime TV anchors were earning their large salaries. “There’s nothing new to report” is not journalism, not entertainment, and not worth watching.

  CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was interviewing yet another sea captain on the dangers of life on the ocean.

  Fox News anchor Sheppard Smith interviewed people who had been lost and almost given up for dead. These segments were good, judging by the ratings, because viewers remember those days of waiting for miners to be rescued, a lost skier to be found, or a boy scout who got separated from his camp. All of these segments had one thing in common: hope. It’s what the country wants. It is also something the country is starting to lose.

  * * *

  Commander Hester, skipper of the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, pondered the old saying, “ignorance is bliss.” He wished he had some of that, some ignorance. But he didn’t, he had knowledge. He is an expert in sonar, and he knows the situation is hopeless. As a military commander he would never say that to anyone in his command, but he didn’t have to say it to himself. He had lost hope. He was just going through the motions. He awaits word from Washington, and he knows what the word will be: suspend operations. He just doesn’t know when the word will come.

  As the Gallatin passed over the target coordinate one more time, he felt a rumbling, a slight bumping against the ship’s hull. The sky started to turn dark, as if a storm cloud suddenly rolled in. The bumping stopped, the sky brightened, and he thought the same thought that went through the minds of the entire crew: “What the hell was that?” He checked all systems. Satellites okay, radar okay, sonar okay. He put in a call to Washington. No problem with communication. He checked his email on his phone. He had just gotten a message. No problem.