The Gray Ship

by Russell F. Moran

  Germany

  After Japan signed the treaty with the United States, Hitler declared war on America in January 1942. Germany had been secretly working on an atomic bomb. The United States had abandoned its Manhattan Project after signing the treaty with Japan. In May, 1945, a German battleship off the United States East Coast fired a V2 rocket bomb with a nuclear warhead. It was targeted to hit Washington D.C., but, because it had a rudimentary guidance system, the rocket missed its target and landed in a rural area of Pennsylvania. The officer in charge of the operation, Luftwaffe Colonel Kurt Schweightkopf, was a history buff. He had always been fascinated by the stories about the Gray Ships in the American Civil War, and how the use of swift and violent force could bring about peace. As a result of Germany’s action, all neutral nations declared war on Germany, including Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and Japan. In December 1945, Hitler was assassinated by one of his own body guards. The Third Reich was disbanded, and the new German government sued for peace.

  * * *

  “But there was no surrender at Appomattox,” Father Rick said to Jack. “I wonder how Great Grandpa Sampson made it to Iowa. If he didn’t, how am I here?”

  “We’re all amateurs when it comes to time travel, Father. Maybe there is such a thing as a parallel universe. We left 2013 and returned seven hours later local time. But even though the calendar says 2013, it’s not the same one we left.”

  Chapter 100

  Any time an unforeseen major event involves a ship of the United States Navy, a Naval Board of Inquiry is convened to sort out the facts. Typical events that would result in a Naval Board of Inquiry would be a grounding, a fire, a sinking, or a collision. When a ship goes missing for over seven hours, that event more than qualifies for the appointment of a Board.

  The Naval Board of Inquiry into the Disappearance of the USS California convened on April 24, two weeks after the California came back to 2013. The Secretary of the Navy appointed Retired Rear Admiral Floyd “Hoss” Miller, the first Commanding Officer of the California, to chair the Board. Eight other admirals served on the panel.

  Ashley had met Admiral Miller once, at a Change of Command ceremony. She admired and respected him. At a dinner with him and his wife Kay, and Miller regaled her with stories about the early days of the California. Retired admirals can sometimes be stuffy, even pompous. That wasn’t Hoss Miller. He is the kind of person you think of as an old friend after meeting him once.

  The Board convened behind closed doors in a conference room at the Navy Department in Washington. A team of investigators fanned out to interview each sailor on the ship. Because there were over 600 stories to be told, if each crew member testified it would go on for months. They would call witnesses as they deemed necessary.

  The first witness was Captain Ashley Patterson, as she expected. She didn’t feel nervous at all. Maybe these guys can help figure out what happened, because she sure as hell can’t.

  According to procedure, a lawyer from the Judge Advocate General’s office was appointed to sit next to Ashley and advise her. His name was William Braden, and he held the rank of Commander. He immediately got on her nerves when he whispered in her ear. Do these guys feel important by whispering in people’s ears, she thought. But she realized that it was his job to look out for her legal rights. If he’d only stop whispering.

  Promptly, at 0915, Ashley began her testimony. She told THE STORY.

  As the hours went by, she was interrupted several times by questions. Everyone was impressed by her simple, direct answers.

  Ashley didn’t hold back. She told everything. Well, she did edit out a few scenes with Jack Thurber. Ashley was at the microphone for seven hours, including a one-hour lunch break.

  When they returned from lunch, Admiral Miller thought he would break the tension with some humor.

  “Do you have your flux capacitor with you, Captain?” asked Miller.

  “Yes Sir, I do,” said Ashley without missing a beat, “but it’s on the blink. I’ll have to get it to a flux capacitor repair shop.”

  The room broke out in laughter.

  “To summarize Gentlemen,” Ashley said, “at 0309 on the morning of April 10, 2013, the California slipped through a time porthole, a wormhole, and found itself in the year 1861. We spent just shy of four months in 1861, going through all of the experiences I’ve discussed today. Then, at 1400 hours on April 10, 2013, we came back.”

  “Captain,” said Admiral William Ferguson, “there is one thing that concerns me, well, one of many. You engaged in combat operations. You fired nine Tomahawks and dozens of Harpoons and Hellfires. But Captain, you had no orders of engagement. You had no authorization.” Braden, her appointed lawyer, leaned over to whisper in Ashley’s ear. Would it be inappropriate if I broke this jerk’s nose, Ashley thought.

  “I’ll be happy to answer that Admiral,” said Ashley, interrupting Braden’s whispers. “I acted on direct orders from the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.”

  “Captain, if I may,” said Admiral Dwight Bushley, “I’ve read your personnel record, and I’ve been listening to you all day. You are one remarkable officer. But you’ve been telling us that you met with Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee, engaged in wartime naval combat operations, and you did this all within seven hours, local time. Captain, I’m having a very hard time believing this story.”

  “You’re not alone, Admiral. I have a hard time believing it too. Sometimes I expect that I’ll wake up from a dream like Dorothy in Kansas. But it did happen, and it wasn’t a dream.”

  Admiral Miller called the day’s meeting to a close.

  Chapter 101

  The Naval Board of Inquiry reconvened the next day, April 25 at 0900 hours. The Board would continue its investigation for a month, until May 22. They heard from 175 crew members, both officers and enlisted. The only ones they didn’t call were those who had no operational contact with the events in question.

  They focused on the testimony of Lt. John Thurber, and admitted his book, Living History — Stories of Time Travel Through the Age, into evidence. Jack described his research for the book and his own experiences with time travel.

  Jack was followed by Father Rick, who stunned the Board.

  “Great to see you again, Padre,” said Admiral Bushley. The chaplain had served under Bushley on the USS Independence, and they became friends. “A straight shooter if there ever was one,” Bushley whispered to Admiral Miller.

  Father Rick held up two books, The Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson and the one volume set of Bruce Catton’s The Civil War.

  “Have any of you gentlemen ever heard of either of these books?” asked Father Rick. Everyone at the table shook their heads.

  “I can’t believe anybody could write an entire book on the Civil War. It was such a small part of our history,” said Admiral Ferguson.

  “I suppose you could say that, Sir, because your understanding is that the war lasted only three months and total casualties were only 942 on both sides,” said Father Rick. “I had these books with me on the morning of April 10, 1861 and 2013. In the 2013 that we left, both of these men were famous as were their books, and the authors earned fortunes from the book sales. The history of the Civil War was different before we hit the wormhole. It lasted for four years and there were over 620,000 casualties on both sides. Just after the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. You never heard of these books because they were never published, post wormhole, in the 2013 in which we find ourselves. These books are relics from a different time, a different 2013.”

  “I need a drink, Hoss,” Admiral Ferguson whispered to Admiral Miller, “I need a fucking drink.”

  * * *

  The Board also heard from expert witnesses, people with no personal knowledge of the facts they examined, but who could explain phenomena, both physical and psychological. They struggled to find an explanation for the unexplainable.

  One expert, NYPD psychiatrist Dr. Be
njamin Weinberg, was the man who had corroborated with Jack Thurber, on his book on time travel. “Benny the Bullshit Detector” sat in front of the microphone.

  “Dr. Weinberg, thank you for joining us today,” said Admiral Miller. “We’ve asked you to testify because you have a reputation for judging the veracity of witness testimony, and you’ve also had input into Lt. Thurber’s book on time travel. So let me ask you a flat out question. You’ve heard the testimony of dozens of crewmembers of the California. Do you find their testimony to be honest and straight forward?”

  “Admiral, I look for signs of lying. I have about a dozen things that I look for, including perspiration, voice, physical mannerisms, and eye contact. I’ve developed a reputation for spotting lies and helping prosecutors put together cases.”

  “Is that why you’re known as the “bullshit detector?” asked Miller.

  “Yes,” said Weinberg, chuckling, “it’s my favorite title. But to answer your question Admiral, not one person I’ve observed and listened to in these proceedings is lying. That’s my opinion. If they’re not telling the truth they are amazingly talented psychopaths, and you don’t find that many psychopaths together in one place, or on one ship.”

  “Dr. Weinberg,” said Admiral Miller, “do you believe these stories?”

  “It isn’t my job to believe stories or not to believe them, Admiral,” said Weinberg. “It’s my job to assess whether the witness believes his own story. But I will say this. I don’t know much about this time travel stuff, but ever since I worked on that book with Jack Thurber, I’ve noticed that I’ve developed an obsessive compulsive disorder. I never step on a crack…it may be a wormhole.”

  “Thank you Doctor Weinberg,” said Miller. “We may ask for more of your help.”

  The next expert they called to the stand was a Dr. Jerome Suydam, a professor of Psychiatry from the University of Chicago. His specialty is group hysteria. He testified that large numbers of people can show signs of hysterical reaction when faced with traumatic events. He discussed eyewitness testimony from groups who witnessed an accident, only to find that actual taped evidence contradicts what they believed they saw. It was his opinion that the crew of the California suffered from mass hysteria, causing all of them to believe a strange story.

  “Doctor,” said Admiral Blake Jones, who also held a law degree, “we have heard testimony from 175 different individuals and over 400 written affidavits from crewmembers of the California. These people have talked about hundreds, maybe thousands of experiences over a four month period, and you’re saying that they’re thinking the same thoughts?”

  Suydam mumbled about his long experience, the classes he’s taught, and the books he’d written.

  Jones leaned over to Admiral Miller and put his hand over the microphone. “Where’d we get this asshole, Hoss?”

  Miller just chuckled and said, “Thank you Dr. Suydam. We have no further questions.”

  After Suydam stepped down, the Board heard from a MIT physicist who testified that a wormhole was a theoretical possibility. The man was obviously more comfortable with numbers than words, so he was excused after 30 minutes of testimony. But he did make an impression. Time travel is a theoretical possibility.

  * * *

  Lt. Jg. Nancy Forsyth was called to testify. It was the most dramatic testimony to date. Because of her expertise in design and presentation, she was asked to show selected photographs and video clips taken during the California’s four months in 1861. On a large screen, she displayed dozens of photographs, including pictures of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet with Captain Patterson and her fellow officers. She also showed a video clip of Lincoln talking to Captain Patterson. She then clicked to photos of Robert E. Lee taken by Lt. Conroy. Forsyth also discussed architectural photographs. Using pictures taken by the SEALs on their recon mission, she highlighted the Charleston waterfront, comparing them to current day photographs.

  Forsyth’s slide presentation was so dramatic no one asked questions. The drama increased when the next witness was called.

  Professor Thomas Pendleton of Cal Tech is the nation’s most recognized expert on photographic evidence. He has testified many times before Congress and government investigatory bodies. Pendleton had examined every photograph from Forsyth’s presentation as well as hundreds of other photographs taken by California crewmembers. He compared photographs of Lincoln to the existing photographs taken with nineteenth-century cameras.

  “Gentlemen,” said Pendleton, “the person you saw in those photographs is Abraham Lincoln, not a likeness, but Abraham Lincoln himself. And the people Lincoln is shown with are Captain Patterson, Lt. Thurber, Chaplain Sampson, and Commander Campbell. I’m a man of science, so I can’t give you a clue as to how this happened. All I can tell you, as an expert on photography, the photos are real.”

  * * *

  After a month of listening to testimony the Board began their deliberations. Admiral Miller arranged for a large photograph to be displayed on the screen for the duration of their discussion. It was the photo of Abraham Lincoln and Captain Patterson.

  Admiral Miller set the stage for their deliberations. “Fellas, our job is to come up with findings of fact and to make recommendations. I want to be clear on something. Remember the testimony of Dr.Weinberg, Benny the Bullshit Detector. He said it wasn’t his job to believe the stories or not, only to assess whether the witnesses believed them. Well our job is different. We have to determine, as a factual finding, if this incredible story is true. I’ve drafted a summary finding of fact that I believe to be the truth. If you disagree, let’s hear it. Here’s my summary.

  The Naval Board of Inquiry into the Disappearance of the USS California

  Summary Finding of Fact. On April 10, 2013, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, the USS California encountered a wormhole, a phenomenon that modern science has not been able to explain. The ship was transported through time to April 10, 1861 and participated in the Civil War. The California engaged the naval blockade of the South, the Battle of Bull Run, the destruction of Robert E. Lee’s Army, and the missile attack on the City of Richmond. After four months, 1861 time, the ship again encountered the wormhole and was transported back to 2013. The ship had been missing for just over seven hours, 2013 time.

  “So that’s the summary as I see it, gentlemen,” Miller said. “The actual record, consisting of hundreds of pages, will be attached. So this summary, if you agree, says that we believe the story. Does anyone disagree with the summary?” Not one hand went up.

  “Well, since we all believe the unbelievable, I have a few other findings that I suggest we answer.”

  Hoss Miller passed around a sheet of questions.

  “Do you find any evidence of wrongdoing by any fact witness who appeared before this Board?” The unanimous answer was NO.

  “Do you find any evidence that Captain Ashley Patterson did not execute her duties to the best of her ability?” The unanimous answer was NO.

  “Do you have any specific recommendations to avoid a similar occurrence from ever happening again?” This wasn’t a yes/no question. It was a question to solicit ideas from the Board members. All Miller saw was shaking heads and hunched shoulders.

  “Well, I have a recommendation,” said Admiral Miller.

  He held up a large card, which simply read:

  STAY AWAY!

  N 32° 41′ 41″

  W 78° 34′ 27″

  “What’s that, Hoss?” asked Admiral Ferguson.

  “The coordinates of the wormhole,” said Miller.

  “This Board of Inquiry is officially closed.”

  Chapter 102

  Ashley and Jack left the ship at different times. Ashley was concerned about appearances. This crap shall soon end, she thought.

  They were both on a 30-day leave, 30 days of relaxation, freedom from stress, and also 30 days to get to know each other. They met for lunch at an out of the way diner near the rental place where they’d pick up a car. Ja
ck owned a vacation home on a lake about two hours away. As Jack drove, they passed the time telling jokes and guessing the states of passing license plates. No decisions, no boatswain’s pipe, no uniform of the day, no meetings. Their mission was to relax and be in each other’s company. They were both dedicated to the mission.

  “So, Operation Jack and Ashley has begun,” said Ashley. “As I recall I put you in command of the operation, Lieutenant. A house on a lake is a commendable start.”

  “I take this operation very seriously, Captain,” said Jack, as he reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “Jack, isn’t it about time you started calling me Ashley?”

  “Aye aye, Ashley. How about Sweetheart?”

  She leaned over and kissed him.

  They drove down a winding road to the house. Jack’s caretaker had arranged things for their visit.

  Ashley drew her breath as she looked at the house and the view of the lake. The house rose two stories high with dark shingling and a roofline inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. In front was a gravel parking area, marked off by logs and surrounded by wild flowers. They walked out onto the huge mahogany deck. In the distance, two small mountains converged, providing a viewing frame for the lake. They inhaled the fresh air blowing across the water. A stairway led from the deck to a floating dock, to which was tied a shining antique wooden Chris Craft powerboat. The boat was named Wordsmith. They sat down to take in the view, Ashley in an Adirondack chair, Jack stretched out on a lounge.