by Dan Milton
The group then discussed what still needed to be done to get into the main cabin. Alexei said, “I radioed King Salmon about the weather. I’m afraid we’re going to be stuck here for a while. It seems there will be no letup in the storm for the next three days. Better get out the dominoes!”
After three days, about the time that ‘cabin fever’ was setting in, the clouds broke, and the team headed back to the sunken island site to continue their discovery operation. Ernie and Pam were to be the first to go down. The reciprocating saw and hydraulic cable were lowered by the winch as they cleaned up the area around the hull opening of the last of the rubble.
As Ernie cut into the wall of the main cabin, Pam carried the cut pieces away from the opening not wanting to have another ‘cave-in’. The hole into the main cabin was cut large enough to pass through. Ernie turned on the large floodlight. The light gave a weird illumination to the scene of massive destruction. It was complete. Everything was in disarray from the crash and the results of the earthquake. The roof had caved in with the weight of the rock and rubble from the island. The steps were crushed from the deck down into the main cabin. The hole they had cut into the main cabin was located just under the table. They cut through the table, and then cut the debris on the floor of the cabin into smaller pieces. Now there was a clear path to the door leading to the forward compartment. Ernie found the door jammed, but a skillful use of the saw cleared the jam. Pam entered the forward sleeping compartment searching for Alexei’s knapsack. Alexei had told her previously that Captain Boyd had asked him to pack it the morning they left and to place it on top of the bunk.
She searched until she had to go on reserve. She signaled Ernie to surface. He had been searching the main cabin. In a chart drawer he managed to pry open, he found the Captain’s logbook. He stuck it in a mesh bag on his weight belt. They cleared the wreck and headed up the buoy anchor line.
Back on board, they discussed with Chet, Jeff, and Alexei the condition of the central and forward cabins and that they did not find the pack in either place. Alexei said, “So, no sign of the knapsack. I remember leaving it on top of the bunk that morning. With the storm we were in, and the boat sinking and then the island coming down on top of the wreck no telling where the knapsack might be.”
Ernie said, “It wasn’t a total loss. I found Captain Boyd’s log book in the main cabin. I brought it up with me.”
Chet said, “That’s great. Maybe we can take a look at it tonight.”
“It seems like most of the stuff inside the wreck stayed inside even with all the damage. And, no one found any of the wreckage on the surface. Where could the knapsack have gone?”
Chet said, “Jeff, how about you and I get suited up and take a look.”
With that, Jeff and Chet headed for the bottom. They were soon inside the main cabin. They first cleared as much of the broken material as they could. After it was reasonably clear of the wreckage and debris inside the main cabin, they both searched for the knapsack. It was not in the head, not in the compartments under the bunks nor any of the storage areas. It seemed hopeless. When they were out of air, they surfaced and climbed into the boat.
Ernie said, “No luck?”
Chet said, “Nothing at all. We even cleared as much stuff as we could out of the cabin. We looked into every crevice, but nothing.”
Alexei, with an entirely disappointed expression on his face, said, “Let’s head back. We can discuss what to do at dinner.”
After taking a shower, Ernie sat down for a few minutes before dinner. He had Captain Boyd’s logbook in his lap that he had just removed from its waterproof container. He started to read from the front and then decided to go to the end of the log and work backward. In the last few pages of the record, Captain Boyd described the engine failure the boat had on the crossing to Kokhanok. He said he had spent several hours working in the engine compartment.
Ernie’s curiosity got the better of him, so he picked up the boat’s blueprints to look for the location of the engine compartment. He found that you entered it from a hatch in the floor of the forward sleeping compartment. He now had an idea of where the knapsack might be.
At dinner, facing a sad and somewhat defeated group, Ernie told them what he had found in Captain Boyd’s log. He said, “What about the possibility that the pack rolled off the bunk because of the way the boat was pitching in the storm and fell into the engine compartment. Captain Boyd was so busy fixing the engine, he might not have seen the pack fall.”
Ernie continued, “There was so much debris on the floor of the front compartment when we searched it that I didn’t see a hatch cover. My feelings are that we need to take another look if the weather would hold for one more day. I know that we are running out of time, but, we are so close.”
Friday morning there was a break in the weather. Alexei had talked with King Salmon and reported to the crew, “We don’t have much time. A storm is coming in tonight. It may be our last chance for the summer. Let’s go for it.”
They took off with hope in their hearts that they might have finally found the resting place for the parcel. It would provide Alexei a way to vindicate the family and return home after all these years.
On arrival at the site, they got the equipment ready and reviewed the plans for the day. Since there would only be time for two dives, they agreed that Chet and Jeff would take the first dive. They would need to clean the rubble off the floor of the forward cabin to gain access to the engine compartment hatch cover. They had Alexei lower the reciprocating saw and the hydraulic line. They were unable to lift the engine compartment hatch cover as it appeared completely jammed. After trying with several large pry bars, they gave up and went for the reciprocating saw. It took about 15 minutes of cutting to free up enough of the hatch cover allowing them to remove the rest of it. They then began the effort of cleaning up the area.
They completed the cleaning effort about the time their air ran out. After surfacing, they spoke with Ernie and Pam. Chet said, “You should probably give it about an hour for the dust to settle. It was stirred up by the time we finished. We had to cut off a portion of the hatch cover to get the rest of it out. You should have an easy access to the engine compartment. While we are waiting, I will have Alexei winch up the saw and hydraulic cable.
After a little more than an hour, Ernie and Pam donned their gear and headed down. All, they carried with them, were a couple of extra flashlights. As they entered the main cabin through the hole in the hull, they noticed that it was still very murky. They turned on the lights that they had brought and headed for the forward compartment. They found it easily, and Pam went in toward the open space in the floor between the bunks. She saw the engine and then felt her way around it looking to where the knapsack might have fallen. Ernie kept his flashlight shining on the area just ahead of where Pam was looking. After about 10 minutes of feeling her way around the engine compartment, Pam’s hand touched something, and her heart skipped a beat. She grabbed for Ernie. He moved closer as she lifted the knapsack with a broad smile. She motioned Ernie to surface. Feeling it was only right that Alexei be the one to open the pack and retrieve the parcel and register, Pam did not open the knapsack.
Ernie and Pam worked their way out of the forward compartment and through the hole in the side of the main cabin. They made their way up the anchor line. As they surfaced, Pam held up the pack for all to see as Chet yelled, “Is the parcel inside?”
Pam shouted back, “We haven’t opened it yet. We felt it was Alexei’s place to do so.”
As they climbed on board and stripped off their gear, everyone gathered around. Pam handed the pack to Alexei—it was completely soaked and grimy. The tension was at its peak. Everyone was waiting to see what was inside.
Alexei turned the pack upside down and let the contents fall a short few inches to the deck. As he emptied the slimy items with everyone watching, the parcel, and the parish register were not there. He turned it right side up and looked inside. It was empty. Th
e grimy mess on the deck lacked the only two items they really wanted and were searching for so desperately. How could this be?
Alexei’s face was stark white. In a voice that you could barely hear, he said, “How could those items not be there? I put the knapsack on my bunk in the forward compartment. The last thing, I did, was to check to make sure the two sealskin pouches were in there.” The hope he had to be able to go home and return the village its wealth had again eluded him.
In collective disappointment, the frustrated team headed back to Kokhanok just ahead of the incoming storm. Alexei was speechless the whole way back.
That evening before dinner Ernie and Jeff walked to the general store to pick up a few things since they would be leaving for Iliamna tomorrow. They also wanted to thank the store owner for his splendid hospitality. They talked to the owner about finding the wreck, as well as Captain Boyd’s log. They said they wanted the village to have it as a remembrance of Captain Boyd. They said that Alexei also wished to give the community of Kokhanok some money to build a memorial to Captain Boyd. The store owner thanked Ernie and Jeff and told them to thank Alexei as well.
Walking back to their cabin, Jeff said, “We may need to resurrect the ‘bad boy’ theory. There is no reason that those two items should not have been in the knapsack if what Alexei said was true. He could very easily have taken them out of the knapsack before he left the boat with Lev in the dinghy at the time of the wreck. Maybe what he said about not being able to get into the forward compartment wasn’t true.”
Ernie said, “Yes I know. The theory fits the current scenario. What are we to think at this stage? Could we have been completely duped?”
Ernie continued, after a short break in the conversation, “I still want to believe Alexei. That look of disappointment on his face when he dumped the contents of the knapsack on the deck with the two items missing was just too real for me.”
“I agree. I still believe him as well. I could ask you again, ‘What now?’ But, I think I know the answer. It’s back to our studies. We gave it all we had.”
“Did we really?”
That night, dinner, which was to be a celebration, was more like a wake. There was not much conversation around the table. Owen had flown in for the night. Ernie had briefed him before dinner.
By the next morning, the weather had cleared. The team packed up everything and loaded the boat for the return trip to Iliamna. The store owner and some of the other villagers came down to the dock to see them off.
Alexei started the boat; cast off the lines and headed the boat on a course to Iliamna. King Salmon told them the weather would hold for the rest of the day which would give them plenty of time to unload when they arrived at Iliamna.
About 30 minutes out of Kokhanok, Pam approached Ernie, where he was standing by the rail. She said, “I have had a feeling all night that we missed something yesterday when we were searching in the engine compartment. We couldn’t see very well. The water was still very murky. Call it women’s intuition but I would like to stop and make one more dive on the wreck.”
Ernie said, “I can understand your feelings, but we have done all we can do. We need to get back and use the daylight to unload and get ready to fly out in the morning.”
Pam continued, “But Ernie, just one more time. How long will it take—maybe an hour?”
Ernie continued, “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Let’s put it to a vote. You and Alexei will vote for one more dive. Jeff and I will vote to forget it. That leaves one vote. Let’s ask Chet—he is the deciding vote.”
Ernie and Pam walked over to speak to Chet. Ernie said, “Pam would like to make one more dive before we leave. It will probably delay us for an hour or so. The vote is 2 to 2, so you are the deciding vote. How do you feel about one more try?”
Chet looked far out across the water and scratched his thinning hairline. He paused a short while before he said, “I am never one to refuse another dive. I remember when we were so tired making dive after dive at Pearl Harbor after the attack. We were constantly cutting into sunken hulls to free sailors. We were asked many times to make just one more dive. Each time we did, we saved more sailors. So how can I refuse one more dive today?”
Ernie said, “That’s good enough for me. Let’s do it!”
Ernie shouted over the sound of the engine, “Alexei, change course. Let’s head for the wreck, we’re making one more dive!”
They anchored next to the marker buoy. The decision was that Chet and Pam would make the final dive. They suited up, stepped off the back platform, swam to the buoy and headed down with Chet in the lead. They entered the hole into the main cabin and turned on their lights. They noticed that the dust had settled, and the water inside was no longer murky. They moved as effortlessly as they could so as not to stir things up.
From the main cabin, they moved into the forward compartment. There under the floor was the engine compartment. The big diesel engine looked as though, if they could turn it on, it would start right up. Chet motioned Pam into the engine compartment. She shined her light around into every nook and cranny. It took just a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the flashlight glare.
She jumped as her light caught a rectangular shaped object in a corner behind the engine. She tried to squeeze in and reach the edge, but her arm was not long enough. She motioned to Chet that she needed something to reach into the corner. He went back out of the hole in the hull and came back with a dowel rod about 24 inches long. It appeared as though the rod had come from one of the hanging closets.
Pam, extending her range with the dowel, was able to slide the object toward her. As she did so, another object jammed in the same space fell down beside the first. With a little more reaching and pulling, she managed to get both objects within her grasp. Her hand grasped the first bag firmly, and she held it up for Chet to see. She slipped it into a mesh bag on her weight belt. She then firmly grasped the second pouch, let Chet see it and placed it carefully in her mesh bag. Chet smiled and nodded his head. They looked to him to be the right size. The outside appeared to be sealskin
Chet and Pam exited the wreck with one last look around. Chet indicated he wanted Pam to go up the anchor line first.
The joy was written all over her face as Pam surfaced and held up the mesh bag containing the two pouches. Her face inside her mask was wet not only from the water but also from her tears; tears of joy.
Everyone was back at the platform helping Chet and Pam into the boat and out of their gear. After they stowed everything and Chet, and Pam had put on dry clothes, the crew gathered around the table in the main cabin. Alexei had cleaned up and dried off the sealskin pouches. He very carefully opened the first one and pulled out 200 years of history that would never have been possible to duplicate. He also very carefully pulled out the sacred Icon from the second pouch. Neither of the two items, which were so valuable to the Village of Bepa showed any sign of damage.
Alexei brought out a toolbox. He scraped away a little paint on the side of the Icon. He then located and removed the plug put into the original drilled hole. He now could remove the diamonds that were hidden there some 20 years earlier.
Tilting the frame caused the 12 one carat spectacularly brilliant diamonds to pour out. He placed the stones in a secure container. He put the Sacred Icon, and the parish register in a case that would hold them safely until they could be packaged for shipment back to the village.
The rest of the trip to Iliamna was sheer joy with the team congratulating each other. It took about three hours to unload all the equipment that had to be shipped out. They loaded all the personal gear onto Owen’s plane for the flight to Anchorage in the morning. Owen had flown in late that afternoon. Alexei was planning on staying in Iliamna a few days to get the boat ready for the winter. Pam had spoken to her Corporate President, and he said he would negotiate the sale of the diamonds and arrange the shipping of the Icon and parish register to the Village of Bepa.
That night at the Lodge in Iliam
na there was a very special celebration. After the meal and congratulations all around, Ernie read selected portions of Alexei’s journal he had brought to dinner. Ernie also read the last few pages of Captain Boyd’s log book. With a lump in his throat, Ernie finished reading the last few lines. When done, there was not a dry eye at the table.
Return Home
It was a beautiful morning with clear skies as Owen headed his Widgeon down the Iliamna runway on his way to the Anchorage airport. Pam, Jeff, Ernie, and Chet sat quietly absorbing the beauty. They were still euphoric from their recent success in finding the Bepa Village’s precious parcel and parish register from the wreck of the MV-TRAVIS BOYD. Everyone was pleased that Alexei would no longer feel guilty about returning to his village.
Alexei rose early to accompany his friends to the runway to say goodbye and thank them again for everything. After they had taken off, he headed back to the lodge in the van. There was a lot of work to do to winterize his boat. Later in the day he would leave for the Newhalen boatyard where they would pull his boat out for the winter. Owen, on his return flight from Anchorage, would pick him up from Newhalen and fly him to Port Alsworth. Alexei knew he had a new lease on life. He would need a little time to plan his return to the Village of Bepa.
The corporate jet was waiting for Pam when she arrived. She said her goodbyes to Jeff, Ernie, and Chet and hoped they would keep in touch and maybe get together for a dive next summer. Chet asked Pam to call whenever she came to Seattle on a corporate trip, so they could get together for dinner. Pam said she would. She wished Jeff and Ernie the best with their studies during the next year and asked that they let her know how things were going during the year. Everyone waved goodbye as she climbed the stairs into the corporate jet.
