Kapitan_Phillips
02-19-08, 10:48 PM
"Okay, get what you can from the stars, and we'll go under for a few hours" said Lieutenant Commander Phillips, Captain of the Salmon class USS Vaughan, part of the Asiatic Fleet.
The rain drummed heavily upon the steel hull of the Vaughan, as it ploughed through the silvery crests of the Pacific, The bridge, though cramped, offered a fantastic view over the waters, and her Captain wanted to relish every last second of the bliss.
"Captain" came the call from below, "The boat is ready for dive.". Phillips looked once more over the horizon and climbed down the ladder, ordering his second deck watch to follow. The roll and heave of the vessel was making alot of men nauseous, a factor that Lt. Cmdr Phillips was not prepared to tackle this early on in the war patrol. The important thing, to him, was to maintain the morale and efficiency of the crew, and protect his boat from destruction. By taking the boat down, he was giving precious hours to the crew, to sleep, talk and relax in the calm of submergence.
However, soon, the intercom crackled and buzzed into life; "Crew of the USS Vaughan. This is the Captain. I have decided to disclose our objective to you, both to re-assure and to motivate you in this time of seeming hopelessness." The crew looked up each in their own way, to the lifeless speaker on the ceiling.
"The Japanese are ruthless. We saw that when this war started for the United States. And it is the job of the United States Submarines to be the first to strike back."
"Our very nature, allows us freedom to roam the seas preserving shipping lanes, disrupting the enemy and causing disturbances to Japanese installations. We have been deployed to the South China Sea, to seek and sink enemy merchant shipping wherever we discover it. That is our job. That is our job along with our brave sailors in other submarines. It is this duty I intend to fulfil."
"Now I know you might be bored, since you all have much to learn about this profession..but there comes a time when vigilance and preparedness are the difference between living or dying. Suceeding or failing. So I ask you, crew of the USS Vaughan. Are you ready?"
The rain drummed heavily upon the steel hull of the Vaughan, as it ploughed through the silvery crests of the Pacific, The bridge, though cramped, offered a fantastic view over the waters, and her Captain wanted to relish every last second of the bliss.
"Captain" came the call from below, "The boat is ready for dive.". Phillips looked once more over the horizon and climbed down the ladder, ordering his second deck watch to follow. The roll and heave of the vessel was making alot of men nauseous, a factor that Lt. Cmdr Phillips was not prepared to tackle this early on in the war patrol. The important thing, to him, was to maintain the morale and efficiency of the crew, and protect his boat from destruction. By taking the boat down, he was giving precious hours to the crew, to sleep, talk and relax in the calm of submergence.
However, soon, the intercom crackled and buzzed into life; "Crew of the USS Vaughan. This is the Captain. I have decided to disclose our objective to you, both to re-assure and to motivate you in this time of seeming hopelessness." The crew looked up each in their own way, to the lifeless speaker on the ceiling.
"The Japanese are ruthless. We saw that when this war started for the United States. And it is the job of the United States Submarines to be the first to strike back."
"Our very nature, allows us freedom to roam the seas preserving shipping lanes, disrupting the enemy and causing disturbances to Japanese installations. We have been deployed to the South China Sea, to seek and sink enemy merchant shipping wherever we discover it. That is our job. That is our job along with our brave sailors in other submarines. It is this duty I intend to fulfil."
"Now I know you might be bored, since you all have much to learn about this profession..but there comes a time when vigilance and preparedness are the difference between living or dying. Suceeding or failing. So I ask you, crew of the USS Vaughan. Are you ready?"