Dimensions

How deep is the ocean
from the top to the bottom?
From where the water is fresher
to where things are forgotten?
Where old ships and sailors
lie in cold sand - never rottng...
How deep is the ocean
from the top to the bottom?

How high is the sky
until you finally reach heaven?
Is it five miles or more-
is it further than seven?
How long to get there -
I go to sleep at eleven.
How high is the sky
until you finally reach heaven?

"Old Sailors Poem" by Larry Dunn RMCM, USN - Ret.

The following poem was sent via e-mail to all of the crew members of the USS Milwaukee, the fleet oiler I served aboard when I was in the Navy. I could think of no more fitting illustration than the one above, which is a comparison of the real life photo used by Norman Rockwell in his iconic drawing.

The poem was written by Chief Dunn and published on the spiritual blog The Chronicle Watch, which is located at http://www.chroniclewatch.com/ and  forwarded to me by Dennis Bieak, an old shipmate from the 1970’s. It was forwarded in caps, so I’m leaving it that way. Something’s in life don’t need to be polished to shine brightly….

Old Sailors Poem by Larry Dunn, RMCM, USN (Ret)

OLD SAILORS SIT AND CHEW THE FAT

ABOUT THINGS THAT USED TO BE,

OF THE THINGS THEY'VE SEEN, THE PLACES THEY'VE BEEN,

WHEN THEY VENTURED OUT TO SEA.

THEY REMEMBERED FRIENDS FROM LONG AGO,

THE TIMES THEY HAD BACK THEN.

THE MONEY THEY SPENT, THE BEER THEY DRANK,

IN THEIR DAYS AS SAILING MEN.

THEIR LIVES ARE LIVED IN DAYS GONE BY,

WITH THOUGHTS THAT FOREVER LAST.

OF BELL BOTTOM BLUES, WINGED WHITE HATS,

AND GOOD TIMES IN THEIR PAST.

THEY RECALL LONG NIGHTS WITH A MOON SO BRIGHT

FAR OUT ON A LONELY SEA.

THE THOUGHTS THEY HAD AS YOUTHFUL LADS,

WHEN THEIR LIVES WERE WILD AND FREE.

THEY KNEW SO WELL HOW THEIR HEARTS WOULD SWELL

WHEN OLD GLORY FLUTTERED PROUD AND FREE.

THE UNDERWAY PENNANT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT

AS THEY PLOWED THROUGH AN ANGRY SEA.

THEY TALKED OF THE CHOW OL' COOKIE WOULD MAKE

AND THE SHRILL OF THE BOS UN'S PIPE.

HOW SALT SPRAY WOULD FALL LIKE SPARKS FROM HELL

WHEN A STORM STRUCK IN THE NIGHT.

THEY REMEMBER OLD SHIPMATES ALREADY GONE

WHO FOREVER HOLD A SPOT IN THEIR HEART,

WHEN SAILORS WERE BOLD, AND FRIENDSHIPS WOULD HOLD,

UNTIL DEATH RIPPED THEM APART.

THEY SPEAK OF NIGHTS IN PIG ALLEY AND GUT

ON MANY A FOREIGN SHORE,

OF THE BEER THEY'D DOWN AS GATHERING AROUND,

TELLING JOKES AND SEA STORIES GALORE.

THEIR SAILING DAYS ARE GONE AWAY,

NEVER AGAIN WILL THEY CROSS THE BROW.

THEY HAVE NO REGRETS, THEY KNOW THEY ARE BLESSED,

FOR HONORING A SACRED VOW.

THEIR NUMBERS GROW LESS WITH EACH PASSING DAY

AS THE FINAL MUSTER BEGINS,

THERE'S NOTHING TO LOSE, ALL HAVE PAID DUES,

AND THEY'LL SAIL WITH SHIPMATES AGAIN.

I'VE HEARD THEM SAY BEFORE GETTING UNDERWAY

THAT THERE'S STILL SOME SAILING TO DO,

THEY'LL SAY WITH A GRIN THAT THEIR SHIP HAS COME IN

AND THE GOOD LORD NEEDS A GOOD CREW.

"Atlantic" by Simon Winchester

There are so many books written about the sea, and for the most part, they are very entertaining. However, they usually confine themselves to one topic; either a ship's voyage, a discovery, a wreck, a storm, and even the occasional mutiny. But this book has it all.

The author, Simon Winchester, author of about 20 books, ranging from travel to history, has outdone himself with this all encompassing tome to the world's most well traveled ocean. His love of the sea began in earnest at age 18, in 1963, when he booked passage from Liverpool aboard the Empress of Britain, bound for Montreal.

From the formation of the oceans and the first voyages upon them, the author carefully delves into all the major aspects of the history of the Atlantic. The Vikings conquest of Northern Europe, and the battle for control of the continent during the Crusades is well documented and lively. The interplay between the politics of the Mediterranean Sea, with it's marauding pirates on the ocean, and bandits on the land trade routes, blocked access to the Far East, and lent a new urgency to explore the vast Atlantic Ocean as an alternative.

Further exploring the history of European expansion, the author takes us on the voyages to the New World, the conquests of South America, and the attendant decimation of the native popoulation. The first slave ships of the 16th Century, were mostly comprised of native prisoners taken from South America by the Spanish. Later, the French and English, and even the newly founded American colonies, would occupy themselves with the importation of slaves from Africa to work the plantations of the South. The last slave to have come over on an American slave ship was Cudjoe Lewis, who died at age 94 in 1935, living just outside Mobile, Alabama. He had been taken from his native Benin in about 1858.

One of the most unusual slave stories involves James Riley, a farmer's son from Connecticut, who set out on the brig Commerce from Hartford in 1815. They were off to North Africa, looking for slaves. But, as luck would have it, the shearers became the shorn. The Commerce ran aground in a fog, and Mr. Riley was captured, along with his crew and, you guessed it, they were enslaved by a group of Sahara nomads. His ordeal lasted 2 years and came to an end only after he managed to slip a note to the British Consul in Essaouira. Ransom was arranged in the amount of $920 and two double barreled shotguns in order to secure the release of Mr. Riley and his crew. Upon his return home Mr. Riley penned "An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce", which sold over a million copies. The book is back in print today under the title "Sufferings in Africa." Abraham Lincoln described it as having more influence upon him than any other book, save for the Bible and "Pilgrim's Progress."

The author also explores the ocean currents and their effects upon trade and travel. The progress made by technology is also addressed in this sweeping history of the Atlantic Ocean. The triumphs and tragedies, the joys and sorrrows, the mysteries of forgotten ships; are all gathered in this one remarkable collection that will keep you reading past bedtime. And even then, when you do fall asleep, you will probably dream of the sea.

"The Book of the Seven Seas" by Peter Freuchen

Not since the publication of the "American Practical Navigator" in 1802, by Nathaniel Bowditch, has there been a book written about the sea that is so all encompasing, as is the case in this 1958 publication by Peter Freuchen. That's him on the cover, looking exactly as one would expect from his writing.

This is a work of non-fiction which explores the beginnings of earth, and the "Big Bang" theory, as a way of explaining how the ocean basins were physically formed when the sun cast off a ball of flaming gases, which became the earth. The basins were formed by the violence attendant in the cooling process of the molten sphere that would become our home. During this process, a chunk of the sphere broke off, becoming our "moon." This moon would come to control our tides. The pits, valleys and craters left on the earth by this process were then filled by an enormous rain, one which lasted for about 40 centuries and produced 300,000,000 cubic miles of rain.

This book is organized into 11 parts, among them The Shape of the Sea, Life in the Sea, Great Voyages, Treasures of the Seven Seas, Law and the Seven Seas, and even a section on Strange Tales from the Seven Seas. In short, this book has something of interest for anyone who has an interest in the oceans, and the legends and history that go with them.

This book is also a political and military history. It follows the Voyages of Discovery and delves into the settlements of the "new worlds" beyond the horizons of Europe. Along with the tales of pirates and ghost ships, this book packs in quite a bit of science and information about how the oceans current's are formed, as well as the effects of the weather upon the motion of the oceans.

This is an example of one of those rare books that can be found "in the stacks" at the Mooresville Public Library. My usual modus upon entering the library, after greeting the librarians, is to head towards the shelf of newly released books. This is my effort to maintain "relevancy." If there is nothing there to catch my eye, I wander into "the stacks", that great expanse of books from decades gone by. My tastes run, for the most part, between the 600's and the high 900's in the old Dewey Decimal System.

That's the joy of the library, you go in with a vague notion of what you might want, and leave with some things you never even thought of. This is a large and scientific book written by a man who spent 6 decades at sea. So, I will have to visit it more than once. The good thing is that I will know exactly where to find it when I need it again. On the shelf at my Piblic Library. Think about that as you watch the politicians turn off the lights in libraries all across America, even while awarding themselves bonuses, and planning new projects that we just can't afford right now.

And then, think of Peter Freuchen and the knowledge contained in this book. Locked away in an underfunded library it would be of no value to anyone, and much of what it is written, on all topics, will become forgotten footnotes to history.

"The Wolf" by Richard Guilliatt and Peter Hohnen

World War One was the last war which was fought with any "civility." The story of the Christmas Eve Truce in 1914 comes to mind. That was when the soldiers in the trenches began singing Christmas Carols and slowly emerged to share with one another, food, wine and photographs of loved ones. Several hours later they went back to killing.

But of all the stories from the Great War, the one that has always fascinated me the most was the story of the German Raider "Wolf." This was an ordinary freighter disguised as a neutral ship. She would plow the seas, making a 64,000 mile journey in search of ships to seize. The ships were emptied of anything that the Germans could use, the passengers and crew were taken aboard Wolf and the other vessel sunk.

The German Navy, after her stunning victory at Jutland in 1916, would be largely absent from the remainder of the war. The new submarines, or U-boats as they came to be known, were doing all the "heavy lifting" while the fleet remained in and around German waters. This was an extreme frustration to German Naval Officers, who finally hatched a plan.

This plan was mainly the idea of Captain Karl Nerger. He oversaw the upfit of the "Wolf", including large tanks for storing fuel. It was his intention to never touch land until his return to Germany. His voyage would last 444 days and take his ship to all corners of the world. She sailed, and prevailed, in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, seizing coal and provisions from all she encountered. By the end of the voyage she was carrying 400 prisoners. Some of these were men, women and children taken off the merchant vessels.

Being so long at sea there was some interaction betwen crew and prisoners. There were even some romances. There was also a "split" system for holding prisoners. After the first vessel is seized and sunk off San Francisco, the Captain of the stricken vessel along with his wife and daughter, are given a private cabin that had been the home of 2 Officers. But as the ship becomes increasingly crowded, things change. Captured ships crews are held below decks in deplorable conditions, while above deck the Officers and wives of the Merchant ships are treated well.

Laying mines and running British blockades are two more of the many perils which give this book the suspense and edge that keep you reading. Just one more page....

When the ship runs aground off of neutral Norway enroute home, things become chaotic. The neutral countries refuse to help her off the sandbar. They also refuse to help her with anything that might violate their own neutrality. This sparks an international political crisis. The passengers/prisoners are finally released and the ship eventually does make it back to Kiel. The followups on the various principals in this story are very intersting as well. Written in an easy and engaging style, this book will give you quite a ride into the past.

While the nature of war never changes, the nature of the people who fight them does. That is the sad lesson I have taken from this book.