This morning, those of us who reside in any one of the 27-person single-room living spaces below deck affectionately called “the berthings” were awoken to a symphony of wet vacuums. When I finally crawled out of bed at 0600 in the morning, a team was working on the fan room adjacent to the berthings. It would be only a small exaggeration to describe the floor of the fan room as a small swimming pool with the inches of water spread across it. This fan room has always had an issue with condensation and the accumulation of moisture, as is why watchstanders are required to swing by and mop up little puddles once an hour. But, this was the first time this cruise where the fan room had provided us a spontaneous berthing pool party.

Today, cadets on maintenance learned first hand the reality of the industry they have chosen, and the beauty of having an old ship, as they labored to clean the fan room. It was an all-day job, complete with cutting pipes, unclogging drains and mopping… lots of mopping. In all, it was a highlight of teamwork that spanned all disciplines: deck or engine, cadet and crew.

This was only one hiccup on our road home and our voyage to the Newfoundland. Captain has warned us that we might be getting into rougher weather. I suspect that in the coming nights some of my shipmates might have to be lulled to sleep by the roar of the ship’s fog horn.

Post by: MIDN 4/C Cooper Parlee, MSE5

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