Mother nature

Opening the steel door into the funnel space, the hand rail and the steps leading down into the engine room were hot to the touch. As the engineer descended towards the engine platform the hot air greeted him like a blast from a furnace, his watch keeping was about to begin. 

The ship, mid -Atlantic was ploughing her way through the swell, a storm up ahead was signalling that things were about to change in the next few hours. On the Bridge the Second Officer had taken his first sight of the day as the sun rose over the horizon and had transferred his figures from the sextant onto the chart in the navigation room, which was just aft of the bridge. He was considering changing course to avoid the worst of the storm ahead. The Captain, raised out of his dream, as he lay in his bunk, woke to the sound of the voice pipe whistle and the new course reported and confirmed. Heading 320, 3 points to starboard, he signalled his agreement to the Second Officer and swung his legs out and onto the deck. The ship was beginning to plunge into each swell as the new course ploughed a different track across the waves and she started to pitch and roll.
In the galley the Cook was the first to notice the change of course. The pans on the stove began to take on a life of their own as anything loose came adrift. Breakfast was the next meal but if the seas got worse he might have to scale back and serve cold meat.
In the engine room the watch was also changing over, 3rd engineer having finished filling in the log was about to be released by the Second and after a short chat to bring the Second up to speed he would be on his way up those steps to his cabin and a cold beer.
The heat and the noise as the 12000 HP Burmeister and Wain Diesel engine roared along, full ahead had been his companion for 4 hours and he was pleased to be out of it for a while. Much of the ancillary gear was electrical, the fuel pumps the salt water pumps all the ships services were dependent on the large alternator and a smaller DC generator which was the domain of the Electrical Officer who's shift was about to start.
The Bosnian and the Chippy had the crew out securing the deck fittings as the ship began to take large plumes of water over the bows the sea crashing down on the deck as it raced away aft.
Dark angry clouds gathered on the horizon as the wind increased, whipping the spray off the sea drenching everyone on deck, it was going to be a rough one.
The Captain now on the Bridge was assessing his options there was a hurricane up ahead and although his ship was over 20.000 tons and could cope he had a responsibility to try to minimise any potential damage.
The Chief Engineer had come below and was conversing with the Second. As the ship plunged down the face of the waves the propeller was in danger of loosing traction causing the load on the ships engine to vary effecting the governor which controlled the engine revolutions to minimised any untoward surges.


As the ship entered the full force of the storm its passage forward over the ocean floor was down to a few knots and at this rate it was standing still, nature reaffirmed its strength compared to the puniness of man and his machines.
Pitching and rolling, twisting and plunging the ship shuddered as it slammed into tons of angry water. The 3rd Engineer lay in his bunk bracing himself as his cabin seemed to corkscrew around and his gear spewed out onto the deck to smash from side to side. There was no way he could sleep and he was needed below, things were becoming serious.
The Mate had laid off a new course, virtually turning around, beating a retreat until they could ease their way around the depression and resume the way they were headed. It meant loosing precious time and their slot alongside for unloading in New York but Mother Nature had spoken and there was no gainsaying her !!!