ONE STEP AND YOU DIE

On the Norton we use to run ''dark ship'' a lot when we were at sea. I never did understand exactly why they did this. ''Dark Ship'' is a condtition where no lights are visible outside the ship after sundown. Back then we use to dump trash over the fantail down a long chute into the props behind the ship. We usually did this on the mid watch after ''field day''. One night me and Burnside were designated ''garbage dumpers'' and we proceeded aft with the 35 gallon ''garbage can'' slung between us. We went up two decks from Main Comm and stopped at the ''light lock''. (a double door devise to keep light inside the ship and ''dark'''' outside) We entered the lite lock and shut the inside door so our eyes could become accustom to the ''dark''. After a couple minutes I opened the outside hatch and stepped out on deck. It was some of the ''darkest'' dark I have ever not seen. You absolutely could not see anything at all. It was overcast with no moon or stars at all. I asked ''Burn'' if he could see and he said he was getting vertigo. We started aft, feeling our way along the bulkhead. We went very slow. I actually bumped into the ''life bouy watch'' and he said he could see just a little but he had been on deck for over three hours. We headed aft past the number three and four gun tubs and on to the ''helo deck''. I recognized it by the texture of the paint on it. I still could not see anything but I could hear the ''screws'' in the water so I knew we were close to the stern of the ship. When the ''helo deck'' ends there was about four feet from it to the ''kick rail'' and ''life lines'' at the very back of the ship. When we got to the end of the helo deck I stopped, knelt down and started feeling for the life lines. NONE WERE THERE... Burn told me to hang on to the handle of the garbage can while I felt around. I actually went very low and felt around for the kick rail and when I found it I started ''feeling vertical'' for the life lines..... NOTHING.... I said ''ship''. I felt to the right and found the stanchion (post) that the life lines were suppose to be attached to. I found the ''rings'' for the life lines but no life lines. I said ''SHIP'' AGAIN AND ''SON ON THE BEACH'' REAL LOUD. ...... I was two steps away from being dead because if I had not stopped and been very careful I would have stepped over the fan tail of the Norton and right into the twin screws........ Needless to say this scared the ''STUFF'' out of me. We eased back across the ''helo deck'' and back forward on the ship to the number 3 gun tub and dumped the trash over the side of the Norton. I told the ''life bouy watch'' about the lifeline on the fantail and not to let anyone else go back there until dawn when it could be re attached........
I never found out why the ''life lines''' were down that night but you can bet that from then on............ I established contact with them very carefully before I dumped trash over the fan tail of the Norton ...
So it went on the Norton...... steamin in a circle in the dark .......
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Seajay the sailor man and My Willa
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