Captain's Log for Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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As of 0800 Eastern Standard time, 1300 GMT and 1400 ship time, the Empire State was enroute to Piraeus, Greece and located at 37 degrees 30 minutes North Latitude, 08 degrees 57 minutes East Longitude. We passed the Prime Meridian yesterday (the beginning point for all longitude measurements). We are now in the realm of "EAST" longitude reports. We are steering a course of 070 degrees making good a speed of 16 kts. The weather was partly cloudy, winds out of the north northwest at 2 knots. Seas are only 3 to 6 feet and the ship is riding comfortably. The air temp is 57 degrees and the sea temp is 58 degrees. Barometric pressure is 1020 millibars of mercury. and slightly rising. Depth of water under the keel: 540 meters. CAPTAIN'S LOG When I hear a deck watchstander announce "Captain on the Bridge" I know to expect change. People who are talking become quieter: the Officer of the Deck stands straighter; the lookouts peer at the surrounding horizon more intently, almost as if to make a new contact appear. Such respect for the Captain at sea is not new. I suspect that it has always been so with sailors. I think more about it now, as we quietly, almost reverently, sail over waters steeped in maritime history. Beneath us... some 540 meters, lie the skeletal remains of many old ships that carried precious cargoes from Ancient Greece and Africa to ports throughout the Mediterranean region. The sea floor is strewn with heavy ballast stones and the shattered remnants of ancient amphora, the jars used to ship wine and oil to market. Adjacent to them, the crushed hulks of modern ships; the surrounding area is littered, as well. It is now a juxtoposition of old and new - amphora replaced by more modern barrels. They are testimony to the unpredictable forces of nature. They also speak to the unrestrained power of mankind, for war has long been a part of this area. Many of the ships and sailors of ancient times fell victim to the same natural perils that seafarers face now. Unlike us, however, they sailed beyond the "Pillars of Hercules" and into the unknown aboard small wooden vessels that we could fit easily upon our forward decks. They were brave souls, those sailors, in the days of wooden ships and iron men. As I observe my modern day charges, learning the routine and performing time honored duties that are critical to survival at sea, I imagine that these bright young men and women about me are cut of the same cloth. They are certainly adventurous and they harbor many of the same fears as sailors in a time gone by. They speak of history since our stop in Gibraltar. They stood on the same dirt as ancient Phoenicians and walked in the tracks of our more modern day heroes... such as General Eisenhower. That experience shaped a new awareness that is not available in a textbook. Just today, I listened as LT. Tim Brady (Plymouth, MA) spoke to several seniors about the rich history of the North African Coast as it passed by our starboard side. "I acquired a taste for history mainly because of my interest in people, their cultures and the past events that make different places on the earth distinct", Tim began. "I enjoy talking about places" he said, and the 1200-1600 watch section seemed to be good listeners. He spoke with reverence: "The written history of the Mediterranean began with the seafaring Creteans in the second millennium BC. They were soon followed by the Phoenicians who lived in cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast in what are present-day Syria and Lebanon, and traded all the way to the Baltic. These early "maritimers" are credited with establishing the first international Mediterranean trading city of Carthage. Carthage is the present day city of Tunis, the Capital of Tunisia. We will pass it on the North Coast of Africa today." The cadets stared out to starboard and felt history come alive. Tim continued; "Through out history, North Africa has been dominated by many different Mediterranean powers, including the Turks, the Romans, the French, the Spanish and the Moors (Moslems). The Barbary pirates lived in an area between present-day Egypt and the Atlantic Ocean. They decimated most shipping in the Mediterranean Sea during much of the 16th century. Today, Morocco, Algeria, and the rest of North Africa are largely independent. Political instability, however, has often inhibited economic development. I loaded crude oil and LNG tankers in Algeria not that long ago, and the stories of midnight attacks, armed roadblocks, deadly ambushes, and worse, always kept me close to the ship." "The history of the Mediterranean is the history of the world and, in some ways, little has changed." Lt Brady paused for effect. "The relative affluence of Europe stares across the Straits of Sicily at the poverty and instability of Africa. Travelling here provides one with an excellent opportunity to study ancient history and to see modern history in the making. It is truly a fascinating place where the beautifully harsh coastline of North Africa screens an even harsher Sahara Dessert." There is a lesson in there. Thank You, Tim. That's a wrap from the classroom of the sea, somewhere in the Mediterranean. See you tomorrow. QUESTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY 26 JANUARY 2000 GEOGRAPHY: Greece borders four countries. What are the four? SCIENCE: Some of our cadets are conducting marine environmental research and experiments while at sea. What kind of instruments do they use to study the ocean? HISTORY: Who is the President of Greece? MATH: Two cadets are assigned to paint inside of a storage locker. The bulkheads inside the locker are 8 feet high, 10 feet wide and 19 feet long. The deck inside the locker will not be painted. How many square feet of surface will the cadets have to paint? And, if a gallon of paint covers 400 square feet...how many gallons of paint must they open to put one coat of paint on the bulkhead? ANSWERS FOR TUESDAY 25 JANUARY 2000 GEOGRAPHY: The Saronic Gulf. SCIENCE: Baleen whales. HISTORY: Ferdinand Magellan in 1519-1522. MATH: 20 degrees Celsius.
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