Tuesday 15 January

At 1200, EST the Training Ship Empire State was moored at the United States Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia on loading equipment. The sky was partly sunny, air temperature had risen to 57 degrees Fahrenheit, winds were from the southwest at 06 mph, barometric pressure was 29.89 inches of mercury, and the sea injection temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Our arrival in Norfolk was an uneventful, textbook operation. The Virginia Capes Pilot came aboard as scheduled and we proceeded smartly westward through the channel, sent the first line over at 2017, and were finished with engines at 2036. The cadets are already performing as if they have been at sea for eons.

The Pilot boarded near the Historic Cape Henry Lighthouse, which guards the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. In Colonial times, the Lighthouse was crucially important to safe navigation and the development of trade. Modern navigation instruments make it less important. Even though the waters around the Lighthouse are much safer today, I would challenge any mariner to discriminate between the thick fogs so prevalent in the late 1700's, and those that reduce visibility today. In addition, the waters at the entrance of the Chesapeake continue to be rough and treacherous. Strong tidal flows deposit sand in ever changing patterns that create dangerous, unpredictable shoals.

Just west of the Cape Henry Lighthouse, we passed above the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, a four-lane, (US 13) 20-mile-long crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay. The bridge/crossing is made up of low trestles that support roads that span the distance between two tunnels under Thimble Shoals and Chesapeake navigation channels. So, as we steamed westward in the navigation channel, automobiles sped north and south in the tunnels buried in the mud beneath us. For the striper fishermen, the Chesapeake is the largest estuary in the country and is the source of many, many stripers that are caught in New England waters every season. Freshwater flows into the Bay from the York, James, Potomac, and Susquehanna Rivers and forms a truly remarkable fishery. (Recreational fishing is a Maritime Industry, isn't it?)

The Chesapeake Bay is the super highway that we traveled to our destination, an utterly remarkable facility, the Naval Station Norfolk. The base covers nearly 3,400 acres on the Sewell's Point Peninsula and it is the largest military station in the world. The base is home to nearly 100 warships; aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, large amphibious ships, submarines, and a variety of supply and logistics ships. Nearly 150 aircraft are hangared here and other facilities house the tremendous technical support networks that must exist to keep modern military hardware operational. The Port Services team controls almost eight miles of pier space and coordinates more than 3,000 departures and arrivals every year. The Air Operations Group oversees more than 100,000 flights annually (275 flights daily - one every 6 minutes) to handle thousands of passengers and kilo-tons of cargo destined for Europe, the Caribbean, and as one might imagine, other not so nice places as needs arise. Such impressive military capabilities certainly make sleeping in these troubled times far easier.

Mean while, our important work here in Norfolk continues but we will not meet our intended schedule as hoped. Installation of the Appleton Crane is progressing nicely and we are using this work as an umbrella to take advantage of some unique training opportunities that exist here and to repair a small leak on the port boiler. Training and watchkeeping are on schedule; we are sending large contingents to tour the Navy Fire Fighting School; many of our International Maritime Business and Marine Safety students are enjoying a comprehensive visit to the New Norfolk International Terminal. These experiences should teach the differences between academic theory and the real world practice.

I am certain that cell phones are jingling so, to forgo the question, let me provide the answer. Since this stop was intended for business only, liberty will not be granted. I have permitted only those with immediate family living here to briefly visit their loved ones.

Installation work should wrap-up early tomorrow and we will depart late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. Stay tuned to the Captain's Log for the latest. See you tomorrow.

CADET COMMENTS By Cadet 1/C Katelyn Ladden

"THE DAY AFTER THE STORM - Halleluiah!"

The swells, waves, and rain ceased at approximately 0400 this morning and the ship stopped surging forward and rolling from side to side. Many of the cadets who were seasick on Sunday, now venture from their racks and see the bright sun and the thankfully, calmer waters. The messdeck is once again filled with hungry cadets. When I awoke this morning, my room was in disarray. My shoes, alarm clock, towel, and books, were scattered about the opposite side of the room. I walked into the passageway and glanced into other main deck rooms and everywhere cadet officers were scurrying around collecting their belongings. Yesterday was a learning experience for the freshmen. Many of them realized too late that they could become seasick. It was also a lesson in how rough the ocean can really get. The most asked question of the day was "How are you feeling today?" One of the first tasks for the maintenance division today, was to restore everything that had fallen throughout the night. As I sit in the library typing, I notice that they have yet to reach here and books and magazines are strewn about. The ship continues to sail serenely along as if nothing happened the night before. The only way that one would know that the Empire State weathered a severe storm is from the cadets who tell the story. By the end of cruise, these tales will become sea story memories (exaggerated of course). Our destination tonight is Norfolk, VA where we load the crane and place it on the stern. The storm held us back and we will arrive at the pilot station at 1700 (5:00 pm). We will complete our work tomorrow and depart early evening. All are looking forward to many calm and sunny days ahead.

QUESTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY, 16 JANUARY

MATH: The cooks have five (5) gallons of strawberry ice cream to serve at the Sunday barbecue. They want to divide it into 1/2 pint containers. They have 60 containers. Do they have enough containers to complete their work? Hint: 2 pints = 1 quart: 4 quarts = 1 gallon.

SCIENCE: If a phonograph is an instrument that reproduces and transmits recorded sound, and a telegraph is an instrument that transmits and receives electrical impulses, then does a meteorograph transmit meteors? What is a meteorograph?

GEOGRAPHY: Dr. Martin Luther king was born in Atlanta, Georgia. What is the Latitude and Longitude of this American city?

HISTORY: Dr. King was instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965. What President signed this Act into law?

ANSWERS FOR TUESDAY, 15 JANUARY

MATH: 29.92/30.16 X N/1013.25

therefore 30.16N = 30316.44

N = 1005.19 millibars

SCIENCE:

Coriolis Effect

GEOGRAPHY:

Cartography

HISTORY:

The answer is History.