Thursday 14 February 2002

At 1200, EST the Training Ship Empire State was located 08 nautical miles north of Paredon Grande, Cuba, at 22 degrees and 36 minutes North Latitude and 078 degrees 06 minutes West Longitude, steering course 290 degrees true at a speed of 10.4 knots/Rpm 48 turns. The weather was excellent,skies were clear, winds from the east at 04 to 08 knots, air temperature was 85 degrees Fahrenheit, barometric pressure was 1019 millibars, seas were slight from the east, sea injection temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Depth of water beneath the keel was 500 meters.

ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL (ETA) PORT EVERGLADES PILOT STATION - 0700 15 FEBRUARY 2002

CAPTAIN'S LOG

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love." Charlie Brown

Don't you wish that you had said that? Charlie Brown has a way with words.

We continue to sail comfortably along the north coast of Cuba while transiting the Old Bahama Channel. We will soon reach the convergence of the Santeren and Nicholas Channels and will follow the Santeren to the Straits of Florida, and then on to Ft. Lauderdale. We are precisely on track and will meet the Pilot at 0700 tomorrow morning.

Andros Island is the next and last landmass that we will pass before we reach the continental United States and it is a unique tropical island. It is the largest of the Bahamian Islands, the least inhabited for its size, and probably the most important from the perspective of national defense.

Europeans first "discovered" the island in 1550 but Arawak Indians had been living there for many years after moving to Andros from South America. Disease and the Spaniards quickly dispatched these people and the island became home to pirates, then freed slaves, and finally people tired of it all who know a good thing when they see it.

The island itself, is very attractive with lush greenery and some of the finest beaches in the Bahamas, sitting next to an expansive barrier reef over 140 miles in length. The waters are renowned for superb diving, excellent bone fishing, and sailing. Water depths crash dive from a few feet in the shallows to thousands of fathoms in just a few ship lengths. The diverse marine areas (particularly the deep offshore canyons) are readily accessible from the beach, which uniquely qualifies the site for testing advanced undersea technologies.

The United States Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) is located on the Island's eastern shore, adjacent to the Deep Water Range. Scientists can track more than 40 moving objects in this highly instrumented ocean environment and submarine weapons systems such as torpedoes and associated electronic guidance packages are regularly tested there. Remotely operated and autonomous deep ocean vehicles, and a multitude of scientific data collection instruments also come here for proof testing. Scientists are then able to manufacture production models that function precisely as intended. The range is also equipped with air, surface, and sub surface, (three dimensional) tracking capabilities so systems tests for complex equipment used concurrently by surface ships, airplanes, and submarines can be carried out. The net result is the Navy has a multi-million dollar Nintendo gameing site where real weapons, ships, subs, and airplanes can be demonstrated and tested.

Well folks, we will soon be astride the powerful Gulf Stream and hustling north. We are happy for the help.

Happy Valentine's Day! Remember.. Tomorrow.. 0800..Berth 23.. Fort Lauderdale, Florida... Hope you are there!

Pay attention to the special Cadets' Comments, today. You won't want to miss it. Be sure to click on "Valentine" with your browser.

CADETS' COMMENTS

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Our Unrequited Love Links US to YOU!...Valentines

QUESTIONS FOR FRIDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2002

MATH: The ship was traveling at 10 knots when Cadet VanEtten reduced the speed by 10 percent. Cadet Ladden later assumed the watch and increased speed by ten percent. How fast was TSES then going?

SCIENCE: The ship's generators produce 480 volts 60 Hz electricity but their CD players need only 120 VAC to operate. What device is used to step the voltage down from 480 VAC to 120 VAC?

GEOGRAPHY: The Bahamas are collection of large and small islands that stretch for hundreds of miles in the Atlantic Ocean. Can you solve these riddles by using the names of some of the islands? 1. What island uses the first three letters of the alphabet four times in its spelling? 2. What island surely is not short? 3. On what island would you be surprised to find dogs? 4. On what island is it hard to be honest?

HISTORY: We know that English people seeking the freedom of worship made the first settlements in New England (Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay). The Bahamas were settled by the English for the same reason. What island did they choose for their settlement?

ANSWERS FOR THURSDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2002

MATH: A quart contains 32 ounces. (Remember a pint's a pound the world around) A pint is 16 ounces, and 2 pints = one quart. A quart = 32 ounces 4 percent of 32 is 0.04 x 32 or 1.28 ounces.

SCIENCE: Electromagnetic Induction

GEOGRAPHY: The Aztecs valued cacao beans as if they were money. Cacao beans are used to make CHOCOLATE! Chocolates are often given as gifts on Valentine's Day.

HISTORY: 1. The heart was thought to be the center of emotions in ancient times. It later came to be associated only with the emotion of love. The heart shape we use on valentines isn't the real shape of a heart; perhaps the heart on our cards is an attempt made long ago to draw something they had never seen.

2. During Medieval times many people could not read or write. When asked to sign their name people would mark an "X" and kiss the "X" to show sincerity. Thus, the "X" became connected with a kiss.

3. For a very long time women's handkerchiefs have been made of lace. In days past, when a lady dropped her handkerchief a man would pick it up. If there was a special person in the lady's heart, she might drop her handkerchief as he watched to encourage him to respond. Thus, lace became associated with romance.