Yuku free message boards

Part VII

Captain Tormolen was about halfway through his third "bull session" with the crew when a subtle, peculiar shudder ran through the ship. He didn't think anything of it, but some of the older hands exchanged concerned glances, then got up and left. He glanced at Ensign Frye, but his temporary aide was busy taking notes and didn't even glance up.

A moment later, the intercom sounded.

"Attention all hands, this is the captain. Some of you may have noticed that our speed is dropping. We are not - I repeat NOT - under attack. We appear to have suffered some sort of mechanical casualty. Engineering is on the problem, and we will resume normal ship's movement as soon as possible. That is all."

Tormolen knew he didn't have any place he ought to be in a situation like this. He didn't even have any engineering expertise to offer; the finer details of designing the Manchester's machinery had been handled by specialists. He'd just told them how fast he wanted her to move and how far he wanted her to travel, and gave them all the space belowdecks that they said they needed.

Just the same, not knowing what was going on was maddening. He sped through the remainder of his (now almost memorized) lecture, asked for questions in a tone that indicated they wouldn't be overly welcome, and then left for the bridge.

Captain Stark, however, wasn't on the bridge. It was being run by the Executive Officer, Commander Alan Washburne. "Commander Washburne, may I ask what the problem is?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, sir. The whole ship shook, Engineering called up for the captain, and he went down there. He's been gone about 20 minutes. We still have some power, but we're at 12 knots and slowing. I've been talking with Admiral Spruance's staff. They want to be kept updated, but they can't slow down for us. And the rest of the task force is pulling away."

"That's probably the right thing to do. There could be Jap subs around. Not that that does us any good…"

Washburne grimaced. "I thought about asking if they could spare a can or two, but if this fight is half as bad as I heard, they'll need every ship they have. As it is, losing us would put a big hole in their defenses."

Just then Captain Stark returned to the bridge. His hands and uniform were smeared with grease, and he had a fierce scowl on his face. "Sparks, get me the flagship."

From his position, Tormolen couldn't hear the precise words of the conversation, but he could pick up on the tone: Stark was angry, apologetic, and embarrassed as he spoke.

After a few minutes, he switched off the TBS and turned on the 1MC. "Attention all hands, this is the captain. As I told you earlier, we have a problem with the engines. The Chief Engineer and his crew are trying to find and fix the problem, but as of this moment they are still baffled.

"We still have some power, though. Commander Book assures me we can make at least 10 knots while they work. And we have our orders: we are to continue on course while we attempt repairs. If we can get back to full power within the next few hours, we are to sprint and catch up to the rest of the Task Force. If it takes longer than four hours, then we are to join up with the Yorktown's Task Force and escort her. And if the Yorktown passes us and we're still crippled, we're to turn back to Pearl.

"One thing must be made clear: we are on our own out here. The Task Forces can spare no ships to assist us, escort us, or take us under tow. And we dare not reveal our presence by calling back to Pearl for any help - at least not until after the battle. So if we do have to go back home, it's going to be a slow trip - and there could be Jap subs anywhere."