Free New Homeport Island by Robert Lyon Page B

“Because she’s a girl?” and he
 replied, “Because she can’t get any blacker look at her hands
 now!” he said with a laugh. I retorted, “You fucking racist.”
    Hudlow took on a blank stare and said, “I only like black guys.
I’m not a racist…I’m a sexiest”  
Nueme and I were bent over the generator removing bolts
 from the sump cover she leaned in toward me with a huge smile
 and laughing as she asked, “What did he just say?” I replied
 with a laugh, “He only likes black guys.”  
In the aft section of the ship DC3 Jennifer Hennely and
DCFN Culd were trying to determine exactly what makes that
 sound as the rocking of the ship caused slamming noises with in
 the repair locker they were standing next to. Hennely said, “That
 sounded like the fire axe hitting the prefabricated shoring
 material.” Culd replied, “Sounds like a possum with a machine
 gun to me.” Hennely looked at him astonished at his redneck-
 isms to which Culd responded, “I’m just sayin’” Just then EN2
Rivers ran by with EN3 Gruble and DC3 Risely to the steering
 gear room. As DC3 Risely passed Hennely she grabed his arm
 and said, “What’s going on?” Risely said, “…One of the
 steering gears.” and continued back toward the steering gear
 room.
Culd yelled across the passageway into the machine shop,
“Mic…something’s wrong with the steering gears.” Hennely
 looked at Culd and said, “A possum?...go get the keys.”  Over
 the 1MC the word was passed, “Now man aft steering”
The bridge crew was stumbling passed the captains at sea
 stateroom drenched in water as they left the bridge. Captain
Artimus just outside the bridge door in the P-way leading back
 to officer’s country told the starboard bridge wing look out
Seaman Tammy Melad, “Call it away.” Sn Melad replied,
“What do you want me to call away?” she stood there soaked
 and trembling from the cold. Artimus replied, “Flooding on the
 bridge.” Artimus headed to his stateroom to change into a dry

uniform. Tammy headed down to use the 1MC mic in combat
 information central. “Fuck this!” yelled seamen Sirey as she
 looked down at her drenched uniform and noticed it actually had
 ice crystals in it. She had been the port bridge wing look out, she
 looked over at Ens. Spayner standing there trying not to laugh
 with a delirious smile on her face. Spayner asked, “Weren’t you
 on the port bridge wing?” Sirey responded, “Ya…” Spayner
 then asked, “...And Melad was on the starboard bridge wing…”
 and with a laugh she continued, “ and your both wet…because
 it’s flooding on the bridge?” Sn Sirey responded in anger, “Okay
 ma’am first…fuck you I’m freezing. Second a wave knocked
 out the bridge windows.” Spayner continued to try and contain
 her laughter and told Sirey, “Go change before you get
 hypothermia.” Sirey recovered her sense of dignity and replied
 as she headed down to female berthing, “Thank you, ma’am.”
DC3 Risely now in the steering gear room wearing a sound
 powered head phone blurted out, “Of course…I make my way
 back here and now there’s flooding called on the bridge.” He
 looked at EN2 Rivers and leaned over the starboard steering
 gear as he removed his headset with a cowboy like demeanor
 asking Rivers, “So, ben…what’s that…like nine decks up and a
 football field forward?” Rivers replied, “I think it’s more than
 one hundred yards forward…you better get started. I’ll wear the
 phones.”    
Nueme and I were finishing up at the generator in the aft
 engine room and she asked me, “Did they just say flooding on
 the bridge?” I replied, “Ya...” She asked with an obvious cold
 chill about her, “Why are you looking at the hull like that and
 doesn’t that mean we’re sinking?” She then visible shuddered
 and continued, “…I mean