thedrifter
05-18-06, 07:17 AM
10 Days in the
Published Thursday May 18 2006
CODY ECKLES
Special to the Gazette
Editor's note: Petty Officer 2nd Class Cody Eckles periodically shares his experiences aboard the USS Port Royal deployed in support of the war on terrorism. Eckles, 22, is a Mount Pleasant native whose family lives in Port Royal.
Day 1: The day started like any other, only we were operating in the world's most dangerous and pirate-infested seas.
More than two centuries ago, the U.S. established itself among the world's most powerful navies during the battles against the pirates of Barbary, and not since that time has it taken on such a menacing gang of bandits on the high seas.
Gone are the days of glamorized pirates such as Steed Bonnet, known as the Gentleman Pirate, and Edward Teach, or Blackbeard. The Horn of Africa has given rise to a new breed of piracy.
Aboard the USS Port Royal, no one knew what the next day -- or the next minute -- would bring. The pirates demonstrated their determination by engaging warships, proving they were greedy adversaries who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.
Our translator, who spoke seven languages, came aboard. Being of Arab origin, the translator gave the crew a chance to see that we are not fighting a war against Arab people, but rather extremists who sometimes fit that profile. He was a valuable asset to the boarding team.
By the day's end, we were called upon to board a dhow, a small traditional Arab fishing or cargo boat, which was not responding to our attempts to contact them via radio. We finally made contact with them as we approached and received the information we needed. The vessel was allowed to continue without being boarded.
Day 2: It was an exciting day. We completed our first boarding, something the team was anxious to get out of the way.
The rest of the day was fairly disappointing, though, as we didn't run across much other boat traffic, except the same dhow we saw the day before.
Day 3: The boarding teams geared up several times in the morning, only to be stood down each time.
In the afternoon we boarded a large dhow with its cargo concealed beneath an orange tarp. The vessel revealed no signs of piracy. The members of the boarding team were beginning to realize the elusiveness of our adversary.
Day 4: The morning was an exciting one. We found a dhow and several skiffs to possibly board. Having watched the news, I knew that the pirates' vessel of choice was a skiff, a small white fishing boat.
As we made our approach on the dhow, our translator began to question the crew. A misunderstood word led him to believe that the crew had rocket launchers onboard. Instead, they had several automatic rifles, which was understandable considering they had to protect themselves from pirates.
When we obtained permission to board the vessel from the master, the team leapt aboard. One member missed the ledge and grabbed onto the side of the ship. He held on for several seconds, unable to lift himself, until we pulled him on board. Swimming below his feet was a shark, which the fisherman had just caught.
Before we left the dhow, the fishermen offered our team a sailfish, which they had recently caught. We kindly turned their offer down and made our way back to the ship.
Later that day we were watching television in our berthing when over the loudspeaker came, "Boom, hit starboard side!"-- an announcement for a battle stations drill.
When we turned around to run, the translator and I were told that we were going to be simulated casualties. The translator didn't understand what was going on. All he wanted to do was go smoke a cigarette, but they told him he couldn't move because a mine blast just killed him and there was a giant hole in the bulkhead.
"My friend, but there is no hole," he said.
I had to laugh. I agreed with him there: Navy scenarios can take a lot of imagination.
Afterward, the translator was called to the bridge to conduct a query with another boat. He was called out by the captain for wearing a USS Gonzales hat aboard the USS Port Royal and told to take it off. His hat was quickly replaced with one of our own.
During his time onboard, our translator shared the beliefs of his people, which were similar to the values shared generations ago in America. I think it has been a great experience to get to know him. He has given many of us a different view.
Day 5: We had to replenish the ship's fuel, food stores, mail and supplies. We had no boarding missions. At the day's end, the crew gathered on the fantail to fish and socialize. Several tuna were caught in a short period. It was a boring day, but it was nice to get mail.
Day 6: It was another day of boredom as we had no boardings. We cleaned the ship for several hours.
Day 7: Holiday routine was observed as we sat within view of land. In the afternoon, we boarded a small fishing dhow. A steak was a welcome treat for dinner.
Day 8: The day started on a bad note. I could not sleep at all the night before. It was so hot I woke up sweating in my rack. Then at 5:30 a.m., the boatswain's mate announced, "Man all gunnery stations."
This sent my entire berthing aisle into a panic, throwing on whatever clothes they could find and bolting down the passageways to man our gun mount.
Then the boatswain's mate of the watch played "Reveille," which sounded like he was choking his bugle. He was not musically gifted.
Soon afterwards, the translator was called to the bridge to query another boat. As we got closer to the dhow and several surrounding skiffs, someone noticed that it was the same group of boats we had boarded a few days ago, only now their fleet of skiffs was larger. As we approached, the skiffs pulled back into territorial waters, and the dhow advanced towards us. No boarding was attempted, but they remained highly suspicious.
Around 1 p.m., supplies, food and mail were flown in on what we call a "vertical replenishment." We moved more than 50 pallets of supplies by hand into storage aboard the ship. This time I chose to help stowing away frozen meats. It was a much cooler experience than my last vertical replenishment, when I endured hundreds of exploding sodas in hot temperatures.
Then, the boarding team was called away to board what many suspected to be pirate vessels.
After diving through fishnets entangled with carcasses of sharks, we determined the two skiffs to be clear. When we got back to the ship, the stench of rotten fish clung to us. Even after a long shower, we still smelled.
Day 9: It was insanely busy day. I could not sleep again because the shaft was squealing all night and the temperatures were unbearable.
We boarded two skiffs and also encountered a large commercial trawler that pirates had recently attacked.
The day ended with no action. Our elusive enemy may be any one, if not all, of the vessels that we have boarded.
Day 10: The boarding team was called away late in the afternoon to board the trawler we saw the day before. The trawler had an anti-aircraft gun and a .50 caliber Browning machine gun on deck.
When I thought about all the trawlers back in the Lowcountry, I laughed as I imagined them having the guns that this one had.
After 10 days of boarding boat after boat in the Red Zone we are heading onto our next phase of deployment. Long hours of countless boarding missions and guard duties are ahead.
Ellie
Published Thursday May 18 2006
CODY ECKLES
Special to the Gazette
Editor's note: Petty Officer 2nd Class Cody Eckles periodically shares his experiences aboard the USS Port Royal deployed in support of the war on terrorism. Eckles, 22, is a Mount Pleasant native whose family lives in Port Royal.
Day 1: The day started like any other, only we were operating in the world's most dangerous and pirate-infested seas.
More than two centuries ago, the U.S. established itself among the world's most powerful navies during the battles against the pirates of Barbary, and not since that time has it taken on such a menacing gang of bandits on the high seas.
Gone are the days of glamorized pirates such as Steed Bonnet, known as the Gentleman Pirate, and Edward Teach, or Blackbeard. The Horn of Africa has given rise to a new breed of piracy.
Aboard the USS Port Royal, no one knew what the next day -- or the next minute -- would bring. The pirates demonstrated their determination by engaging warships, proving they were greedy adversaries who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.
Our translator, who spoke seven languages, came aboard. Being of Arab origin, the translator gave the crew a chance to see that we are not fighting a war against Arab people, but rather extremists who sometimes fit that profile. He was a valuable asset to the boarding team.
By the day's end, we were called upon to board a dhow, a small traditional Arab fishing or cargo boat, which was not responding to our attempts to contact them via radio. We finally made contact with them as we approached and received the information we needed. The vessel was allowed to continue without being boarded.
Day 2: It was an exciting day. We completed our first boarding, something the team was anxious to get out of the way.
The rest of the day was fairly disappointing, though, as we didn't run across much other boat traffic, except the same dhow we saw the day before.
Day 3: The boarding teams geared up several times in the morning, only to be stood down each time.
In the afternoon we boarded a large dhow with its cargo concealed beneath an orange tarp. The vessel revealed no signs of piracy. The members of the boarding team were beginning to realize the elusiveness of our adversary.
Day 4: The morning was an exciting one. We found a dhow and several skiffs to possibly board. Having watched the news, I knew that the pirates' vessel of choice was a skiff, a small white fishing boat.
As we made our approach on the dhow, our translator began to question the crew. A misunderstood word led him to believe that the crew had rocket launchers onboard. Instead, they had several automatic rifles, which was understandable considering they had to protect themselves from pirates.
When we obtained permission to board the vessel from the master, the team leapt aboard. One member missed the ledge and grabbed onto the side of the ship. He held on for several seconds, unable to lift himself, until we pulled him on board. Swimming below his feet was a shark, which the fisherman had just caught.
Before we left the dhow, the fishermen offered our team a sailfish, which they had recently caught. We kindly turned their offer down and made our way back to the ship.
Later that day we were watching television in our berthing when over the loudspeaker came, "Boom, hit starboard side!"-- an announcement for a battle stations drill.
When we turned around to run, the translator and I were told that we were going to be simulated casualties. The translator didn't understand what was going on. All he wanted to do was go smoke a cigarette, but they told him he couldn't move because a mine blast just killed him and there was a giant hole in the bulkhead.
"My friend, but there is no hole," he said.
I had to laugh. I agreed with him there: Navy scenarios can take a lot of imagination.
Afterward, the translator was called to the bridge to conduct a query with another boat. He was called out by the captain for wearing a USS Gonzales hat aboard the USS Port Royal and told to take it off. His hat was quickly replaced with one of our own.
During his time onboard, our translator shared the beliefs of his people, which were similar to the values shared generations ago in America. I think it has been a great experience to get to know him. He has given many of us a different view.
Day 5: We had to replenish the ship's fuel, food stores, mail and supplies. We had no boarding missions. At the day's end, the crew gathered on the fantail to fish and socialize. Several tuna were caught in a short period. It was a boring day, but it was nice to get mail.
Day 6: It was another day of boredom as we had no boardings. We cleaned the ship for several hours.
Day 7: Holiday routine was observed as we sat within view of land. In the afternoon, we boarded a small fishing dhow. A steak was a welcome treat for dinner.
Day 8: The day started on a bad note. I could not sleep at all the night before. It was so hot I woke up sweating in my rack. Then at 5:30 a.m., the boatswain's mate announced, "Man all gunnery stations."
This sent my entire berthing aisle into a panic, throwing on whatever clothes they could find and bolting down the passageways to man our gun mount.
Then the boatswain's mate of the watch played "Reveille," which sounded like he was choking his bugle. He was not musically gifted.
Soon afterwards, the translator was called to the bridge to query another boat. As we got closer to the dhow and several surrounding skiffs, someone noticed that it was the same group of boats we had boarded a few days ago, only now their fleet of skiffs was larger. As we approached, the skiffs pulled back into territorial waters, and the dhow advanced towards us. No boarding was attempted, but they remained highly suspicious.
Around 1 p.m., supplies, food and mail were flown in on what we call a "vertical replenishment." We moved more than 50 pallets of supplies by hand into storage aboard the ship. This time I chose to help stowing away frozen meats. It was a much cooler experience than my last vertical replenishment, when I endured hundreds of exploding sodas in hot temperatures.
Then, the boarding team was called away to board what many suspected to be pirate vessels.
After diving through fishnets entangled with carcasses of sharks, we determined the two skiffs to be clear. When we got back to the ship, the stench of rotten fish clung to us. Even after a long shower, we still smelled.
Day 9: It was insanely busy day. I could not sleep again because the shaft was squealing all night and the temperatures were unbearable.
We boarded two skiffs and also encountered a large commercial trawler that pirates had recently attacked.
The day ended with no action. Our elusive enemy may be any one, if not all, of the vessels that we have boarded.
Day 10: The boarding team was called away late in the afternoon to board the trawler we saw the day before. The trawler had an anti-aircraft gun and a .50 caliber Browning machine gun on deck.
When I thought about all the trawlers back in the Lowcountry, I laughed as I imagined them having the guns that this one had.
After 10 days of boarding boat after boat in the Red Zone we are heading onto our next phase of deployment. Long hours of countless boarding missions and guard duties are ahead.
Ellie