Chapter One pg 6 The End?
We later learned that the ship has a prop up
front too. It's used to chip away a the ice from below, while the bow
crunches down on the weakened ice.
Then it was up the "ladders/stairways" (not too
sure what the right term is, being an "old Air Force man) to the bridge. Just
before we went up, one of the crew members asked us a question..."are you
familiar with the Lionel Train Company?" We looked each other, then him
and said "yes...why?" He proceeded to tell us that this ship, this 60 year
old ship that was build during WWII, boasted the oldest and/or the only ship in
the Coast Guard with a navigation compass built by, yes...Lionel Train Company.
At the top, but before we went into the bridge,
yet another crew member pointed out the "side bridges/pilot houses" to help
docking, piloting, and rescue operations. He noted, and we looked at one
on either side of the main bridge, extending, it seemed, right out over the
water. When asked if they actually use these side bridges to steer the
ship, he said no. But they do call sightings to the bridge, and the bridge then
adjusts as needed. Finally, we entered the bridge. We were
greeted by the Captain, who seemed rather business like, and he gave a spiel,
then we saw it... the Lionel Co. compass. It was covered with a huge brass
hood. One of the men on the bridge took the cover off, when I asked if I
could take some pictures. I took some close-up pictures and made sure that
at least one of them showed the Lionel name...which is does. (I'll share some of
the ship pictures that I took at the end of the book.) We were told
earlier that the ship was rigged with some very old and some very new
technology, and as we gazed around the bridge, we saw exactly what that meant.
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