Lost Submariner's Log (standard:science fiction, 6215 words)
Author: Tanada	Added: Jul 13 2002	Views/Reads: 3642/2778	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Commander Watson must decide, is it all a trick or did he really travle through time?

LOST SUBMARINER LOG 

Personal log of Lt. Commander A. Jay Watson. 

I have started this log due to the extraordinary events which have
reshaped my life in the last 72 hours.  On Wednesday December 1, 1976 
my Submarine the Glenard P. Lispcomb SSN 685 came in to port.  This 
marked the successful end of my first cruise as Chief Engineer, the 
goal of every nuclear engineer in the US Navy.  From the post of Chief 
Engineer the only way to go was up, first to executive officer, and 
then command of your own submarine.  By Saturday afternoon half of the 
crew had gone on leave or were out for the weekend on Liberty.  Not 
having any immediate family in the area I took the early morning watch 
Sunday to let some of my reactor crew have Saturday night liberty, 
doing things like that had made me very popular with the men under me. 

For my own recreation while we were in port I planned to go Christmas
shopping for my brother's kids Sunday afternoon. For myself however I 
headed across the harbor to where the mothballed fleet lay at anchor.  
The first sub I ever served on, the USS Triton, SSRN 586.  I still knew 
her reactor systems inside and out, though she had been unfueled when 
mothballed, and I planned to spend the day aboard reminiscing over how 
different the 1950's Triton was from the 1970's Lispcomb. 

Taking a sack lunch and two good flashlights I boarded my old friend at
06:30 on the morning of December 5, 1976, and I remember thinking how 
dark the heavy fog rolling into the harbor was, like the inside of a 
coal mine. 

I was in the engine room studying the dials on the #1 reactor panel. 
Suddenly with no memory of how I got there I found myself lying flat on 
my face on the cold deck.  My first thought was that the air down here 
had gone bad and caused me to faint.  Taking a deep breath of the 
better air at deck level and holding it I climbed up the ladders and 
out on the sail as quickly as I could. I planned to head straight to 
the reserve fleet officer on watch and chew him out good for improper 
maintenance on the humidity and air conditioning plants on the Triton. 

Arriving on deck I discovered that the fog had thickened to pea soup
level, obscuring everything more than 10 feet from my face.  Even the 
deck plates at the base of the sail were invisible! 

I noticed a bright area above the horizon and could faintly hear music
through the fog.  Glancing at my watch I was shocked to discover it was 
08:00!  Somehow I had lost an entire hour! 

I felt safe enough here on the sail and I decided to stay put until the
fog lifted.  I was afraid that I might faint again and if I did I would 
fall in the icy waters and drown in the fog without hope of being seen. 


Now that the sun was up the fog was thinning rapidly and at 08:15 I
could make out the shapes of the ships and subs on both sides of the 
Triton.  This made no sense as the Triton had been the outboard vessel 
in line with the subs Sealion and Growler.  Those subs were still 
moored portside but beyond them loomed two more subs then a small 
carrier mostly obscured in the mist.  On the Starboard side I spotted 
four cruisers!  Ahead of the line of vessels where I found myself 
centered were four more cruisers nested together, and then three Essex 
class carriers. 

As the mist cleared completely around 08:35 I discovered a fourth and
fifth Essex carrier moored outboard in the row of cruisers ahead of my 
line. 

Viewing the yard now that the mist was gone delivered another shock.  I
recognized this as the Washington D.C. naval yard, but at 06:30 I and 
at least three of these vessels had been at Bremerton Washington state! 


Crossing over the brows from vessel to vessel I discovered that all 19
were anchored together about 100 yards from the navy docks.  Having 
arrived on the inboard cruiser of the row I was in, which turned out to 
be the USS Saint Paul, I could see quite a crowd had gathered at the 
docks.  They seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see them! 


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