CHAPTER 5: IC - At Sea > NYC to Panama

[Job]

At Last!

Because of--or possibly despite--everyone's continued nervous vigilance, no further incidents interfered with the expedition's preparations for departure.

How all of the things that eventually got on board were squeezed in was amazing; for with an unsuspected necromancy, Professor Moore managed to find a place for everything, although the pile of supplies still awaiting a place seemed to grow larger and the space of the Gabrielle, pitifully small to begin with, seemed to shrink before our eyes. At last the hold was full; there was room for not another box below, so Moore began to load the decks. Food boxes and gasoline drums were ranged about it until the waist of the ship became so deep with things that some pathways on the main deck could only support single file traffic.

As the weights of supplies in her mounted, the Gabrielle settled gradually. This, with the fact that an immoderately large part of her load was above decks, gave rise to some uneasiness. In fact, the day before we put to sea, an old sailing man, who had been watching operations with a disapproving eye, came up and said: "You're taking an awful chance with that ship. She'll ship green water every roll. You don't know what storms are until you get into the 'Sixties.' I've been there and I know." Commander Starkweather led the man away, assuring him that we knew what we were doing.

All the crew and party members gathered together on board ship for the first time on the morning of September 11th, 1933, three days after originally planned, and the Gabrielle set sail at last, early that afternoon.

The skies were covered with high, thin clouds; the sea was choppy; a number of small boats turned out to watch as the ship saluted the Statue of Liberty, and continued alone south into the Atlantic Ocean.

Headed southward at last. After years of anticipation and months of preparation.


Above is a recording of the USS Gabrielle departure, courtesy of Louis Laroche, our expedition radio technician

Map of U.S.S. Gabrielle Aftercastle
Floorplan of U.S.S. Gabrielle Common Area with Cabin Assignments

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Job. (the tortured one)

** = copyright 2010 Erdenstern

[Job]

Father Rucker stood on the upper deck, watched the statue and recited the old verb
In god we trust

[Job]

It is hard to say who popped the first cork, but an hour after departure--as soon as the ship has passed the five-mile limit--the entire group was invited into the Officer's Mess. The room was crowded with shipmates: Father Rucker was there, as was a still-shaking but smiling Martin LeBlanc, the biochemist George Barrow, female pilot Camille Bardier, Øyvind our dog handler, physician Dr. Watkins, geologist Jim Poole, and polar guide Paco Guerini to name but a handful. Notably missing was Vittorio Luizzi, the demolitionist, but he told his bunkmates that he was "OK" and asked them to go along without him.

The champagne flowed freely! Starkweather and Moore both toasted the future and the expedition's good fortune, grinning ear to ear.

"To our place in history!" "Hear, hear!" "Salute!"
"To our success!" "CHEERS!" *loud clapping and whistling*
"To our destiny!"

As the party wore on, Peter Sykes entertained all with old Newfoundland whaler's chanteys accompanied by spoons and cook-pot drums, and offered to teach the words to whomever wanted to learn. Many tall tales were told, both of great accomplishments and stunning disasters, with much backslapping, toasting, laughing and singing.

The fun goes on until sunset, when the ship's cook cleared the room to begin setting up for dinner.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

There are 48 crewmen and 35 expedition personnel on board. From the amount of congestion, one might imagine that there were ten times that number. Because of the last-minute preparations after the fire, everything is in great confusion in the aftercastle and even below decks. Every bunk is piled high with equipment which has overflowed to the floor. There is scarcely a place where one can set foot on deck. Supplies of all descriptions so fill the deck that to get from fore to aft it is either necessary to do a perilous balancing act on the rail or else risk one's neck in an alpine assault over peaks and precipices of crates and boxes. It will be days before everything is properly stowed away.

And if this were not enough, the chaos is exaggerated by the mixed harmony of the dogs howling below and the high pitched overtones from the radio machinery above. The dogs howled all day long, with an unearthly disharmony all their own, and it seemed that the radio would keep at it all night. What few wits were left to everyone were being sorely tested.

Fortunately, Niles Abraham, the ship's cook, provided an excellent meal and this brightened spirits considerably. The ship's first dinner is eaten at long tables in the ship's mess halls. Thereafter, the expedition member's time is their own.

At the end of the meal, Professor Moore announced that he expected everyone on the expedition to become as familiar as possible with the facts of life in the Antarctic before arrival. He asks all expedition members to lecture or give lessons in their areas of expertise. Attendance at these sessions is not mandatory, but it is expected.

[OOC - If your character might be interested in running a session, please post a note in the Chapter 5: OOC thread.

The professor plans to post a list of sessions the next morning.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

This is a good way to introduce myself and my contribution to this scientific expedition. Thinks Father Rucker.
He goes to Prof. Moore and present two lecture topics.
1. Antarctic Paleobiology.
2. Antarctic chemistry

[Job]

1. Mountain Rules

[Job]

That evening, Professor Moore posted the next day's schedule of events.

Tuesday 12th September 1933
Latitude: N 37° 30’
Longitude 74° 00’
Google Map travel path
Sunrise: 05:35
Sunset: 18:08
Todays Weather: Overcast, possible rain
Wind Speed: 10-20 mph

Today's Classes:

Instructor / Topic / Location
Morning:
Sykes / Introduction to cold-weather clothes and equipment / Officer's Mess
Greene & Watkins / Antarctic First-Aid / Ship's Medical
J Rucker / Antarctic Paleobiology / Ship's Mess

Afternoon:
G & N Sorensen / Technical Climbing / Crew's Mess
P Miles / Aeroplane Maintenance / #2 Tweendeck Hold
Eriksson / The Pabodie Ice-Drill Operation / #1 Tweendeck Hold
E Fiskarson / Boxing Fundamentals (last one standing takes on James Starkweather) / Main Deck Fore

Evening:
Ø Raknes & F Guerini / Mountain Rules / Ship's Mess
Griffith / Antarctic Geology / Officer's Mess
D Halperin & C Bardier / Aerial Navigation / Expedition Lab

[OOC - Note that there are weeks worth of courses and the list will change day by day. So don't worry about missing out on anything. Be sure to let me know which courses your characters plan to attend because there will be a chance for increasing skill points.

Regarding the sporting activities, the NPCs are generally a fit lot, as you'd expect for an Antarctic expedition, so there is plenty of interest, and I hope some of you will be joining in. Especially the boxing! Come on I'm sure somebody fancies sparring with James Starkweather?]

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

During the first night, Øyvind Raknes awoke to a noise.

[OOC - To keep this "At Sea" thread as clean as possible, we'll play out Øyvind's investigation in a separate thread.]

Here is a link to Chapter 5a: Øyvind's experience.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

Those two sounds interesting for Father Rucker

Afternoon: G & N Sorensen / Technical Climbing / Crew's Mess.

since he knows basic geology
Evening: Ø Raknes & F Guerini / Mountain Rules / Ship's Mess.

[Job]

Øyvind will assist to the D Halperin & C Bardier / Aerial Navigation / Expedition Lab lecture.

'So Starkweather wants a nose bleeding? i would happily provide it!'

[Job]

George will assist to the
Sykes / Introduction to cold-weather clothes and equipment , Grene & Watkins / Antarctic First-Aid, J Rucker / Antarctic Paleobiology lectures

[Job]

The ship moves smoothly through the Atlantic waters. The rise and fall of the vessel in the waves, while noticeable, is gentle and soothing, accompanied by the continuous faint thrum of the great engines below decks. Everyone is a little wobbly at first, until they get their sea legs, but within hours the motion of the ship seems natural.

On the morning after launch, the daily routine begins.

Breakfast for the expedition is served from 8-9 a.m. There is no formal lunch, but sandwiches and cold foods are laid out in the mess halls from noon to one o'clock, and the evening meal is held at eight p.m.

TODAY'S SESSIONS

• Professor Moore attended Father Rucker's paleobiology lecture and seemed to enjoy himself thoroughly, asking numerous questions.

Spoiler:

• By attending Douglas Halperin and Camille Bardier's "Aerial Navigation" lecture, Øyvind has a chance (a % roll) to add 1 to his relevant skill
• By attending Peter Sykes's "Introduction to cold-weather clothes and equipment" lecture, George Barrow has a chance (a % roll) to add 1 to his relevant skill
• By attending the G & N Sorensen's Technical Climbing class, and also Øyvind's & Francisco Guerini's Mountain Rules class, Father Rucker has a chance to add 1 point to his relevant skills

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

George uses his days at the lectures and putting his lab into perfect shape, canvas, pipets, microscopes in different sizes and a wide range of knives and scissors are all placed carefully with straps so they dont move with the movements of the sea.

He will take his usuall walks of 45 min twice a day around the ship taking a new route every day to get familiar with the ship and its corners and hallways.

[Job]

Spoiler:

***NOTE: At this point in Chapter 5, our action resumed on the Play@YSDC website!

[royya]

Note: Add a praying session every morning in the main cabin and everybody is welcome to attend

[Anatomist]

Spoiler:

Navigate (1d100=92)
Polar Survival (1d100=51)

[Job]

George uses his days at the lectures and putting his lab into perfect shape, canvas, pipets, microscopes in different sizes and a wide range of knives and scissors are all placed carefully with straps so they dont move with the movements of the sea.

He will take his usual walks of 45 min twice a day around the ship taking a new route every day to get familiar with the ship and its corners and hallways.

George worked through the afternoon, scouring the ship's decks and crawling through the lower holds to locate the crates that contained his equipment. The items that he hand-carried onto the ship were stowed in his cabin, but all other boxes were a challenge to find. He started by examining Professor Moore's inventory lists--volumes of paper in filing cabinets and attached to a number of clipboards on the wall in Moore's office--to find the general areas where his boxes might be. Eventually, George found most of his items, all except for his medical set for animals.

He spent a large part of the day hunting for his treasures and found that he was quite exhausted at the end of the day's exertions, flopping into his bunk after nightfall.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

Note: Add a praying session every morning in the main cabin and everybody is welcome to attend

After listening to Father Rucker's suggestion, Professor Moore studied the priest for a moment, then nodded, and said, "Alright Dr. Rucker, I'll allow you to take a moment each morning in the crew's mess while the men are gathering for breakfast. You might find that you'll need to get their attention, but if you keep it brief, then I don't see any harm."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Anatomist]

He spent a large part of the day hunting for his treasures and found that he was quite exhausted at the end of the day's exertions, flopping into his bunk after nightfall.

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Job. (the tortured one)

George was exhausted. It felt like it had been years since he last laid down to rest. George shifted in his bunker making the wood boards crack. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift on the happenings of late. Acacia Lexington, the dead Captain Douglas, the fire on board, the threatening letter... what does it all mean. How does these pieces add up
In a quieter place of his mind he made a to-do list. 1. be on the alert 2. be on the alert 3. be distrustful exept: Rucker, Moore and the egotripp Starkweather, he was after all a good man when you got to peel away the hormones, and the basic reptilian brain.

George shifted side again, making that cracking sound again Ill need to fix this he mumbled for himself being that the last thought he had that day. He slept for seven hours, he didnt sleep well... having dreams about lightnings at deep sea and a smell of rotten fish hunting him trough shadows.

Soon enough it would be morning again.

[Job]

he first full day aboard the U.S.S. Gabrielle passes as the ship cruises steadily south through relatively calm North Atlantic waters.

MORNING
The morning classes are well attended by attentive (for the most part) expedition members. In the time alloted, the instructors provide an overview of each course topic and inform the students that more detailed information and practice sessions will be provided as the week progresses.

• Peter Sykes, the Antarctic guide, begins teaching his small group how to assemble, disassemble, and repair the camp equipment. He starts by describing the correct use of all cold weather clothing that is provided to the expedition team members, a total of 82 separate items! Each expedition member is expected to care for his or her own clothing, including the repair and/or replacement of items damaged over the summer.
• Doctors Greene and Watkins provide lessons in cold weather medicine and first aid in the expedition laboratory, concentrating today on the recognition of frostbite and hyperthermia in it’s early stages, and the best treatments.
• Father Rucker presents his overview of the subject of Antarctic Paleobiology. In the middle of the course, he and Professor Moore spend a half hour enhusiastically discussing the microscopic cells and chains of cell-like bodies belonging to Precambrian purple bacteria. P.J. then notices the glazed, sleepy look on the faces of all of the students and says, "Ah, but we digress..." , and he then brings the discussion back to more practical--and less slumber-inducing--matters.

AFTERNOON
There is no formal lunch held on board, but sandwiches and cold foods are laid out in the mess halls from noon to one o'clock.

The afternoon courses are similarly popular.

• The Sorensen Brothers begin their climbing class by teaching how to make snowshoes, how to repair and maintain skis, and the basics of climbing safety. The Sorensens also describe a plan to use the midships superstructure for some practical climbing training later in the week, which sparks a bit of enthusiastic discussion and boasting.
• Enke Fiskarson takes a team out to the main deck to begin his "Boxing Fundamentals" class, first reviewing the rules of boxing, then proceeding on with stretching and limbering exercises, and finishing with demonstrations and practice. He splits the various participants according to their weight, and then proceeds with teaching the basics of stance, jabs and blocks. This boxing class is very popular, even if some choose to watch rather than participate. James Starkweather was seen observing the class from a balcony above, with a characteristic grin on his face, and shouted, "Fight, lads, fight! You'll soon have me to contend with!"
  • You can head to the main deck to observe the boxing matches here.
• In the tweendeck holds, Patrick Miles describes the principles of aircraft maintenance, while Albert Gilmore covers the Pabodie drill structure and general operation.

Mr Starkweather begins his first of many daily officer’s meetings in the afternoon in the Officer’s mess, behind closed doors.

EVENING

• Professor Griffith teaches a formal class on Antarctic Geology and, on this morning, he spends a fair amount of time describing the Ross Ice Shelf and theories regarding the forces that create it
• On this first day, Douglas Halperin and Camille Bardier present an overview of the history and general principles of aviation. On the morrow, they promise to provide more practical information about the unique problems of flying in the Antarctic, drawing much of their details from Admiral Byrd’s exploration of two years previous.
• And finally, Øyvind Raknes and Paco Guerini present their class entitled “Mountain Rules”, introducing interested team members to the nature of expeditioning in the frigid polar environments. When the presentation turns to sledding, Øyvind takes the group to the tweendeck area to introduce them to the dogs.

DINNER
At eight o’clock the evening meal is held in each mess, and the rest of the evening is free time for everyone. Most of the conversation is about Doctor Greene’s sporting events, the first of which will be a ten lap race around the ship, to be held on Saturday, once the crew clears enough room on the decks to run a lap...

Sykes (polar guide) and Louis Laroche (radio operator and electrician), organise a card game in the crew mess, while the various Norwegian expedition members appear to be holding a ‘Scandinavian Sing-Song in the corner.

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Job. (the tortured one)