Finally! The day when my ship was going to be launched! I could barely contain my enthusiasm I sat on the top deck of the ship, watching the crew stream around and through me. The ship was alive with chatter. Introductions were made, if they hadn't been already, and men were getting used to their positions and bunks aboard and below deck.
Suddenly, a horn sounded and all of the men snapped to attention. "The Indianapolis is on deck!" A man crowed, his feeble voice barely aduable on the back half of the ship. I stood, gliding through the crowd until I could make out the captain of my ship.
It was customary to call the captain by the ship's name whenever he walked on deck. It was supposed to show that his life was attached to the ship. I snorted, an undignified thing for a lady, but as an inaudable lady, I didn't care.
His ship.
Baloney.
It's my ship. No one could convince me otherwise.
I studied the captain as he motioned for the men to return to their duties. He was average in height, had dark hair, and a charming, disarming smile that put the men around him instantly at ease. He cracked jokes with them, laughed with them, but he knew when to get business done as well. His clothes were starched and pressed; the iron lines still evident in his trousers. His hat he tucked under his arm once on board and he commonly misplaced the hat.
Maybe this Captain Mcvoy wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe I could share my ship with him, even if it was just for a short while.
YOU ARE READING
Maiden of the USS Indianapolis
Historical FictionEver wonder why ships are reffered to with female pronouns? Well, way back at the christening of the first ship, it was named after a girl who was no longer alive. It was said that her ghost haunted the ship. Ever since then, a spirit has been assig...
