Busted Gulch vol. 15

Another Way - NehpetsEnal

We don't know exactly where it is, so Marie Loé our best swimmer is gonna lead a team of divers over the side

He turns to Marie Loé, you, and your team's first task is to locate and determine the extent of the damage

You must all remain roped, the rate of flow into bilges is high and may be strong enough to suck you in

Remember the ship's survival is important, but your lives are paramount

So, bear this in mind, I'll kick your ass if you get killed, we don't want dead heroes, Godspeed and come back alive

His humour and compassion toward their welfare captured the hearts and minds of both the men and the women

The team of eight divers, three women, and five men were all roped and ready

Marie Loé was a gem, she soon had them all ordered, impressing all with the power of her French accent

She raised her arm; we are a team and will work as one

We will dive in a line, working our way down the ships hull, close enough together, so we can touch, is that clear, yes Ma'am was the cry

The ship's crew lowered them into the waters, with marked ropes to determine their depths, each carried no more than a low-pressure air hose

The first part of the journey was uneventful, but at a fathom deep they began to feel the movement of the current

It was Bert Barns who was first to find any damage, when his arm was sucked into a hole, thankfully it caused no lasting harm, so around him, the survey was focused

It identified a series of holes that spread in a diagonal line, about ten yards down the hull, it would appear that a rocky outcrop had scoured the hull, as the Liberty Belle was dragged out of the banking

They were gradually widening, where the force of the water, caused by the pumping, it seems the solution was worsening the problem, as it continued to tear off strips of the hull

It may not seem like it, but this was good news, there were plenty of holes, but none more than a foot or so wide

Because the wound was diagonal, a vertical and stronger patch was possible, the tarred strips were soon being lowered overboard

They had been predrilled to make nailing easier, but it was still several hours before everything was patched, the worst of the input had now been stemmed, the pumps were now in control, the ship was slowly beginning to rise

Just the tarpaulins to be fitted and battened, this was no easy task, they were lowered wide of the ship to avoid the current, it would be like trying to control underwater sails.

It was a tedious and delicate task to get the rippling tarpaulins in line with the repairs, when they had succeeded, the divers allowed the current to suck them against the hull, they held like giant black plasters

They had to be secured with a mess of battens, if the ship was required to move this would be essential. the leakage was now little more than normal, it was a job well done

The divers were hauled back on board and one by one receiving a round of applause, when Marie Loé finally climbed aboard, the crew's applause erupted, led by Shadow and Brett

There's one thing for sure, he was never going to forget her face again, he held her in a bear hug and kissed in full sight of the crew, to another raucous round of applause.

Shadow wondered could the wandering star, have finally met his match, as she pushed him off and said, you could have let me get my breath back, Shadow couldn't help but laugh aloud, with the watching crew.