SEA CRUISE TO EDEN

Saturday, October 25, 2008

SEA CRUISE TO EDEN

The Ship Set Sail on Sept 1974

All the final preparations were completed. The ship was commanded by Major Raju and the XO (Executive Officer) was a season merchant navy officer Cpt Anthony Chan. The ship slipped off Bedok Jetty and all of us were lined up on the main deck for the traditional naval ceremony when a ship leaved harbour.

As we sailed into the Straits of Singapore, we were met by PC and MGB as ascots sailing along side this grand old dame. As they came abeam us, they gave the traditional naval salute by ‘piping’ and lowering the flag as a mark of respect to the ‘senior’ ship. By protocol, Endurance had to reciprocate the same gesture. The navy have a lot of naval traditions, naval terminology and jargon. Naval officers take all these very seriously and they take immense pride of this heritage. In Britain, the Navy is the lead service and all royals had to go through naval training.

(Left and below, escort ships at the Southern Islands)










Moment of Excitement
The ship sailed through the Singapore Straights, passing St John Island, then the Raffles Lighthouse and after passing the Sultan Lighthouse entered the Straits of Malacca. The sea was calm and the scenery was great. On the starboard (right) side was Malaysia and on the port (left) was Sumatra. I had a lot of great expectations from this trip. I know I will return to tell many exciting stories to my friends. Many of us midshipmen was just thinking and wondering, what a bonus for NS boy! Fully paid cruise for 2 months. We were all eager for the adventures.

Our home in the sea
As midshipmen, we were accommodated in the aft mess rigged with 3 tiers bunks. This was our home for the entire 2 months of this training cruise. The aft mess was designed to carry army troops. Behind the bunks were the heads (toilets) and showers. It was really cramped and when the air conditioning broke down, this place became a sauna. Nevertheless, we adjusted well and that how sailors developed strong bond, learning to share, give and take, living in compact space, literally rubbing shoulders
every day. (Left--- Mess for dining and homework, Below, Bunks)


Engine Trouble.
One day after setting sail, the ship developed engine trouble and needed to returned to port for immediate repairs. It took 3 days for the repair work and we were given permission to return home but I choose to stay onboard. Going home was inconvenient for me and may raise unnecessary anxiety for my parents.

Sail Off Again
This time no fanfare and we slipped away quietly. By then we were also quiet familiar with the ship and had settled down to the ship's routines. Everything was peaceful until we entered the Bay of Bengal, just north of Sumatra.




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