It is early 1944; the Allies are ramping up for the invasion of Europe. You have signed on the latest Liberty Ship to sail from Bethlehem Shipbuilding’s yard at Sparrows Point.
Your ship is heading south in Chesapeake Bay bound for Hampton Roads, Virginia. There she will load war material then sail for Europe with the convoy scheduled leave on April 3rd.
As the ship approaches Sandy Point Light, the bow lookout is startled to see a trail of bubbles quickly approaching from port. He is an old salt and has seen this before. He runs for the rail on the starboard side and leaps overboard just as a torpedo slams into the hull.
Unbelievably, a U-boat had been able to sneak up the bay with the intent of attacking Baltimore and her shipping. This is the same U-boat that sank the British trawler Lynx II.
In a stroke of luck the torpedo does not explode. It does however punch a hole in the hull and the ship quickly begins to flood.
The lookout that jumped over the side swam away from the ship to avoid being pulled into the propeller. He is lucky to have been spotted by the crew of the minesweeper USS Prevail which had been following the Liberty Ship down the bay. As they maneuver to pick him up, the hull identification number looms overhead.
Back aboard ship, the flooding is progressing and the pumps are unable to keep up. The Captain orders the third mate to send a message to Port Control via the lighthouse keeper at Sandy Point that they have been attacked by a submarine and to give the ship’s position. The third mate was a bit of a slacker in communications class and did not use his PUB correctly. His coded message to the keeper indicated the ship had found a vessel in distress and gave the coordinates.
Meanwhile, after plucking the lookout from the bay The Prevail continued to monitor the situation. The ship was settling further in the water; as the waterline approached the anchors it was obvious to the captain of The Prevail that the ship would sink. He ordered his signalman to send to the Sandy Point lighthouse keeper that the Liberty Ship will have to be abandoned.
As The Prevail was maneuvered into position to receive the crew of the Liberty Ship her rudder(s) came in contact with a partially submerged object. The force of this caused them to jam hard to starboard. She was able to drift into position near the ship’s accommodation ladder then pass lines to stay alongside and make the crew transfer.
After all were safely aboard the lines were cast off and the vessels drifted apart.
When asked by the Sandy Point Lighthouse keeper as to why The Prevail was going around in circles, the reply was that she had received damage to the steering gear.
Good luck with the puzzle and with your search for information necessary to solve it. The game does not always remain the same.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
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