E: The Grounding

Panic and fear spread through the warm fecund waters like a horrible
fart in an enclosed space. Silent screams and desperate prayers to
ancestors mingled with the shattering sounds of broken coral and
screeching rent metal. The twin propellers of the tanker continued to
turn, stubbornly driving the hull further up on to the reef. The reef
and its surrounds came alive at the same time as the vessels master was
thrown out of his bunk to land with a thud on the deck. Most of the
marine life darted inside the reef, searching for a hidey-hole. They
gathered together, scared and confused unable to fathom what was
happening. It appeared as if the world was coming to an end. Schools of
fish bolted away out into the open water and swam in circles. Cruising
schools of the hardy parrot fish and nibbling masses of Fairy Basslets
exploded from the reef in their hundreds shockingly interrupted from
their feeding on the algae rich coral. Too scared to move back to the
protection of the reef and too scared to remain in the open waters
around them. They were in a state of total confusion. Nowhere to run
to, nowhere to hide.

The bow of the tanker was embedded several metres into the substrata of
the coral leaving behind it a 50-metre corridor of decimated reef. .
Like a wood workers tool, the bow of the vessel had cut through the
coral like butter buckling the hull halfway along its length. The
stern, propelled by the giant screws, thrust forward on to the grounded
bow and accordioned the vessel. The screams of splintering metal filled
the air and were soon followed by the sound of a gushing torrent of the
light petroleum pouring from several rents in the vessels structure.
Sparks flew from the grinding metal and dropped into the fast flowing
fuel. A tremendous thundering whoosh swept through the air as the fuel
ignited. The flaming liquid spread rapidly around the vessel and an
awesome pall of ugly black smoke put up a black curtain around the ship
as if in a vain attempt to hide this instrument of destruction. A big
black funeral shroud.

Captain Shridaneth immediately realized something was terribly wrong.
The deck in his cabin was slanting upwards at an angle and the gilded
framed pictures of his wife and son, lay strewn upon the deck beside
his small desk. The deafening claxon of the emergency alarms rang out
through the ship. Picking himself up off the deck, the captain threw on
his over-alls, hopped drunkenly into his boots, wrenched open the door
to his cabin and bounded along the passageway to the stairwell that led
directly up into the bridge.

"Oh my god' he breathed. Looking out the forward bridge windows he saw
the forecastle skewed to port and angled crazily up at the sky. 'Good
god man what has happened. Officer of the watch, order both engines
full astern' , he yelled to the young officer who was in control of the
watch.

'Aye aye sir. Engine room, bridge'. The officer of the watch picked up
the coms to the engine room and repeated the order. 'engine room
bridge'.

The roar of machinery and shouting could be heard in the background
when a voice yelled out.

'Bridge this is engine room'

'both engines full astern' ordered the officer of the watch.

Sorry sir, no can do. Engines not responding. We have a slow flood up
the forward end of the engine room and smoke and flames coming from the
bilges. There is nothing we can do now sir. We have to shut down and
get this fire out.'

The officer of the watch sought direction from the captain. The
captains hands were in his hair and he had an awful grey green tinge to
his complexion.

'Tell Engines to shut down. Pipe hands to emergency stations. Do it
now!'

The officer of the watch replied to the engine room and gave the order
to shut down both main engines. Then he picked up the ships main
intercom and made the following pipe.

'Hands to emergency stations, hand to emergency stations. All hands
muster at allocated positions. Report to damage control HQ in the
bridge as soon as mustered'.

The Officer of the Watch was trembling. He had been in charge of the
vessel when every watch-keepers nightmare had happened. The ship was up
on the rocks and so was his career! A whimper escaped from him as the
full realization of what had happened hit him. The ship came alive
around him. The crew were running here and there, rolling out
fire-hoses and donning breathing apparatus to before disappearing down
a stairwell to fight the fire from below decks.

'Whhhooomp'. Without warning a thunderous explosion shook the vessel.
From the stairwell where the crewman had just entered shot an enormous
fount of flame. Another colleague who was feeding the hose down to his
off-sider was instantly engulfed by the flames. He screamed and flailed
about, trying desperately to put out the flames. He stumbled blindly to
the rails and dived head first over the side.

'My god she is going to blow' murmured Sanjee looking back into the
bridge. He could see the skipper with the hand set in his hand as the
message came over the ships PA.

'Do you hear there. This is your Captain speaking. Abandon ship.
Abandon ship.'