By Michael Carr – “Come more to the left, now straighten out,” Steve directed. “On this wreck, the current comes in from the east, so you need to compensate for that extra drift before you drop the divers.” I was driving the twin-screw dive boat south, stemming the Gulf Stream’s western edge,...
michael carr
Carr: Helsinki to Miami Aboard Carnival Spirit
” data-medium-file=”http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/33104999033_9328209fa8_h-300×199.jpg” data-large-file=”http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/33104999033_9328209fa8_h-800×530.jpg” />By CW4 Michael Carr – “This is your cabin sir,” pronounced the Carnival crewman. “Thank...
Carr: LORAN Overboard
By CW4 Michael Carr – I had heard enough. This constant debate on the need for electronics. Someone would say, “Well, celestial is great, but you really need electronics, I mean what if it’s raining, or too rough, or there is no horizon….?” At first, I would respond to these queries with politeness...
Carr: Lifeboat Training
By CW4 Michael Carr – We huddled behind the ship’s superstructure, momentarily escaping wind, rain and snow flurries. Soon, though, we would need to leave this protection, and move to the ship’s windward side where we would start lowering and raising lifeboats. Water temperature was in the 40s F...
Spinning in the Current: Turning a Barge Loaded with Buoys in the C & D Canal
“Canal Control, Canal Control, Canal Control, this is Army Tug 915, channel 13 over”. I speak slowly into the VHF microphone. One hand on the mike, my other hand controlling the throttles and rudders on the 60 foot Army tug with a 100-foot barge on her nose loaded with Coast Guard ice buoys. We are...
Carr: Loran C Lines in the Fog
Wayne was steering and I was navigating, but I knew we were not navigating in the way Bowditch defines the art and science of this endeavor. We were making 8 knots to stem an outgoing tide, any slower and we would have a difficult time offsetting set and drift. We had no visibility, pea soup […]
Carr: Boeing C-17 Aircraft Goes to Sea
By Michael Carr – A Boeing C-17 cargo aircraft is a big aircraft, with a wingspan of 169 ft., and length of 174 ft. Her fuselage width is 20 ft. and height is over 12 ft. One hundred and two fully equipped Army paratroopers can fit inside the cargo area. Hundreds of these aircraft were […]
Carr: Tropical Storm Barry – Where do we go from here?
By CW4 Michael Carr – Tropical Storm, and potentially Hurricane Barry, was heading directly for us. Though still a thousand miles away, which might seem far away, that distance is small when considering the wind radius and forward motion. We needed to make decisions on what we would do, and once...
Carr: Building a Log Cabin While Underway
By Michael Carr – Building a log cabin while underway is not easy. But I persisted and built one, many times over. Each time I began constructing the cabin it had subtle variations from the one I had built previously. Maybe bigger windows, an additional room, or a new style foundation. Every facet...
Carr: Skipper Wants to See You In His Cabin, Now.
By Michael Carr – “Ensign Carr, the skipper wants to see you in his cabin now, I am here to relieve you of the watch.” I could not speak. “OK,” I finally stuttered. “Shit, what have I done wrong.” No one gets summoned to the Skipper’s cabin during their watch unless there is a real […]