Manticoran
News Bureau
“Can’t Stop The Signal“
Meeting
the Czechs at the Camden Docks.
Czech
Republic vs. New Jersey
by Captain (JG) Marcus
Johnston, OC, CGM, RMN, HMS Claymore (CA-51)
2015.06.17 CE / 346.13.37 AL (MNB) – It’s
amazing where the Navy will take you, and that’s true even in the fan service.
When I learned that the Czech contingent that came to MantiCon
was going to see USS New Jersey, I realized, “Wait! That’s only an hour away!”
So a quick Facebook post later, and I was set to meet up with our sister
organization at a museum ship.
I arrived right on time, and after
some confusion, found myself meeting the commander of HMS Phantom, Captain Lenka “Blanca” Lukacova, Baroness Moonford, as
well as Steward’s Mate 2nd Class Zuzana "Zuzka"
Zdarska, and Rear Admiral Jan "Caba" Cabrnoch, CO of HMS Iwo Jima and the TRMN's 7th Fleet.
We waited for over an hour for the rest of the squadron to show up, thanks to
the vagaries of traveling in a foreign country. It turned out that Zuska and me travelled the same exact path to get to the
battleship, but only after the three of them had driving an extra four hours
the day before. Turns out there’s a Bethlehem, New
York, when they really wanted to go to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. However, they
got off lucky—Vice Admiral Jan Kotouč,
commanding BatCruRon 39, flew the rest of them into
Washington, D.C., and then got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams driving
up to Philadelphia.
You
would only need one volley and… goodbye, Philadelphia!
Eventually everyone arrived, somewhat
exhausted, but ready to climb into a large metal box built in 1942. I got to
meet Admiral Kotouč, Blanca’s husband, Captain
Michal "Dragon Lord" Lukáč, who
commands GNS Equinox, as well as the
other spacers who joined us, including Fregattenkapitain
Marcus Wilmes, the lone Andermani representative from
our German chapter. After tickets were purchased, and necessary bathroom
breaks, this herd of naval aficionados boarded “the more decorated ship in the
Navy.”
After you get over how BIG an
Iowa-class battleship is, the next thing that went through my mind is “How do
you fit a thousand people here?” The answer soon became obvious, after taking
several pictures of the huge sixteen-inch guns, we
followed the tour below decks to the realm of the boatswain mates. The museum
ships preserved where the “2nd Division” slept, and allowed you to crawl into
their bunks, discovering just how small they are. Despite that things were
necessarily compact on board ship, your personal effects stored just above your
head while you slept, the ship went on forever. Depth,
as well as length, meant that you could store people and supplies in all
directions. There was a “wishing well” nearby, which had been grated off, but
people threw coins down a ladderway that was four
stories deep!
Found
this drawing in the bunk beds.
As fascinating as this was, my Czech
companions kept taking tons of pictures, so I decided to continue the tour
without them, figuring I would run into them later. Once back above decks, the
tour took me to the officer’s mess, which a guide explained operated in a very
different manner that what I imagined. Here the XO was in charge—the captain
ate in his own room—and officers paid a small price to eat here instead of the
enlisted mess. Once in “Officer Country,” designated by having blue tile, I
went up one level to see the admiral’s quarters and wardroom, as well as the
captain’s realm, and then on to the bridge and flag bridge. The helm was
encased in thick metal, not just for protecting the helmsman from strafing
bullets, but also because when the main batteries fired, the compression effect
of the shells would have crushed anyone not protected. The windows on the
bridge had to be removed before they blasted away.
From there, it was into the Combat
Engagement Center (CEC), where 1980’s technology controlled the cruise
missiles, point defense, and anti-ship missiles. The New Jersey served in every
American conflict from World War II to Desert Storm, and was frequently updated
in its long service. The ship was a combination of the old and new; despite the
tech being crude by modern standards, the main and secondary guns were almost
completely manually driven. Speaking of crude, my mind boggled as I stepped
into the communications room, where there were typewriters, teletypes, and
military versions of the Commodore 64 (no, I’m serious – it was the same
computer!).
In
the Combat Engagement Center – the finest technology the government paid to the
lowest bidder.
Finally driven back below decks, I saw
where the men of the marine detachment slept, and pictures showed how they
would run laps around the deck for their exercise. This lack of space and
exercise equipment became more pointed when I went to the mess, seeing lots of
signs saying, “Think Thin!” Obviously the sailors would have no opportunity to
exercise, so to keep within Navy weight requirements, they would have to eat a limited
number of calories. After eating the worst kielbasa I have ever eaten, I
finished the tour by visiting the laundry, the barber shop, and the helicopter
back above decks.
After three hours exploring this
magnificent ship, I was tired and hungry… and then realized I never ran into
the Czechs once since leaving them behind. I was sad since I would miss seeing
them again; their schedule was very tight once they left the ship. I texted
them my apologies, grateful for the limited time I spent with my fellow spacers
from across the ocean, and the excuse I needed to see this amazing ship.
Finishing
up in Marine Country – MarDet USS New Jersey
Article
Copyright © 2015, Bureau of Communications, The Royal Manticoran Navy: The
Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc.
CAPT (JG) Marcus Johnston, OC, CGM, Director of Publications, BuComm. All pictures used with permission or used in a way
that qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.