Test Drive of Ship

As the title says, Today we where out to test all the ships systems before we go into work at the new place in Germany, which we are departing to tomorrow.

However, today was a bit of a harsh start at the day, I did have my watch duty from 00:00 to 04:00, which also where the time periode where I writed the last blog.

I went to bed as soon as I got releaved... to get woken up again 06:40 becuse we where leaving, and we where out of hands on the deck, So off we went.

After small 2 hours of work, I where more or less a dead man walking, so I went straight to bed again, and slept with no alarm clock on... just, sleep untill I woke up.... which resualted in I missed lunch... I never actuelly found out what was for lunch.

So bascily the whole day went on with.... sailing in circles, and that's basicly it.

But we ended up in harbor again in Esbjerg, ofcourse it was planned, our last stop before we go to Germany.

When we went out and in again with the ship, we had a little boat on the site, that we needed to go out with, and take onboard at sea, it's not a small boat, but not a big one either, it has a weight of 12 tons.

The way we get it onboard is by... lifting it with a wire in the center of the boat... imagine that, sitting in a boat and the only thing that is holding you from falling 10-15 meters down in the water... is a wire in the size of a remote to a television.

But atleast there where some beauty when we went in the harbor this evening, the Industrie is probebly by far not the most pretty thing, but it has it's momments though.

There is no way of knowing if I will be able to do any writing tomorrow... but I'm sure gonna try find the time to do it, and with lots of pictures when we will go through the Kieler channal.

Signing off, time remaining of watch... 2 hours and 45 min.

Full ship

Uselly it's always a nice thing for a sailor and it's ship to be at shore or harbor.

All of those good old stories from back in the days, and the say with "One girl in each harbor"... Those where the times, but that's simply just not the case anymore. Well... some places it might still be the case, just not where I am.

The ship has been full of craftmens and blacksmith... you name it, everything a ship needs, and that is easy compared as a small city.

Just to give an idea of how many people are walking on and off with equipment of all siezes.... sometimes we even have to use the cranes to be able to get the stuff onboard.

But this is how it looks at the shore.

And thats only looking aft of the ship... there where even more ahead of the ship.

But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing... okay it is pretty crowded and tons of work to do all day long, but alot of things gets fixed and changed.

Tomorrow morning we will head out for some test of the ship and tools. So when I wake up, I will only see the ocean, and when we near us the evening, it's time to head back to shore, for aporx 20-24 hours more of work, and then we finally will head off.... to Germany, through the Kieler chanal.

I have to admit, I'm looking pretty much forward to try sailing through the chanal, never been there before, and not to mention that there probebly wont be much room for mistakes, sense the ship is pretty big.

The national homeguard ship I command can stand on this ship like.... honestly, I don't know, but alot. compare it with, the national naval homeguard ship is 25 meters long, the ship i work on is 85 meters long.

And can you belive it, they are sending "Superman" One of the older ones, in the television, what a ship, watching the villian trying to create a continent, while they show a map of what countries would sink by it, you know, the water would rise alot if a new continent would arrive.

But Denmark and the Netherlands was still not submersed... while most of the states and canada was gone... And I am pretty sure that the US and canadag are alot higher above the waters then Denmark and Netherlands.

And I'm pretty disturbed to see a Volvo get's smashed by superman... becuse he placed a globe on it... That shiny car.

So yeah, I think that would be it for me today, and no worries... I am not one of the sailors who do the "One girl In each harbor"

Signing off.

ISPS Guard in Esbjerg Harbor

Have you ever wondered how it is to sit.... 8 hours daily on a chair in a room, checking people in and out.... well... checking people in and out when it's day time.... but the guard from 00:00 to 04:00... is pretty lonely.

What I see... all the 8 hours... plus and hour here and there to releave some of the others for dinner or launch... is basicly this (See pic below)

Watching television... playing games... I Almost completed all the Homeworld Remastered campaign on this night watch alone.

Enjoying a soda here and there, some days water only.

We got some nuts onboard today, so now I even can get a snack duing the watch.

For once there are actuelly other people awake then me onboard, which is the first time, we got some guys from one of the shipyards onboard... painting.

Even some Siemens guys are onboard... trying to get some Software to work on the Engines. Which are preparing to leave...

Yes... this is the most active night watch by far so far.

Compared to what happens during day, this is nothing, during day, I can mannage to check in and out up to 50 people, which are quiet at bit thinking of there are no guest at anytime, and when we get up around those numbers of people... I kinda run out of visitor cards.

In some way, I also feel really lucky, compared to thousends of ships, when I sit here on watch, I sit isite a comfortable room, with a good temperature, television, internet and a good chair to sit in... while normally on other ships around the glope, you simply just stand outsite and... stand there.

Well.... I'm signing off for the blog... otherwise writing 2 blogs in less then 12 hours would be overkill. Hopefully I godt some more interresting to come up with next time, otherwise I have to tell some of my past. Like the first blog.

The lost fisherman in the Great Belt

July 2013.

The location is Slipshavn (School), right out site of Nyborg, at the Great Belt of Denmark.

The National Naval Homeguard was haveing it's yearly "Education Week" where countless people across the country comes for a week with nothing else the education and courses... that was the main thought nevertheless.

I personally was on one of the Navys Navigations courses in my education to become commander of the ship.

The first couple of days at the school went smoothly and the weather was really good, sunny clear skies and no win, the water where almost at the right tampeture for a swim, if you are a bit shy of the cold.

All the courses where running, everyone was more or less happy and sweathy from learning.

But all of that was soon to be ended.

In the midway of the week, bad weather rulled over the country, strong cold wins. All the courses had to be moved inside, and all of the tents outsite where fasten.

For me I didn't really feel much of it, becuse the course I was on, the navigation one, was inside a building, so out sea charts wouldn't get wet or dirty.

All of the sudden, a Sergent opened the door and yelled: "WE GOT A SAR".

(Search and Rescue = SAR)

Just in the same second he said that, we all stod up immidiatly and started running towards the naval ships that where at Slipshavn.

We all scattered across Slipshavn to fill up as many ships as possible. I my self got onboard the MHV 813 Baunen. And within 10 min. Slipshavn launced a fleet of 8 ships out in the storm, after something or whoever made the distress call. 

We didn't knew when we went out of the harbor. All we knew, was a location we needed to go to, and we was soon to find out, that this was not just another Search and Rescue.

While the fleet was steaming down south of Slipshavn, along site "Langeland" we got inform of a Fisherman's boat was found on a beach with the engine running... without the fisherman him self.

The Police had started a search along the coast, while the National Naval Homeguard, Danish Navy, Danish Sea Rescue, Danish Air force and a dusin other commercial ships where invovled in the search.

However, the bad weather conditions where pretty bad.

Onboard the MHV 813 Baunen I Assuemed command of the ship and prepared the ship for anything.

Despie the ship was empty of fresh water, and had only fuel to around 20 hours of search, we litteraly where a plug on the bad sea of "The Great Belt".

The ship tilted up to 50 degress from port to star port and everything that wasn't fasten inside the ship... was not in 1 peice afterwards.

For whole 12 hours, we all got thrown around the ship in an attempt to search for the missing fishermen.

During the search, we did pick up a signal from a beacon in the middle of no where, that could possible have been him... however we pinpointed the beacon... but found nothing but water.

Despite the little hope there where for the fishermen, we still keept on searching.

After the 12 hour search, the SAR was called off from Command, without finding any trace of the missing fisherman.

Once again, the sea swallows a persons life.

8 National Naval Homeguard ships where in the search... All crew members where Volenteers, and does not need any payments.

2 ships from the Danish Navy.

1 ship from the Danish Sea Rescue.

2 Helicopters from the Danish Air Force.

And commercial ships passing by in the area.

And mostly, the local fishermen that knew the missing fishermen joined the rescue as well. In a search against all the odds in the rough seas.