Why is it so quiet topside?

Image of Alaska Shoreline

I recall an instance before my first Westpac while I cranked, as almost every did before he qualified any watch stations and made some use of himself. A few days after throwing off the mooring lines off in Pearl Harbor we pulled into Ketchikan, Alaska to pick up supplies if I remember correctly.

Once we moored a few of the guys went up topside to take a glance at our surroundings and for some unexplained reason no one said a word once they climbed up the hatch and walked around.

Normally when we pulled into port after being underway everyone is hooting and hollering in excitement to get a bit of fresh air which most people take for granted. I finally went up topside in my tee shirt in the 50 degree weather and see for myself.

After gathering my thoughts for a minute I tool notes of the fact I have never seen anything so awe inspiringly beautiful in my entire life - the water was clear enough so the reflection of the boat looked as clear as a mirror. Additionally, tall pine trees covered the whole valley even down to the water’s edge which were complemented by snow capped mountains in the background.

As everyone took in the scenery no one said a word, there was no need to. If someone had I am sure it would not have adequate described our thoughts on what we were observing.

This came as a surprise to you as most military guys are not what you would characterize as "tree huggers" but maybe one shouldn't need to be, we are human after all with some appreciation of nature. Later the boat pulled in British Columbia noted the provinces license plate which stated "Beautiful British Columbia". The beautiful backdrop we viewed in Alaska characterized the type of scene which spawned the slogan, granted we had left Alaska and went to Canada but this was close enough to get the idea.

Any moments in your time as a nuke which impressed you in a way you might not feel comfortable sharing with your buddies on the mid-watch for fear of ridicule?  Let's hear your story and you do not need to leave your name...