Carr (FFG 52) - Naval Cruise Book

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Bermuda Population: 58,000 (1985 Est) Located in the Atlantic Ocean approximate- ly 600 miles east of Cape Hatteras, Bermuda ' s a self-governing British Colony. It is a 21 mile chain of more than 300 small islands. The main islands are Bermuda, Somerset, Boaz, Ireland, St. George ' s and St. David ' s. Only 20 of Bermuda ' s islands are inhabited. Their coral origins have made the beaches fa- mous among tourists. The average temperature is 70 degrees and rainfall averages 57 inches. The islands have no rivers or lakes so the inhabitants depend on rain for water. Homes have to have gutters or pipes to take water from the roofs into underground tanks. Hotels have to have their own disalinization plants. Most of Bermuda ' s population are descen- dants of slaves brought from Africa during the 18th century. The white population is mostly British and English is the main language. The economy is dependent upon tourists with com- mercial fishing and agriculture being of minor importance. After their discovery in 1503, the islands re- mained unsettled until 1609 when British colo- nists settled there. It was formally announced a British Colony in 1684. Bermuda became self governing in 1968. In the 70 ' s there became a great upheaval due to racial tension. In 1977 the government strove to eliminate racial discrimi- nation among the people. At that time, and since then, they have banded together to fight for their independence from Britain. 72

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Homecoming On October 30, 1989 the plan of the day stat- ed, Only 180 days to go! From the beginning homecoming was the day everyone involved look- ed forward to. Almost every letter talked of that faithful day when loved ones would be back to- gether. Children would ask their mothers, When is Daddy coming home? which was fol- lowed by a single word, Soon. It wasn ' t always easy trying to find the bright spot in a darkened day, but now it is over. It ' s time to enjoy the time we have together. We don ' t dwell on the long six months of separa- tion. We look for the good times to come and en- joy each other ' s company. A wise man once said, You never miss anything until you have it, and it is taken away. We all learned not to take our families for granted. Let ' s not ever forget that.