Kidd (DDG 993) - Naval Cruise Book

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l ' lHlh,l« II11 .II THESMPKSIAMKNT cm r.uli ..I us. In. Ill liiiu- Ici II11U-. h.ls ,l ,■(l upon tin- mm. W ' atthing ihf warships pulling uul. to kt-t-p this loinitn tift . . nd most of us have read a book, or heard a hist tale. but there ' s a place within each ship that legends fails to reach. It ' s down below the waterluu-. it lakes a llMiig toll. .■ hot metal living hell, that sailois(all ilie hole. It houses engines run bv steam, that makes the shalts go around, .• plate of file and noise and heat, that beats Nour spirits down, . re of molded Ciods without remorse, are nightmait-s in a dream. Whose threat that lioi.i the fires roar, is like Iniug iii doubt, That anv miiuite would with the scorn, escape and crusli vou out, Wliere turbines scream like tortured souls, alone and lost in hell, . s ordered from above somewhere. the ' ans er e er bell. The men who keeps the liies lit, .iiid nuke the i-ngines tuiii. . ie strangers to the woild ol night .ind laiiK see the sun. Thevh.i - no nine loi in.iu. no i.iKiaiHe foi leai. their aspeit |ja s no luing thing, tlie ii ibuie ol a tear, for there ' s not iiiiu h men lan do tli.ii ihese iiieii luuen ' l done, Bencith the dc-i ks deep in the hole, to make ihe engines run. . nd e en hour ol even dav, the keep die w,iti li m hell. For ll then liles evet fail, theii ship is a useless shell. Wlien sliips (oineige to h.ne .1 w,ii , u|)on .111 .mgr sea, rile men below must giiinK smile, at wli.it theii i.ite might be Thev ' re locked in down below like men foidooined who liear no l)attle civ. It ' s well assumed tliat it tliev are hit, the men below will die. For cveiv dav is a war down there, when the gauges all read red, .Six hundred pounds of steam can kill vou mightvdead. .So ll ou ivei wine iheir sons. 01 in 10 tell then l.ile. The ven wolds would iii.ike vou heal .1 tired lui na es wail .And people, .IS .1 general rule, don ' t hear of these men ol steel So little ' s heard about the place that sailors (all the hole. But 1 I. Ill sing .iboiil tlie place, and tn to make vou see. Ihe hardened lile ol men down theie. (.insi- one of them is me. I ' ve seen these sweat soaked lieio ' s light in supei healed aii . To keep their ship alive and right, though no one knows ihe re there, , nd thus thev ' ll light for ages on, (ill warships sail no mote, . jiiid the boiler ' s inightv heat, and the turbines hellish roar. .So when vou see a ship pull out to meet a warlike foe. Remember faintlv if vou can. The Men Who .Sail Below . LXKXOWX 73