Yo, ho ho… salty sea story for ya able-bodied seaman
Nov 14, 2017 21:30:33 #
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia.
The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought the master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LON 179 30' W. The date was 31 December 1899.
"Know what this means?" First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line".
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.
He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.
At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!
The consequences:
The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.
In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in:
Two different days,
Two different months,
Two different years,
Two different seasons
But in two different centuries ... ... ... all at the same time !!!
The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought the master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LON 179 30' W. The date was 31 December 1899.
"Know what this means?" First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line".
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.
He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.
At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!
The consequences:
The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.
In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in:
Two different days,
Two different months,
Two different years,
Two different seasons
But in two different centuries ... ... ... all at the same time !!!
Nov 14, 2017 21:39:01 #
PulletSurprise wrote:
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knif... (show quote)
Well written ,thx.
Nov 15, 2017 05:13:14 #
PulletSurprise wrote:
This was the ship Mark Twain took to Australia before the turn of the last century.The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knif... (show quote)
Nov 15, 2017 09:52:30 #
Kevyn wrote:
This was the ship Mark Twain took to Australia before the turn of the last century.
Interesting to pick up bits and pieces, helps to make my life more interesting. Thank you.
solarkin, Thank you. A friend, retired sailor, forwarded it to me. I enjoy information like this, like a 'Paul Harvey' moment if you're old enough to remember him. It's good to take a moment to think of other things than politics.
Thank you very much. You both added to my life and I appreciate it. We may not always agree on everything that's said; however, it's good to sit down and have a bowl of soup together.
Nov 15, 2017 14:35:10 #
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