Page 209 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

It was interesting to think of the event in retrospect. The term ‘rogue wave’
was not yet coined, but this was a phenomenon similar to an experience of Sir
Francis Chichester in his round-the-world voyage; a wave took his small vessel
in its grip and turned him end over end, depositing him safely and unharmed, an
event over which he had no control whatsoever. I thought afterwards – and, of
course, we all discussed it – of my feelings. My personal response was one of awe,
for I distinctly recall the sight before me of what I felt was the ocean floor, absurd
though that was. It was not fear, I suppose because cause and consequences were
so rapidly each upon the other that such a thought had no time to develop, but it
was an event that none of us had any wish to repeat.

Next day we limped into Sydney, relatively shipshape and in appearance
none the worse for wear. Rarely had we so looked forward to arrival in port and
to its tranquillity.

I myself was fortunate enough to have some lovely arms to ease my
sorrows, and ease them she did. On this occasion, I recall no comments from
friend Christey.

One tends to think of the nautical events referred to above as being in the
realm of ‘Moby Dick’, Mary Celeste or simple fiction. But this is by no means
the case, for the sea is not a medium upon which to be complacent, even for
the skilled and experienced mariner. In December 1944, as the Pacific War was
drawing towards its conclusion, MacArthur’s forces had targeted Okinawa, an
island which needed to be captured because it lay between Allied airfields and
Japan itself. However, this schedule was disrupted by nature. On December 18th,
there arose a typhoon that was inadequately forecast by Halsey’s meteorologists.
The fleet, caught out at sea in an area not far from the incident experienced on
Canberra, having inadequately bunkered, lost, by sinking, three destroyers and
over 100 aircraft, thereby setting back the planned events by some days. The error
should not have been unexpected, destroyers being narrow of beam and having
very little righting moment if not fully bunkered; they simply roll over with the
heavy seas, their deck-edges being so close to the grip of the seas (‘simply’ is a
totally inadequate word; to experience the sensation must be quite horrible to
those who actually feel the capsizing of a ship of any size). Halsey was found at
fault, but being a fighting and very aggressive Admiral, received little censure for
what were avoidable losses. Of course, by that time the US could sustain such
losses, but of what comfort could that have been to the wives and families of those
so needlessly lost?

After what had until then been an unusually scintillating trip (for me,
‘interesting’ may be a better word), the voyage back to Southampton was
remarkably ordinary. I even re-established a relationship with Patricia that was
as it should have been; friendly and talkative (she even bought me a record of

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