As we leave Hawaii behind us, we are all looking forward to what lays ahead. Today was a busy day throughout the ship. Cadets were in the classrooms, out on deck, and down in the engine room getting back in the routine.

On the classroom deck some cadets were learning how to extract a person from a smoke-filled room. They dawned their SCBAs and began to search the space. It is important to keep yourself along the bulkheads and feeling your way through the room. When searching for a person the goal is to bring them out, however it is important they keep in mind that personal safety is key.

Out on deck the cadets were busy stowing the lines. The process is time consuming since the lines are not only heavy but need to be placed down so they do not tangle. Once this was done, they checked their work and cleaned the area. Some other deck cadets were learning how to do damage control if an area has a hole in it. The instructor stated that you pretty much put anything there to plug it and prevent water from coming in. It takes teamwork, but once it is done it should hold until more help arrives.

After lunch we had our weekly fire and emergency drill. During this drill there was a simulated fire near the damage control locker, this puts an added element of difficulty since this severely limits the initial response from the firefighting teams. This is because some of the firefighting gear is stored in the damage control locker. They also simulated a “Man Down” which required extraction and participation of the medical team. To make this more difficult the person “down” was the Chief Mate, so the chain of command needed to be altered.

Since our day draws to a close, we are met with calm seas and a light breeze. The air is still warm, and we are all looking forward to where we will be next.