"MacDonnell, J E - 021 - The Coxswain" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonnell J E)

The radar-officer knew what he meant, and he was relieved that
the captain had noticed it. Thick clouds like that could cause
temperature inversion, and that could greatly decrease the efficiency
of their radar. He had been mildly worried about it since he had
come on watch two hours before. But every hour of steaming brought
them closer to Moresby, and once through the Passage they would
be on the last leg of the base course.
"Yes, sir," he answered, also looking skyward, and keeping his
voice down-there was no point in spreading unnecessary alarm. "We
have no contacts on the 291 .. ."
No, Bentley thought, but that means a hell of a lot of nothing
with that muck up there. On the other hand, there mightn't be a Jap
aircraft within a hundred miles . . .
The voice of the signal yeoman cut across his musing:
- J.E. Macdonnell: The Coxswain Page 11 -



"Jomard light bearing Green oh-five."
"Very good," the radar-officer acknowledged, and both officers
lifted their glasses. No other comment was made- the light had
appeared almost dead ahead, where it should have, but plumb-on
landfalls were the norm in a warship.
While Bentley stared through the twin powerful lenses the officer
of the watch ordered the bosun's mate:
"Tell the navigating-officer we've raised Jomard Light."
The young seaman scuttled down the ladder.
Bentley was looking at the light, lifting up from its low island at
the southern limit of the passage like a white saltcellar, but he was
thinking of the significance of the radar-officer's order, and its
immediate result.
The lieutenant's thought of the navigator had been instant, and
his order had followed at once: the bosun's mate had doubled away
on his errand. Nothing out of the ordinary in that, perhaps-but he
had been on bridges where the captain would have had to send for
the navigator, and where the messenger would have walked to the
ladder. Little things
A good ship, Bentley mused, a taut ship. Like all deep-water
sailors, he was inclined to be superstitious but there was no doubt
whatever about this-she was a good ship, and nothing could alter
that proven fact.
At 20 knots the light was growing more identifiable every minute.
He could pick out the circle of protecting glass. The navigating-
officer stepped on to the bridge and at once checked the ship's
position. Obviously she was steaming on a safe course, but with
thousands of tons of moving metal you didn't rely on what your eye
told you-you got it down mathematically on the chart. Many times,
especially in these waters, the only obvious thing about a "safe"
course had been the shearing grind as her hull ran up on the hidden
reef.But Bentley, with his trained team working about him, was not