"MacDonnell, J E - 125 - Blind Into Doom UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonnell J E)

that the age-hallowed time had to be checked?
"Eleven," he nodded. "But we won't linger, Slippy."
"Understood, sir."
Both men, as naturally as eating, looked to the north, then Blake
hurried off to pass the word.








- J.E. Macdonnell: Blind Into Doom Page 11 -



CHAPTER TWO

THE magazines of the shell-rooms were not on Duncan's itinerary.
The Commissioned Gunner had those on his slop-chit, inspecting
them daily and checking their air-conditioning systems kept the
temperature steady, for cordite was stable only so long as it was kept
from heating up.
On this pleasant Saturday morning Duncan's interest was for the
messdecks, the flats or compartments between-decks, and the 600
ft.-long upper-deck. This large area of wooden planks laid on four
inches of armour plate was divided into four sections, or parts of
ship-the foc's'le, running from the stem back to either side of the
bridge structure; the maintop on the starboard side amidships; the
fore top on the opposite side; and the quarter-deck aft.
In easier times the whole reach of wooden planks was holystoned
every Friday and washed down with salt water first thing on Saturday
morning. Given any sort of sunshine and the decks dried to the
whiteness of a hound's tooth. In some ships long canvas runners
were laid down, and God help any man, especially a stoker with oily
boots, who stepped off them.
This sort of pristine cleanliness was a delight to see, even if a
solid pain in the arse to achieve, but unhappily the moonlit decks
were also a delight for pilots and bomb-aimers; now Warwicks wood
was painted a dull sea-merging grey. This caused the four petty-
officer captains of tops much distress, and their sailors vast pleasure;
you have never known real toil until you have knelt all day with your
bare knees on wet sand and a holystone the size of a large brick in
each hand... rubbing, rubbing, inching your way along what seems
to be a limitless stretch.
Having those blasted decks painted was one of the few blessings
of war.
Captain Duncan started aft and worked forward. He was preceded
by the Master-at-Arms (the senior of all ratings in the ship and almost