Day 12 - Awesome

   I thought I'd add some context to Day 6.

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    'Oy, Awesome' it was the first thing Merlin had said in an hour.
    Bluey took his right hand of the helm and wedged it under the button that enabled/disabled George the autopilot.  The button sitting atop a stainless steel cubed cabinet about 75 cm tall, 50 cm wide and 80 cm long.
    Bluey did not really understand how the gyro worked, how it kept on course and managed to adjust appropriately for a sea coming from any direction.  What he did now was that it made his life on the helm a lot easier when he simply had to sit there and take orders from bridge to change course, and in between simply chat with his mates.
   The reason now he was anxious was two night ago someone had walked by and turned George off unbeknownst to him and he found himself significantly of course and got sprung trying to navigate his way back,

‘Helm, Bridge.’

‘Helm Sir.’

‘Able Seaman Hoffstedder, your heading?’

‘Two Two Seven Sir.’

‘You are meant to be on course One Nine Zero Able’

‘Yes Sir.’

‘What are you doing on Two Two Seven able’

‘Coming back from Two Four Zero Sir.’

‘..........’

‘Helm, Bridge.’

‘Helm Sir.’

‘Thirty degrees port wheel’

‘Aye, Thirty degrees port wheel’

‘Thirty Degrees Port wheel on’

‘Roger Thirty Degrees Port Wheel, steer One Eight five’

‘Roger Steer One Eight Five’

‘On course One Eight Five.’

‘Roger One Eight five.’

  That had cost him six cartons of beer, two for the forward mess, two for the non-comissioned officers and two for the after mess.  About $130 bucks all up.
   Awesome just stood there holding a piece of paper. It was amazing, how could someone stand in the middle of the control room looking as awesomely lost was awesome.
   Awesome wasn't his real name, the same as Bluey's wasn't his.  Nicknames were stock and trade on a Submarine.  Bluey was because of his red hair, Merlin because of his last name Prentis, Windy for his surname Gale. Awesome though, was not because of last names or physical appearance, he was Awesome because he was Awesome.
   Awesomely awkward and incompetent.  We was a good bloke, one of the best. The problem was mayhem often followed him wherever he went.  He was the Mr Bean of the boat.
    Bluey did not know how, he was not going to chance it though, there was no way he would be shouting cartons again.
    'Hey Awesome, what are you looking for?'
    'Lower voice pipe cock?'
    'You're not going to find it up there are ya, it's for communicating from the bridge to the helm when the wires fail, where do you think it would be?'
   'Near you, near the helm.' in his excitement Awesome lent in over the gyro to get a look at the lower voice pipe so he could draw it, they had to draw everything, they had to know the boat inside out to become a submariner.

    Just as a following wave kicked the stern causing awesome to stumble, falling into George crushing Bluey's hand.
   'Shit Mate, get the hell out of here.'
   'Sorry Bluey.' Awesome exited the control room as quickly as possible before the senior sailor on watch bollocked him.
    'Shit he owns that nick name.'