World Cruise

[king of cochin]

5000 Nm to home base.

The Task Force 02 had set sail from Hanseatic Colony in Antarctica after some extensive experimentation. The sailors of the flotilla were now gearing up for their last sail to Ratnagiri for come well deserved shore time. Bars had to be revisited, wives and girl friends had to be reacquainted with and for some dedicated bachelors the lure of certain shady commercial establishments on shore was quite strong. These men were of the opinion that to drink milk one need not own the cow. One can rather buy it in packets.

Even though they were on their last legs the sailors could not be complained of slacking off. They were proud of their achievement. They had sailed all around the world raising the stature of Royal Cochin Navy and the Kingdom.

Some lives were lost as is bound to happen during any extended cruise. There were the Special Forces commandos who died during expeditions to Young Island and on Antarctic Mainland, there were those Mig29K pilots who had to eject into the icy cold sea and died of hypothermia, then there was that Chief Boatswain's Mate who died of a heart attack. Life in navy is never sanguine. A life at sea is always exposed to death, war time or peace time. But it is the life they chose for the good and the bad.

As the TF is nearing its home base now a 4950 NM ahead, the METAC patrol is returning to land after it was relieved of its patrol duties by another METAC. Currently on a passive patrol is maintained. They were miles off nearest landfall and it was empty seas ahead.

In the moonlit night the ungainly 4 engined turboprop caught the number three wire and illuminated by ground crew men it folded its wings, was emptied of crew and taken down to the cavernous hangar below.

Though it is nearly 0200 the fleet is awake. The Task Force never sleeps. Even at a time when human wakefulness is at its lowest ebb, the galleys are active, sending up streams of strong sailor's coffee and snacks to the sailors on duty in the engine room, flight deck, bridge, and various other duty sections all around this huge ship.