Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 23, 2025
But when the mid-watch had been mustered, the lookouts stationed, and the rest of them had settled themselves down for sleep between the guns, out of the way of passing feet, the forecastle of the Congress offered a very decent promenade, magnificent compared to that proverbial of the poops of small vessels "two steps and overboard."
But the ruse was successful, the attention of the lookouts had been attracted, and instantly the searchlights from the station on the cliff to the eastward of the harbour were turned upon the cruisers and kept steadily bearing upon them.
The morning of the third day dawned fair and fresh, and once more the solitary night-man at the fore-masthead was relieved by crowds of the daylight lookouts, who dotted every mast and almost every spar. "D'ye see him?" cried Ahab; but the whale was not yet in sight. "In his infallible wake, though; but follow that wake, that's all. Helm there; steady, as thou goest, and hast been going.
It was this, perhaps, that saved us from disaster this and the keenness of American eyes, and the straightness of American shooting. From the high-flung superstructure of a big ship one of the eager lookouts noted an unwonted line of shining foam on the port bow. In a second he realized that here at last was the reality of peril. It could be nothing else than the periscope of a submarine.
Therefore, in them fighting power declines in relative importance, and speed, to perform their missions, increases in proportion. As their essential use is not to remain at the centres, but to move about, they are called generically cruisers, from the French word croiser, to cross. They cross back and forth, they rove the sea, despatch boats, lookouts, scouts, or raiders.
After an hour or so we didn't care much what happened. Everything was dark, not a light showing aboard ship or elsewhere until, about midnight, I saw a glow on the horizon, nearly dead ahead. As the ship's lookouts said nothing, I did likewise, but I assure you I was mightily puzzled.
Of a sudden there came a hail from the other masthead where two lookouts stood in the cage with glasses. "On deck, sir! Submarine just awash on the starboard quarter, sir!" The cry was in truth a startling one. Whistler and Torry, who had sprung with their mates to the guns of the second turret, were on the starboard side. A second submarine?
"It's coming on to blow," said Wilton, as the lookouts took their stations on the top-gallant forecastle. "I don't think it will blow much; it is only freshening a little," replied Shuffles. "Now, what about the mutiny?" demanded Wilton, impatiently, after he had become more accustomed to the dash of the sea under the bows of the ship. "Don't call it by that name," replied Shuffles, earnestly.
The attention of the lookouts having thus been attracted to our cruisers in the offing, we in the destroyers were able to slip into the roadstead undetected. Arrived there, we lost no time in sowing our mine-field right athwart the harbour's mouth, and, had we been so minded, could have finished our work and retired before daylight.
As he stepped out on deck he could see that the lookouts had adopted life-belts for the night. The lookouts were men from among the troops, and now each man as he went off watch was handing over his life-belt to the next coming on. They had had to use the soldiers for lookouts.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking