These ships were a sight to be seen. They were in such wonderful condition and it really brought history to life for the girls. Seeing where everyone lived, and seeing the hold where all the supplies were kept.
The staff were amazing with the narrative and walking you through the struggles you would face daily as a crew member. For example- the hold was often invested with rodents and maggots. Would you open your daily ration and bite into it, accepting that whatever was inside is simply flavouring…or would you open it up and try to pick the maggots out of it before eating! It was crazy hot on those ships. With no way to bath or shower, imagine how that ship full of men would smell. Imagine sleeping in one giant room in a hammock! Daddy thinks he can’t sleep because we snore- imagine that noise in the room and rocking in your hammock!
The biggest shock for the girls was when they ran us through what would happen if you got an infection out at see. We saw the tools they used for amputation and the minimal supplies they had on board. At one point, we looked around to see all the older girls with their eyes closed. The visual with the tools and the table was just to much for them. Below is Tammy standing beside the sick bay hammock. The only real difference is that it has sides so they don’t fall out.
Sam enjoyed sounding the alarm bell on the tall ship but Tammy and Sam failed miserably at moving the cannon into place to save the ship- no matter how hard they tried they could not budge that thing.
So Tammy abandoned the tall ship and decided to try her luck on the submarine. She was much more successful here.The ship was just her size.
Poor daddy- submarines are definitely not made for tall people 🙂 It was an amazing sight to see though. The quarters were cramped and Kaatje took up almost two full bunk spaces but they did have a small jute box and an ice cream machine in the cafeteria.
After these two ships, the coast guard ship felt like a luxury liner!