Maritime Midweek

Here I am, first stop on my August Adventure: San Diego, California! I have flown out to join Grad Student Gillian, who is finishing up her summer internship at the Maritime Museum this week.

This is the office where she works...

On this ferry...

With this view from her office window...That beats a cubicle, doesn't it?

Bright and early this morning I followed Gillian on her trolley ride to work, and I spent the entire day climbing up and down on and in and out of ships. Lots of ships! And a submarine.

Star of India (formerly the Euterpe), the world's oldest active ship (1863)

The Euterpe made 21 yoyages from the Isle of Man to New Zealand, way back in the 1870s. The trips took about 5 months. Passengers were required to make their own arrangements regarding their individual cabins on these voyages. That meant that they had to hire the carpenters or someone to make the bunks, supply the odd chair or two, the chamber pots and what-have-you. Let me tell you, these bunks were dinky-small. It was recommended that passengers pack 6 shirts, 6 pairs of socks, 2 warm shirts, 2 cold-weather coats among their possessions for this 5-month tour. I think that would be one ripe-smelling boat towards the end of this voyage.

The Euterpe Toilet:

One family's tub. As in bathtub.
According to one note I read,
the women on the boat bathed once a week,
and it didn't say about the men.
Maybe ignorance is bliss.

The Star of India-formerly-Euterpe was a large ship with at least three decks (or floors, in landlubber lingo.) Here are some things I observed in my poking around:

Down below in the Boatswain's Locker:

It is fascinating that there are people in this world
who can maintain organization in their tool "sheds".

HMS Surprise: 20th Century replica of an 18th Century ship

(also used for the filming of the movie Master & Commander)

This was a hammock like those filmed
in Master & Commander:
Not too comfy-looking...

Ropes.

Soviet submarine

Apparently one can grow weary of all the summer sightseers...
I'm not sure just where I heard this...

Now, who hasn't at one time wished that they could go hide
in a submarine?