The Royal Navy

I’m not really sure where to begin in this update. All I know is that usually I am napping right now, and through Global Studies, which technically just ended. However, I was not in Global Studies. Instead I was witnessing something most don’t see everyday, even on Semester at Sea.

About two hours ago (around 8 am), we entered the waters of Diego Garcia, the largest atoll in the world (shaped like a foot!), near the Maldives. This island, owned by the British Naval Air Force, is a Naval air facility and military relic of the Cold War, used more recently in the war against terrorism with Iraq and Afghanistan, and is rarely seen by anyone other than government eyes. The landing strip on the island is one of 33 emergency landing cites in the world for the space shuttle. The United States Naval Air Force rents, or shares, this island from the British, and together they occupy this pirate-infested area, attempting to keep the waters as safe as possible.

My 8 am class got out early this morning (thank you Professor Kennedy), and apart from looking out the window, we could all feel that the ship had taken a break from cruising at full speed. I sprinted up the stairs and onto the 7th deck, looking out the windows of the sheltered area as rain drops raced down the glass. A girl behind me mentioned something about a submarine that had come up at the bow of the ship, and together we raced to the teacher’s lounge, which was surrounded by a deck only one or two others were standing on, dressed in rain gear and holding the railing, leaning against the rough wind.

The submarine had gone, but there to take its place were two tug boats and at least 4 other jet black speed boats, surrounding at strategic distances from both us and each other, pushing their motors to keep up along our side. They guided us through two red buoys, rocking back and forth in the waves. It seemed like we crossed an invisible line as we slowed and stopped (as much as a ship that’s not anchored can stop) and the speedboats moved closer to the ship. This morning Captain Jeremy had come on the system…

“Good morning and sorry for the interruption. In just a little while we will be making a stop at the port of Diego Garcia, where we will be dropping off two students and a staff member who cannot receive the medical attention they need in our facilities and will need to be air lifted to a hospital with the capabilities to treat them. Please do not be alarmed at the sight of any armed soldiers walking the ship, as it is routine for them to do a sweep and secure the area. Again, I apologize for the early-morning announcement.”

“Armed soldiers” was really the only thing people heard as we sat in the dining room for breakfast.

After standing on deck in the rain for a while, fairly wet and noticing that nothing was really happening at the moment, I ran downstairs to drop my damp notebooks off and grab a pencil (I originally had every intention of going to Global Studies!) As I made my way to my cabin, I passed the gangway, conveniently located on deck 2 near my room. The small space was crowded with Royal Navy soldiers carrying big guns, the deans, and the poor sick girls waiting next to their luggage to get off the ship, small and shrinking in comparison to everyone around them. I pushed through the small crowd to my room and eventually back upstairs.

By the time I had made it back up to the top, they were lowering a platform, and had hydraulic stairs folding out of a mystery door in the ship’s side. Onlookers leaned over the railings above the gangway, watching the process as safety bars were put in place, a Navy boat lined up backwards, and soldiers filed on to our ship, along with the first tame, trained dog I had seen in a while. After what I assumed was another quick search, the sick crewmember waddled down the ramp, carrying a suitcase in each hand and dressed in street clothes (something we don’t see very often on the ship). Next was a girl in my Travel Writing class, followed by another girl strapped into a gurney. A quick job for so much build up. Please pray that they all get better and can return to the ship in Singapore.

The Navy men filed off of our ship and back onto their boat soon after, each clutching Semester at Sea t-shirts. As our crew began to fold back the platform and walkway, we watched and waved as they unraveled their souvenirs, holding them up to get a better view. One man snapped a couple pictures of us and the ship with a wind-up camera I haven’t seen since middle school, and we waved and cheered in appreciation for their help. “Have fun in India!” one of them shouted out with a British accent as we began to drift apart.
As our ship began to move again, our guard boats lined up in familiar fashion and accompanied us back to the imaginary line between the buoys. Rumor has it Captain Jeremy REALLY wanted to see this area, and may have talked his way into these forbidden waters, but of course there were legitimately sick people who needed medical attention.

I just read a lot of cool information on Diego Garcia on Wikipedia. At Florida Tech, we’re not allowed to cite Wiki as a source, as anyone can make changes to an article, but I’m sure a lot of the information is at least mostly true. I can’t see the pictures, but I can read the information below them, which makes me want to be able to see the pictures all the more. If you’re bored, look it up. A forbidden, mysterious place I had never heard of until this morning. You learn something new every day.

Also, if anyone has any information or connections to the U.S. Navy, specifically work in marine biology, I’d love to talk. I’ve always wanted to train dolphins and sea lions to find bombs (no, really), and seeing everything this morning made me itch for more Navy activity, maybe even in another area of interest. I don’t know much about the Navy’s marine bio programs, but the more I see, the more I love it.