Captain's Log

08/03/2004

We got underway from Busan on Monday morning at 0800. The undocking was uneventful, but the harbor was very busy first thing on a Monday morning. We weaved our way out through the channel and were clear of the outer breakwater by 0900.  The weather was sunny and a little cooler than it has been. There was very little evidence that there had been a recent typhoon pass by. 

The route to Yokohama, Japan, will take us back down the Korea Strait and into the East China Sea for several hundred miles before we turn eastward. We will then pass through a very crowded maritime choke point tonight that passes through the southern part of the main islands of Japan called Van Diemen Strait (actually called Osumi-Kaikyo). This puts us back into the Philippine Sea as we proceed up the southern Japanese coast towards Yokohama. Yokohama is actually a separate port south of Tokyo but inside Tokyo Wan (Wan means bay). 

Thus far, the traffic during the passage has been remarkably light. The weather, except for a spectacular lighting show last night, has been fairly moderate as well, although we did pass through a squall line of heavy thunderstorms this morning. 

The weekly drill held today consisted of a lecture and demonstration in the various pieces of emergency equipment we have in our damage control lockers. The engineering department did a "show and tell" to the assembled crew by explaining and then practically demonstrated techniques in de-watering, flooding control and shoring, thermal imaging for detecting deep-seated fire sources, tools of various kinds and exothermic cutting torches. There were a lot of oohs and ahhs from some of the students as they gazed upon some of the workings of these wonderments.  

Not too much going on since leaving Korea. Just the normal training, watches and the never-ending maintenance work to do. One perceives the morale lighten just a little as everyone realizes that we are not going any farther west but, in fact, starting to head eastwards towards home.   

More soon.

Captain