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March 26, 1998
By Jennifer Muther, Deckhand
While approaching Guam, not many of us on C watch knew what to expect. At 0000 on March 22, it looked like any other island. The lights on shore started to give the land contour, showing hills and valleys. It was upon sailing in closer that our impressions started to form.
On what appeared to be a hill, we saw brilliant flashes of orange. The binoculars showed it to be a fire, sometimes low and dim, and occasionally bright and reaching for the sky. This was no small fire, and close inspection revealed that it was not the only one. We began to discuss the possibility that farmers were burning sugar cane fields when, suddenly, FLASH! the sky lit up green and white. As this burst of light faded, all of the lights surrounding it were extinguished as well. Blackout.
What could this mean? Could the fires and apparent explosion be related? Hypotheses were flying around the quarter-deck. Could it be a dormant volcano coming back to life? Is Guam in the grips of a revolution? As time passed, our hypotheses became increasingly silly. Fortunately, it wasn't long before A watch relieved us. Answers, hopefully, would come with the dawn.
By 0800 we were tied up at the fuel dock where we would remain for the day. Looking around only brought more questions. Close to us was an enormous tank that had been crushed like an old soda can. Would we next see guerrillas with flame throwers or rivers of lava? Touring through town, we began to solve our mystery.
Our first clue came from a newspaper headline that read "BRUSH FIRES CLAIM THE FIRST HOUSE." Close perusal of the article revealed that Guam is in its dry season. Our next answer came from our driver. The tank at the fuel dock was not the only thing stove in. Roofs had collapsed, palm trees had no fronds, and many store front windows had been boarded up. Our driver explained that the island had been struck last December by a typhoon-paka, a super-typhoon, whose winds of up to 180 knots were blamed for the damage.
What about the blackouts? Perhaps they were related to the damage caused by the fires or the recent typhoon. Our driver thought that was possible, but he was quick to add that Guam has unexplained blackouts frequently.
Our mysteries were solved. The impressions we formed on watch weren't correct, but they weren't too far from the truth. Guam hasn't experienced any recent volcanoes or political insurrections, but it has not been a lucky island. Much of the island was destroyed during World War II when the Americans tried to recapture the island from the Japanese. Evidence of this still exists in the form of foxholes dug by Japanese soldiers and ammunition shells that wash up on the beach. Many of the local plants seen on Guam aren't indigenous to the island. Because so much of the island was burned in World War II, erosion became a problem. Seed was brought in from the Philippines so that fast-growing plants would take root and keep the topsoil from sliding into the Pacific.
Other than the typhoon, Guam experiences another kind of natural disaster - earthquakes. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the earth's crust is divided into plates that are constantly moving. Plates will move apart, collide, or slide underneath one another. Guam is located on the edge of the Pacific Plate. When this plate moves, Guam may experience an earthquake.
By 1730 hrs we were on our way again, sailing toward Shanghai. While we were only in Guam for a short time, we had a productive visit. Not only did we get fuel, groceries, and laundry, we also managed to learn a lot about an unlucky island.
Your Woman in the Pacific
Jennifer Muther
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Back to Pride of Baltimore II Crew's Views
Welcome back to the States! I hope you had a good trip and everything is well at home. Hopefully you will have a chance to rest and enjoy Maryland before the Fall semester starts. I know, though, that you are probably still concerned with your role as Synthesizing Conduit, so here is my response to your questionnaire.
I have a hard time answering your next question, "What did you learn?" because I learned so much. Some lessons were small - how to correctly pronounce Xiamen; while others were much larger - how to take a bath without offending anyone. Here is a list of some other important lessons:
My "food experiences" were good everywhere, but some of my interest may have been because of the novelty of it. I really enjoyed the rice, noodles, and vegetables. My favorite was the sushi in Japan. (However, I was guilty of spending too much time at the sushi bar in the Cross Street Market in South Baltimore before the trip even began.) The last night I was on board in Kawasaki, we even had a sushi bar on the boat. Oyshikata!
The last "memorable moment" I would like to describe to you is an encounter I had at an open house in Nagoya. A man came to me and began to speak slowly in perfect English. I realized that he had something important to say because of his tone and because his eyes seem to be getting misty. He explained proudly that he was 62 years old and had been practicing English for 15 years so that he could speak to his grandchildren in California. In addition, he wanted to be able to clearly explain what he proceeded to tell me. After World War II, his country and his home had been destroyed. He explained that if it hadn't been for the US involvement and aid after the war, he and his family would never have survived. He wanted to thank me for my country's involvement in something that happened long before I was ever born. In addition, he wanted me to pass this information on to others. Perhaps you can help me do that.
