I always prided myself in never getting seasick while underway on either of my ships. Even when the Canopus rounded Cape Hatteras going into Norfolk and waves were crashing over the middle of the ship, we were rolling around the post office in chairs, having a rodeo!
In February 1997, the Lincoln went out to sea for a couple days to do some exercises with the Canadian Navy. (interesting info - their ships are seafoam green and blend into the horizon much better than our haze gray does!) Anyhoo, I was sicker than a dog. I didn't think the waves were all that bad, but I was having a horrible time.
I hadn't let anyone know, but I'd gotten married a couple weeks before. John was also stationed on the ship, but he was more junior than I and worked in a different department. Since I was close to the end of my required sea-time, we were going to wait to turn in that tidbit of info. Married people aren't stationed together. They try to keep it where while one is deployed, the other is stateside.
I knew a girl who worked in medical and she happened to have a letter in the post office that needed to be signed for, so I called her and offered to bring it up - if she could hook me up with a pregnancy test.
So, I went and peed in the cup and sat in the passageway for what felt like forever to wait. And of course, everyone I knew had to wander by and ask what was wrong. I had a strong suspicion what the results would be, but I'd tell them "waiting". Not their business!
Finally, Deb came out and sat next to me. She asked if this was good news or bad news? Sure enough - it was positive.
The Navy has rules against pregnant women being underway, due to health regulations. They don't have the medical facilities necessary if anything goes wrong. But since we were only out to sea for a couple more days, they didn't bother with sending a helo out to get me.
I continued to work on the ship while it was inport. One I hit 3 months along, I had to start wearing maternity clothes. It seemed to serve as a reminder that there were some things I shouldn't do. Once I hit 4 1/2 months, I was transferred to Naval Station Everett. There I stayed for the rest of my enlistment.
Miss Angela was born September 28, 1997.
#AtoZChallenge
I almost got seasick reading this. My cousin is a big time navel something who just got back from a very lengthy deployment. His name is Steven Schultz. Do you know him? He's been in the Navy for 25 - 30 years?
ReplyDeleteNo, sorry the name doesn't ring a bell. I knew a lot of people due to seeing their names on mail while sorting, but if I never worked with him, I probably wouldn't know him.
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