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Onboard SS ERIN 1100 09NOV17:
Since the Turner sisters seemed upset after the meeting followed by Tom Dodge's stern warning, Tom suggested that perhaps it would be better to escort the sisters back to their cabin to allow them to rest and recover before lunch. As he led Elizabeth (followed by his son and Crissie) back to her cabin, he promised that he would be back at 1150 to escort the two sisters to lunch. (In fact, Tom was very much interested in discussing what had happened before and during breakfast).
After the two girls were safely escorted to their cabin (followed by discrete and romantic farewell kisses), Tom and his son hurried to their cabin for a very important father/son talk.
"We're you able to successfully search the Captain's stateroom?"
"Yes. I didn't spend much time in his stateroom. Fortunately, I left at just the right time. As soon as I closed the door and started to walk away, the messenger turned the corner."
"Did he see you leave the stateroom or close the door?"
"No. I pretended to be lost looking for the bridge."
"Good thinking. Did he ask why you were looking for the bridge?"
"Yes. I told him I wanted to see the bridge. He took me to the First Mate on the bridge. They gave me a tour and even let me steer the ship!"
"You do look like a cute kid {smirk}"
"I'm not a kid old man!"
"Right son{smirk}". "What did you find in the Stateroom?"
"I didn't have much time. I found the safe. Didn't touch it. Probably about ten minutes to get it open. There was a photograph on the wall of a group of German Officers on a battleship. Our Captain was there standing next to another officer that looked like Luckner."
"Probably the Kronprinz Wilhelm pre-war. Luckner was stationed on the Kronprinz Wilhelm until '16. What else?"
"Read the ship's log for the last two weeks. The only thing interesting was an entry two days before we sailed. Seems the Captain received an order from the German Ambassador to Chile ordering him to stop at the Canal Zone and drop off Dr. Lorenz and another passenger."
"That would be Lealand. I think he's ex-military. Probably Army. Definitely not a Navy Man. I haven't figured out what they are doing here. From that meeting earlier I get the idea that the Captain doesn't like the good Doctor. The Captain certainly doesn't share Lorenz's desire to get to Panama in a hurry. We're gonna have to look closely at those two. I don't like loose cannons."
"Maybe they are just passengers on their way to Panama. They don't seem to be interested in what's going on the ERIN."
"Why would the German Ambassador to Chile be interested in a Doctor wanting to go to Panama? No, those two are up to something. I just don't know what? Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with the ERIN's trip to Valparaiso. Let's discuss these two later. Did you discover anything else?"
"Yes. There was a chart on the Captain's desk. Picton Island was circled and the date 30 NOV was pencilled in next to the island."
"Picton Island? You're sure "
"Yes sir!"
"Damn! That's it! Admiral Graf Spee anchored off Picton Island for three days transferring coal from the captured Norwegian Collier DRUMMUIR just before the Battle of the Falklands. The ERIN would have passed that island a few days earlier. That's why we've been watching the ERIN. She was four days late arriving in Valparaiso. She took six days to load in New York. It took only two days to unload in Valparaiso. The ship didn't make any recorded stops on the way."
"The ERIN is a Norwegian flagged ship! Are you saying the Germans are using the ERIN to resupply their ships?"
"Got it in one! We've been tracking her movements since she arrived in Valparaiso in December '14. I'm here because the cargo manifest on this trip is suspicious. The Admiral suspects the ERIN may attempting to resupply submarines in the Carribean area. However, I think something else is going on. Admiral Graf Spee's squadron came from the Pacific. The only German Ship left in the Pacific is the SEEADLER. I think the ERIN is going to resupply the SEEADLER at Picton Island in nineteen days. The cases of Bibles in the hold contain 4.1" shells. The only thing that doesn't make sense is that eighteen of the cases of machine parts contain the components for six 4.1" guns???"
"Maybe the SEEADLER needs new guns"
"Two maybe, but not six. What are the other four guns for?"
"Spares?"
" I doubt it , too much weight. Did you find anything else?"
'No sir!"
"Let's talk about this ghost pirate ship. Any thoughts?"
"I can only tell you what I saw. The ship looked real to me."
" Okay, I'll leave it for now. I don't want you or the girls left alone. From now on, we need to keep a close eye on the two sisters. I'm going to have them keep their door locked when they are in their cabin. We need to get ready for lunch and pick up the girls. I don't want them wandering around without an escort."
Before lunch, the second mate gave the Captain a report on the continuing onboard search for the missing woman. The second mate relayed a report from one of the seaman. Another case of cabbage was missing. The Captain didn't comment on the missing Cabbage. It didn't seem important. Not finding the missing woman was important, so the Captain ordered the ship to turn South and resume their voyage. The Captain notified the first mate to continue the extra lookouts for the remainder of the watch.
Tom Dodge and his son picked up the girls promptly and escorted them to lunch. Lunch was subdued as the Captain announced that the search for the missing passenger was being discontinued and the ship had returned to sailing South to Panama. The meal ended early.
The girls waited patiently for Tom and his son, who quickly arrived at the Captain's table to help the girls stand up. As they walked out of the room, Crissie blurted out to Tom Junior " Do you think the Pirates got her?" This was overheard by several of the passengers including Professor Ciruela.
Professor Ciruela quickly got up and followed the party of four onto the deck where they began an afternoon walk around the ship. While Tom Junior quietly and surreptitiously scanned the sea for the pirate ship, the professor caught up with them and asked if he could join them. Not seeing a reason to object, Tom Dodge allowed the professor to postition himself to the left of Tom Dodge and the right of Crissie.
The Professor skillfully asked Crissie what she meant when she asked if the Pirates captured Señora Pavo Real. Crissie grabbed the professor's arm and began to breathlessly describe her encounters with the pirate ship. For some unknown reason, Tom Dodge just smirked and made no attempt to stop Crissie from enjoying the spotlight. Crissie was in heaven. A man on each arm and the undivided attention of all (still not noticing that Tom Junior's attention was mostly on the sea).
When Crissie began describing the pirate flag, the professor quickly interrupted "Are you sure the flag had a large white spider below the skull and bones?"
"Yes!"
"Spider-Kings!" The tone of the professor attracted the complete attention of Tom Dodge.
"What are Spider-Kings Professor?"
...
=============================
Panama 1300 09NOV17:
{ring}
"Yes inspector."
"We have just arrested a young man for murder. He claims to be your Number One Son?"
"Most curious, Number One Son currently in New York. Will have long talk with Number One Daughter. For now, please hold young man in question until I arrive."
....
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Comments
Spider-Kings
Originally, I was going to include the legend of the Spider-Kings in this chapter, but I couldn't resist the urge to leave my readers with a cliffhanger.
The Legend of the Spider-Kings will provide a science fiction explanation for a pirate ship that only females can see and invisible "Zombie Spider Pirates".
I had trouble with the video link again. The first seven (7) readers missed the video. "Sorry about that, chief".
I just couldn't resist...
After clicking on the video link (again) to make sure it works, a thought poped into my mind. I tried to resist, but I just couldn't resist adding something extra at the bottom of this chapter. "So sorry forty-six readers missed most important phone call."
Might as well set up the option for a sequel staring
most unusual Number One Daughter.
You really should watch the video link
This chapter's video relates to Tom Dodge's uncertainty about Dr. Lorenz and Rick Lealand...
The video also relates to the phone call in Panama...
I can't run the video
Okay, Tom Sr is definitely Navy. There is a stowaway eating Cabbage(?) Most Honorable Lieutenant Chan is in Panama.
The Erin is carrying supplies for German Raiders, Possibly going to become a 4 gun raider herself.
Karen
Re: "I can't run the video"
I was having trouble viewing the video on my tablet with the YouTube link, so I used the Daily Motion link. It works on my apple tablet and my iPhone.
Here is a YouTube link:
http://youtu.be/lmbz90UGrlA
If both links don't work, Google "Charlie Chan in Panama Trailer"
I wasn't trying to make it easy, but yes Tom Sr. Is an undercover Naval Officer investigating the SS ERIN.
Charlie Chan is a private detective. In Charlie Chan in Panama (1940), he is trying to solve a German Plot to attack the American Navy while they transit the Panama Canal. Just like the clip from Across the Pacific, I moved the time from the 1940(s) to 1917.
I have been amazed that up until now, no one asked about the missing cabbages (or why the ship was carrying a ton of cabbage from New York to Valparaiso)! Myself, I would have asked why a seaman would bother to count the number of cases in the hold???
The Legend of the Spider-Kings may explain why cabbages are missing. [Spoiler: The cabbages are very important!].
The (USN) Admiral and Tom Dodge suspected that the ERIN was going to resupply German Submarines. Based upon the intelligence Tom junior found in the Captain's stateroom, Tom Dodge now believes the SS ERIN is going to attempt to resupply the SEEADLER at the same island Admiral Graf SPEE used to resupply his squadron just before the Battle of the Falkland Islands (December 1914).
Your conclusion that the SS ERIN might become a German Raider is close to the mark. If I were a reader of this story, I would have come to the same conclusion but for a few troubling issues like the name of the story, the date the ship sailed, and the names of four crewmen onboard the SS ERIN.
Lealand and Lorenz
OK. Judging from Lealand's covert look through Lorenz's luggage several chapters back, he's probably in the same position as Bogart's Leland toward Greenstreet's Lorenz in the film clip from that chapter, ostensibly a disgraced military man, working for Lorenz while under cover for an American spy agency.
Not sure at all what to make of the add-on Charlie Chan phone call. It can't directly involve anyone on the Erin. (As far as that goes, I'm pretty sure the only Asian on the Erin was Japanese, not Chinese, and is presumably dead.) Anyone who has already reached Panama from New York obviously isn't onboard the Erin.
I had a vision of carrier pigeons taking messages to and from the ship to Panama and being treated to cabbage as a reward (g), but it seems that radiotelegraphy did exist that far back -- though I don't know that the Erin would have the capability and I wouldn't think that Dodge (or anyone else) could have their own private line. Still, I'm not sure who besides the Germans who arranged the Panama stop know about the Erin's course change, especially if the redirection of the ship had been planned in advance and wasn't necessarily communicated during the voyage.
Eric
Re: Lealand & Lorenz
Bogart and Sidney Greenstreet have the same roles as in Across the Pacific. The only difference is the story is set in 1917 instead of 1941. Dr. Lorenz has several associates either already in Panama or in route to Panama using "other" transportation.
Joe Totsuiko (a male Japanese believed to be a ninja) was killed by Professor Ciruela on the deck with a pistol.
Tom Dodge doesn't know what Dr. Lorenz and Rick Lealand are up to. He suspects they are up to something but hasn't a clue what they are actually up to. Chapter 10's video was included to give the readers an insight (not available to Tom Dodge) into what Dr. Lorenz and Rick Lealand are up to.
For obvious reasons, the SS ERIN's "unscheduled port stop" in Panama is a closely guarded secret. The Ship's log entry stating that the German Ambasador to Chile ordered the SS ERIN to land Dr. Lorenz and another passenger in Panama was a really bad mistake. That log entry is sufficient reason for the United States to sieze the SS ERIN and arrest the crew. If Tom Dodge or Tom Junior can leave the SS ERIN in Panama and contact the authorities, the USN will sieze the SS ERIN. If the SS ERIN is seized and searched, the crew (with two (2) exceptions will become prisoners of war. Then again, maybe the SS ERIN would be allowed to continue it's voyage unmolested in order to sink or capture the SEEADLER.
So far, the SS ERIN has been as sea for two (2) nights. Each night a case of cabbage has disappeared??? How many stowaways or pigeons can you feed on a case of cabbage per day???
Two Nights?
Are they even south of Florida yet?
I don't have a feel for how large a cabbage case would be, so I don't know how well the contents of a carton would feed one or more stowaways. Assuming (sort of randomly) that there are forty cartons (ostensibly) holding 25 heads -- each box about 50 lbs -- to add up to one ton, you could presumably easily feed more than one person per day. A hundred 20-lb cartons could probably amply feed a person or two for more than the duration of the voyage.
But now I'm wondering what the Navy expected Dodge to do if, as they apparently suspected, the ship was going to stop en route to resupply German submarines. Doesn't seem as though he could call on reinforcements, barring an improbable number of stowaway navy men aboard. And imprisoning the crew when the Erin reaches Valparaiso -- after the damage is done -- seems less than ideal, especially if the Germans execute the witnesses before they get there. If there are two moles on the crew as you suggested above, I suppose they and/or Dodge might be able to send a covert message somewhere, but even if it goes through, intercepting a specific ship at sea is anything but an instantaneous process if you have to wait for intel as to where the transfer will take place before leaving shore. (If you're allied with the ghost ship, assuming it's real, you do have a ship close by for that purpose, but its reclusive crew is something of a question mark -- either small in number, supernatural or arachnid (g): can it shoot those cannons if it has to?)
Eric
Re:"Two Nights?"
They've travelled over four hundred (400) miles so far. They are somewhere off North Carolina.
In 1917, cabbage would have probably been shipped in a 50 pound wood case (roughly twenty-five (25) heads of cabbage per case). Fifty (50) pounds of cabbage per day (two cases missing after two nights) feeds an awful lot of stowaways and pigeons!
Tom Dodge and Tom junior are undercover on the SS ERIN because the ship is suspect. The SS ERIN is a Norwegian flagged ship. In order to stop or seize the ship, the USN needs probable cause to avoid a diplomatic incident. So the main mission is to find evidence to justify taking action against the SS ERIN. Now, Tom Dodge "may" have been authorized to disable the ship "if necessary". If I were the admiral, I would probably have arraigned for covert surveillance of the progress of the SS ERIN. We will have to wait to see what happens...
Regarding the pirate ship, if it's "real", with sufficient powder and shot, a trained crew could fire broadsides against the SS ERIN from at least two-hundred yards. The problem is acquiring sufficient powder and shot. By 1910, only a handful of ships carried powder and shot capable of being used by caronades (short barreled cannons preferred by merchant ships in the 18th century). Cannonballs could probably be found in old or abandoned coastal forts in the Carribean. Finding enough Powder would be a real problem. Individuals with black powder weapons would have small quantities of powder, but cannon require huge amounts of powder.
Hollywood movies usually show pirate ships loaded with cannons firing broadsides against the ship they are trying to attack. In real life, this type of action was rare. First, fighting with broadsides produces too many casualties and can result with ships sinking. The goal was to capture a ship not destroy it, lose a third of your crew, or have your ship damaged or sunk. Most pirate attacks were at night and usually involved stealth or surprise to capture the ship with minimal loss of "pirate life". Another tactic was intimidation. It is better if the crew of your target surrender rather than fight. If I were Tom Dodge and I was looking at a pirate ship, I would probably think the cannons were just for "show (intimidation)".
This story is set in 1917. The culture and social norms are not the same as today. Upper Class passengers would expect to see colored stewards on a ship home ported in the United States. Based upon what happened in chapters four and five, the junior steward is obviously a colored man called Sam. In writing this story, I felt that both stewards would be colored because of the year and location of the story. Therefore, consider both stewards to be (colored) American citizens. It is safe to assume that the rest of the crew are either Germans or of German heritage (some with false identities).