10 August 2012

Italy Day 1: On Duty

I pulled the ship into Naples as the Conning Officer, the officer who gives the commands for steering and shiphanding.  Normally a position for a very junior new officer, the “deck was stacked” for this particular evolution due to the challenging way we’d be mooring in the Port of Napoli: a Mediterranean Moor.  Normally, we moor the ship alongside a pier, longways, with either the port or starboard side of the ship along the quay wall or pier.  In a Mediterranean Moor (you guessed it—common in the Mediterranean), the ship’s stern moors to the quay wall or pier and two anchors at the bow keep the bow from swinging.  I’d never done it before, but after a good briefing on our plan of action and a little help from two tugs, we moored safely in Italy.

That first day in port I was on duty, preventing me from exploring the little Italian town, so I had to look longingly at the hillside of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius in the hazy background, and stayed on the ship making my final preparations for my pilgrimage up to Rome.  As if my excitement wasn’t consolation enough, some of our fellow officers headed out into town and picked up a few authentic Napoli pizzas for our enjoyment.  My favorite was the “white pizza” covered in arugula and prosciutto.  Delicious--and a taste of what was to come!

No comments: