WRRRRRR…CLANK…BRRRIIIIINNNNGGG….BANG….CHUNK….ZZZZZZ
This is just a sample of the cacophony of sounds of ship life aboard the
Training Ship Empire State VI. The ship is no luxury cruise liner, rather
it is a mature (old), working vessel. TSES is a small city that must
function 24 hours a day both at sea and in port, to support and protect
the lives of almost 700 people in some very tough conditions. There is
the constant humming of the steam turbines that power the ship that
vibrate through the steel bulkheads, the constant whooshing of the
ventilation system that sounds like the interior of a jet plane, doors
opening and closing, people walking and talking in the corridors, etc.
Those are just the regular sounds. Then there are the grinding, banging,
slamming, tapping noises of repair and maintenance. Those, thankfully,
are confined to the day hours, but they can make trying to take a nap
difficult. When I mentioned to someone that I was bringing my "Sound
Machine" on board to mask noises with synthesized ocean sounds to help me
sleep, they said"but you're going to be surrounded by the sound of the
ocean". I told them that the ocean is the last thing I'd possibly hear
in my cabin. It is so sealed and the sounds of the ship's machinery so
overpowering that there is little chance of hearing the sea when inside.
If I do hear it it's too late, it means the ship's going down.
You are a riot. I can actually hear all those sounds sitting here reading your blog. Am I seeing a documentary in the making here?? I hope you are able to capture the sounds and the scenery? That would be awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is great - nothing like a cranky old ship living and breathing (clunking) along. Just curious, what's your cabin like vs. other staff and the cargo holds for the cadets?
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