Three Months... Part 2.

Part 2.

 

“Well, we are into May my friend” Dave said to Dave “Bournemouth will be relegated by now, shouldn’t they?”

 

“Not a chance Dave.”

 

“Any news on when we are going home, I thought our range was only three months!”

 

“Between you and me, I have picked up no foreign radio traffic for 5 days now, so that could indicate we are on the way back; and have you noticed the rations are getting smaller?”

 

“Jonah, are all voyages like this? This has been a shit trip; maybe the Navy isn’t for me after all!” Digger questioned.

 

“You say that now, but when you get that pay packet and you’re taking Chloe out, planning your wedding and buying me a suit for the big day, you will change your mind – we all feel like that. And no, in answer to your question, all trips are not like this – this has been a crap one – but keep looking forward to getting back into the real world. Drinks, McDonald’s; Bournemouth might even be in the cup final - Lieutenant Pritchard, Dave, said he would meet us in London and buy the beers if that happened. Anyway, it can’t be long; we can only stay at sea for three months.

 

“It has been three months” Digger moaned…

 

 

“It has been three months and five days…” The tannoy crackled into life and the familiar daily briefing from the Commander was audible once again. “I can inform you that our mission has been extremely successful and we will be ashore in three days. It will not have escaped your notice that we have passed our crafts range and supplies are short. Food will be rationed further for the last couple of days and water is for drinking only, not washing. But there will be a good meal waiting for you on our return. The usual disembarkation procedures will take place from tomorrow and, assuming the boat passes inspection, you will be granted 28 days leave immediately, that is all.”

 

A faint cheer could be heard echoing around the submarine as all ninety-eight personnel started planning what their leave would consist of.

 

And the time flew by, with cleaning, checking, more cleaning and lots of positive thoughts from the crew, who were really looking forward to a well-earned leave ashore. Instinctively everyone knew, as the sub began to ascend, that the depths were well and truly a thing of the past for at least the next month, albeit it could be another 24 hours before they actually docked and disembarked.

 

Chloe’s picture was being carefully removed by Digger and pressed inside the pages of the Mediterranean travel brochure he had read again and again from cover to cover, when Jonah burst in.

 

“Next trip ‘Chloe’ can go on the middle bunk wall” Jonah laughed, “not only will you be dryer behind your ears, but I will be on the bottom bunk!”

 

“How’s that?” Digger questioned.

 

“The boss has just told me I am recommended for the Petty Officer’s course, the bottom bunk will be mine…” Jonah beamed, “more importantly we will be celebrating tomorrow, night, after debrief, at ‘Joanna’s” in Pompey.”

 

Digger shook his friend by the hand, “I am made up for you mate” he said, “you deserve it. But I will not be clubbing in ‘Joanna’s or anywhere, I am getting straight back to Chloe.”

 

“Think again sailor,” Jonah retorted, “everyone goes out on the first night ashore, seriously. It is not just tradition, you need it before you face the real world again, or Chloe in your case. Anyway, I am giving you a lift!”

 

“OK” was Digger’s reluctant reply. “God, ‘Joanna’s’ is going to sell some beer tomorrow, and most of it to you!” he laughed.

 

“Christian is going to meet us in ‘Joanna’s Club’ after the debrief Dave – I would really like you to meet him” Dave B clumsily asked. “Then we are going to book a climbing trip, he has always wanted to do the ‘Gorges du Tarn’ in France, we might drive there, take the ferry.”

 

“Assuming the Cherry’s are not playing, I will be there, actually no, my friend, I will be there even if they are playing, looking forward to meeting the guy that makes you so happy”.

 

“Cheers, means a lot…” Dave B’s embarrassed, but genuine reply came. “What you going to do for leave?”

 

Dave P pondered briefly. “I am going to book a flight to Europe and watch some football, pre-European Championship game or two, regardless of cost. I think the opening game for the Euro’s is twelfth of June, so we will be back at base or at Sea again by the time it starts.”

 

“Good for you mate, might see you for a beer in France.”

 

The inspection passed, as it always did, with a lot of shouting and last-minute tweaks, but the crew disembarked at twelve hundred hours, on Friday 8^th May 2020, after ninety-seven days at sea, or rather, under the sea.