Saturday started off as exciting as it can get, at 4:30 am, I was dreaming and I heard this... "Man overboard starboard side!"

We all start scrambling to throw decent clothes on, people are screaming "get up! Turn on the lights!"...Some of us in uniform, some in pajamas, some look like we are going to work out. And we all start to run to where we talk roll call to figure out who is missing.

For all of you in the navy, this is cause for serious alarm. This means that someone has fallen into the water, and they have told us that IF a person hasn�t injured him or herself, and is able to swim, that they will have hypothermia set in about 12 minutes. I have spent many a night on aft lookout peering down at the churning waters above the screws, afraid for my life because I know that if you get sucked down into them, they will chop your ass up!

I keep hearing them announce the time over the 1mc" man has been in the water 13 minutes; 16 minutes, 21 minutes.. " And I�m scared, I hope its a false alarm but everyone is quietly running at top speed carrying gear, handheld walkie talkies, and someone sped past wearing a wetsuit. Someone yells that they are taking off in the helicopter,

After a while, they told us we could leave, and go back to bed, because really we are just spectators who are in the way.... I get down to my rack, and I know I wont be able to sleep, because my mind is racing, and I actually felt bad about being under the blanket, when someone is dying in the water.

"Man has been in the water -35 minutes"

Then the XO comes over the 1 mc and says.." we need to get an accurate muster, and a visual account of everybody, because the aft lookout heard a splash."

So apparently there was a THOUGHT that someone had fell over, and they called man overboard just in case.!!

NOW I am able to sleep. But I couldn�t wait to see who was on aft lookout so I could tease them later about it.

Turns out it was my friend Franchesca. ha ha ! OF course she just reported the noise.. The bridge ran with it,,, and I know how that is.. Better safe then sorry. I don�t think Fran is dumb, but I WOULDNT want to be on watch.. hehe Vermillion told me they were freaking out on the bridge, and Sutoyo even body slammed the CO in his haste to check the lights..hehe

Just another stupid day on the Coronado..

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