Chapter 10

Once on the surface, they launched the zodiac and Lee and his team headed for Chuginadak Island. He was proud of the deck detail as they had gotten quite good at launching the zodiacs in the bad weather. Lee sailed to the northern part of the island to Applegate Cove where it would be easier to get on the island. Lee knew there was an active volcano, Mount Cleveland, on the western part of the island and hoped it wouldn't erupt while they were there. There was a small strip of land that separated the western side from the rugged eastern side of the island. He headed for that strip hoping maybe the plane had landed there. The team searched the island and found nothing. Lee radioed Seaview. "Chip, surface the boat, we found nothing here," he said wearily.

"Yes, Lee," Chip reported back and ordered the boat to surface. He and Janet went up to the conning tower to wait for them to come aboard.

"It's freezing up here," Janet said to Chip as they waited in the conning tower. "Even with my extra clothes, I'm still cold."

"I know," Chip answered as he was cold too. "Why don't you go below and wait for Lee," he suggested.

"No, I want to make sure he gets aboard safely," she replied watching the zodiac get closer to Seaview.

Once the zodiac was along side the boat, Kowalski, Ron and Marco made their way up to the deck and were waiting to help Lee aboard when a giant wave caught him and knocked him in to the frigid water.

"Lee," Janet shouted as she saw him go under and scrambled down the ladder to the sail hatch and out on the deck before Chip could stop her. "It's my fault," he heard her say as he quickly followed her down and onto the deck after alerting the control room that the skipper was in the water and to get Jamie to the control room right away.

"Janet, go below," Chip said.

"No not until I know he's alright," she replied tersely. "It's all my fault," she muttered to herself.

Kowalski and the rest of his team jumped back into the zodiac grabbing at Lee trying to keep him from going under. Even with his life jacket on, they were having a hard time getting him out of the water. His boots, heavy pants, gloves and parka along with his clothes and hat were dragging him under the waves. The life jacket just barely kept his face out of the water. It took the strength of all three men to drag Lee out of the water.

"Go below right now," Chip sternly ordered Janet who he had to grab by the life jacket to prevent her from falling in after a gust of wind almost blew her off the deck. Janet knew by the tone of Chip's voice she had better listen to him. She walked quickly with the help of one of the deck detail to the sail hatch and down the ladder where she waited for them to bring Lee down. Jamie was waiting with a stretcher and blankets to cover him as soon as he got there.

By the time they got him down the ladder he was barely breathing...his lips were bluish-grey...and he had stopped shivering. "Get him to Sick Bay right away," Jamie instructed Frank and Patterson throwing on the blankets. Jamie and Janet quickly followed behind as Chip came down the ladder. O'Brien was at the plotting table waiting for the deck detail to issue an all clear before diving the boat. Chip made sure the other men on Lee's team were okay as they were wet too. "Do any of you need to go to Sick Bay? Any frostbite, numbness or pain from the cold?" Chip asked quickly.

"No sir," they replied as they shed their wet clothing as soon as they were on the boat.

"Thanks," Chip told them, "go get some dry clothes on and something warm to drink."

"Aye sir," Kowalski answered. "How's the skipper...is he?"

Running his hand through his hair Chip said, "I don't know Ski, I'm going to Sick Bay right now. I'll keep you posted." Chip was already out the aft door before he finished talking.

The three men went to their quarters, changed, stopped at the crew's mess for some hot coffee and waited for word on the skipper.

((()))

Jamie and Frank quickly removed Lee's life jacket, coat, boots, hat and gloves. They cut away the rest of his clothing not wanting to move him unnecessarily as the internal organs are sensitive to physical shocks. They quickly covered him with layers of blankets and covered his head leaving only his face exposed. Jamie had taken Lee's temperature and found it was only eighty one degrees. Jamie put him on an IV of warm saline solution as well as an oxygen mask with warm air. He applied warm compresses to his neck, chest and groin to help warm him up. If he couldn't raise his body temperature he would have to resort to more desperate measures which he hoped to avoid. He also had to watch out for "after drop" when re-warming him because the cold blood in his extremities returns to the body core, lowering the core temperature further.****

Janet stood next to him but out of Jamie's way as she watched them work feverishly on Lee trying to warm him up. "It's my fault," she whispered over and over again as tears ran down her face. Jamie was to busy to notice what she was saying but Chip who had arrived in Sick Bay right after they started to warm Lee up heard her.

"It's not your fault," he told her squeezing her hand.

"If I hadn't asked him to continue searching for the admiral, he wouldn't have fallen in the sea," Janet said guiltily.

"Janet, Lee didn't want to stop searching and needed someone to tell him to continue looking for the admiral. If you hadn't told him to continue on, I would have so please don't blame yourself."

"Thanks Chip for telling me that. Also, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when we were on deck."

"I almost lost my grip on you," Chip admitted. "Lee would have never forgiven me if I let you fall in the sea."

Jamie walked over to Janet and Chip. "I think he's going to make it but it was close. He should wake up in a little while. I'm going to leave him on the gurney as I don't want to move him to much until he's warmed up." Both Janet and Chip knew how close Lee had come to dying as they both had a similar experience with hypothermia. Chip pulled over a stool to Lee's bed so Janet could sit next to him. He grabbed one too and sat on the other side. They had only been sitting there a few minutes when Sparks radioed Sick Bay.

"Mr. Morton, I have a call from Chief Sharkey."

"I'll take it in the Control Room," Chip answered. "I sure hope this is good news." He ran out of Sick Bay and into the Control Room to the radio shack. Sparks handed him the mic.

"Yes Chief?" Chip said out of breath.

Surprised that Chip was on the mic, "Mr. Morton, FS-1 is ready to go. Riley and I checked her out and are ready to depart as soon as we're done talking with you. Where's the skipper...did you find the admiral?" he asked with concern.

"Chief, I'll tell you about when you get here and no we haven't found the admiral yet," Chip responded softly. "Be careful the weather up here is still very treacherous. Fly her at Mach II until you hit the bad weather and then submerge for the rest of the way." Chip quickly figured out in his head how long it would take them to reach Seaview. "You should get here in about four hours. Call us when you're close and we'll send you a homing signal."

"Aye, aye sir," Chief replied as he severed the connection. "Come on Riley, we gotta go."

"Yes sir," Riley answered as he quickly donned his leather jacket and handed the Chief his.

Sharkey put on the jacket and headed to the hangar where FS-1 waiting. The two men hopped on board using the rear hatch and did the pre-flight check list. Sharkey turned on the engines and taxied her down the runway. They were airborne twenty minutes after he called Chip. They were making good time until they got half way there when the weather turned nasty. The little sub was thrown around in the wind so Sharkey quickly submerged and would have to fly the rest of the way underwater.

((()))

Chip severed the connection with Sharkey to the whoops and hollers of the Control Room. "Quiet down and back to your stations," he told the men with a grin on his face. "We still have a boat to sail but maybe now we'll have a chance at locating the admiral."

Chip left the control room and ran down to Sick Bay where Lee was still unconscious. Janet looked at Chip and could tell something was up. "What did the Chief want...what's wrong...is it FS-1?" Janet asked worriedly.

"Everything is fine. Sharkey and Riley are on their way in FS-1. They were leaving in a few minutes and should be here in a few hours."

Tears of relief started running down Janet's face. "Now maybe we can find him." She leaned over her husband and whispered in his ear, "FS-1 is on her way. Please wake up." Chip smiled at her as she told Lee the flying sub was coming. He sat down on the other side of Lee and waited with her. Jamie sat at his desk and watched as the two of them once again waited for Lee Crane to wake up. He shook his head and returned to his paperwork.

((()))

Harry and the four other men were hungry, cold, tired and in desperate need of a shower. Sleeping on the cushions from the airplane beat sleeping on the hard dirt floor but tempers were getting short. It had been six days since their airplane crashed. The weather was still bad even though the wind had died down some and the rain-sleet pelting the make-shift door wasn't as hard. They only had enough food for one more day and wood for one more fire.

"Harry," Jiggs shouted. "Where the hell is your boat or flying sub? I don't want to die here."

As much as Harry liked Jiggs he was getting on his nerves. "I don't know where they are. I'm sure Captain Crane is doing all he can to find us," Harry said though clenched teeth.

All the men were getting discouraged, fearing that they would never be found. Hugh's leg was starting to hurt more the colder he got. Vladimir had given out all the blankets and coverings he had. Even sitting together wasn't keeping them as warm as before. They needed the weather to change and change quickly. They would burn the wet wood outside hoping some of the heat would make its way into the cave.

Where is FS-1 and Seaview, Nelson wondered as he sat next to Brandon while Jiggs walked around. He knew if they weren't rescued soon or the weather didn't get better they would all suffer from hypothermia. Jiggs sat down along side Harry.

"Sorry Harry," he said patting Harry's arm. "I'm just so damn cold and hungry. I'm sure Crane is doing all he can."

"I know," Harry responded and laid his head against the back of the cave and fell asleep.

**** Source: seagrant and mayo clinic