Richard Castle and the USS Santa Barbara
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Except for the true parts, this is fiction. Rating: K, mostly. Time: The turn of the 20th Century.
"Slow down, Ensign. Now repeat that slowly."
"Mr. Franklin's compliments, sir, and there's a lady who wants to come aboard."
"A lady?"
"Yes sir, an American lady."
Castle decided that if Mike Franklin thought that the captain was needed, he should go see what was happening.
He arrived on deck to see Franklin, and two ensigns standing by the gangplank watching whatever was going on below.
"What's going on, Mr. Franklin?"
"Sir, it appears the young lady wants to come aboard. However, Seaman Orlovsky won't let her past him."
Seaman Stanislaus Orlovsky was a huge man whose body easily blocked access to the gangplank. In spite of over ten years' service, Orlovsky was once more a Seaman due to his love of alcohol.
He could see the woman with him was tall and slender. Due to the wide brimmed straw boater she wore, he couldn't see her face.
"Orlovsky is on guard on the pier, then?" Castle asked.
"Yes, sir." All three officers replied,
Castle moved past them and began walking down the gangplank. As he did, she lifted her head and he saw her face. He saw at once that she was a beauty. A rare beauty.
"Seaman Orlovsky, is there a problem?"
Orlovsky turned, slammed to attention and saluted. Castle returned the salute.
"Sahr, I vas chust readink the paper the lady give to me."
"He's been reading it for fifteen minutes." The lady said, acidly.
"I'll take it from here, Seaman Orlovsky. Return to your duties."
Orlovsky handed Castle the paper, slammed to attention, saluted and left.
"That man has been trying to read my orders for fifteen minutes."
"I'm sorry, miss. Seaman Orlovsky is what we call a coal passer. They shovel the coal into the boilers. The job requires strength and stamina, but not education."
He read the orders from Naval Headquarters.
"You're Miss Katherine Beckett?"
"Yes."
"And you're a schoolteacher? And I'm to take you to Marviles City and render all possible aid once you're there?"
"That is correct, Mr…..?"
"I'm Lieutenant Richard Castle. I command the USS Santa Barbara."
"Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Castle." She held out her hand and Castle shook it. She had a stronger grip than he was used to from ladies.
"Now, could I please get myself and my gear aboard your ship?"
"Miss Beckett, are you aware that the Marviles Archipelago is a war zone?"
"As is all of the Philippines, Lieutenant. That's no reason to allow children to remain ignorant."
Castle's orders from the Navy were clear, so he led Miss Beckett up the gangplank.
"Mr. Franklin, have a party load Miss Beckett's gear aboard ship. She's a school teacher and we're taking her to Marviles City. I'm afraid you'll have to move in with the doctor. Miss Beckett will have your cabin."
"And please have my three bags taken to my quarters, please." Miss Beckett added.
"I'll show you to your quarters as soon as Mr. Franklin removes his own gear." Castle volunteered.
A half an hour later, Castle showed Miss Beckett to her new quarters.
"I know this isn't very large…" He began.
"It's larger than the quarters I had coming across the Pacific."
"The, um, facilities are there." Castle pointed to a door. "You do have a shower, but I'm afraid you'll have to wash with salt water. You'll have to use salt water soap. Regular soap won't lather in salt water."
"Crossing the Pacific, I had only a small basin in which to wash. This will be fine." She turned and looked out the door. "What's over there?"
"That's my cabin." Castle pointed in the other direction. "You'll be eating in the wardroom with the officers, Miss Beckett."
"Not with you, Captain?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Ship's captains usually dine alone. I plan to invite my officers to dine with me once a month or so, and I'll invite other officers to dine with me. Usually they are ensigns, so that I can appraise them."
As Castle spoke, Petty Officer Montgomery came out.
"Hello, sir, and miss. I had heard we had a lady coming aboard. I'm Petty Officer Montgomery, the captain's steward. Should you need anything, anything at all, just let me know."
She held out her hand to Montgomery and he shook it.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Montgomery. I'm Katherine Beckett."
"Technically, I should be referred to as Petty Officer Montgomery, Miss Beckett." He turned to Castle. "I'm sure Miss Beckett would like to rest for few hours before dinner. Should I make dinner for two, Captain?"
Castle had just told her she'd eat in the wardroom, but now he could hardly refuse to invite her to dinner.
"Of course, assuming Miss Beckett will accept my invitation."
"I'd be delighted, Captain Castle."
USS Santa Barbara
January 20, 1899.
Dinner time.
Richard Castle was by no means unfamiliar with the fairer sex, as women were then known, but having been raised to be a gentleman, he was unsure of just how to act with a lady with whom he was totally unfamiliar.
"Good evening, sir, and Miss Beckett." Montgomery said with a smile. "I thought we'd start off tonight with a nice clam chowder, followed by a filet mignon wrapped in bacon and covered in Bearnaise sauce, complimented by some fresh green peas and a nice baked potato. With butter and sour cream and chives, of course. For dessert I have some vanilla ice cream from the captain's own ice cream maker."
"I have an ice cream maker?" Castle blurted out.
"Of course, sir. The former Spanish captain left it behind."
Castle was beginning to think that the Spanish captain must have had the whole ship filled with his personal belongings. He had discovered that both his bed, and Miss Beckett's now had silk sheets, courtesy of the departed Spanish captain. Castle wisely said nothing.
They ate dinner and enjoyed the meal, both Castle and Miss Beckett praised Montgomery's abilities as a chef. Finally, they finished the ice cream and Montgomery brought them coffee.
"I'm rather curious about you, Captain Castle, but perhaps I should begin by telling you about myself. I'm from New York City."
"As am I." Castle said. "My parents live in the Tribeca area of Manhattan. Yours?"
"We live just south of Central Park. But, to continue, both of my parents, James and Johanna, are lawyers. Mother had a horrible time getting into a law school although she had wonderful grades and then the Bar Association refused to let her sit for the bar exam. She fought them and eventually won. However, although Mother remains very much in the background, she is as good as any lawyer anywhere in my opinion."
Miss Beckett took a sip of her coffee and continued.
"I should tell you that Father is a great fan of baseball. He has recently begun following the new American League team in New York, Mr. Gordon's New York Highlanders. He has taken me several times to Hilltop Park where they play. Are you a fan of baseball, Captain?"
"I am, but I fear I follow the New York Giants. I'm afraid I don't believe the new American League will ever amount to much, nor will the Highlanders."
Miss Beckett smiled.
"I suppose we must agree to disagree, But, on a more important note, I am something of a suffragette. My father has some interest in politics and I have seen supposedly competent men sell their votes for the price of a cheap bottle of whiskey. If they can vote, there's no reason women cannot."
"I don't really follow politics, Miss Beckett, but I know enough to know that you are correct about the corruption involved. However, it will take more than women getting the vote to change that."
Miss Beckett nodded.
"I also must tell you that I am a member of the Anti-Imperialist League, along with Mr. Mark Twain, the industrialist Andrew Carnegie and many others. An American empire is antithetical to all that America stands for. A government must derive from the consent of the governed which is not the case her in the Philippines."
Miss Beckett smiled.
"Dear me. I hope I haven't upset you with my political views."
"As an officer, I am legally bound to follow the orders of my government, but perhaps I can give you a bit of background on the US annexation of the Philippines. I was here for the Battle of Manila Bay in May of last year. After we won the battle, we held the bay itself, but having only a few Marines, held practically nothing of the land itself. Shortly thereafter a German squadron under a Vice Admiral von Diederichs arrived and were very friendly with the Spanish. There have been rumors that the Germans wanted to buy the Philippines from Spain before the US could send an army to take it. They did buy some Pacific Islands from Spain. After the Germans arrived, British ships from Admiral Seymour's China Station arrived and were very friendly to us, letting the Germans know the US had friends. We also got a visit from a French ship from their colony at Tonkin, some Japanese coming from Formosa and even some Russian ships from Port Arthur. There was some thought in our squadron that we might just lease a naval station in Manila Bay someplace and let the Filipinos run their own country. I'm afraid if we did that, the Germans would have annexed the Philippines, or tried to. That might have brought in the British, the French, the Japanese, the Russians and who knows who else, all trying to get some of the Philippines. In a worst case scenario, the European colonial powers in Asia might have gone to war over the Philippines."
Miss Beckett nodded.
"I wasn't aware of all of that, but I still cannot see my country abandoning its cherished traditions. I still oppose colonialism."
"Perhaps we could just view it as a political compromise, then." Castle said. "As often happens in politics, no one gets exactly what they want, but they do get something."
"Again, Captain Castle, we must agree to disagree."
"I agree. But you must tell me how you came to travel to the Philippines."
"My parents, especially my mother, wanted me to become a lawyer, but that didn't interest me. I attended Vassar and when I graduated, I got a job as a teacher in New York City. Most of my students were the children of recent immigrants. Their parents and the children sometimes spoke little or no English. I discovered I have something of a talent for languages. Then I read an ad that they were looking for teachers for the Philippines and here I am. Now, tell me about yourself, Captain."
"I was born in Manhattan and went to public schools there and then to the Naval Academy. I graduated in 1895 and was assigned to a battleship for a while. In late 1897, I was assigned to the cruiser USS Raleigh and I was aboard her for the battle here."
Castle went on to tell he how he'd gotten command of the Santa Barbara.
"But what of your family?" Miss Beckett asked.
"My father is a writer." Which was true, as far as that went, if not complete.
"Has he written anything I might have read?"
"His most recent book is Following the Devil up the Congo River. He exposed the atrocities in the Congo Free State."
Miss Beckett frowned.
"Wasn't that written by…"
"My father's pen name is Jackson Hunt. His real name is Alexander Castle."
"But that means your mother is the actress, Martha Rodgers."
"'That she is." Castle said with a grin.
"When I was twelve or thirteen, my father took me to see her play Desdemona in Othello. I cried when poor Desdemona died on stage, even though my father kept whispering in my ear that it was just a play."
"I'll tell my mother. She'll be thrilled that she had that effect on you."
"Then please tell her that that I've seen her a dozen times since then."
"I will." Castle glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this dinner short, Miss Beckett. We're starting our sea trials tomorrow and I must be on the bridge very early."
Author's note: We know the American League did prosper, but how about the New York Highlanders?
TBC