I like to use terms, phrases, and words that I know something about that way I get to tell sea stories and bore everyone. Last night I remembered a neat little story and it even ties into a phrase I have not covered.

A security alert can be just about anything that deals with the safety and security of the ship. It can be something such as the ships office not being locked up after hours to an intruder. While in port is when there will be majority of the calls for a security alert. When a security alert is called everyone is to stay where they are at. They are to close all water tight doors and just stay put. The security teams then take care of the problem.
If the ships office is locked they call the duty admin person and have them lock it. If a weapons locker is left open an inventory is taken and it is then locked. If an intruder is on board they track them down and remove them. All of this is done while they are armed, either with a pistol or a shot gun. During my time the weapons we left unloaded during our time in port. Not sure if that has changed now or not.

OK, here is the story I promised. One night while in port I was on duty oil king watch. So I pretty much hung out I central control. There was security alert fro an intruder. So we shut the water tight doors on either side of central control and stayed out. Shortly after the alert was called the OOD called us on the phone and talked to the chief who was in central. He told us to stay put and asked how many were inside.

During the drill we heard them announce where the intruder was. He was on the bridge, by the ships office, then near MER2. We just stayed in central and did nothing but talked. I was sitting in the EOOW’s chair when I heard the starboard water tight door slowly being opened. I looked over and say the handle going up. Somebody said it was the intruder and he was going to blow up central. We all laughed. I grabbed a big pipe wrench and went over toward the door.

Just then the door flew open and I stood there with my pipe wrench facing three security guys. One kneeling with a shot gun, one standing with a shot gun, and one with a pistol, all pointed at ME! They all looked at me and the pipe wrench, which I promptly dropped and said “Hi guys” They all lowered their weapons and came in and gave central a good looking over. Just as they were leaving they had a radio call that the intruder had been caught. They left and shortly after that we secured from security alert.

But let me tell you staring down three weapons and knowing they were not loaded still had me a little nervous. We had one heck of a good laugh about it. So even in port during times of peace there is still danger in the Navy, namely from wild engineers with pipe wrenches.