Ship that could think

FOCUS Read to discover the mysterious actions of an American ship. Sailors have always looked on ships as being alive. This is because ships seem to act like human beings. For instance, they often move through the sea with such womanly grace that sailors have come to think of them as women. Whenever seamen talk about a ship, they use the words "she" and "her." You'll hear these words even when the vessel bears a man's name. Further, like some humans, many ships seem to get along well with the people around them. They cooperate with their crews and are a joy to sail. Others prove hard to handle at all times. Some seem to live happy lives. Others seem forever dogged by bad luck. Some ships even seem to have minds of their own. They have been the cause of some very odd happenings. A perfect example here is the three-masted whaling ship, Canton Strange Three Days Built in 1835, the Canton was an American ship. She was known as a vessel that handled easily. She always answered quickly to any turn of the wheel. But, for three days in 1867, while sailing the South Atlantic, she refused to obey her captain. The whaler set her own course and went where she wanted to go. It happened as the ship was traveling to the island of St. Helena after capturing several whales. Once there, she was to take on food and water. But, suddenly, the Canton seemed dead against going to the island. She veered off to the tide and headed in another direction. The captain brought her back on course. Then a puzzled look crossed his face. Though he was gripping the wheel tightly, the Canton swung to the side once more. Again, the captain brought her back on course. Again, the ship defied him. Off she went in her own direction. She continued to do so, no matter how often he turned the wheel back to the original heading. The captain was a deeply religious man. A thought struck him. Perhaps God, for some reason, wanted the ship to travel in the new direction. If so, the captain was not about to argue. He decided to let the Canton go where she wished. For the next three days, he allowed the Canton to pursue her own course. Then his men sighted a cluster of black dots on the horizon. The Canton sped to them. They turned out to be lifeboats. They were crowded with half-starved seamen. On being taken aboard, the men explained that they were from a merchant ship. They had been sailing near Africa when their vessel had caught fire days ago. No sooner had they taken to the lifeboats than the blazing ship went to the bottom. The captain estimated that they had drifted more than 150 miles before he came to their rescue. No. He hadn't rescued them. His ship had. The Canton had sought out the exact spot where they were floating in the vast Atlantic. Perhaps God had guided her to that spot. Or perhaps she herself had somehow known where it was. The captain was never able to tell. Once the men were saved, the Canton gave her skipper no more trouble. She obediently followed the course that he set for St. Helena.

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THINK IT THROUGH Where does the Canton finally lead the captain? What can't anyone explain about what happened? FOCUS Notice how a French freighter acts differently from the Canton. Looking for Revenge The Canton helped a group of sailors. The French steamer, Frigorifique, did exactly the opposite. She terrified the men on a British freighter one March day in 1884. Their ship had accidentally wounded her and she seemed to be looking for revenge. The Frigorifique was heading home along the French coast with a cargo from Spain that March day. She was moving slowly through a heavy fog. Suddenly, the men on deck heard a ship's whistle echoing across the water. Then there was the throbbing sound of approaching engines. And then they saw a ship stumble blindly out of the mist. It was the British coal' freighter, Rumny. It was coming straight at them. Up on the bridge, the French captain yelled for the steersman to change course. The sailor spun the wheel hard. The Frigorifique began swinging away to safety. But it was too late. With a grinding crash, the Rumney steamed into the Frigorifique's side. The French ship reeled to a halt. The Rumney was undamaged and backed off. The frigorifique was left with a jagged rip in her hull. Seawater rushed into the holds. The Frigorifique began to list and sink. The captain knew immediately that his ship would go to the bottom in minutes. He and his men put lifeboats over the side. They rowed to the Rumney. Once safely on board, the French sailors looked back at their stricken ship. Standing with the English crew, they watched the Frigorifique struggle back into the fog. Her engines were still running because there hadn't been time to shut them down. They would carry her on for a mile or so before she finally sank. All the men knew that they would never see the ship. How wrong they were! The Rumney began inching 'her way through the mist. She had gone but two miles when there were gasps all along the deck. For out of the mist burst a ship. It was the Frigorifique. Smoke poured from her stack. She came directly at the Rumney. She looked like a charging warrior. The Rumney escaped to the side. The French vessel steamed past, missing a collision by just a few yards. Back into the fog she disappeared. The frightened British and French crewmen stared at each other. The Frigorifique should have gone to the bottom by now. But she was still afloat and steaming hard. She had looked as if she were trying to attack the ship that had harmed her. She had actually looked that way! Was it possible that she had been seeking revenge? It was a question that made the men nervous for the next two miles. Then there were fresh cries of alarm. Once again, the Frigorifique broke out of the fog. Again, she came charging at the Rumney. Again, the Britisher tried to swing awaybut failed this time. The Frigorifique smashed into her and tore a gaping hole in her side. THINK IT THROUGH What was frightening about the actions of the Frigorifique?

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FOCUS Discover a possible explanation for the Frigorifique's actions. The Rumney was now as badly wounded as her attacker. The French and English crews took to the lifeboats as she quickly sank beneath the waves. As for the Frigorifique, she continued on her way. She faded back into the fog, leaving a doomed ship behind. Did she have a look of satisfaction about her as she disappeared? The sailors wondered. The lifeboats set out for the nearby French coast. Fifteen minutes later, they emerged into sunlight only to see the Frigorifique come sailing out of the fog after them. She did not, however, aim for the boats. Rather, she passed close-by along a circling route. Both the British and French captains decided to hoard the ship. They wanted to know why she was still afloat. And, if possible, they wanted to learn why she had twice sought out the Rumney as if on a mission of revenge. They found the answers soon after they brought the lifeboats alongside and climbed aboard. There was a simple reason why the frigorifique had not yet sunk. The seawater was pouring in more slowly than was first thought. But, with each passing minute, it was coming faster. The ship did not have long to live. And why had she twice attacked the Rumney? The captains discovered the answer on the bridge. After the frigorifique had been hit, the steersman had found her too hard to handle. He had pulled the wheel over and had lashed it down. This had caused the vessel to sail in a wide circlea circle that had twice brought her to the Rumney. The captains returned to the lifeboats. They rowed to a safe distance and watched the Frigorifique plunge beneath the sea. Then they told their crews about the lashed wheel. The doomed ship hadn't attacked the Rumney after all. She hadn't been angrily looking for revenge. But was this the truth of the matter? Many of the nervous sailors were never sure. THINK IT THROUGH 1. What answers did the two captains find on the Frigorifique? 2. Both stories tell of ships that seemed to think. In your opinion, is this possible? Use details from the selection to support your opinion.

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