The 12-4 watch on a ship is normally quiet and uneventful. Four long hours of staring at the radar, the frequent chart plot, and making small talk with the helmsman. This week was even a tad more dull, as the watches were dogged, and I was on the 12-6. I was struggling with the boredom. However, when the Captain made a late afternoon visit to the Bridge, things got a lot more interesting. In 1982, I was a twenty-five-year...