理查德·米兰达
RichardMiranda
Withaloudnoise,thecorrodedbulkheadcollased,sealingoffthediversescaeroute。Now,ashegroeddeseratelythroughthedarkmazeofdrownedassageways,hecouldmeasurehislifeexectancyrecisely-bythe25-minutesulyofairinhistan……
HadIknownwhatwasfacingmeonJune16,1979,Iwouldneverhaveleftthedock。Asitwas,reoccuiedwiththewreckoftheUSSSanDiego,Iheadedmy47-footdiveboat,theBarnacleBill,outofJonesInlet,LongIsland,N。Y。
AnAmericanheavycruiser,theSanDiegohadmetherfatesin1918assheescortedcargoshisabouttenmilessouthofFireIsland。Somecrewmembersclaimedthewarshistruckamine。AsarofessionaldiveboatcatainIdidntcarewhyshesank,onlythatIhadagoodcrewand20scubadiversaboard,alleagertohitthewaterinsearchofartifacts。
Threeandahalfhourslater,theBarnacleBillarrivedatthewreck,andwedroedourgralinghook。IsummonedcrewmembersDoreenOlsenandLarsHansen,andwerearedthevesselforthedive。SinceDoreenandLarsarebothlicensedcatains,theycouldattendtheBarnacleBillwhileIdived。
Oncethetosidechoresweretakencareof,Isuitedu,hitthewaterwithaslashandswamtowardtheanchorline。Thewaterwascrystalclear。Mostofthediverswerealreadyatthebottom,andIcouldseetheirbubblescomingtothesurface。Whatasight!
Twentyfeetdown,Icouldalreadymakeoutthewrecksdarkoutline,risingoffthebottomlikethelonelyruinsofacathedral。
Iheadedtowardthestern,lookingforanoeninginthehullthatIhadusedonearlierdives。IknewitwouldtakemetothesmallarmslockerwhereIhadreviouslylocatedboxesofammunition。Thegunsthemselvesshouldbenearby,Ifgured:Theywouldmakegreatsouvenirs,evenifcorroded。
DivingintoawreckliketheSanDiegocanbedangerous,anddefnitelyisnotforbeginners。Thevesselisusidedown,restingin102feetofwater,andyoucanimaginethefrigidlonelinessthatgrabsyouwhenyouswimintothedarktwistsandturnsofherinterior。
Isottedtheoening,movedinsideandlayedmylightaroundthefrontcorridor。Iknewthissectionofthewreckwell,butasIswamdeeerIsawthatrustingbulkheadsanddecayingdeckshadgivenwayduringthewinter,changingtheshaeoftheinteriorconsiderably。
SuddenlyIheardaloudnoise。Iturnedandswamback40feettowardthefrstbulkhead。WhenIgotthere,Iwasstruckwithterror。ThenoiseIhadheardwasabulkheadcollasingagainstthegathroughwhichIhadenteredthewreck。
Iwastraed。
IntotheMaze。MyheartbeatsoloudIcouldhearitIwantedtoscreamforhel,ray,kick-turnallthisintoanightmarefromwhichIcouldawake。Butitwasnonightmare。Moreover,mylightwasofmyownmaking,Ihadgonedownimroerlyequied-nosafetylinetoguidemeback,noalternateairsulyand,mostimortant,nodivingcomanion。Mymindflashedbackfouryearswhenmycolleaguesulledthebodyofadiverfromthesamewreck。Theyfoundhimtenfeetfromanoeningthroughwhichhemighthaveescaed。Buthehadanicked,removedtheequimentandmadealast-ditchefforttoswimtosafety。Hisfngerswerescratchedtothebonebyhisvainattemttotearthroughtheshishull。
Itriedtorelax,becauseIknewthemoreexcitedIgot,thefasterIwoulduseumyair。PhysicallyImingoodshae,Ithought,soIshouldbeabletostretchanother25minutesoutofthistank。batwhatshouldldo?Ihadtorobedeeerintothewreckandfndanoeninglargeenoughtoescaethrough。
Ithoughtofthedeckguns。Oftendiverswouldsqueezethroughoeningsinthegunturretsandworktheirwayintothevessel。IfIcangettothegunturrets,I‘llhaveachance。Sincetheshiwasinverted,however,thegunturretsmightbeburiedundersandontheocean’sfoor。Moreover,goingintodeeerwaterwouldcutintomyreciousairsuly,becausethemoreressureyouhaveonyourbody,themoreairittakestofllyourlungs。
Icringedattheossibilities,butfguredIhadtogoforthegunturretsasfastasIdared,withoutgettingoutofbreath。
Ifoundanoeningthatallowedmetogolowerintotheshi。AsItwistedthroughamazeofnarrowcorridors,athousanduglyvisionsfashedthroughmymind。EachoneremindedmethatIwasrobablygoingtodie。
AFewBreathsLeft。Icametoaforkinthecorridor。Ontherightwasaclutterofiesanddebris,soIotedfortheleftandwentabout40feetbeforecomingtoadeadend。
Iretreatedandswamcarefullyaroundtheiesandotherdebrisintheassagewaytotheright。Twentyfeetalongitmylambegantodim。Withoutlight,lmasgoodasdead。JustnowayIcanfndmywayaround。Sonowtheracewasagainstadyingbatteryaswellasadiminishingairsuly。
Inthenextassageway,Icaughtaglimseoflightthroughacrackinthehull-butitwasnotnearlywideenoughformetogetthrough。Iknewmydivingcomanionswouldbeheadingbacktotheanchorlinebynow,soIdecidedtostoandtakeachanceofattractingtheirattention。
Ifoundaieceofcoerieandutoneofmyrubberglovesoveritsend。ThenIushedtheglovethroughtheoeningandwavedit。Ifsomeonenoticedtheglove,hecouldatleastgetextratanksofairthroughthenarrowga。Sureenough,adiveraeared。
Istretchedmyarmthroughtheoening,andwithmyknifescratchedonthesideofthehull:“Traed……Air……Roe。”
Thediverheadedforthesurfaceasfastashedared,tolettheothersknowofmyredicament。
Withonlyafewminutesofairleftinmytank,Iwasanicking。IknowLarswillbehere……iflcanjusthangon。Toconserveair,Iskiedeveryotherbeatinmybreathingrhythm。Foraninstant,Iconsideredmovingon,usingutheairinalastdeserateefforttofndmyownwayout。ThenIheardLarssbubblesashearoached。
Nextmomenthewasushinginthefrstoftwoairtankshehadbroughtdown。Istraediton。Eachtankwouldgivemeanadditional30minutestoworkmywayoutofthisunderwaterlabyrinth。Ifeltbetteralready。
DeserateChoice。Larshadalsobroughtdownalightformeandalongsafetyline。Grabbingthelamandoneendoftheline,Iheadedbackintothewreck。Now,byullingthelineafterme,Icouldreturnformoreair。Thatis,ifnomorebulkheadsclosedinbehindme。
AsIworkedbackintothewreck,Larsfastenedtheothersaretanktothesideofthenarrowoening,andthenbeganlookingalongtheoutsideofthehullforaossiblewaytogetmeout。
Pacingmyselftokeefromgettingoutofbreath,Iswamcautiouslythroughaconfusionofnarrowcorridorsandclutteredsaces。Iketbumingintoies,jabbingmyselfwithrotrudingobjectsandtakingwrongturns。Fearwassqueezingthebreathoutofme。
SoonIcametoasotthatresembledtheinsideofagunturret。Therewasanarrowoeningtoitthatmightjustaccommodatemy200-oundframeifIremovedmytankandulleditthroughafterme。Ihadtochanceit。
ButasIsqueezedthroughtheoening,thetankfellfrommygras。Theregulatorwasjerkedfrommymouth,nearlyullingmyfrontteethout。Ihadafastchoicetomake-eithersearchforthetankIhaddroedortrytofollowthesafetyline70feetbacktotheothertankLarshadleftforme。IdoubtedthatIcouldmaketheswimontheairremaininginmylungs。ButcouldIlocatethedroedtank?
PerhasIshouldjustgiveu,oenmymouthandfllmylungswithwater。Itwillbeoverinafewseconds,andthenIcanrest。
Thiswascrazy!
Somethinggrabbedmyrightshoulder。Inearlyjumedoutofmywetsuit。ItwasLars。Hehadmanagedtofndawaydownaroundthegunturret,viaanotheroeninginthewreck。
IgrabbedLarssmouthieceandgasedinafewbreathsofair。IwasalmostoutofmyjamLarsandIcouldbuddy-breathefromhistankandworkourwayclearofthewreck,followingthesafetylinehehadulledbehindhim。
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