'DEEP IMPACT' 2: The Old Lady

‘DEEP IMPACT 2’
'Biederman's Impact' from the Port of New York
Time: 14.32 EST - 47 minutes after impact.
The previous twenty four hours seemed like an eternity to the passengers and crew of the hulking mass that was the RMS QE2 when it finally managed to get pushed away from her berth in New York. Not only was she penned in by other vessels desperately trying to board their frantic passengers but also then get to open water but most of the crew members for the tugs at the port had left to get to their families when the President had announced the impact site of the incoming fragment of Wolf-Biederman. 
Now carrying over twenty odd thousand passengers which was orders of magnitude on what the ship was designed for they inhabited every cranny, doorway, room and corridor each one praying that the ship they were on would survive the upcoming onslaught that was about to hit them.
Chugging at a sedate sixteen knots she and the hundreds of sailing craft, boats and ships with her under The Bay Bridge and into The Lower Bay separating New Jersey and New York.
“C’mon for fucks sake!” Captain Lloyd barked frustratingly as he and the bridge crew, the other half stationed around the vessel trying to keep everyone calm and the vessel watertight before the monster hit tried to thread her ‘Maj’ through a melee of yachts who clearly didn’t understand the threat that the upcoming wave was about to bring on them.
“Sir! . . . we’ve got a dopey looking fucker in a small cruiser cutting in front of us!” shouted Jameson, the Officer of the Watch who was the lookout on the bridge’s port wing.
“Too late we’ve got him!” screamed Able Seaman Vincent who was the lookout on the bridge’s starboard wing. There was then a huge clunk as over eighty thousand tonnes rolled unforgivingly over its prey, killing the occupants as they either drowned or got chewed up by the ship's propellers. Any pretence of feeling sorry for the victims disappeared the day earlier when it was everyone for themselves.
“Fuck this for a game of soldiers, we’re fucking dead if we don’t get out of this shit!” Capt Lloyd said as he picked up the intercom and contacted the Chief Engineer in the Engine Room. After a few moments he got through and spoke.
“Paisley?” Lloyd enquired.
“Yes Captain!” replied Paisley.
“How’s the power plants? . . . we’re going to put our pedal down in a few moments?” Lloyd asked.
“Everything is grand Sir! . . . full speed is at your discretion!” Paisley replied.
“Roger that Paisley, good work!” Lloyd replied, then put the intercom down and looked at Officer Woods overseeing the propulsion of ‘Maj’.
“Woody! . . . .floor it! . . . full speed ahead!” Lloyd instructed.
“Sir! . . . just to advise you that there are sandbanks and shoals along here and at that speed and how low we’d be sitting in the water there’s a danger that we get snagged on one!” Woody explained.
Lloyd went to say something then stopped himself and put his finger to his mouth in contemplation then pointed at Woody and smiled.
“That’s correct Mr Woods, your suggestion has been duly notified . . . . full speed ahead please!”  Lloyd replied.
Woods then used the throttle on his console in front of him to open up ‘Maj’s’ eighty eighty megawatt power plant; the five blade propellers under her keel started to spin forcing ‘Maj’ to cut through the water while the hull sank as was warned by Woods.
After a while ‘Maj’ exited the Lower Bay and would need to make a turn to get to the open ocean leaving all the yachts and private craft to their fates.
“Mr Bennett . . . . are we clear to make a turn to port!” Lloyd asked as both Jameson and Vincent quickly walked off the bridge wings and shut the doors behind them their jobs finished as lookouts.
“Yes Sir . . . we have multiple contacts around us but we have a large one coming up on our starboard side around three miles out, apart from that we are clear to navigate freely” said Lovatt continually watching the screen in front of him.
“Mr Lovatt . . . please make a turn two eighty degrees to port ” Lloyd instructed.
“Yes Sir . . . two eighty degrees to port!” Bennett replied as he used the wheel to slowly bring the ship around.
Lloyd then again picked the intercom but put it through the entire ship.
“This is your Captain speaking, just to let you know we’re heading into deep water at last!” Then he took a deep breath.
“For those below decks you’re going to hear an alarm that will signify the closing of the watertight doors and bulkheads. I’m sorry how this looks entombing you all down there but if we’re going to have any chance of surviving the incoming three waves we have to make us as buoyant as possible.”
“As soon as the danger has passed we’ll open them again”.”When we’re about to engage the wave we’ll let you know by using the collision alarms and will tell you to brace so make sure you’ve got yourselves restrained to stop you hurting yourselves!”
He then again took a deep breath knowing it would be a fifty fifty chance if they’d survive this and continued
“By the way feel free to pray to whatever god you follow because we might need a bit of divine intervention to get through this, this concludes my message!” He then disengaged the intercom.
“Anything on the radar Mr Bennett?” asked Lloyd, knowing that there was a trio of monsters lurking out there on the ocean like some modern day Krakens.
“Nothing yet Captain!” Bennett replied, still keeping his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him.
“Very well Mr Bennett, scream blue murder if you see it coming towards us, they’d said it would be around this time!” Lloyd said.
“Got her! . . . . Oriana is on our port side around ten miles out” shouted Williams, binoculars held to his eyes.
“Well done Big O!” replied Lloyd. Although there was intense rivalry between the two shipping lines that owned both ships, the crews didn’t wish any harm to one another.
“Good on Big ‘O’ on making it” Williams said, smiling as he did.
After a few minutes they had catched up to the target on their starboard side, a huge bulk iron ore carrier at over a thousand feet in length that had been unable to disgorge its load in New Jersey and had made a run to deep water.
“Contact that areshole Mr Jameson . . . we need to get past him as quickly as possible and I don’t want us to run into each other while we ride the waves!” Lloyd instructed.Williams then picked up the ship to ship communication link.
“Does anyone have the name of him?” Williams asked.
“Looks like it’s reading Batavian Conveyor Williams!” replied Vincent as he looked over at Williams, his hands holding his binoculars down to his chest.
“Batavia Conveyor! . . . . Batavia Conveyor!, this is Queen Elizabeth the second! . . . please be advised we are making a high speed run alongside your port side . . . do you copy that?” Williams said.
“Queen Elizabeth Ii . . . . Queen Elizabeth Two, please be advised that we are slow moving vessel and thus we have right of way, do you copy that!” a voice with a Filipino accent replied.
“Is this fucker for real?” Lloyd said, shaking his head slowly in disbelief.
“Batavia Conveyor! . . . . Batavia Conveyor! We are well aware of the rules regarding sea navigation. we are just telling you our intention to make a high speed pass on your port side . . . .do you copy?” again questioned the Filipino captain.
“Very well Queen Elizabeth Two, we will continue on our present bearing!” the captain of the vessel replied.
It was then that ‘Maj’ started to pass the bulk carrier, its greater speed giving the impression that the Batavia Conveyor had stopped. A few minutes later the crew on the bridge relaxed as they left the bulk carrier a few miles away.
. . . . then all of a sudden!
“CONTACTII! . . . CONTACT!!! . . . CONTACT!I!” Bennett screamed across the bridge as his face went white as blood ran from him in fear then continued.
“We have a contact bearing zero seven two degrees, thirty miles away, heading two seven zero degreesI he barked, fear sounding through his voice as he watched a line make its way across his radar screen indicating that the first of the monsters that they were waiting for had turned up and it was now or never.
“Hard turn to starboard! . . . .bring us about!” ordered Lloyd
“Turning about sir!” replied Lovatt
It was then ‘Maj’ leaned to port as the eighty thousand tonnes of the ship turned to face the first of its nemesis while on the ship everyone started to scream in panic as the collision alarms sounded throughout.
The crew all looked out of the windows as in the distance a dark black line approached them on the horizon coming at them at six hundred miles an hour. While the deafening sound of the collision alarm echoed across the bridge Lloyd picked up the intercom.
“EVERYONE!!!! . . . BRACE!!! . . . .BRACE!!! . . . BRACE!!! Lloyd screamed as the wave at over fifteen hundred feet in height filled their entire view from the forward windows on the bridge, causing it to go dark.
“Oh . . . fucking hell!, were not going to make it . . . were not going to make it” Vincent shouted in panic as they were about to hit the wave front.
Seconds later, everyone on the ‘Maj’ felt four G’s as the ship rode up the front of the monster as if propelled up on a rollercoaster. Despite being the best part of nine hundred feet in length ‘Maj’ then started to lose the battle of inertia against the wave but just before she started to slip back down her bow punched through the lip of the wave's on top.
Although the wave hadn’t crested yet due to being offshore it still meant that thousands of tons of water ran over Maj's bow and along the top third of the ship. It was then that the sheer weight of the water broke through the windows on the bridge, the frigid Atlantic water throwing every member in there around like rag dolls. Lloyd then opened his eyes to see just murkiness as the entire bridge flooded out, the sound of the ocean filling his ears.
Then light appeared to descend from the sky as the water flooding the bridge quickly emptied out as if someone had pulled the plug from the bath while the ship went on another four G trip as it travelled down the rear of the wave. Hitting the trough at the rear the Maj’ let out a groan as eighty thousand tons of steel reverberated and then settled back on the water. It was then that everyone on the bridge got to their feet and stations trying to assess the situation and wipe the water from their faces.
“Fuck me . . . I thought we were dead then!” Williams said while trying to drain himself from his water-clogged uniforms.
“Never underestimate her ‘Maj’, she's been through a lot of scrapes” Lloyd said as he leaned forward to contact the engineering section while the collision alarms were silenced.
“Paisley . . . how’s she looking?” Lloyd asked.
“It was a fucking good bump but she’s ok, we’ve had minor flooding as water came down the chimney, we just don’t need to many of these though.” Paisley explained.
“How much flooding?” Lloyd inquired further.
“Around a foot . . . . but we should be ok when we get the pumps going,” Paisley said.
“Very well Paisley make it so please . . . bridge out.” Lloyd ended the conversation happy that the engineering section had done their job.
“Sir, we’ve lost our radar . . . the wave must’ve taken it off the top when we hit the lip,” Lovatt replied.
“Never mind Mr Lovatt, everyone keep an eye out” Lloyd instructed. It was then that Jameson shouted out.
“She’s gone!”
“Who? . . . the Big O?” Vincent asked as everyone looked to see if the Oriana had been sunk.
“No . . . .the Batavia, the Big O is still out there on our port side,” Jameson said.
It was then everyone rushed to the windows on the starboard side of the bridge as wind rushed through the broken glass. The scene that they witnessed was truly shocking. The Batavia had snapped into three sections as it rode up the wave front, its three sections then started to sink. The crew watched forlornly as the stern section with most of the crew members in there quickly sank, slow enough for the members on the bridge to watch but too quick for the Batavia’s crew to escape Davy Jones’s locker.
“Poor bastards!” Williams called out.
Wiping his eyes from the water continuing to dribble from his half broken binoculars that he picked up from the floor after the bridge had flooded out, Lovatt looked through his cracked lenses as the best he could eagerly at the horizon, the Oriana and a host of other ships that had survived their encounter with the wall of death. As the cool breeze blew through the windows and across his fingers, Lovatt worked his freezing fingers over the focusing mechanism on his binoculars. It was then fear engulfed him again as he spotted another dark line on the horizon indicating they were about to be attacked by a second monster like the previous one, one and a half thousand feet high and barreling in at six hundred miles an hour .
“WE’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE!!!!” Vincent screamed looking through his pair of binoculars, beating Lovatt to the punch.
“The second one?” Lloyd said in disbelief.
“Yes sir . . . straight head heading straight for us!” Vincent replied.
“Hit those collision alarms Vincent . . . and keep our bow straight at the bastard Bennett!” Lloyd instructed, then picked up the intercom. Alarms then sounded around the ship again as ‘Maj’ again faced its moment of truth.
“BRACE!!! . . . . BRACE!!! . . . .BRACE!!!” Lloyd again screamed down the receiver as darkness enclosed the bridge.
Again everyone on board felt four G’s as ‘Maj’ hit the front of the wave and lifted up towards its tip while thousands of tonnes of water again crested over the first third of the ship. Lloyd and the rest of the crew members took a deep breath and winced as the bridge flooded out, the bridge going dark. The crew members held their breath until as before, light entered the area and the ocean drained from the bridge as a further four G’s hit the entire vessel as ‘Maj’ crested the top of the wave then ran down the rear of the wave then settled as before on the ocean, water pouring off the ship. It was then as the crew composed themselves as they got to their positions, alarms started to sound indicating trouble in the engineering section.
“Kill those alarms!” Lloyd barked as he picked up the intercom to contact Paisley, concerned as he became aware that the continual sound and vibrations of the engines had died.
“Engineering here!” Paisley said.
“We’ve got alarms here stating the power plant is out, tell me it’s not” Lloyd asked hoping upon hope that they weren't.
“Sorry Sir, that whack has just stalled the engines, we’re trying to get them started as soon as we can but we’ve had another foot or so of water come down the chimney and we’re up to our arses in it!” Paisley exclaimed.
“Paisley, we need the power plant up and running as quickly as you can, we’ve got no steering for the third and final wave comes on us!” Lloyd said that without engine power ‘Maj’ was a sitting duck without propulsion or either steering.
Lloyd then started to belatedly contact the rest of the members of the bridge staff team who were around various points of the ship. Contacting third Officer ‘Swede’ Johansson he enquired about the situation.
“Sir . . . the passengers are starting to panic, they’re banging on the doors and screaming and trying to get out fearing that they’re about to die and we’ve had water ingestion through various broken portholes flooding the rooms but luckily it’s draining out so no one is in danger of drowning!” Swede stated.
“Very well Swede . . . keep up the good work, make sure the rest of the members are up to speed and you help each other out, we’re up the creek here with problems here as the engines have been knocked out! Lloyd instructed.
“Very well Sir! Swede replied then the coms went silent as Lloyd quickly put the receiver down in horror as the bridge crew members shouted out that the third wave was hurtling towards them. Desperately Lloyd contacted Paisley in the Engineering Section.
“Paisley!!! . . . we need engine power right now or we’re all dead!” Lloyd shouted forlornly.
“I’m afraid it’s impossible sir . . . we’ve still got water running down the chimney and we can’t start them up as they’ve got water ingested!”
Cutting off Paisley he then switched the coms to general and shouted down the receiver while collision alarms again sounded around the ship “BRACE!!! . . . BRACE!!! . . . .BRACE!!!!
Moments later the ship luckily still pointing bow first at the wave rode up the front forcing four ‘Gs’ on the occupants yet again while the superstructure groaned as it did.
Despite not hardly having any forward moment since the engines quit ‘Maj’ rode higher and higher up the front of the wave but just as the ship was about to break over the waves lip it’s inertia failed it and the vessel started to slide backwards, stern first and then to everyone on the bridge’s horror crabbed sideways to starboard thus allowing the ship to roll over.
Lloyd watched as the bridge again filled up with seawater and started to go dark while at the same time everything around him started to spin as if he was in a washing machine.Continuing to roll the ship unbelievably rolled upright while inside the wave then broke out of the rear side of of it allowing the thousands of tons of water to drain off the ship but it wasn’t over yet as the ‘Maj’ continued to roll to starboard as the wave continued onward away from them. Just as ‘Maj’ appeared to be rolling over again she stopped at around forty plus degrees then slowly but surely started to right herself all the while draining her excess water.
On the bridge realising that passengers might be drowning below decks Lloyd instructed the crew to open up all the bulk heads and doors to free them giving them a chance to escape..
“Paisley? . . . Paisley?” Lloyd desperately shouted down the coms to the Engineering Section knowing full well that huge amounts of seawater would be flooding the area due to ingressing down the funnel or ‘the chimney’ as the staff jokingly referred to it.
“Paisley here Sir!” he replied with the sound of water entering the engineering section from the chimney sounding like they were under a shower head and staff shouting and echoing down the receiver.
“Paisley! . . get the lads out of there ok . . . I don’t want your lot drowning! Lloyd barked.
“It’s ok Sir . . . we’re just getting the pumps working and will be up and running in no time. Once we’ve got them running we should be ok, we just need help as some of the staff have broken limbs from when we rolled!” replied Paisley.
“Are you sure . . . as I said I don’t want you and the lads down there like that?” Lloyd asked.
“Not a problem sir . . . as I said we just need a few spare lads down here!” Paisley replied.
“Very well Paisley, you crazy bastard . . . I’m sending some crew down there to get the injured out!” Lloyd exclaimed while shaking his head from Paisley’s stubbornness. It was then that The Big O came on the coms and an unknown voice called out.
“Q . . E . . Two! . . Q . . E . . Two! . . this is Oriana on your port bow, do you need assistance!” . . . Over? 
“This is Q . . E . . Two Oriana . . . we have flooding in engineering and our engines are out and many injured . . . Over!” Lloyd replied.
“Very well Q . . E . . Two, we’re making the best speed to your position . . Over!” the unknown voice on the end of the coms replied
“Negative! . . Negative! . . Oriana, we should have our power plants up and running and our flooding under control . . . Over!” Lloyd answered, impressed with The Big O’s self sacrifice.
“Don’t worry Q . . E . . Two, we're here if you need us, we’ll hold station until you’re up and running and we can travel back to blighty together . . Over!”
“Roger that Oriana, your help is appreciated, Q . . E . . Two out!” Lloyd replied.
An hour later with its power plants back up and running both ships continued to sail eastwards on their journey to what was left of the UK.
The End