was created especially for
Roy Mitchell
Watson
at the age 5
With Lots of Love From,
Mamaw & Papaw
May 9, 2002
Roy Watson was up early in Timpson, Texas. He was so
excited! “Today, Uncle Mark is going to take me for a cruise on a
real Navy ship,” he thought.
At
that very moment, a helicopter landed in the back yard to carry Roy away on his
adventure. Just as the helicopter
lifted off the ground, the pilot said to Roy,
“Why not invite Cody and Ryan along.”
The
helicopter flew straight to the ship and hovered until the landing officer
cleared it to land. The pilot then
touched down carefully on the gently pitching deck. As soon as he was told, Roy and his friends
jumped out.
Roy
was met by Uncle Mark. The commanding officer of the ship said,
“Welcome aboard, Roy! We certainly do have a fun-filled day planned for you.”
Roy
and the commanding officer began the tour on the main deck where the helicopter
landed. While they were there, the Navy
Blue Angels flew overhead in their famous delta formation.
Next
they went below deck. Roy was very cautious going down the steep
ladders. He
saw the crew’s working stations and sleeping quarters. Roy and his friends were invited to eat hamburgers, hot dogs,
and french fries in the mess area.
There
was so much for Roy to see and do inside the big
ship! All the officers and crew were
more than happy to show Roy around and answer
all his many questions.
Then
the commanding officer walked up to Roy and
said, “Roy, would you like to steer this ship!”
Uncle Mark said, “Cody and Ryan can watch you with me!”
They
immediately proceeded to the ship’s bridge.
As they entered the bridge, they found themselves facing the steering
console. It looked impossible to
understand. Roy
asked, “Can I really do this?”
Roy
steered the ship to starboard (right), back around to port (left), and then
dead ahead under the watchful eye of the skipper. It was so much easier than Roy had
thought it would be.
“You
did an excellent job, Roy!” said the commanding
officer. “According to the radio room,
there is quite a group already assembling for our return. Take us home.”
With
this command, Roy brought the ship around
starboard to a heading of 15 degrees.
There, dead ahead, was the home port.
The
tugboats came out to escort them to the pier while porpoises darted in and
around the enormous Navy ship. They
appeared to be racing with them.
“Roy,” said Uncle Mark,
“look at the crowd that has come to welcome you back! With my binoculars, I can see everyone.”
Roy
carefully piloted the ship to the pier.
“Another great job, Roy,” said the
commanding officer. “Look at all the
people cheering for you!” “Wow!” Roy
thought. “this is what it would be like
to serve my country like all the other brave men and women of the Navy.”
The
call to “colors” was sounded. As the sun
set, it signaled the end of an exciting and happy day for everyone. That night in Timpson,
Texas, the very last thought Roy Watson
had was, “Now I know what I want to be when I grow up!”
In MY NAVY ADVENTURE, you visited a ship. Do you know the meaning of the following boating terms?
1.
bow 3. starboard
2.
port 4. aft
a.
back
of a ship, stern
b.
forward
end of a ship
c.
facing
forward, the right hand side of the ship
d.
facing
forward, the left hand side of the ship