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  Mr. Scott arrived with two lit cigars and a mass of confusion. “The tanks are warm, but we’ll need quite the explosion to get us going, lads. I don’t even want to know what you need the cigars for. Hopefully for a victory celebration, but it seems a little premature to ask for them to be lit already.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but the cigars are a sacrifice to the boilers.” Dylan said with a playful tone belying the pressure of the situation. “You may want to head back to the monitoring room. We’re not sure this is the safest place to be.”

  Mr. Scott required no further prodding and turned tail back to the control room. The twins each affixed the cigars above the overflow opening by gently balancing the burning embers in the spokes, and they both hoped a stray piece of lit ash didn’t start the explosion early. Having already balanced the doors open, they then turned and both walked slowly back towards the bulkhead door to avoid shaking both the doors and the cigars. Just before they reached the bulkhead, each produced a baseball from their pockets.

  “Don’t forget to duck.” Payton said as the boys turned simultaneously and unleashed their best fastballs at the pipes overhanging each boiler. With the release of the ball, the twins planted their left foot and dove for the bulkhead door. Payton scrambled through first, followed by Dylan slamming the door behind him. Their throws both flew true and straight, and struck the pipes as intended. The poor plan executed flawlessly ignited the gas and slammed the doors shut. The boys knew they’d gotten it right by the simultaneous clang of the baseballs on the pipes followed by a loud cracking explosion, just like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

  Even before the twins could make it back to the control room, Mr. Scott burst out in to the hallway and exclaimed “You’ve done it!” He grabbed both boys and hugged them with such enthusiasm that Dylan thought the burley engineer meant to break their spines. “Both turbine leapt to life and are humming along. There are no indications of a leak or damaged blades. The shafts and propellers should start turning full bore in moments.” The nearly giddy engineer continued.

  “Now it’s just up to the captain to get us out of here.” Dylan smiled.

  “If you don’t mind, Mr. Scott, we’ll head up to see if Mr. Collins needs us.” Payton said, more relieved than anything that the plan worked and they hadn’t sunk the ship before the Uboat had a chance.

  Chapter 7

  May 16th, 1940

  Dylan and Payton took more time returning to the top decks than they had descending to the engine room. With the rest of the ships fate out of their hands they could walk off some of the tension inherent in setting off an explosion in a very explosion unfriendly place. During the actual work neither thought of the gaping hole below the water line possible from their actions, but walking back up gave them a chance to think it over. Both counted themselves lucky and moved forward with only enough reflection to note that at least they’d thought quickly, worked together as a team and succeeded. Their absolute faith in each other to execute the plan allowed each to perform under pressure. Neither twin would let his brother down.

  The twins managed to track down Mr. Collins in the main salon with the royal family and most of the traveling party.

  “Excellent, I was looking for both of you. I was afraid the young Misters Stewart had gotten lost. We seem to be in a touch of trouble, the Captain has asked that we remain in the Salon while there is a Uboat in the area.” Mr. Collins said by way of greeting and obviously relieved to see his young charges.

  “Sorry for our absence, sir, and thank you for your concern. The Captain had us helping in the engine room.” Payton answered.

  King George overhead the twins speaking with Mr. Collins and inquired “I heard a muffled explosion from the direction of the engine room, is everything all right?”

  “Yes, your Majesty. We caused the explosion on purpose in the boiler tanks to help start the turbines for the outer two screws. It was a bit tricky, but I think it worked.” Payton answered the King while understating the risk involved in their startup.

  “The Captain is trying to lull the Uboat in to not firing until we can get all four propellers spinning. Then we can take evasive action and sprint away from the slower boat while it is still underwater.” Dylan added. “I’d expect the captain to give the orders shortly.”

  “You started two turbines in such short order?” The King asked, vaguely remembering the tedium from his days in the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. “I’m rather impressed.”

  “Thank you, sir. It was a bit hairy, but it worked. Unfortunately, now we must sit, wait, and hope that the Captain is right.” Payton said. As he finished, the ship shuddered like someone with a cold feeling running up the spine. The whole ship shook as the captain had given the orders for the port rudders to full reverse and the starboard rudders to full ahead. The engine noise, usually at a low murmur throughout the trip, markedly increased in intensity and throbbed through the ship. The cruise liner certainly could not turn on a dime, but stressing the propellers and shafts with this maneuver gave the ship the quickest pivot. Once turned, the Captain could order full ahead on all four propellers to run away and hide.

  “I’d suggest we hold on to something.” The King instructed everyone in the room as the ship began to tilt back to starboard from the massive forward inertia and the port propellers pulling that side down. The twins rather gamely took at seat at one of the bolted down tables and held on to the edge, knowing that the legs were available for back up handholds. The king took four strong steps toward his family and secured his two daughters on a padded booth seat against the near port bulkhead. The King made a sensible choice since the starboard side of the ship already hung noticeable higher than the port side.

  As the angle increased, the few loose items such as forks and spoons began sliding towards the port bulkhead. The rest of the traveling party held on a little tighter as the angle of the ship continued in to an uncomfortable tilt. Though the ship was far from capsizing, those not accustom to the sea felt anxious at least. Payton and Dylan grinned at each other and sat totally at ease. They’d twisted the old crop dusting plane to much steeper angles at home. Some of the traveling party looked with horror at the large grand piano as it creaked loudly like old floorboards with the rising angle, but it remained anchored firmly in place.

  However, as some looked at the piano, Dylan and Payton eyed a large silverware cart that carelessly left out in the haste brought on by the Uboat sighting. As it began rolling towards the royal family, Dylan started to rise to his feet and say something to his brother.

  Payton cut him off “I see it, too.” he said as he stood up also. Dylan stood closer to the rolling cart, so he took the three steps across and at an upward angle to intercept the cart. Payton stepped around the table and followed close behind his brother. The large thick oak cart matched the walls of the dining Salon, and still held the full complement of the ships silverware after lunch. Not only did it look heavy, it was heavy, befitting the class and style of the regal ship. Dylan grabbed the handles of the cart as it approached him, but knew that momentum would betray him. The cart slammed in to Dylan knocking him abruptly backwards and threatening to run him over. Trusting his brother, Dylan neatly reverse pivoted to the side of the cart and threw one hand up for his brother to catch while holding on to the cart with his other hand. Payton had already wrapped one arm around a support pillar and reached out to perfectly catch his brother’s wrist in midair. It looked like perfectly choreographed trapeze artists in midair beneath the big top. The collision with Dylan slowed the momentum enough that in tandem the twins could hold on enough to stop the cart before it barreled in to the King and his youngest daughter. Dylan and Payton swung slightly to the side and lowered the cart to the bulkhead wall as gently as they could manage.

  “Thank you. That could have turned out rather badly.” The King said to the twins with obvious relief and his daughter hugging tightly to his side. The twins noted that the King moved round himself at the first sign
of trouble to help shield his daughter. He would have taken the brunt of the blow in an effort to protect his child, just like any other parent. “It looks like you may have practiced that pirouette before. I hope you are not injured.” His Majesty continued.

  “I’m fine, sir, and thank you for asking. The pivot was just like turning a double play in baseball from second base. I mostly played catcher, but have made that play before. It’s also similar to spinning away from a tackle in football, at least our football. You just plant your inside foot and spin out.” Dylan answered politely.

  “I’m not sure that you would usually throw your arm up to be caught in either of those moves.” The King observed.

  “That was just faith in my brother, and a bit of luck.” Dylan lightly added.

  As Dylan spoke, the sound of the ship stopped pulsing as all four screws slowed momentarily. The Captain was allowing the port screws to slow from all back and accelerate to all ahead without the starboard screws continuing to push the ship into its turn. By allowing all four screws to accelerate together, the captain hoped he’d gain enough torque to accelerate quickly enough that any torpedo fired half cocked would fall behind the ship. The passengers in the main salon all breathed a sigh of relief as the ship began to level out. With an even keel, the engines shuddered again and fully came to life. The lumbering behemoth did not leap forward, but it did make a small, reassuring surge on its new path. Several more minutes passed in tense silence as everyone prayed that the ship would avoid the watery depths.

  “Well, we’ve made it this far, the Captain must feel better. I haven’t heard any torpedoes pinging after us yet, so we are at least putting distance between us and the sub. I’m sure the tension up on the bridge must be unbearable. Fortunately down here we have Mr. Collins and that fine piano.” His Majesty observed, breaking the mood. Unbeknownst to the twins, Mr. Collins was also a highly accomplished pianist who played for the King and his family often. “Mr. Collins, if you would, let’s have a song. Girls, you can sing along. Camp Town Races may be appropriate for our recently won five mile turn and run!” He continued enthusiastically motioning Mr. Collins to the piano and addressing his children at the same time. Mr. Collins took his place at the piano and played a brief entry before breaking in to the familiar tune. Both the princesses sang the melody with sweet soprano voices, and before long the whole room joined in to the song. The salon rang with boisterous if slightly absurd music born of the relief that only a near miss with mortality and escape back to life can bring.

  As the song wound down, the officer of the deck stepped in to the room with an announcement. “I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience, everyone. The Captain appreciates your cooperation and hopes you understand that he is only looking out for everyone’s well being. We are now out of range of the submarine, so you are free to go about your usual business.” As he uttered the last phrase the room erupted in applause, not the least of which came from His Majesty himself.

  “Excellent, please pass my heartfelt thanks to the Captain and all the crew. A jolly good show by everyone. I’ll remain in the salon for a while, so please let the crew know that I’d like to thank each and every one of them if they have time to stop by here.” The King commended the beaming officer and showed his intention to commend all the crew. After all, even on the ship, it wasn’t often that one had an audience with the King.

  Dylan and Payton sat against the wall of the salon quietly. They were pleased that their efforts had helped aid the escape in a key role, but they knew the ultimate outcome came from a good plan by the Captain and a healthy dose of luck. The salon still buzzed from the escape and the dissipating tension, so Dylan and Payton quietly slipped out the side door to avoid stealing the show from the Captain and regular crew.

  Chapter 8

  May 19th, 1940

  The day broke crisply as the sun seemed to bounce in to the sky faster than normal. All aboard the ship anticipated the mid-morning arrival in Southampton eagerly. Many wandered to the bow of the ship straining to catch the first sight of their home realm. Not long after breakfast, the watch office spotted the first glimpse of their destination through his binoculars. Soon after, the passengers on the bow could see the first bump on the horizon with their naked eyes. A small cheer rose from the decks and then quickly vanished as everyone hurried back to their staterooms to put the finishing touches on packing and readying for arrival. With little to pack, Dylan and Payton took their last chance to stroll around the decks, enjoying the sun and relaxation settling over the ship. After the Uboat incident most of the passengers tensely waited out the last days of the journey, but with land in sight everyone could breathe deeply again.

  What most of the passengers did not know was that hours ago in the middle of the night they had already passed in to the English Channel. Montreal sits at roughly 45 degrees latitude while Southampton sits at roughly 50 degrees latitude. Since the ship came up slightly from the south and it was the middle of the night, the passengers never saw Falmouth on the western tip of southern England.

  Normally, the cruise liner would pull in to Southampton opposite the Isle of Wight, but since the King’s name topped the passenger manifest this particular voyage would continue for about an hour more on to the Royal Navy yard at Portsmouth which sits 19 miles southeast of Southampton. The city of Portsmouth, such as it was, mostly occupies Portsea Island. Portsmouth, an island city, serves as one of the main seaports traversing the English Channel to mainland Europe and on through the Mediterranean Sea from the United Kingdom. The island sits in a cove shaped like a C tipped down so the opening faces south. Portsmouth Creek completely cuts the island off from the mainland in the north, but several bridges easily cover the distance and give Portsmouth the feel of a peninsula rather than an island. The true Portsmouth harbor lays west of the island, with the Naval Base sitting on the western edge of the island. Many fingers of the harbor intrude on to Portsmouth proper and the mainland on both sides of the island, looking like a leafless tree in winter from above.

  The low laying industrial city did not particularly stand out on first inspection from the sea liner. No sight emerged of a pretty coast line with white beaches and a forest behind like in Sussex, or any striking geological feature like the Cliffs of Dover. The low docks and piers had some small hills behind and that was that. However, on closer inspection one could see the history of the city as its best feature. Once closer to the city South Sea Castle stood proudly and defiantly on the southern tip of the island projecting the military might of the British Empire. Portsmouth played a key role in the naval history of the British Empire, and any future king surely knew the symmetry of sailing in to this port with his latest version of the Empire at stake.

  The strategic value of Portsmouth first showed in 1194 AD when King Richard the Lionheart gathered an army there after returning from imprisonment during the crusades. The French invaded and sacked the city in 1338, the Black Death first struck in 1348, and the French sacked the city again in 1369, 1377, and 1380. The fortifications necessary throughout the years eventually led to Portsmouth boasting the most fortifications in all of Britain, and possibly the world, surrounding the city. As the main Naval base for the Realm projecting its power on the high seas the necessary fortifications were continuously built and improved throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. In 1787 eleven ships sailed to settle the first European colonies in Australia, and thus began the infamous prisoner transports.

  The city also boasted two unique literary ties to two of the more famous authors of the 19th century. Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth on February 7th, 1812. The famous author’s family moved away shortly after his birth a hundred or more miles to Chatham, southwest of London. Portsmouth still claimed him as a native son, though his socio-economic views and his fight against child labor were formed later on in London. The other famous author was more closely linked to Portsmouth. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle moved to Portsmouth to start a medical practice in 1882 when he was just
Dr. Conan. With few patients and little money at first, he spent his time writing. In 1887, Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet. Four years later Doyle moved to London as well, but Sherlock Holmes was born in Portsmouth.

  Knowing their naval history, the twins also knew the most famous fact about Portsmouth. In 1805, Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson set sail for the last time from Portsmouth. He led the British fleet against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the Napoleonic wars in one of the most famous English Naval victories, The Battle of Trafalgar. At the time, Napoleon had the greatest land army in the world, but the British had the greatest Navy and controlled the world’s oceans.

  In the middle of August 1805 Lord Cornwallis had detached the core of the fleet from the English Channel to sail towards Spain and engage the enemy fleet in a decisive battle. That fleet began by blockading Spain. Nelson joined the blockaded sea lanes off of Spain in his flag ship HMS Victory and took command in the middle of September. Nelson had twenty seven fighting ships to meet the thirty three fighting ship Spanish/French fleet off the Cape of Trafalgar in southwest Spain. Napoleon badly wanted to invade Britain, so Nelson sailed to defeat the enemy fleet, maintain control of the English Channel, and thwart any chance of an invasion flotilla safely crossing to Britain.

  The decisive battle came on October 21, 1805. After several hours of maneuvering and build up to the battle, at just before noon, Nelson sent out the signal “England expects that every man will do his duty.” Fifteen minutes later, the Spanish Admiral opened fire. Nelson played out an audacious plan. General high seas warfare of the time indicated that the two fleets faced off in single battle lines, broadside and parallel, firing away until one side sank or ran away. Instead, Nelson divided his line in two and ran one line straight for the heart of the opposition line while the second line headed for the rear. The Spanish and French could fire at the oncoming lines, but the British could not return fire since their broadsides would not point at the enemy ships. If the British could survive the run to the lines, then they could envelope the enemy ships and engage them individually with their superior seamanship. Nelson even had his ships painted in a yellow and black checkered pattern so they would recognize each other in the melee. The risks were huge, but the English Empire stood in the balance.