Sunday, August 31, 2008
Weno Island, Chuuk State, Micronesia
Sunday, August 24, 2008
On our way to Chuuk State, Micronesia
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Leaving Port Moresby
The first sunset after leaving Port Moresby.
I wanted to get some sort of a creature carved out of wood from Papua New Guinea; this was the smallest one available the day that we were able to go to the pier for a few minutes. One of the guests on USNS Mercy told me that she recognized the pattern, that it was carved near the Sepik river in the northwest part of the country, and that it takes about two weeks to carve one of these crocodiles. I think I will name it Wewak, after a town that lies along the Sepik river.
From left to right, LTCDR Kluegel (the Director for Administration), LT Simerman (head of the Operations Department), and LT Seaman (Chief Information Officer) return to USNS Mercy aboard a Band-Aid boat from a visit to the pier in Port Moresby.
This double rainbow was so close to USNS Mercy that I could only catch half of it in the camera, on a rainy morning near Port Moresby.
Just after sunrise on a rainy day, a ship sails past the outskirts of Port Moresby.
Here's another photo of Shell, with Port Moresby and a large container ship in the background.

Papua New Guinea
The Sing Sing Dance Troupe, traditional tribal Papua New Guinea dancers, visited USNS Mercy on 15 August 2008 and performed on the flight deck.
Shell takes a look at Port Moresby from the weather deck of USNS Mercy (GPS S 9 28.0667, E 147 7.9892) on a somewhat hazy day.
On to Port Moresby
Passing through the Torres Strait on 2 Aug 2008 (GPS S 10 30.1015 E 142 16.1143), and the photos show just how "strait" it is.

A ship heading west passes just to the north of USNS Mercy, and as we continue eastward we pass an island just to our south.
A ship heading west passes just to the north of USNS Mercy, and as we continue eastward we pass an island just to our south.
Lifeboat drills after leaving Darwin, Australia; Thom Pritchett, who is wearing one of his Australian hats, and IT2 Turner from the ADP department (GPS S 10 42.0771 E 133 15.2652).
Darwin, Australia
We see a beautiful sunset as we head into the Arafura Sea (GPS S 12 11.2407, E 130 26.5013).
UNREP (Underway Replenishment) from USNS John Ericsson. In this photo, USNS Mercy has shot a line across to the John Ericsson, which will be used to bring over a heavier line and eventually the fuel lines will connect to the Mercy (GPS S 10 51.5298 E 132 21.4638).
The last rays of sunset at the beach in Darwin, Australia.
In Darwin, Australia, at the beach, someone is flying a large parachute shaped kite.
An American military memorial at the park in Darwin. The plaque on the right honors 2nd LT Buel, an American fighter pilot who lost his life protecting a convoy along northern Australia in February 1942. The 4 inch gun was recovered from the USS Peary, an American destroyer that was sunk four days later at Darwin on 19 February 1942, when Darwin was attacked by Japanese bombers. (The Japanese dropped more tons of bombs on Darwin in WWII than they did on Pearl Harbor.) The gun points toward the last resting place of the Peary.
The park in Darwin Australia.
Shell checks out downtown Darwin, Australia. We weren't allowed to bring anything off the ship but ourselves when we visited Darwin, so this is as close as Shell got.
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