Dream Guide

Church's Diary Thirteen

Originally we had decided to sail north, because putting aside all kinds of unreliable assumptions, the most scientific understanding is that we are still where we are. Less than two days' sail north is the Tubuai Islands. And no matter what, the probability of encountering land is greater when heading north. The worst result is that we miss the Southern Islands and Hawaiian Islands along the way. When we reach the Aleutian Islands, it is better than encountering icebergs in Antarctica. As long as we encounter a larger island along the way, we can determine the location according to the chart, then adjust the course, and finally find the inhabited mainland.

However, after a few hours of sailing, I noticed something was wrong - we were going in circles.

The problem is with the compass. There seems to be no problem with the magnetic pole pointing of the needle, but after the ship sails for a certain distance, it will deflect slightly, causing the Discovery to turn.

This tiny change in direction is difficult to discern with the naked eye, but as an experienced helmsman, I quickly discovered something was wrong. Not only me, but many of my first mates, second mates and sailors discovered the problem. We all saw it. The Discovery was spinning in circles on the sea, and the compass pointed at a fixed point on the vast sea.

I told Mr. Robbins the situation. He said that there may be an extremely strong magnetic field somewhere on the seafloor. This may be the source of a series of strange things we have encountered recently, and the source of the magnetic field is probably related to the pyramid we are looking for.

This speculation is exciting. We drove in the direction indicated by the pointer, hoping to reach above the center of the magnetic field. But the strange thing is that the compass never seems to be able to take us to the center of that point. It may be due to the dual influence of the earth's magnetic poles. It always corrects its direction along the tangent of the circle at the edge of the magnetic field.

I really didn’t withdraw now. If the compass couldn’t even be used, then the Discovery would really become blind in the vast Pacific. Do you want me to sail the boat based on wind direction and feeling like the ancient pirate ships? But that would be too dangerous.

Robbins asked me if I could find the center of the magnetic field based on experience. It didn't have to be very accurate, as long as it was close, we could go to the sea and have a look. There was only a communication failure on the ship, but other equipment was still good.

I said it was too late, I would try again tomorrow.

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Church's Diary 14

Fortunately, when I was young and sailing with the old captain, the technology was not developed enough. At that time, the most important thing on the ship was not the technological equipment and navigation system, but human eyes and experience.

If not, I don’t think I would be able to find the center of that strange magnetic field today.

I first drove the boat around the magnetic field a few times according to the instructions of the compass. Then I judged the center direction and distance of the circle based on experience, and turned the boat around. During this process, the compass needle kept trembling randomly.

After about forty minutes, I felt I was in the right place and stopped the boat. At this time, the magnetic needle returned to calm. Judging from the position of the sun, it pointed to the North and South Pole again, as if the strong magnetic field on the seabed had disappeared. I guess this magnetic field may have a hollow area like the eye of a hurricane. The surrounding magnetic field is very strong, but the center point is empty.

I suddenly found that the GPS had a signal. This was really exciting news and outweighed the joy of my just perfect experience sailing. I immediately wanted to tell Robbins the news. When I ran to the cabin, I almost bumped into the correspondent responsible for contacting the ground command center at the aisle.

He was also on his way to find Robbins now that all communications equipment had been restored. And when the equipment was restored, it strangely continued the instructions before losing contact, sending a request report to the ground "arrived at destination, prepared to anchor, and requested satellite angle calibration."

However, before we could find Robbins, we heard a sailor on the bow yelling: Tsunami! Get back to the cabin quickly! Tsunami!

I looked back and saw that not far in front of us, there was a white smoke column rising into the sky. Then, huge waves surged around the smoke column, forming a high gray wave wall, and then there was a sound There was a loud noise, a strong wind blew in the face, and the ship visibly rocked.

Seeing this scene, I first thought of an undersea nuclear explosion. However, who would conduct nuclear tests under the Pacific Ocean? If the United States wanted to engage in it, it would at least have notified it in advance and blocked the sea areas.

After thinking about it, I yelled and ran back to the captain's cabin, and quickly issued instructions to the crew to get into position and prepare to face the impact of the next huge wave.

I adjusted the direction of the bow of the boat, because before the big wave comes, we have to face it head-on in a vertical direction. As long as the hull tilts a little, there is a possibility of being capsized by the wave.

A wall of tens of meters high composed of waves quickly surged up, and I felt the hull of the ship shaking violently. The sound of huge waves hitting the bow deck drowned out the shouts of the sailors, and the misty water vapor blocked my sight.

Most of the young sailors have never experienced such sudden changes and dangers, and such experiences will surely be unforgettable for them. After going through this battle, I think they will all become more mature.

The bow of the boat was lifted up by huge waves again and again. I personally steered the ship, shouted and issued various instructions, and prayed to God and the God of the Sea. I heard a loud bang, and something hit the side of the ship.

After what seemed like a century of hardship, the ship finally stabilized and the sea became calm again.

I was so shocked that I rubbed my waist and crotch, which hurt from almost falling down several times, and then went to check on the others with trembling legs.

Anderson was comforting our young sailors. He said, Church, you go and see those intellectuals. I leave this place to me.

I walked towards the cabin. What happened just now was in a hurry, and those people were inexperienced, so they must have been too late to take the correct action to protect themselves.

Sure enough, many people in the cabin were injured, and several of them may have broken bones.

Mrs. Larry broke her head and her face was covered in blood, but she stubbornly refused to ask for anyone's help. She took the first aid kit and bandaged it briefly before going to help others.

Robbins was tending to Pardick as he fell to the ground with a heavy machine on top of him. Alice cries next to him, saying that he was hit hard trying to protect her.

I went over to take a look and found that Partik's breathing was very weak. In addition to being pressed by the machine, his head seemed to have been hit.

The situation of the sailors was not optimistic either. Four were missing and a dozen were injured, but the injuries were not serious.

The cabin was filled with water, and something hit the port side, causing a large dent. Almost all the equipment on the ship was broken. After inspection, it was found that it may have been impacted by something similar to an electromagnetic pulse explosion. All electronic equipment could not operate normally, and the circuits also malfunctioned. Fortunately, our boat uses a diesel engine. If it burned gasoline like a car, the ignition control would definitely be broken.

After intense emergency repairs, we were only able to barely restore power to the ship. Fortunately, the ship can be driven and there is no irreparable damage. The only concern is the injuries of the crew. The doctor on the ship examined Pardik and said he had two broken ribs and a concussion on his brain. He didn't know if there would be any sequelae.

God bless and may everyone get well.