A ship’s captain, newly elevated to command of a large ocean going-vessel, has made his mark in the speedy delivery of local passengers and cargo with smaller ships with the substantial assistance of a cadre of long-time subordinates (COLTS). And yes, the captain is the scion of the family that owns the shipping company, and the COLTS long ago hitched their wagons to his rising start.
The new captain decides he wants to make his mark on his very first ocean-going voyage by setting the speed record for delivery of maximum cargo tonnage—crude oil—on the route. His COLTS choose a passage that cuts the time significantly but is full of shoals and hidden reefs. They made their decision after consulting with the local shipping experts (LSEs) using the passage. And yes, this has been easy to do because the LSEs want the help of the ocean-going shipping company to get more local shipping business.
The father of the captain reminds his son that he avoided this passage when he set the record on the route several years earlier. The chief engineer, one of the COLTS, tells the newly elevated captain that he can lighten the ship speed and lessen the ship's draught, the depth of the hull in the water, so not to worry. The chief engineer then chooses a single hull ship for the voyage and gets rid of enough life boats to meet his requirements. And yes, when questioned, he simply asserts, "We're not going to run into anything."
The new captain announces his plans to all the people in the company who need to know, some of whom are not COLTS. The need to know others (NTKOs) include individuals with long experience in sailing the waters of this route. And yes, they express serious concerns about the shoals and hidden reefs in this particular passage which they know are there—but not exactly where because not all of them are adequately marked on the route’s charts. And yes, they also wonder about using a single hull ship and not having enough lifeboats.
The COLTS poo-poo the cautionary advice of the NTKOs by pointing to the assertions of the LSEs. These experts say they know where all the shoals and reefs are, and will guide the large ocean-going vessel along its route. Besides, the weather forecast is perfect for the length of the voyage. The newly elevated captain believes his COLTS and the LSEs rather than the NTKOs. And why not? The COLTS have made him what he is.
The ship sails, loaded with cargo, and attempts the passage full of shoals and hidden reefs. And yes, it runs aground. But it doesn’t sink—not yet.
Not to worry! The new captain justifies his attempt to sail through the passage by stating that the LSEs said they could guide the ship around the shoals and hidden reefs. So it’s not HIS fault. And yes, because the ship doesn’t sink right away, the captain continues on course … in part because the ship can’t turn around or back up without sinking on the spot—or so the COLTS say. The NTKOs are not so sure. The LSEs pursue contracts to shift the cargo and lighten the ship.
And no, running the ship aground is not enough to remove the captain from his post—if the captain is the offspring of the owners of the shipping company AND has an excuse. Even the NTKOs know this.
But what if the ship sinks? Will the captain go down with his ship?
Then the weather forecast changes ... a storm approaches ... the grounded vessel starts taking the pounding of the storm's fury ... the captain exhorts his crew to hang on ... from the shore ...
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