China Sea – Japan Narrative

Postcard showing the smokestacks and top of the battleship Wisconsin above the waves of the China Sea.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “I assure you that a storm at sea is no pleasant experience when the ocean’s surface is like high mountains and deep valleys all traveling with the speed of the wind and the ship is tossed up and down and around like a small cork in a large tank of water, first on one side and then the other till you are sure that the ship is going to turn clear over and the next instant it seems to be standing nearly on the end and you are thrown against one wall and then the other whenever you attempt to walk across the room. At one instant the ship is on the summit of the mountain of water and then it goes down like an elevator with lightening speed as the mountain glides out from under it and then up again as it rides the surface of the next mountain coming along.

The China sea well deserves its reputation as being the roughest body of water on the globe and seldom may a ship cross this sea without seeing something of a storm. We are now with the Battleship Fleet and crossing the China Sea enroute from Philipine [sic] Islands to Japan, a seven days trip, and on the third day out from Manilla [sic] a typhoon crossed before us and we had the full experience of the rough water. This shows one of the great swells or ocean mountains with the battleship Wisconsin just beyond the summit, the next instant from this same location we would be looking down upon the ship while it was way down in the deep valley.”

Postcard showing the conning tower of the USS Virginia above the waves of the China Sea.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “This shows one of the great ocean swells going toward the battleship Virginia and that ship will be almost completely under water before it can rise up and be on top of the mountain. Now a battleship is made so that it could hardly sink. It has hundreds of rooms or compartmrnts [sic] with steel walls and air tight. These rooms are kept closed when at sea so that they are filled with air and water cannot get in. Now if you take a rubber bag and fill it with air and then plunge it beneath the water it will at once come to the top. Just so with a battleship, it has hundreds of these large rooms air tight, so if the ship be plunged beneath the water it will instantly come to the top. Now when that large wave or mountain hits the ship it will look…” [annotation continued on next postcard].

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

Postcard showing the bow of the U.S.S. Georgia being assaulted by waves and spray in a heavy storm.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words [annotation continued from previous post card] “…like this. It will appear as if the ship was plunging right into the mountain side and the front end of the ship will be completely under water before the ship can gradually rise up and be on top again.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection