We are getting closer to alert i am standing a four hour watch five nights a week usually ihave the helm, i was trained on it about a month ago. The officer on watch would yell out the course, and you would repeat the order and stay on it until he changed it again. I must say i enjoyed the helm. The boredom of being at sea was the one thing that was a drag so we did a lot of stupid things, i was usually the ring leader. We were standing on bow the ship was rolling more than usual due to the very rough sea. Lemay a friend said, how no one could make it up the crows nest. I said it would not be to hard. He quickly said rasey I’ll give you ten bucks if you do. I started up by the time i was just half way up i sorry i was doing this. I made to the top and sat in the crows nest for awhile wondering why i was so stupid. The reason i am telling you this is because it was splashing the sea on the metal ladderand every time the ship would roll i was about fourteen degrees from the ocean. As i desended down the ladder i remember i thought he better pay me. He quickly did and i can’t begin to tell you how much of a thrill it was. In our spare time you just did anything to pass the time. I also remember everytime i had morning watch and i would blow the boson whistle over the p a system and yell over the microphone revaleee revaleee all hands report to the quarter deck for roll call. I would always add a funny remark like good morning you little babies it is time for work you litle brats,or some other stupid funny remark. It would also awaken all the officers, including the captain, they usually got a laugh out of it. I I usually imatated a voice of a movie character . Rules were strict but this type of thing was tolarated. Because everyone needed to laugh. We are now breaking through about four feet of ice it solid like this for as far as you can see, it slows the ship down to a crawl. Walruses are packed on many of the larger bergs of ice. I would steer the ship through the ice if i had the helm you’d have to zig-zag through the ice following the orders of the officer on watch, come left ten degrees, you would repeat the order and continue that course until the next change. Now the ice is getting thicker, we have hit ice about ten feet thick the Captain ordered us to shut the ship down we waited about twelve hours and the captain said let’s try it again and sure enough the ocean beneath the ice had shifted every thing around we breaking ice now. We finally have come to Alert and it was three civilians stationed here for three years. They are relieved by another three sometime next year. I transport the captain and four officers to land. As i tied the launch two eskimo dogs were chasing a lemming. They look a little like a rat, one of the dogs caught it and crunched it down, and ate it in a few gulps. Alert is the farthest any icebreaker has gone north There is an airplane that crashed here about three years ago two or three people were killed and it looks like it just happened no rust or any signs of wear because of the cold icy conditions.There is a landing strip but i sure would not want to try it. Myself and an another guy are in sitting in the work shop waiting to take the officers back to the ship,a unusual storm hits us high winds and snow really blowing about fifty miles per hour, it would stay with no let up for just under three days we had water coffee and a few soda crackers and a heater. It was the longest i have ever been without food. When we got back to the ship we ate anything put in front of us.