At the rear of the deckhouse, where the heavy steel 

 mast towered upward, was a hatch to the engine room 

 and an electric hydiaulic elevator designed to carry heavy 

 objects up from below. There was also a power winch 

 driven from the main engine, designed to handle the steel 

 boom attached to the mast and extending to the stern of 

 the boat. This was the customary shrimp-boat gear for 

 handling nets and catch. Heavy standing rigging sup- 

 ported the mast to port and starboard. Here was the per- 

 fect rig for hauling cannon off the ocean floor, or for 

 swinging overboard the heavy wooden boat which sat 

 upon the raised deck of the aft cabins. 



We went down a wide, roomy ladder through the 

 companionway on the aft deck, to the place where the 

 shrimp hold would ordinarily be. We found ourselves 

 in a large master cabin, twelve-by-eighteen feet, fur- 

 nished with two bunks, a chest of drawers, writing desk 

 and dressing table. It opened foi^ward into a passageway, 

 on either side of which was a smaller stateroom, and a 

 large head with a roomy shower stall and generous linen 

 locker. All tlu-ee cabins had a great deal of locker space. 

 Aft of the master cabin was a lazaret with an amazing 

 amount of storage room, extending clear to the stern 

 planking. 



A door opened from the passageway into a light, 

 spacious engine room in the heart of the ship. What an 

 engine! It was an eight-cylinder Caterpillar diesel rated 

 at 150 to 300 horsepower, and it filled the center of the 

 engine room. On either side were four large storage tanks 

 for fuel oil, with a total capacity of sLxteen hundred 

 gallons. A large workbench, two sets of storage batteries, 

 small engines for various purposes, and a hot-water tank 

 filled the extra space. 



Forward of the engine room we found the crew quar- 

 ters. These had been retained as in the original shrimp- 



56 Sea Diver 



