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Today's Christian, March/April 2000
Danger Atop the Trident
How bedtime prayers kept Daddy safe
by Jennifer Galvin
In late winter 1996, my husband Mark, a Navy lieutenant, spent about 70 days in the north Pacific on a submarine. Sailors have little contact with their families during a deployment, but my two young children and I prayed every night for his safety.
The first night, Matthew, 3, and Alexandria, 2, realized that their daddy was in the ocean, and so were sharks. "Dear God," they prayed sweetly, "please don't let Daddy fall into the ocean, and please don't let the sharks get him."
Trying to alleviate their fears, I told them that although it was good to pray for Daddy's safety, it wasn't likely that he would fall off the submarine or be eaten by sharks. They'd never prayed this way before about earlier naval missions, but they would not be dissuaded. Rather than argue, I let them continue praying against the waves and sharks. If their prayers make them feel their daddy is safe, so much the better, I thought.
Most of the time it's on patrol, a submarine and its crew stay underwater. But sometimes submarines do have to surface to allow one of the crew to be evacuated. For instance, if a submariner needs emergency medical attention, a medical transfer, or medivac, occurs. If someone in a submariner's family is terminally ill or dies, then an emergency humanitarian transfer, or humavac may occur.
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| Mark and another sailor were on the raised bridge of the Trident— 30 feet above the water line— when a wall of icy water rushed over them. | |
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In both cases a helicopter flies out to the ship and sends down a harness to the sailor. The submariner gets into the harness and the helicopter pulls him up and flies away. These transfers disrupt the submarine's mission and can be very dangerous because high seas can come up without warning. I knew such emergency operations were possible, but I didn't expect one during Mark's deployment.
A wall of water
As it happened, while Mark was on patrol, the father of one of his fellow crewmates died, and a humavac was arranged. Somewhere off the coast of Alaska, the sub surfaced in rough waters. It was windy and difficult for the crew to see with the periscope above the swells. So, Mark and another sailor were asked to go on the raised bridge of the Trident submarine—about 30 feet above the water line—to scan for hazards. The humavac went off without a hitch, transporting the sailor off safely.
But on the way back out to sea, the waves got even rougher. Suddenly, the bow of the sub plunged down. Mark and his shipmate were already crouched down holding on tightly, but then Mark saw a wall of icy water rushing over them. The submarine was actually underwater with Mark and his fellow sailor on the raised bridge.
After the wave washed over the bridge, the two men scurried down the ladder and battened the hatches more quickly than they'd ever done it before. Both men were safe though Mark was in shock. He couldn't stop shaking, even after a hot shower. About half an hour later, he reported to the corpsman's office. They later told him that the depth gauge showed the sub had been eight feet underwater while the two men were on the bridge.
When my husband returned home and told me the story, I was astounded. I never thought he would be anywhere near the surface or be in danger of falling off the sub.
If he and his companion had been swept away, it probably would have been several minutes before any of the crew realized it. With the air and water just above freezing at that time of year, he could easily have gotten hypothermia and died.
My children had been praying for the right thing all along. I truly believe their prayers saved their father's life. They were wiser than their mother after all.
A Love that Holds On
by David M. George
I recently read about the excavation of a mother and an invalid child buried under the volcanic ash of Pompeii for nearly two thousand years. The mother, evidently of noble birth, had the opportunity to save herself from certain death. But she chose to stay, giving her life to comfort this helpless, deformed boy until the swirling fiery lava claimed them both. For centuries they have lain intertwined, her arms around this child declaring her love.
For those of us the world has broken, who like the small boy are vulnerable and afraid, the question arises, "Where do we find solace?" Deuteronomy 33:27 assures us, "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."
Jesus, too, had the power and the opportunity to save himself from the agony of the Cross. But he chose to stay, to give his life to save us from certain death. His arms of love won't let us go. |
A Christian Reader original article.
Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
Click here for reprint information.
March/April 2000, Vol. 38, No. 2, Page 27
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