A melodic stream of Morse Code, rudely punctuated by ragged static bursts, spills from the tiny loudspeaker of the main 500-KiloHertz receiver. The oscillating fan on the port bulkhead pushes crisp ozone-charged air towards you. Your nostrils flare as you detect then savor the sweet aroma of burnt rosin wafting from above the workbench where a soldering iron sits click-click-clicking, dutifully counting down the seconds it takes to cool. You momentarily lose your balance then steady yourself against the cold edge of the metal desk as the ship rolls leisurely like an old man swinging in a hammock. You're mesmerized by the wigwagging needle of the receiver's signal-strength meter, which acts like a tiny conductor's baton, directing the unseen musician's lively dot-and-dash tune. There is a keen sense of expectation.

This is now, the present, in the room where the ship connects to the outside world -- and the radio officer is an integral part of that connection. He's in the loop.

Having communicated through Morse Code for so many years, translation no longer requires conscious effort on his part. It's as automatic and natural as his native language. The stream flows easily through his ears and down and out his fingertips onto the keys of his Remington typewriter where words spring onto a fresh white message blank. Before severing the connection, he rolls out the newly arrived message for a final look, admiring it in a way not unlike that of a fly-fisherman who's just reeled in a keeper. Then to acknowledge receipt, his right hand darts over to where his thumb and forefinger begin flicking the slender red knob of his gleaming telegraph key. Its chrome-plated horizontal shaft is sent into wild oscillation.

The transmitter's relay clicks sharply in syncopation, accompanied by overhead console lamps dimming to the quick rhythm.

"QSL," he taps out, followed immediately by the customary "TU SU" for "thank you, see you." Abbreviations abound in Morse lingo.

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