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The Passage through Makassar Strait

The fleet landing at Fremantle, Western Australia was almost empty of vendors and spectators when our ship got underway in early December morning. We left Australia with plenty of romantic memories. Most of my shipmates were impressed about the exquisiteness and hospitality of down under. Some had considered marrying their girlfriend they left behind. They wanted to go back when the ship was scheduled to dry dock for overhaul then they can take vacation and get married perhaps. Certainly they bragged about their experienced in their engagement with Australian women. On my case I find the beauty of the landscape a bit amazing and the flora and fauna is entirely different from the US especially in California. I never had in mine about romantic affairs with Australian though I had a girlfriend myself. Since the next port of call was at Subic Bay, after the announcement of "the ship is underway" I was daydreaming of eating pinakbet, parya with bogoong, sinigang na bangus and so forth. I was having nostalgia of our motherland as one of the kind and off course the best liberty port in the world.

Prior to performing my task on the first day I went down the ship inertial navigation system (sins) room to check for the heading, latitude, longitude and azimuth of the ship. This is my reference to be entered into my Aircraft Inertial Navigation System test bench. On this position I knew it then that we were en route through Makassar Strait. This strait is a narrow passage between Indonesia and the Island Borneo this includes the island of Java in which it extends 800 kilometers southwest-northeast from Java sea to the Celebes sea.

Early in the morning on the second day, the ship was making its passage on the narrow channel near the island of Gunung Tambora. It seems like the whole island was a garden of tropical flowers and coconut trees. This must have been a great delight to god; for they were the best he ever planted in this location. The mountains and hills, sub soiled with heaving volcanic fires. Vinta sail boats were sailing near the island with multicolored sailing cloth-it was truly amazing.

On the third day after making our passage near the island of Borneo, the land mass of our motherland came into view-it was then our ship was in the vicinity of Celebes sea. Perhaps about 60 miles in distance between the island of Tawi tawi and Sabah, Malaysia since part of the land mass can be sighted on the port and starboard side of the ship. Though it was my first sight to the island of Mindanao from the open sea, I can tell that our country was blessed with beautiful sandy beaches, fertile land and sculptured scenery. And in the fullness of time it was planted with mangroves coconuts, balete trees and so forth. Bright seas made with wave embroidery and calm water. It seemed everywhere in the island of Mindanao was a broad and exuberant mantling forests where there was beauty, melody and peace. I knew it then I was home free.

And this was the end of our smooth sailing on the narrow passage of Makassar. The next land mass that we sighted was the island of Panay. The villagers might be saying when the spotted the USS Midway " kadakong na barko, kadamo eroplano". Home sweet home for Filipino sailors!!---#