A Modern-Day "Master of the Ocean Sea"

A favorite story in my wife’s family recounts my father-in-law’s promotion to chief of the boat while serving as a career submariner in the Navy. Setting out on a cruise, the skipper needed a new chief. Two sailors -- Dad and a rival candidate -- were identically qualified for the post, which was the highest rank an enlisted seaman could attain. The captain couldn’t reach a decision.

He summoned the two men topside. Surrounded by vast, calm Pacific waters, he explained the situation. “Now, I want you both to walk out to the end of the deck. The first one back is the new chief.”

Rank meant little to Dad, but with a wife and three children -- and a fourth on the way -- he needed the pay increase. A minute later, slightly worse for the wear, he returned to the bridge to receive his first orders as chief of the boat. Fellow crewmen hauled the other sailor out of the brine.