The Richard E. Byrd

July 11

The Mercy was joined by a Naval ship named The Richard E. Byrd.  The two ships pulled up along side each other where 4 lines were shot across to help monitor the distance between the ships.  Then, a huge hose was attached to the Mercy to transfer fuel to our ship.  At the same time, the helo was put into action.  Trash was transferred off the Mercy, as well as outgoing mail.  Then, pallets of supplies were carried over to the Mercy.  The whole process was fascinating and amazing!  Imagine the skill it takes to land a helicopter onto a moving ship!  The whole process took about 3 hours and I kept running out to peek each time I had a break from my duties.

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