Ionian Dawn

I just had to send out this image, even though it is a bit dated and it is very possible that some readers have seen it before.  Certainly I consider this to be one of my better photographs!

 

It was a dreary scene; Big Horn had just gotten underway from Augusta Bay on the eastern coast of Sicily.  A steady, cold rain had been falling throughout the night, and as we cleared the bay entrance the overcast seemed absolute.  Dark gray sky, darker waters.

 

I was at my station on the bridge, manning our "tac bay" in preparation for the day's business.  Of course I had my camera to hand, though I could see no opportunity in the near future.  I busied myself with bringing up and testing radio circuits, working by shielded lamp in the deep gloom of a winter's morning.

 

It happened just as Big Horn rose to the first rollers of the open sea; an explosion of brilliant, golden light from ahead.  I looked up from my work and was rocked back on my bootheels by the sight visible through the bridge windows—the rain had stopped and golden sunlight burned through the clouds, reflecting from the still-wet decks and rigging in shades of orange and yellow!

 

I think that in all my years at sea I have never seen such a lovely dawn, all the more amazing as it came as such a surprise to everyone on the bridge that morning.  My image is a poor representation of what we all saw and felt, but I hope all of you will enjoy it nonetheless.