Project Tiger Shark

"All hands on deck, I repeat, all hands on deck. Report to your muster stations for departure." At the boarding plank, Mary Alice kisses her sweetheart Aaron Johnson one last time. Embracing the moment which both of them know may be the last. Hope is all they have to hold on to. With the good faith, this mighty ship, the USS IOWA, will bring him home safe from the war. With a tear in his heart, and courage from his soul, he marches up the boardwalk plank and into the battleships hull.

Signalling the salute of a United States Naval Officer, to his country and captain, he boards his home for the next 9 months. Dropping off his gear, Aaron located his bunk, and took off to his muster station. He heard three loud blasts from the mighty ship's horn, that shook the planks he walked on. Muster station E45 was located on the port side, mid ship. Standing at attention. Chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in, and being proud to be a naval officer. As the ship left the harbor, Aaron looked into the endless ocean horizon. What lies ahead of them is nothing but the anticipation of adventure.

Waking up to a loud whistle blowing at 0500 hours, the barracks started stirring. Aaron dawned his uniform, and reported to his work station. Arron was an artillary gun mechanic, which was located at the aft of the ship. He had the responsibility of checking and maintaing two artillery stations, marked XV and 1XV. The day was just begining, and the sun was rising on the horizon, and Aaron felt already, that he was far from home, in the middle of nowhere, releasing himself into the heart of the ocean.

Checking out one of the aft firing cannons, a young man walked up and said, "Sam Muner, reporting for duty, sir." Aaron looked up, and saw a strong young man, not much older than 25. "Welcome abourd Sam. Do you know anything about this machinery?" "I know how to shine it up, and oil its bearings." Sam responded proudly. "Perfectly said, glad to have you on deck."

The day went on, and duties were performed. At 1800 hours Aaron made himself to the mess hall. A plate of spagetti and meatballs, and a garlic loaf was served, with a glass of milk. "This really hits the spot," he thought. Half of his plate was gone, when a youong man stood to the right of him, and said, "This is an important message for you, directly from the Presidents suite."

Theodore D. Roosevelt was board the vessel, but Aaron just thought it was a rumor. He now believed and was honored to serve on the ship. He opened up the documented letter head, which beared the USS IOWA official stationary. "Report to meeting room XX3 at promptly 2000 hours this evening.' Signed TDR. His heart raced, and sweat began to pearlize on his forehead. Courage and bravery will keep the anticipation more level headed. Aaron still managed to finish his entire plate, and returned to his barracks to rest.

At 1955 hours, he entered the meeting room XX3, located on deck 7. There were assembled six officers, and at the end of the table, was the President of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt in his specialized wheel chair. To his left side was his companion, a dog named Fala. Aaron instantly saluted at attention. He was motioned to sit down at the last availble chair. The lead officer began a discussion, "Gentleman, you are all here today to discuss a top secret project, that none of you trained for. Today is the time to unveil it, and must be of use as of tomorrow. This is Project Tiger Shark. A mechanical shark, with the strength of a tank, that uses sonar to track neighboring enemy submarines or torpedos. The outer skin has been replicated to look, feel, and slide through the water as the real thing. Its so undetectable, other sharks want to mate with it, during our testing. Our reason to have you here today is that the rear dorsal fin, does not function the way we need it to. You are all the best mechanics on board. Lets give it your best shot to get this fish, I mean shark, working. You are excused. "

Aaron took a copy of the mechanical blue prints, and tried to figure out what was happineing with the fin. He didnt understand how a real shark uses its dorsal fin. With needing more research, he went into the ships library on deck 5 to see what he could find. Tiger sharks can weigh over 1400 lbs, and is responsible for a large percentage of fatal shark bites. It is one of the most dangerous species of the sharks, no wonder why this type was chosen. They usually hang around food supply sources such as reefs, harbors, and canals, attracted to humans. Aaron then learned there are different types of fins on a tiger shark. "Here we go, the dorsal fin, helps the shark change directions. Ok, now let's look at those blue prints."

Examining the mechanics, Aaron was looking for a rotation cuff error, but he saw it was in place. To change directions, it should be able to fully rotate at 180 degrees in both directions. He had to inspect it himself. He travelled down to the ships basement, and with proper clearance, he was allowed to see the massive sonar tiger shark. Unscrewing the top casing, he turned the controls and saw that it was not working properly. The mechanism had very lilmited movement. This prevented the shark from moving and changing directions easily. Aaron took it apart, screw by screw, and re-assembled the unit, adding a coil, an o-ring, and a lubricant he custom mixed. He then took off the circular metal frame around the fin dynamics, and bent a new one with half its width. "I think I have it." Assembling the fin back together, Aaron had the confidence that this will fix the problem. Returning to his barracks at 0100 hours, after a long anticipated night, he fell fast asleep.

Waking up to the morning whistle, he was still groggy, but his thoughts were on Project Tiger Shark. He was to report on deck at 0530 to see if his repair did its job. To his suprise on deck, he saw all six officers, and the President, with Fala on his lap. "Launch the tiger," the president commanded, while lightly tapping his cane against his wheelchair. Project Tiger Shark was launched, and began swimming in the ocean. "Boy, that looks like the real thing. Even a fisherman would never know the difference. This will save the lives of many men if we can get it working properly." stated the chief officer. All eyes were on the water, watching the shark swim like a predator to the right, then to the left, and dive below the waves. Over and over again the shark was tested in all directions,and worked perfectly. Each maneuver occured in perfect execution. "What is that fin next to it? There is another one! It can't be, ...they are all sharks! They want to make a new friend."