The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo's position was Lat 0 degrees 31' N and Long 179 degrees 30' W. The date was 31 Dec 1899. "Know what this means?" First Mate Payton broke in, "W're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line".
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check and double-check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather and clear night worked in his favour.
At midnight the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line. The consequences of this bizarre position were many :-
* The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere and in the middle of summer.
* The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere and in the middle of winter.
* The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 Dec 1899.
In the forward part it was 01 Jan 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in :-
- two different days,
- two different months,
- two different years,
- two different seasons
but in two different centuries - all at the same time!
Happy New Year!
Tailpiece.
Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and by 9, I was off to Amigos, the hairstylists,
that I frequent every month to trim the thinning hair on my pate and to get a nice massage. Sajish is my favourite and the proprietor, Kunjumon, ensures that he's available. On Sajish's insistence, I'd a facial done after the haircut and since I was short of money, I'd made a second trip to hand over the balance! And then, after a wash and change, I took a walk in the hot afternoon - armed with an umbrella, of course - met many people enroute and made sure that I shook hands with each and everyone whom I knew and wished everyone a happy new year. Felt nice at the end of it all and had returned with a kilogram of small bananas.
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check and double-check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather and clear night worked in his favour.
At midnight the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line. The consequences of this bizarre position were many :-
* The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere and in the middle of summer.
* The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere and in the middle of winter.
* The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 Dec 1899.
In the forward part it was 01 Jan 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in :-
- two different days,
- two different months,
- two different years,
- two different seasons
but in two different centuries - all at the same time!
Happy New Year!
Tailpiece.
Had got up at our usual time, gone through the chores and by 9, I was off to Amigos, the hairstylists,
that I frequent every month to trim the thinning hair on my pate and to get a nice massage. Sajish is my favourite and the proprietor, Kunjumon, ensures that he's available. On Sajish's insistence, I'd a facial done after the haircut and since I was short of money, I'd made a second trip to hand over the balance! And then, after a wash and change, I took a walk in the hot afternoon - armed with an umbrella, of course - met many people enroute and made sure that I shook hands with each and everyone whom I knew and wished everyone a happy new year. Felt nice at the end of it all and had returned with a kilogram of small bananas.
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