Chapter 14 submarine test

Since 1991, Chatterton and Koehler have believed in the historical record.Every history book, every expert and even every document about U869 records that U869 sank near Gibraltar.Now two and a half years later, intercepted radio communications between U869 and submarine headquarters prove that U869 sank off the coast of New Jersey.Chatterton and Kohler began to review the list of submarine personnel that Chatterton had copied from the German submarine archives.Kohler was familiar with the abbreviations of German military ranks and positions. He called Chatterton and told him the basic situation.

"There are a total of 56 names on the list," Kohler said. "The captain's name is Nürnberg. He was born in 1917, and he was about 27 years old at the time. The first mate is, let me see...Brant, Sied Fried. Brant, man, he's only 22. Then there's our friend Holenberg, operator, 25. Four Willies and three Wilhelms on the sub. Hi , and a Richard and a John. Sounds like Ricky and John." "How old was the youngest?" Chatterton asked.Koehler calculated. "There are 24 teens," he said. "The youngest is Otto Brisius, who was 17 when U869 started patrolling."

"We've swam around these guys for three dive seasons, seen their bones, but never knew who they were," Chatterton said. "Now we finally know their names." News of the interception of U869's communications quickly spread throughout the diving community.In the eyes of many experts, the mystery of the mysterious submarine in New Jersey has been solved: U869 first received an order to go to New York, but then the headquarters ordered it to go to Gibraltar. The information was not received by the submarine due to communication problems, so U869 did not sink until All off the coast of New Jersey.

Chatterton and Koehler also believe that the mystery of the submarine has been solved, but they do not intend to end the research on U869 because they did not find strong evidence on the wreck to prove the identity of the wreck.If someone is serious, he can even insist that the sunken ship is the U857 they claimed before, because U857 is also missing in the eastern waters of the United States, and its whereabouts are still unknown.He can also explain that Holenberg's knife was stolen or taken by mistake by the crew after U869 encountered U857 when it was docked in a Norwegian port.Even if that didn't happen, Chatterton and Koehler stuck to their guns.Unless they find a sticker with the U869 logo or a manufacturer's plate engraved with the submarine's number, no one can be sure that what they found is U869.

Chatterton and Kohler made a decision, and they were going to return to the wreck. But the other divers backed off, three had already died on the sub, others risked their lives each time, and there was nothing on the sub that they hadn't explored. "You already know it's U869," said a diver. "No one questioned it. You have rewritten history, why risk your own life?" Chatterton and Koehler have the same answer: We are responsible to ourselves. For Chatterton, giving up on submarines now meant giving up on himself.Over the years he has lived and dived by the same principles, believing that hard work, determination, meticulous attitude, thorough preparation and abundant creativity and imagination all make a good human being and a great human being. A must for divers.He applied the principles of his life to diving, and he became one of the best divers in the world; he brought his diving spirit to everyday life, and he found himself living a life of dignity and contentment.He couldn't just leave submarine research halfway without clear evidence.

For Kohler, the mystery submarine has evolved from a mere object to his moral obligation.Unlike other divers, he felt obligated to find out the names of the dead sailors and share them with their families.Like Chatterton, he is now convinced that the mysterious submarine is U869, but he still cannot tell the Nürnberg or Brandt or Holenberg families with certainty that they are "very sure" that their brother or son was killed in the war. near New Jersey.He couldn't tell them that the submarine "could" sink on the shores of America instead of Africa.He also decided to go to the submarine again in the summer.Whenever he remembered seeing the bodies of missing persons at sea when he was sailing with his father when he was a teenager, he became more certain that he could not tolerate the mystery of the identities of these crew members being left unresolved.He wants to find a label or other irrefutable evidence.He wants the dead to rest in peace and the relatives of the dead to be comforted.

A final reason for Chatterton and Koehler to go on the submarine survey: They agreed that they were rewriting history, and they wanted to correct the mistakes that had occurred in history.In the course of their research, they were surprised again and again to discover that historians, historical records, and experts and scholars can make mistakes.The Mystery Submarine gives them a chance to make their mark on history, and they're going to do it as well as they can. The spring of 1994 heralded the diving season.Chatterton decided to find another place on the submarine for exploration.They had a fruitful last diving season, finding many valuable wrecks and exploring places they hadn't explored before, but Chatterton still felt lost.Every accessible cabin on the submarine has been carefully searched many times by them.Everywhere they thought they could find a tag or marker they tried.He wrote the exploration plan on a napkin in the coffee shop, but found that it was the same as it was in 1991.He wanted to use his observation method of finding order in chaos again, but he couldn't find a place on the submarine that could use this method.By April, unable to come up with a viable new plan, Chatterton was pessimistic and depressed.Every night, as he lay next to his wife, he would stare at the ceiling and wonder why his method—a way of observing shipwrecks that no one else had mastered—was of no use when he needed it most.

Whenever this time, Kohler was like someone sent from heaven to help him.Chatterton would hear the phone ring, he would receive a fax, he would even see the glass company truck pull up to his door, and it was Koehler's actions—he would comfort Chaterton and let him go from his grief. come out. "John," Koehler would say, "I'm not disrespecting you, but I must ask: what's wrong with you? What happened to you? There's nothing stopping us! We're meant to find out Man! If you keep doing this, I'm going to the sub today. It's April and the water is only fucking 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but I'm going today. I'm going to drag you down and we'll hang on if necessary Thinking of a dive plan on the mooring line. Surely someone can get a tag out of the sub. Wait until Bilanda's guy finds it, and you sit here and cry. Would you like to see another diver accidentally find the tag , and then become the ones who identify the sunken ship? This is up to us, we are the ones who are destined to find out the truth!"

"Thank you, Ricky," Chatterton would say, "you're the one I need most at this moment." Chatterton would then pick up a pen and a napkin and move on to making new plans. As the Atlantic Ocean warmed, Kohler longed to be with his family.He had never before considered how much joy being a father brought him, nor had he considered the role of fatherhood in shaping his personal character.For years, he considered himself a diver.Now that his children are starting a new life with new elders in their new home, Kohler realizes he wants to be a dad more than ever. "I love my kids more than I love diving. I love my kids more than anything else. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get them back to me."

Koehler began planning the possibility, calling Chatterton and asking him to meet in Scotty.Kohler stared at the martini glass and told Chatterton that if he wanted to reunite with Felicia, he must give up diving.Chatterton glared at him. "Ultimatums don't work," Chatterton said. "If a person says, 'If you do what I say, our relationship will improve,' then that marriage is not going to work. She wants you to give up. Diving? This only proves that Felicia doesn't understand you at all. Diving is your soul, how can you agree to give up your soul?" "It's all for my family," Kohler said. "If I had to give up diving to save my family, then I would do it."

"Great, Ricky," Chatterton said, his face starting to turn red, "you're about to solve the submarine mystery, but you're giving up now." "I know if I give up diving, you will definitely be affected." "Leave me alone!" Chatterton snarled. "It's your wish to be a diver." For a full minute, neither of them said a word. "This is not something that can be solved in a short time, John," Kohler said finally. "I love my children. They already know how to get along with me. I have to think about this matter." Since then, Koehler has had less and less contact with Chatterton.In the past, when Chatterton was hesitant about how to proceed with the next plan to investigate the submarine, Kohler always supported him and ignited his hope of moving on, but now Kohler is leaving him.One night in the summer, Kohler sat on the desk in his office and took out a nine-millimeter live-load pistol.He's a diver, that's what he wants to be.But he needs his kids, he needs his family.He's a father, and that's what he wants to be.He put his finger on the trigger and picked up the gun.Countless images passed through his mind like a movie.Should he come from the temple or from the mouth?He's a diver, that's what he wants to be.But a man needs a family, and children should know their father.He raised his gun, and he looked at the picture of the children on the corner of the table.If he had killed himself, they would have grown up without a father, and all they knew about him was Felicia's description—which was one-sided.They'd never really know him, and his bleeding head would only serve to confirm what she had said: that their father was a failure who had abandoned the family.He looked at the photo affectionately, I want to smell my daughter's hair, I want to teach my son how to ride a bicycle.He put the pistol back in the drawer. Not long after, Kohler called Felicia.He told her he wanted to have his family back.She gave him two ultimatums.First, he was going to marriage counseling with her, and second, he had to give up diving. That night in Scotty, Koehler broke the news to Chatterton.Kohler had never seen such an expression of resentment on Chatterton's face. "I said yes, John," Kohler said. "I'm going crazy. If she told me to dye my ass pink or make me walk backwards, I would have said yes. I miss my family so much. " "Are you going to give up diving?" "I'm about to give up diving." "It's not you, Ricky. It's a big fucking mistake." Koehler stares at his martini, Chatterton is one of his best friends.But that night, he thought, "John's not doing it in style." A month later, Kohler moved back in with his family and rented a house outside Meade, New Jersey.In his office, on the desk where he used to make dive plans, he put away everything related to submarines—research notes, photographs, documents, books, letters, etc.—in a locked file. in the drawer of the cabinet.He did not tell Chatterton about it.From that day on, Kohler began to live a new life away from diving. Chatterton's first mystery submarine trip in 1994 was scheduled for the first weekend in July.The question had been on his mind for months: Which part of the sub should I survey next?Even the night before his departure, he still had no answer.He had surveyed every inch of the sub that could be surveyed.Some divers began to spread rumors that no one could find strong evidence of its identity from the sub.Others say it must have been a lucky novice who stumbled across the evidence right in front of him.Chatterton was driven mad by these claims, but he found himself powerless to refute them.He wants to be more creative.But it is impossible.He forced himself to write down some thoughts.But each idea is indistinguishable from the previous one.When friends saw the pained expression on his face, they asked him how he was doing, and his response was: "I'm not myself anymore. I can't think of any other way." In July, Chatterton's submarine trip finally came true.He set off without making a dive plan.He swam aimlessly to the wreck.He wanted to look for the maker's brand on the periscope -- he'd done that three years ago.Before, Kohler would cheer him up when he was confused, but now Kohler is a hundred miles away with his family.It was very quiet on board that day.He said to Yuga: "If I don't have a pre-conceived idea, I'm wasting my time." As if in revenge for the mysterious submarine, Chatterton took out his rage on finding other wrecks. In July 1994, he himself discovered and identified the tanker "Nonis" - a ship sunk by German submarines off the US coast of the Atlantic Ocean during World War II; he also found "Sebastian" - a The passenger liner sunk by gunfire and storms during the war was eight miles east of the Andra Dorian. While Chatterton was making these historic discoveries, Kohler was living his life away from the docks in the suburbs.He goes to great lengths to mend his family relationships so he never has to face the threat of losing his children.He waited on Felicia carefully, made an effort to go shopping with her in the store, and tried to avoid saying "what a piece of shit" in the early stages of their marriage.He bought a tandem bicycle.The muscles in his face were constantly tense, as he was always ready to smile and agree with whatever Felicia suggested.But occasionally he still has a moment of carelessness.Walking down the street with a pram in sunny weather on Sunday, he might comment: "I bet the sea was as calm as glass when they dived today." "I don't want to hear that," Felicia would say, pausing to stare at him. "You want to dive again, don't you? Don't you want to be with us?" "Of course I want to be with you, honey," Kohler would say.Then he would walk on, silently chanting his own mantra: "I'm so tired, I'm so angry, but I'm for the kids, I'm for the kids, I love my family, I'm for the kids... ..." In the beginning, Chatterton called him often. "Ricky, I'm going to the submarine, are you going?" "No, I can't go," Koehler replied. "What do you mean you can't go? Ricky, you're crazy. You can't live like this." Kohler's heart was cut like a knife.But he said, "I'm sorry, John." He felt guilty when he heard that Chatterton's submarine trips were always plagued by weather conditions. Kohler stuck to his decision and stayed away from diving.However, he still pursues his interests in other ways.He continued to collect military books, club catalogs, and bought every book on submarines.On the phone, he surreptitiously checked the inventory of booksellers who knew his hobbies.He bought a submarine game that included a map of German naval coordinates.He compared the drawing to one he had hand-drawn during his previous investigations in Washington. The most exciting thing for him in 1994 was that he found that the two pictures were exactly the same. Koehler is hoping fall will ease his craving for diving.But soon he found that his mind was full of lingering figures of submariners.For years, he'd imagined the horrors of the submariners' moments before their deaths—bombs exploding, charred bodies blown aside, seawater pouring into the sub.And now that he knew their names, he began to imagine their former lives.The Germany he imagined was the same as his father imagined when he heard Mr. Seger talk about it-there were no soldiers training on marching, but the hometown they loved, where they had their families and girlfriends; there were different customs in each place; People have their own wonderful life plans.He looked at the crew list and imagined which of these men liked to watch movies, which liked to listen to music, who had been involved in the local football club, who had had his girlfriend's name etched on the cover of the torpedo tube.He even imagined their last hours - canned peaches being awarded to the sub's checkers champion, the cook roasting sausages in the kitchen, the radio operator playing records for the crew. As New Jersey winter slowly set in, these thoughts became a burden for Kohler.Never before had he felt so strongly his responsibility to these crew members, that they could not lie in unmarked graves, because their loved ones knew nothing of their fate.But Kohler immediately realized that he was the last person in the world to find out the identity of these crew members, because he was bound by his family responsibilities and could not leave.He found it strange to feel that it was his obligations to his own family that prevented him from fulfilling his responsibilities to the families of the crew.Kohler looked at the snowflakes falling outside the window.For several years, every time he saw snowflakes, it meant that he was only a few months away from going back to the sea again.But this year, he felt his life had no end, and the snow outside the window seemed like it would never stop. In early 1995, Chatterton and Koehler met for dinner, but this time they were at a pizzeria instead of Scotty.When eating together a few years ago, they often ate for more than an hour.But this evening they broke up after eating pizza. "Are you still not going to dive this year?" Chatterton asked. "Yeah," Kohler replied, "I'll keep my word. Felicia's driving me crazy, but I'm sticking to it for my kids." "Oh." "Did anything of value be found on the submarine?" "I want to find out that I have no choice but to judge." "What about the other divers? What did they find?" "Ricky, the others don't go there at all." Kohler tried his best and still couldn't keep his marriage going.He agreed to marriage counseling, rented a house, and put his scuba gear away.But the quarrel between them intensified. In the spring of 1995, he wrote Felicia a twelve-page letter, took off his wedding ring, packed all his clothes and luggage into several large boxes, and moved to a friend's house in Leviton, Pennsylvania.In order to improve family relations, he spent a lot of money and was on the verge of bankruptcy. A few months later, Koehler took custody of the child for the weekend.He managed to clean himself up every weekend so his five-year-old son and two-year-old daughter would believe his father was doing well, for months. In July 1995, Koehler took custody of the children.He was ecstatic.He called a real estate agent and asked for a house near his best school within a twenty-five-mile radius of Trenton's glass store.Two weeks later, he and his two children moved to a town house in Yardley, Pennsylvania.He hired an au pair and boarded the girls, sent the children to school, then borrowed money to renovate the house and reorganize his family life. On the other side of New Jersey, bad weather prevented Chatterton from doing just one submarine survey.Just like in 1994, he didn't make a detailed diving plan when he went diving in the submarine, and returned empty-handed every time.Facing the enormous resistance of the submarine, he put all his energy and creativity into the project he started the previous year-he completed the discovery and survey work of several historic shipwrecks. He resumed his search for the Carolina.This is a passenger ship sunk by a German submarine during World War I.For wreck divers on the East Coast, there is no greater reward than the discovery of the Carolina.All 197 passengers and 117 crew on board boarded lifeboats 60 miles offshore before U151 sank the luxury liner.The capsizing of one of the lifeboats killed 13 people.Divers have been searching for the ship for decades, but to no avail—the Carolina is the only passenger ship unaccounted for in the New York-New Jersey waters.Chatterton used the winter to translate the German records and study them carefully. He visited a shipyard file administrator and carefully studied the captain's logbook and weather maps from 77 years ago.He summed up his research results and made an idea.He thought the Carolina had sunk where no other diver could have imagined. When Chatterton first surveyed the site, he did find a shipwreck there.He cleaned the anemones off the stern of the ship, and according to his research, the stern of the "Carolina" should have the name of the ship.Sure enough, he saw a few copper characters there—ka-luo-lai-na.On the same day, Chatterton discovered and identified the Carolina, something that has been the envy of most Northeast wreck divers for decades. A few weeks later, Chatterton went to survey what was believed to be the wreck of the freighter Texel, also a World War I-era ship sunk by a German submarine.Chatterton based his dive plan on research he had made of photographs and deck plans of the Texel: He would search the bow, where the ship's bronze name was inscribed near the portholes.But the famous diver Gerry.Gentile told him that he was sure the bow section was broken, and that the name couldn't be found at all.But Chatterton went anyway.And it was there that he found the name of the ship, which was "Texel."Over the course of a year, Chatterton discovered and certified four historic shipwrecks.Someone started calling Chatterton the best wreck diver in the world.But he fell even deeper into deep despair. Chatterton tries harder to investigate the mysterious submarine, but he doesn't know how to start.As he surveyed other wrecks, his mind was full of ideas, and when he wanted to do them, he carried them out with fertile imagination and determined determination--with the exception of the mysterious submarine.He was a frequent attendant at parties where he was invited to talk about his dives on the Lusitania or the Carolina, among other things, and it was inevitable that someone would ask about the submarine survey Chatterton was so frustrated by this topic that he seldom participated in similar activities after that. Chatterton had never felt so pressed for time in his life.He's 43 years old, and he regularly competes with divers half his age.The other divers no longer want to investigate the mysterious submarine.Should anything happen to Chatterton, such as decompression sickness, a car accident, or cancer, the submarine's identity would never be established.Then some opportunistic person would come out and claim that the submarine was U869, and they would say, "Of course we can be sure of that." Chatterton felt like a nightmare just thinking about it. But Chatterton had no idea what to do next.He confides to the ceiling all night in bed, as long as he can find evidence from the submarine, he is willing to do anything, he is willing to help those divers who have the means, and he is willing to share his knowledge and experience with others, as long as he can think Come up with a feasible plan, even if it is dangerous, he will not spare his life.Yuga and other friends persuaded him: "You have to rest for a while. You have achieved a lot last year, even more than some divers have achieved in their lifetime." During these most depressing days of his life, he even considered giving up on the submarine survey.He imagined a day when he could run out for pizza or go for a drive without ever seeing the battered control room on a submarine again.The thought always gave him temporary relief.But in the end Chatterton always thought, "A man never really knows himself if things are made too simple. It is only in the greatest difficulty that man finds himself fully understood. Some people spend their whole lives with There will be no such opportunity. The mysterious submarine is my opportunity. Everything I do now will be the best proof for myself." Whenever thinking of these, Chatterton would quickly put away his thoughts of giving up, he would Sitting at the desk, looking at Holenberg's knife, he began to make plans for his next submarine survey. After separating from Felicia, Kohler started getting invitations to dive again.Chatterton was the first to invite him.But Kohler said to him: "I can't dive. I'm not ready physically and mentally. I haven't fully recovered. If I go now, I will die there." Kohler also refused this. All invitations to dive season. As the 1995 diving season came to an end, Kohler continued to be a stay-at-home father and businessman.He has an irregular schedule, often juggling late-night business calls and coming home to make baguettes for the kids.But his children's lives are gradually on the right track. One day in August 1995, Kohler went to the Hudson City Savings Bank to repair the doors and windows.There he met a beautiful blonde lady in her thirties.She was complaining about a problem with a door.Koehler checked the door and believed the problem was caused by her kicking the door with her high heels.Kohler developed a crush on her.This one is called Valentina.Ms. Marcos got a little annoyed at being stared at by Kohler.Her expression increased Kohler's affection for her a bit.Kohler invited her to dinner and they got along so well that he invited her to dinner again.They've started dating. Kohler told her about the mysterious submarine, and she showed great interest.She listened intently to Kohler's description and kept asking various questions, especially about the dead crew members.Tina is German.He goes back to Germany every year with his father to participate in the Oktoberfest.Before Kohler could speak, she already felt Kohler's inner responsibility for the dead crew members. No matter at Tina's home, in the park or on the phone, Tina always lay flat with her eyes closed and asked Kohler to describe to her the most touching details of his life. "Color" your life.Kohler often talks about the process of going to the submarine survey, from the moment the "Explorer" sailed away from the dock, to the feeling of descending along the anchor line, to the feeling of reverence when seeing the bodies of the dead sailors.He told Tina about placing a skull facing the hatch, which he hoped would allow him to see his companion.Tina can fully understand his mood in doing so.She also told Kohler about her experience, she told about the scenery she saw in Germany, the Black Forest, and Neuschwanstein Castle, and also about the emotions between relatives in their German family.They watched "Attack from the Seabed" together. During the movie, Tina's mood was never calm.Koehler told her about his love of diving.She replied that she believed that everyone should have their own free space.As the months passed, Kohler began to "color" the rest of his and Tina's lives. In late 1995, Kohler got a call from Chatterton.Chatterton had the same problems that Koehler had two years earlier—his marriage.They met at Scotty.Chatterton's situation is different from Kohler's.Although he and Casey quarreled constantly, Casey did not ask Chatterton to give up diving.The problem with both of them is that they don't have time to get along well together.They each have their own hobbies - Chatterton loves diving, while Casey loves shooting - and they both put a lot of energy into their passions.For the past few years, their timing has been entirely to accommodate each other's interests.Chatterton has studied the currents of the sea, and he now knows that the currents of marriage are about to miss him. "Maybe the worst part," he told Kohler, "was the fact that the subs stuck with me. I couldn't get away from it at home or at work. Sometimes I look back and I'm not the same as I used to be. I'm gone. I'm not that friendly to people anymore. I'm never going to be as happy as I was before." "John, you still have a lot to be happy about," Kohler said. "Last year you achieved the greatest achievement ever. In two summers you found so many shipwrecks, and a guy like Bilanda I can only stare blankly. What else are you unhappy about at a time like this?" "The subs are completely different," Chatterton said. "The subs are what I care about the most." Minutes passed without a word being spoken.At last Chatterton said: "Are you back diving, Ricky?" "I don't know," Kohler said. "I haven't dived in a long time." During the winter of 1995 and 1996, Koehler devoted himself to planning the future of his and Tina's lives.His life has gradually stabilized, his children are very happy, and his career has also begun to flourish.For a while, he didn't even think about diving again.But the spring breeze warmed the Atlantic waters again.Tina told him that a man who betrayed his interests was worthless.So Kohler took out the diving suit locked in the warehouse.The logo was as prominent as it had been when he first met Chaterton.He went to the phone and called Chatterton. "John, this is Ricky," he said, "I'm back." The two met at Scotty.Chatterton had never seen Kohler so excited. "You've done a lot over the last two years," Kohler said, "and I've been a complete mess. But I have a big advantage, John. I'm coming back fresh. Preparing like crazy. You're out of options? You don't know what to do next? Let me tell you: One day we can't fix this, we can't stop. The proof is on the sub, I always knew that." Kohler opened the suitcase and took out the submarine documents that had been sealed for a long time, and they began to make plans.Their plan was simple and crude. They were going to force their way into the hitherto unexplored motor compartment of the submarine.This cabin and part of the diesel engine compartment are blocked by a steel escape pod.For several years, divers believed that the escape pods were immovable and that there was nothing of value in the motor compartment other than mechanical equipment.But now they have vowed to remove the pod at any cost, regardless of danger.They can no longer delude themselves into thinking that there is nothing iconic in the motor bay, and they are on their own to get in and see.After the two finished their meal, they shook hands and said goodbye.For two years, they all lost themselves.But after the reunion, after laying out their first plans on a napkin, they find that they are their old selves again. Their plan went something like this: Chatterton and Kohler were going to install a chain on the escape pod blocking the aft diesel engine compartment.The sheer force of the chain can drag a car out of a ditch.But few divers have ever taken such a risk.Even in shallow water, such a move is very dangerous.The escape pod could collapse, crushing the divers and trapping them in the sub.The escape pod could also break into pieces and be launched in all directions.When pulling the escape pod hard, the diver's breathing will definitely increase and consume more air.Decaying submarine floors can also sag when divers tug them hard.Even if the escape pod is pulled away, the submarine may all collapse due to the vibration.And once the escape capsule collapses, it is likely to block the diver's way.Chatterton and Koehler discussed all of these possibilities, and eventually they decided to give it a go. Chatterton borrowed chains from his company's commercial diving gear warehouse.They planned to go to sea several times, but each time they failed due to bad weather. The 1996 diving season is over.They had to wait until 1997 to implement this bold plan. Winter is extremely long for them.For two years, the longing for diving that had built up in Kohler's mind tormented him every day, but he had no choice but to wait for the weather to warm up.查特顿的婚姻关系更加恶化了，他的妻子找了一份新工作，他们能在一起的时间更少了。他们申请了婚姻咨询，但是没有什么效果。 1997年5月，潜水季节开始后，他们找到律师，办理离婚手续。但在秋天之前，他们还会住在一起，这样两人都可以处理好他们夏天的活动安排。 婚姻的丧钟给查特顿造成了严重的创伤。春天的一天，他给柯勒打电话说：“我现在必须要见你。”柯勒马上放下工作到公园和他的朋友见面，他们在瀑布和树林中慢慢走着。查特顿想知道当初柯勒是怎么消除内心的痛苦的；他是如何做到在家庭破裂的情况下还能每天正常上班的。他询问减轻内心痛苦的方法。但柯勒大部分时间都在倾听查特顿的谈话。他告诉查特顿，他认为时间是治愈一切痛苦的良药。除此之外，他说的很少。他知道查特顿只是希望有个爱他、关心他的人在旁边倾听他的谈话，而柯勒就是这个人。 1997年的潜水季节终于到来了，新泽西的船长们又将他们的船开到了海中。查特顿和柯勒看了汉克。基茨写的一本有关沉船潜水的书。在其中一章，他们看到一些从U853上找到的标签的照片——这也是一艘二战时期的潜艇，和神秘潜艇是同一型号——U853沉在罗德岛的布洛克岛附近。其中很多标签上都是一些说明性文字，但是其中的一个上面写着U853，查特顿和柯勒看到后愣住了。他们从神秘潜艇上找到过很多标签，但是没有一个像这个一样上面明确标着潜艇的编号。 柯勒冲到电话旁，拨通了基茨的电话，他们之间的关系很好。 “汉克，我们在你的书里看到一张U853上标签的照片。这些标签是从潜艇的哪个部分找到的？” “我不能肯定，”基茨说道。 “现在这些标签在哪里？那个上面有U853的标签在谁那儿？” “我想可能是比利。帕尔莫拿着那些标签。” “非常感谢，”柯勒说道。 比利。帕尔莫是一个五十岁上下、嗜烟如命的潜水包租船船长，他的船“雷鱼”号在布洛克一带工作。他也是个一流的沉船潜水员。查特顿和柯勒经常在波士顿海盗船表演上见到他，他们有一些共同的朋友。柯勒找到帕尔莫位于康涅狄格州家里的电话号码，然后拨通了他的电话。 “你还保存着那些U853上的标签吗？”柯勒问道。 “我还有一桶呢，”帕尔莫说道。 “一桶？” “是啊，一桶。” “那你还记得那个上面有U853标志的标签吗？” “已经过去很长时间了，瑞奇。我的记性有点不好了。” 柯勒问道他和查特顿是否可以到他家去拜访他。帕尔莫说，他非常欢迎他们。 一天以后，两人敲响了帕尔莫的家门。开门的时候，帕尔莫脖子上挂着一个从U853上找到的铁十字勋章。查特顿和柯勒对视一眼，好像在说：“他这么在意这个铁十字勋章？”但是他们没有做任何评论。帕尔莫带领他们参观他的房间，里面摆满了各种沉船物品。查特顿和柯勒急切地想看到那些标签，但是帕尔莫却不露声色。最后，他终于将他们领到了地下室中。他们看到，一个穿着德国水手服、戴着水手帽的女性人体模型站在一个船舵旁。帕尔莫介绍道，这个模型叫“伊娃”。帕尔莫喝起了啤酒。 “你们对那些标签感兴趣？”帕尔莫问道。 “是，非常感兴趣，”查特顿回答道。 帕尔莫用拿着酒杯的手指向一个展柜，里面至少有50个塑料标签，其中一个上面印着U853.两人目瞪口呆地坐在那里。 “你能告诉我们你是在潜艇的哪个部分找到这个标签的吗？”柯勒问道。 帕尔莫背过身去，走向人体模型。 “伊娃，”他平静地说道，“转到0－2－0航道。” 两人研究着帕尔莫的表情，想知道他是不是真地在跟伊娃说话。帕尔莫高兴地笑着，铁十字勋章在他的胸前不住晃动。他转过身来继续和他们的谈话。 “是在一个木质的备件箱里，比鞋盒稍大一点，”帕尔莫说道。 “在哪个艇舱里找到的？”查特顿问道。 “在电动机舱。” 查特顿和柯勒几乎跳了起来。 “备件箱上肯定有潜艇编号的标签，”帕尔莫解释道，“如果执行任务时，潜艇使用了里面的备件，他们就得把备件箱送到仓库中重新装满，仓库必须知道要把备件箱还给哪艘潜艇。” 查特顿和柯勒惊呆了。在神秘潜艇上所有的地方中，电动机舱是唯一一个从未进去过的艇舱，也是唯一一个他们认为不可能发现标志物的地方。现在，他们迫切地希望能够赶紧将堵在柴油发动机舱和电动机舱前的逃生舱移开。他们站了起来，向帕尔莫道别。 “这就是你们俩想知道的所有情况？”他问道。 他们告诉帕尔莫他给他们提供了很大的帮助。他们再次看了看伊娃。他们告诉帕尔莫他们不虚此行，然后告别离开。 他们的潜艇之行定在1997年6月1日。查特顿借来了三吨重的铁链和一根铝制支柱。将近四年了，他们第一次制定出勘查潜艇的计划。“探索者”号驶近了沉船地点。查特顿和柯勒走到了船尾的甲板上。 “我已经完全准备好了，”查特顿说道。 “我们回来了，”柯勒说道。 潜水计划分两步执行。第一次潜水时，柯勒负责丈量逃生舱的精确尺寸，然后他和查特顿一起研究这些数字。接着他们会在第二次潜水的时候将铁链绑到逃生舱上将它拖开。如果一切进展顺利，他们就会打开柴油发动机舱和电动机舱的通道——还有希望找到有标签的备件箱。 海风和海浪轻轻舞动着手臂欢迎着潜水员们的到来。查特顿顺着锚绳沉了下去，将船锚系到沉船上。柯勒跟着游了下来。他从创口处游进控制室，直奔艇尾。刚刚进入柴油发动机舱，他就看到了眼前的逃生舱。这个巨大的钢管倒在艇舱两边的两个发动机之间，与地面成三十度角。电线像爱因斯坦的头发一样向四面八方延伸着。如果他游得太近的话，很有可能被电线缠住窒息而死。柯勒慢慢靠近。他没有急于测量逃生舱的长度，而是从身后的气瓶上拿下一根撬棍。当柯勒还是个孩子的时候，他父亲告诉他：“给我一根杠杆，我就会撬起整个世界。”这句话现在突然从柯勒的脑海中冒了出来。他将撬棍插在逃生舱和发动机之间，轻轻撬动，这个巨大的钢管有点松动了。他观察了一下周围的地形，一旦逃生舱倒塌他可以找到迅速逃离的出路。他继续撬动。逃生舱开始摇动，并发出嘎吱嘎吱的响声。淤泥像蘑菇云一样在艇舱中弥漫开来，逃生舱上的电线像响尾蛇一样直拍柯勒的面镜。柯勒赶紧停了下来，稳住呼吸。他本应该测量逃生舱的尺寸的。但是现在他有了新的想法。他要将逃生舱搬开。这样做很可能会让他送命。但是他迷失自我的时间已经太长了。他应当履行他欠这些阵亡艇员们的责任。 他又接着撬起来。逃生舱在他的撬动下，摇摇欲坠。现在能见度只剩不到一英尺了。他可以将这根钢管搬走。柯勒看了看身后，想找到逃生的出口，但是即使找到了也于事无补：如果逃生舱倒塌的话，可能会压在他身上，将他困在腐朽的地面上窒息而死，而查特顿——正在船头勘查，以便给柯勒足够的活动空间——根本听不到他的呼救声。 柯勒将一只手扶在逃生舱的边缘上，另一只手抓住一只引擎。他两腿分开，像相扑手一样站在支撑引擎的钢柱上。柯勒内心暗暗祈祷，他千万不要滑倒，也不要陷到腐朽的地面中去。然后他调动起全身所有的肌肉。他终于将逃生舱搬离地面六英尺。这根巨大的钢管终于离开了它沉睡了半个世纪的地面。 “千万不要向后倒，”柯勒对逃生舱说道，“不要把我压在底下。” 他又用力搬了搬，将逃生舱又搬起来一点。柯勒就这样抱着钢管静静地站了一会儿，就像伐木工人抱着一根钢制的红木。地板开始断裂了，他向后退了一步。现在他清楚地看到自己已经站在引擎的前面。这时，他松开手，让逃生舱落了下去。在逃生舱下落的过程中，柯勒将它推离了自己身旁。逃生舱重重地落到地上，倒向左边，掀起了一阵棕黑色的淤泥和油雾，巨大的响声像雷鸣一样在潜艇的钢制墙壁间回荡。柯勒屏住呼吸，向下看去。他并没有被困住，他还没有死。尽管他什么都看不见，但是他知道他完成了他潜水生涯中最了不起、最重要的一次举动。他将不可撼动的庞然大物搬走了。挡在电动机舱前的障碍物终于被清除了。 柯勒几乎控制不住自己游进电动机舱的欲望。但是他的呼吸非常急促，而且现在能见度已经降到了零。他和查特顿要等到今天第二次潜水的时候才能进去。柯勒慢慢移出潜艇。在返回锚绳的途中，他想道：“这一天终于到来了。” 到了船上，柯勒向查特顿讲述了下面的经过。查特顿不相信地看着他。 “你干了什么？” “我把它搬走了，它已经不在那儿了，我们可以进去了。” “我们带了一根三吨重的铁链来拖它，你居然把他搬开了？” “我知道我能搬开它，我必须要把它搬开。” 查特顿摇着头说道： “你太冲动了，瑞奇。天哪，这实在是太危险了。天哪，你太冲动了。” “如果我们没有分析过情况有多危险的话，可能会更好，”柯勒说道，边说边跟着查特顿走进了艇舱。“重要的是：三个小时以后，我们就可以进电动机舱了。” 中午时分，查特顿和柯勒再次入海，带着起重包和背包准备打捞备件箱。一分钟后，他们游进了潜艇。柴油发动机舱的淤泥已经散尽，视野非常清晰，但两人几乎不敢相信自己眼前的景象。在离柯勒搬开的逃生舱几英尺的地方赫然躺着另一个庞大的障碍物，这次是一个新月形的巨大燃料罐，以前固定在头顶的耐压舱壳上。查特顿和柯勒盯着燃料罐，显然在潜艇沉没的时候，它从上面掉了下来。他们游近了一点仔细观察，这个燃料罐看上去有12英尺长，份量很重，它斜着卡在两个引擎之间，顶部与天花板之间只有非常狭小的空间。与柯勒刚刚移开的逃生舱比起来，这个障碍物更是不可撼动。检查过后，两人立刻明白，即使用三吨重的铁链也无法将这个燃料罐移开。他们看了看彼此，已经连摇头的力气也没有了。对于柯勒将逃生舱搬走的奖励就是使他们又可以再前进4英尺。电动机舱——他们急需勘查的艇舱——离他们仍然好像有一百万英里远。 两人转身返回锚绳附近。在减压过程中，他们的头一直低着。返回船上后，他们还是一声不响地脱去潜水服，只是间或有一人骂两句脏话。 在返回布里勒的途中，有一个小时的时间，两人一言不发。他们只是坐在冷柜上，看着沉船地点渐渐消失在远处。太阳也沉入了地平线的那一端，查特顿转过身来对柯勒说： “我有了一个计划。” "I am listening." 查特顿用五分钟时间讲述了他的设想，讲完之后，柯勒看着他的眼睛。 “你会送命的，”柯勒说道。 “我准备这样做，”查特顿说道。 “你肯定会送命的。” “我准备这样做，但是我不能没有你。” “我不会参与的。我不能看着你死。” “我一定要这样做，”查特顿说道，“这是我们最后的机会了，瑞奇。我比谁都清楚，我知道我一定能做到的。我需要你的帮助。”