Snakes

…What do you do on a quiet evening on April 7, 1970, in the Persian Gulf?

You try to catch some fish.
There were plenty of them swimming around the ship.
But, they weren’t biting.
What are you supposed to do then?

So we went catching snakes after all: sea snakes!

They were attracted by the light of the work lights and the fish swimming around.
With a boathook right in the middle of that beast, a flick, and the snake slammed onto the deck with a clatter.
Quickly, the boathook behind its head, and it was cut off with wire cutters.
Then skinning, nailing it to a run board, and letting it dry; that kept us busy for days.
A nice souvenir for home.

A small fishing boat came alongside and saw our result on that board.
The fisherman reacted with horror, asking if we knew those snakes were very venomous.
Of course not!
We caught them in our shorts and flip-flops.

One of those snakes had also ended up in the engine room.
Because of that whipping motion, it flew straight through the searchlights and inside.

For days afterward, we went downstairs in fear, because where was that beast lurking, waiting for us?