Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction but has some basis in reality.
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Chapter 1.
The ship rolled her way across the Mediterranean Sea, the weather was pleasantly warm. We had left the Suez Canal on a warm but blustery morning. As Second Mate, I'd been on duty on the exposed after deck, supervising the handling of the heavy mooring lines. This was dirty, heavy work for the men but they were used to it and they would soon be back in the seamans' mess and getting outside a steaming mug of tea, despite the temperature.
There was a new man. A young man. He'd joined us at Port Said to replace a seaman due home on leave and he attracted my eye as the gang worked. Fair haired and well built, he must've been about twenty or so. He seemed a bit lost and I realised that the other men had been together as a crew for several voyages. He was the newcomer. He stood by himself, not part of the general banter that was always exchanged between the men. He had definitely caught my interest and I hoped that our paths might cross during the voyage. But if they did I would have to be very careful, Officers were never gay, and if they were, they never, ever fancied deckhands!
As Second Mate my duty was to keep the "Graveyard Watch" - at midday and midnight I climbed up to the Bridge to keep watch until 4 o'clock. Once clear of the Canal life got easier, the busy shipping lanes gave way to the open ocean and the many different ships fanned out on route to their various destinations. Now I had time to catch up on the chart corrections. Notices to Mariners, to be cut and pasted, charts to be brought up to date, Light Lists and Radio books to be amended. It was boring work but at least something to do as the ship ploughed Westwards towards Gibraltar and onwards into the Bay of Biscay, and home.
Now the radar screen was almost empty of ships. Before, in the Red Sea, it had been peppered with the small blips that indicated other ships. Most, in orderly lines, steaming along the official routes, but now and then, a ferry cutting her way across the lanes. There had been many small fishing boats, slow and vulnerable, and difficult to spot on the screen but now we were almost on our own, only two other blips on the 12-mile scale.
My Company always obeyed the rules. For example we always had two people on watch on the Bridge, one of the Mates together with one of the seamen to act as helmsman, if for any reason we had to disconnect the automatic steering, or to act as lookout. He would make the coffee, clean up the Bridge and chartroom area, all those sorts of tasks. To my pleasant surprise, the Bosun had assigned the new seaman to my watch.
"Good Morning, sir" he said, as I entered the bridge. He had a strong accent, which I couldn't place.
"Good Morning . . . ."
"Thomas" he supplied.
"Yes, well, Thomas. You've only recently joined the ship, haven't you?"
"Yes sir. In ze last port."
He looked shy and didn't say anything more, he just went to the cleaning locker and got out a brush. He started to sweep the deck and I went over to the chart table to make a start on some corrections. However, I was distracted, my concentration was not so much on the paperwork as on Thomas's very desirable young body..
In the warm weather he wore just a thin, plain white cotton tee-shirt and well-worn blue jeans. His clothes were well fitting and tight on his very well proportioned young body. He was a very well built and extremely handsome youngster. Strong shoulders, well developed chest above a narrow waist and long, strong looking legs. As he bent over to lift the waste bin I caught a look at his perfect young bottom, firm, sexy and extremely provocative.
Thomas looked round and I hastily opened a List of Lights book.
"Please, I go to empty the bin?" he asked.
"Yep. Oh and tell the Bosun I'd like to see him some time during this Watch."
He left the Bridge and I adjusted my cock in my white uniform trousers. Yes, I was gay. But nobody on board, nobody in the Company knew it and I wanted things to stay that way.
I would have to be very, very careful.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The ship was rolling her way across the Mediterranean Sea and, the weather was warm. We had left The Suez Canal on a windy morning. It was fortunate for me to have got a job as a seaman on board of the English ship. Now, with the European community such things were possible. I come from North Germany. In my country, we are surprised that work is not so easy to get. I trained as Officer at a sea school in Bremerhaven but it was not possible to find a job. I come to England and now I am deckhand in this ship, going through Suez Canal and on the way to England.
It is very hot and I am working with the team on the back part of the ship. We have to pull in the heavy ropes that have been holding the ship to the quay. It is hard for me in this ship. All the guys have been together for some months and they very much do not talk with me. I am new. Also I come from Germany.
The 2nd Mate is in charge. He is a very handsome man. I like to look at him. He has a very certain way, an officer way, which is a way that I admire. I think I like to get to know him.
In the first days when we sailed, I was working in the daytime with the Bosun. I did not like him and I think he did not like me. I had to chip the old paints and put on some new paint. One day, I had to go into a part of the ship called the Coffer Dam and I had to clean in there. I had each day different, not so good jobs.
So I was very happy when the Bosun said to me,
"Yes, well lad, what's your name again?"
"I am Thomas, Bosun."
"OK, Thomas, Jason is sick, so you'll now keep the Graveyard Watch, starting at Midnight tonight."
"Bitte?"
"Not Bitte, speak English damn you."
"But I do not understand this Graveyard."
"Oh - the Middle Watch. Twelve till Four. Day and night. You just catch up on your sleep when you can."
This did not worry me. I was just glad to have a proper seaman job and to be on the Bridge. I would learn some more about being a sailor and some of the duties of an officer.
At fifteen minutes to twelve on the first evening in my new job, I went to the Bridge for my watch. Always there are two persons on the Bridge when our ship is at sea. When I was there, by the wheel, the 2nd Mate came in, he was the officer for the same watch as me and I was very happy because he is very handsome and I think he is a nice man, it would be very nice to be working on the same watch with this man.
"Good Evening, sir" I said, as he came into the Bridge
"Good Evening . . . ."