Chapter 10: The Dreams of the Dead - Part 2

     The "perfect storm" is now over, but the effects of it are still being felt all over Gloucester. The crew of the Andrea Gail is never found and soon they are presumed to be dead. Reverend Casey holds a service for the men lost at sea in St. Ann's Church. People from all over Gloucester, related to the men lost at sea or not, come to pay their respects. Bobby Shatford's girlfriend, Christina Cotter, is feeling the grief of losing Bobby and even has dreams about him. This is not uncommon and many family members of the others that were aboard the Andrea Gail also have dreams and visions of their loved ones. What makes losing these loved ones even worse is the uncertainty that the families of the crew members have about whether or not their loved one has actually died or not. Two years later, another storm named the "Halloween Gale" developed. This storm was earned the title of the "Mother of All Storms" and destroyed a boat called the Gold Bond Conveyor and a boat called the Terri Lei. All of the crew members aboard these boats were killed and the remains of the boats were never found.

     The second half of this last chapter concludes the whole story in a very intriguing way. Although the members of the Andrea Gail are thought to be dead, they still live in the hearts of their loved ones and are even seen in their dreams. Also, the people of Gloucester showing up at the service, even if they did not know the "deceased" men personally, show how tight-knit the community is. Since they are living in a fishing community, people all over Gloucester know the dangers of the sea and can be sympathetic towards the families of those who have died at sea. Furthermore, not knowing whether or not your loved one is actually dead or not is the worst kind of grief a person can experience. This is an emotional roller coaster filled with disappointment, despair, and only a glimmer of hope. Lastly, the new storm that developed shows that there are always dangers when out on the sea and the destruction of the ships shows that nature is stronger than human creations. This concept of nature being better than human creations is also seen in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein tries his best to create life from death, but his creation does not please him and is not a duplication of life that is created through nature. This shows that there are some natural processes that cannot be identically copied through the efforts of man, no matter how much work is put into copying them.

Chapter 10: The Dreams of the Dead - Part 1

     The storm finally reaches land and the force of it can be felt all over the area surrounding Massachusetts. People on the land experience terrible conditions and some people even say that it is the worst storm that they have ever seen or experienced. Meanwhile, the search for Rick Smith continues, but unfortunately he is not found. Since Rick could not be found, all of the aircrafts help to try and locate the Andrea Gail. The combined efforts of the Tamaroa and numerous helicopters and planes are futile as they cannot find the Andrea Gail. The only items found are fuel barrels from the ship that are marked with an “AG” and the ships distress radio beacon (EPIRB). With no significant sign indicating where the Andrea Gail is, the rescue mission is suspended.

     The first half of this chapter is leading up to the conclusion of the novel. Details supporting the idea that the Andrea Gail has sunk and the crew is dead are stated. Also, Rick Smith is presumed to be dead because they cannot find him either. In terms of human nature, this half of the chapter does an excellent job of showing the importance of human life and how it takes precedence over almost everything. The rescue teams’ undying effort, even in times of little hope, shows the reader the dedication that the rescue crews have to doing their job to the best of their abilities. These rescue teams head out to save anyone that is in need of help, even in conditions that put their own lives in danger.

Chapter 9: Into the Abyss - Part 2

     The five crew members of the H-60 helicopter ditched the aircraft and are now at the mercy of the reckless sea. Spillane, one of the crew members, is greatly injured from the impact of hitting the sea at such a high velocity and he also loses all of his memory. After swimming to a life raft, he soon regains his memory and sees a light flashing in the distance. Remembering that the life vests that each member of the crew was wearing emitted a light, he quickly decided to swim towards the flashing light. Upon arrival to the where the flashing light was, he discovered that it was Mioli and Ruvola.  Having already saved Buschor, the Tamaroa eventually pulls Spillane, Mioli and Ruvola out of the water. Everybody in the H-60’s crew is now safe on the Tamaroa, except for Rick Smith. Although he is stuck in the water, he is one of the most experienced rescue men and it is estimated that he can last anywhere from 5-7 days at sea.

     The second half of this chapter can be related to the story The Allegory of the Cave. When Spillane loses all of his memory, he is unaware of anything that is around him and all he knows is survival. Driven by survival instincts, he sees a life raft and quickly swims to it. Since he lost his memory, he was unable to identify anything around him because we can only develop ideas of what things are from previous knowledge. This is parallel to how the people living in the cave could only see the shadows as reality because that was all they knew. They thought that the shadows existed solely by themselves and there was nothing more to the world. Also, the caveman coming out of the cave and realizing all that the world has to offer can be directly linked to when Spillane regains his memory. Both of them gain a new reality and more understanding of the world around them because their perspectives have been changed by their experiences. Lastly, this half of the chapter shows the importance of Maslow’s basic need for a person to feel a sense of love and belonging. Spillane shows this because once he is safe on the life craft; he travels a great distance with just the hopes of someone else being where the flashing light was. 

Chapter 9: Into the Abyss - Part 1

     Back in the town of Gloucester, it is finally acknowledged that there is something wrong with the Andrea Gail because its crew is not responding to the calls from the Coast Guard. Bobby Shatford’s girlfriend, Chrstina Cotter, is dismayed by this news and is hoping that the ship did not sink. The author then tells the rescue story of a Japanese sailor named Mikado Tomizawa. The District One Command Center in Boston receives a distress call from Mikado and the Coast Guard deploys a C-130 tanker plane to help save him. Also, the Air National Guard has to dispatch an H-60 helicopter because it can be refueled in midflight. Refueling in midflight is necessary because the rescue is far off the coast and a helicopter cannot hold enough fuel to make it there on one tank. The two aircrafts fly out to Mikado and decide that they cannot save him because the seas are too violent, but they leave two life rafts in case the ship he is on goes under. On their way back to base, the visibility of the sky is terrible and the H-60 cannot refuel properly because it cannot see the C-130 clearly. Without getting fuel from the C-130 tanker plane, the H-60 is on the verge of running out of fuel and the crew has to ditch the helicopter. Before ditching the helicopter, Ruvola, the pilot of the helicopter, calls into a nearby tanker ship named the Tamaroa and tells the captain to come rescue the helicopter’s crew.

     This half of the chapter shows that the community back in Gloucester finally receives news of the misfortunes of the Andrea Gail. The rumors that the Andrea Gail has sunk or that it has just lost its VHF are some possible endings to the novel and might even be a form of foreshadowing. Also, the fact that the rescue crew is willing to go so far out into the violent seas just for one human being shows the priority that human life has over everything else. The rescue crew knows that the mission will be a very dangerous one, but they are putting their primary need for safety in jeopardy in order to save the life of another individual. Lastly, their need for safety is being under satisfied because of their loyalty to the group of the Air National Guard and to the idea that anything that has the potential to save human life must be done. 

Chapter 8: The World of the Living - Part 2

     Although Leonard wants to stay on the ship, the Coast Guard calls a "manifestly unsafe voyage". A "manifestly unsafe voyage" is when everyone on the ship must be removed because of the perilous conditions. So, all of the crew is rescued from the Satori via an H-3 helicopter. This rescue was only possible because a rescue swimmer named Dave Moore dived down into the raging water and helped the crew into the rescue basket of the helicopter one by one. Once in the helicopter, the crew of the Satori was checked for health and greeted by their rescuers in a very excited manner. They were extremely happy that the crew was healthy and that they survived the terrible conditions aboard the ship. An hour and forty minutes later, the helicopter touched down at the Air Station Cape Cod and the ship's crew was asked questions by the rescue team. After those grave conditions, the Satori's crew was finally able to relax and feel a sense of safety.

     The second half of this chapter clearly shows Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The primary need for safety was given a greater priority than anything else. The stranded crew members of the Satori were never ignored and the rescue team did everything that they could to try and rescue them. These rescuers soon became the guardians of the stranded people and tried their best to protect the lives of the crew members. Also, after being saved, the crew reached a point of self-actualization and they were content with everything that they had in their lives. Every primary need was now attainable and with such a great improvement in their living conditions, the crew looked upon the world with great optimism. Lastly, this rescue mission showed that it was possible to survive the so-called "perfect storm" and it demonstrated the good nature of human beings.

Chapter 8: The World of the Living - Part 1

     Communication with the Andrea Gail is still not possible and the story of another vessel, the Satori, is told. Hurricane Grace combines with a cold front that came off of the Labrador Current and later on, combines with the Sable Island storm. This creates a huge storm that was considered by meteorologists to be the "perfect storm". The Satori is in the middle of this storm and is receiving a great deal of damage due to it. The crew consisting of Bylander, Stimpson, and Leonard soon lose all hope for survival. They do not see the Satori surviving the storm and they call a mayday, which is when the crew calls out for help to every ship in a two mile radius of the vessel. Not knowing whether the VHF is working or not and with their life boat being knocked off by a rogue wave, the crew helplessly tries to call out to other vessels using the VHF. Soon the message is picked up by a nearby ship and is relayed to the Coast Guard. Within hours, a jet called the Falcon is sent out to monitor the Satori and a large vessel called the Tamaroa is sent out to rescue the stranded crew members. Although it was sent out a couple of hours after the mayday call was reported, the Tamaroa will take twelve hours to reach the Satori. While waiting, the Falcon tells the crew that they will soon be saved and a great feeling of relief overcomes them. Although Bylander and Stimpson are ready to be taken off of the ship, Leonard decides to stay on the vessel because he believes that a captain should never abandon his ship.

     This half of the chapter does an excellent job of displaying many different primary and secondary needs. The crew scrambling to contact someone that can help them out of their current situation shows their struggle to achieve the primary need of life. The need for life is on the verge of being under satisfied in this situation because the Satori is on the precipice of going under and this would kill the whole crew aboard the ship. Also, Leonard's decision to stay on the ship and risk his life is a perfect example of someone that is under satisfying their primary need for life. His primary need for life is being under satisfied because of his loyalty to the group and his loyalty to the idea (secondary needs). The group that he is being loyal to is the crew of the Satori and the idea that he is being loyal to is the belief that a captain should never abandon his ship.

Chapter 7: The Zero-Moment Point

     The Andrea Gail is suspected to be in the zero-moment point and this means that the boat is in a position that can no longer be corrected. Being in this position indicates that it has turned over and will sink to the bottom of the ocean, along with its crew. Also, the crew is thought to be drowning in the ocean because of the capsized ship. The author describes the different ways that someone can drown and he also describes what it feels like when someone is drowning. The feeling of drowning is told with reference to the story of a man named James Lowson. This man experienced what it feels likes to drown and lived to tell the tale. With the use of this story, drowning is described as a painless way to die, where you also think about many different aspects of your life before you black out.

     This chapter was used to help explain what the Andrea Gail and its crew might be going through at the moment. The ship being wrecked and the crew being dead are just some assumptions that are being made about the Andrea Gail's situation. Also, when the author describes the different ways that someone can drown, they all revolved around the same concept. This is the concept of our primary need of having enough air to survive. When drowning, you do everything possible in order to get the air needed for you to survive and if this air cannot be acquired, your body shuts down and you die.