Captain Black Mark

A true story told through the eyes of an Officer whoserved 22 months aboard the LST. The ship wasscheduled for a six months tour in the Mediterranean.On Jan. 7th 1952 the ship sailed into a devastatingstorm and six hours later they were losing cargooverboard.In addition to the loss of cargo the ship is plaguedwith a navigator threatened with failure to carry out adirect order; in Malta the LST hits two water bargesand one British LCM; two crewmen were fighting inNaples return to the ship where one stabs the other;the LST collides with the refueling tanker; twocrewmen fighting aboard ship and one threatens theExec; 40 crewmen end up fighting on the main deckand a duty officers nearly falls overboard; finally theship is beached in Terceria with a large hole inbottom of the hull. As it that's not enough theCaptain & Exec bring lady friends aboard the ship;the crew attempts to sail without the Captain andExec and end up sailing into a force 3 hurricane.Captain Black Mark is the story of all these things.As incredible as it sounds is it any wonder that thecaptain develops irrational fixations that his superiorswere aware of everything that was happening andthat it was these things preventing him from beingpromoted.