A GREAT SEA STORY ……… .

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result.

The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31′ N and LONG 179 30′ W.

The date was 31 December 1899.

“Know what this means?  

First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line .

Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.

He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship’s position.

He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark.

Then he adjusted the engine speed.

The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.

At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!

 

 

The consequences of this bizarre position were many:

 

The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.

The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.

The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.

In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in:

Two different days,

Two different months,

Two different years,

Two different seasons

But in two different centuries – all at the same time!

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