I found a small hole in the bottom of a container ship's rudder. Not to bad, just the result of rampant stupidity in the shipyard. I dewatered the rudder with compressed air and filled the hole with epoxy. Then I prepared to weld a small plate over the hole. I unzipped my wetsuit and pulled the plate out, then tacked it into position and started to weld it.

This was on the bottom of the rudder, and all welding was overhead. Lots of slag and drops of molten steel rain down around you at times like that. Fortunately, the wetsuit is typically enough protection. So why, then, did I suddenly feel this searing pain in my chest? I stopped welding and grabbed my chest... I must have looked like Redd Foxx in Sanford and Son.

Oh oh. I did say I unzipped my wetsuit to get the plate out. Just never zipped it back up. A good sized piece of something hot rolled down my chest and left a trail of burns in its wake. Thank Cthulhu that this was all underwater or the thing would have stuck and the burn would have been much worse.

So I got the rudder sealed and then vented it from the top.



All in all, the operation took a good seven hours, including set up and breakdown. Would have been faster if the plug at the top of the rudder had cooperated a little. Still, we were heroes in our own right. Kudos to the team.

As for me? Stupidity should be painful. Lesson learned. I live to dive another day. Speaking of another day, I am off on the cruise ships again come Saturday.

*sigh* It never ends. I guess that's a good thing, no?