Northern Lights at Sea

One of the most spectacular memories of my time in the Navy was seeing the Northern Lights at sea. I already talked about seeing the wonderful night sky at sea from the deck of a Navy ship in an earlier post. Seeing the Aurora Borealis was very different from the multitude of stars on a clear night. This was an entirely different cosmic phenomenon that staggered the mind. 

This was also a big deal on a Navy ship sailing the North Atlantic when the Northern Lights were in view. Sailors would come up on deck to view the lights. Sometimes there would be an announcement over the intercom telling the crew there was a light show on deck.

I worked in the engine room and any time I was up on deck for fresh air was something we hole snipes were always looking forward to doing. We especially loved the cooler air on deck at night and looking at the stars on a clear night. Seeing the Northern Lights was something really special.

We would often lay about on the helicopter flight deck smoking joints and watching the sky. Everyone was there for an Aurora Borealis light show which actually wasn't all that common. I crossed the Northern Atlantic four times and at that timer in the early 70's it took almost a week to go from our home port in Virginia to the Baltic Sea and then to the Straits of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean Sea which was always our destination. If I remember right I think I saw the Lights maybe five times total during those trips. There really was only a small window of opportunity for us in the North Atlantic as we passed through the area.

Today there are tourist cruises that take people to see the Northern Lights near Iceland and Norway. Sometimes people go and do not get to see them. There is no set time and place to view the Aurora Borealis. I cherish those memories.