Chapter 4
The Mess Hall was mayhem. When the Marine Expeditionary Unit had been aboard, the ship had been packed to the limits of her welded seams. Officers Mess was forward on the 02 Deck. Chiefs Mess directly below. The Seamen and the two Marine Messes were to the stern. With the MEU aboard, every sailor knew her place.
That was all changed now and Nika missed it. With the departure of the MEU, the Navy contingent had also been cut in half and a bit more. Without dozens of aircraft aboard, far fewer Flight Deck and service personnel were required. Without fifteen hundred Marines underfoot, the required ship’s maintenance plummeted. With the drop in crew, whole mess kitchens had been abandoned.
Two messes and one galley remained open. The Officers Mess still had the Naval officers, but
