The Story of the USS Albatross
Shared by Monique Harrington |
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Two years ago, my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage-four intestinal cancer. We had always been close to his family and
although we lived far away, my husband or our entire family was able to make the trip from Seattle, to Houston to be with
his father every couple of months during his illness.
During one of our final visits, my husband looked up and saw a little plastic ship he had made for his dad over 15 years ago. David, my husband, had made it when he was a teenager and had given it to his father. Unfortunately it hadn't aged well and was really falling apart at the seams. He asked his dad why they still had that tired old boat on display for everyone to see. David's dad said he was waiting for a new one to replace the tired old gal.
Once we returned from our trip, David immediately went to the model store and purchased an intermediate wooden model ship, The USS Albatross. Having had no experience building wooden boats, my husband had no idea how time consuming the project would become. At first he thought the project would be an easy task since the box did not have many parts inside. It wasn't until he started reading the directions that he realized that he would have to cut and make many parts by hand. He was a little overwhelmed, to say the least. I was overwhelmed as well. Soon both our kitchen table and my son's playroom became boat central and we were forced to eat on the couch due to lack of space. It was such a special journey for us though, that I didn't really mind not having a table. Actually, we enjoyed sitting on our comfy couch and catching up on the day's events.
As David's father continued to battle the cancer, David worked on the boat tirelessly for over a month, knowing that time was of the essence. The process was very tedious. David had not built a boat since the plastic modal of his teenage years, so every day at lunch he would go to the model store and purchase something that the thought he desperately needed. Because David hadn't yet figured out the tricks of the trade, he painstakingly cut and sanded every square inch. The project became such a labor of love that David would wake up without an alarm clock at 3:00am just to get in a couple of hours of boat time before he went to work.
During this process, David visited a postal service store for guidance about shipping this precious cargo from Seattle to Houston. Following their advice, David built a wooden crate around the ship which could only be opened with a screwdriver. We hoped that this extra protection would keep the ship safe on its long journey.
Two weeks before Christmas it was finally time for the USS Albatross' bon voyage. On the day it was to be mailed, David went to the shipping store three times. He wanted to make sure it was packaged correctly so that there wouldn't be any problems. He insured the boat for $1,000 and asked the clerk to put additional fragile stickers and tape across the top. Finally, David was satisfied that it was ready for its maiden voyage. He called his mother to let her know that the ship was on its way and that it was to be a Christmas surprise.
The next day, David checked the ship's tracking number and was shocked when it could not be found in the system. He decided not to panic but to wait a day, sure that it would turn up. The next day, David stared at the computer in disbelief when the shipping company was again unable to locate his tracking number. Worriedly, he dialed the 800 number for the company, only to find out that the package had been lost. After several hours of searching, the company was able to find the box, however it was open and the ship inside it was MISSING! Someone had broken into the box and stolen the ship!
We were in complete shock. In the entire 10 years I have known him, I have never seen my husband so mad, hurt, angry, and upset. I was devastated for him. He had worked so hard and was so proud of his final project. My first thought was to blast the unnamed shipping company by telling our story to every newspaper and TV and radio station I could think of. However, I came to my senses and decided to let the system work itself out. We immediately filed a claim and I had the idea to make a Picaboo book of all of the pictures we had of the ship. I had found out about Picaboo right after my son was born 16 months ago and had made many books for him in the past. Since I had so much experience, I was able to finish David's book in 20 minutes - before my son got up from his nap! Although the book wouldn't take the place of the USS Albatross, at least David would be able to show his father pictures of the ship.
After we ordered the book, we hoped and prayed that it would arrive in time for Christmas. Thankfully it did! David and his two sisters were able to spend Christmas dinner with his parents which was so very special to them. My father-in-law loved the book and was very touched by all of David's efforts! My mother-in-law is a great storyteller and after that everyone who came to visit heard the tragic story of the USS Albatross and David's labor of love for his father.
In the weeks after the ship was lost, we told the story many many times. Each time we told it, it grew more elaborate, which made us all laugh. Now, not only do our families and friends know the story but so do their friends and families. There is nothing better than to have a great love story passed around and around and we truly felt that David's labor of love for his father was fully appreciated, even though his father was never able to see the finished ship.
These days, I have my kitchen table back and my family enjoys dinners around it once again. The store was good on their insurance policy and we recently received our refund insurance check. The check was a blessing in itself because it paid for the emergency trip David took at Christmas to visit his parents. As for my son's playroom, I still haven't gotten it back in order; it's been taken over by ship number 2! And this time around David's using his new Dremel tool so he won't be spending nearly as many hours painstakingly sanding by hand.
Sadly, David's dad passed away in early February, but we know he lived a full and happy life and his memory will be with us forever, especially every time the story of the lost USS Albatross is told and each time we smile and remind each other, "If you have something important to send, always hand deliver it!"
During one of our final visits, my husband looked up and saw a little plastic ship he had made for his dad over 15 years ago. David, my husband, had made it when he was a teenager and had given it to his father. Unfortunately it hadn't aged well and was really falling apart at the seams. He asked his dad why they still had that tired old boat on display for everyone to see. David's dad said he was waiting for a new one to replace the tired old gal.
Once we returned from our trip, David immediately went to the model store and purchased an intermediate wooden model ship, The USS Albatross. Having had no experience building wooden boats, my husband had no idea how time consuming the project would become. At first he thought the project would be an easy task since the box did not have many parts inside. It wasn't until he started reading the directions that he realized that he would have to cut and make many parts by hand. He was a little overwhelmed, to say the least. I was overwhelmed as well. Soon both our kitchen table and my son's playroom became boat central and we were forced to eat on the couch due to lack of space. It was such a special journey for us though, that I didn't really mind not having a table. Actually, we enjoyed sitting on our comfy couch and catching up on the day's events.
As David's father continued to battle the cancer, David worked on the boat tirelessly for over a month, knowing that time was of the essence. The process was very tedious. David had not built a boat since the plastic modal of his teenage years, so every day at lunch he would go to the model store and purchase something that the thought he desperately needed. Because David hadn't yet figured out the tricks of the trade, he painstakingly cut and sanded every square inch. The project became such a labor of love that David would wake up without an alarm clock at 3:00am just to get in a couple of hours of boat time before he went to work.
During this process, David visited a postal service store for guidance about shipping this precious cargo from Seattle to Houston. Following their advice, David built a wooden crate around the ship which could only be opened with a screwdriver. We hoped that this extra protection would keep the ship safe on its long journey.
Two weeks before Christmas it was finally time for the USS Albatross' bon voyage. On the day it was to be mailed, David went to the shipping store three times. He wanted to make sure it was packaged correctly so that there wouldn't be any problems. He insured the boat for $1,000 and asked the clerk to put additional fragile stickers and tape across the top. Finally, David was satisfied that it was ready for its maiden voyage. He called his mother to let her know that the ship was on its way and that it was to be a Christmas surprise.
The next day, David checked the ship's tracking number and was shocked when it could not be found in the system. He decided not to panic but to wait a day, sure that it would turn up. The next day, David stared at the computer in disbelief when the shipping company was again unable to locate his tracking number. Worriedly, he dialed the 800 number for the company, only to find out that the package had been lost. After several hours of searching, the company was able to find the box, however it was open and the ship inside it was MISSING! Someone had broken into the box and stolen the ship!
We were in complete shock. In the entire 10 years I have known him, I have never seen my husband so mad, hurt, angry, and upset. I was devastated for him. He had worked so hard and was so proud of his final project. My first thought was to blast the unnamed shipping company by telling our story to every newspaper and TV and radio station I could think of. However, I came to my senses and decided to let the system work itself out. We immediately filed a claim and I had the idea to make a Picaboo book of all of the pictures we had of the ship. I had found out about Picaboo right after my son was born 16 months ago and had made many books for him in the past. Since I had so much experience, I was able to finish David's book in 20 minutes - before my son got up from his nap! Although the book wouldn't take the place of the USS Albatross, at least David would be able to show his father pictures of the ship.
After we ordered the book, we hoped and prayed that it would arrive in time for Christmas. Thankfully it did! David and his two sisters were able to spend Christmas dinner with his parents which was so very special to them. My father-in-law loved the book and was very touched by all of David's efforts! My mother-in-law is a great storyteller and after that everyone who came to visit heard the tragic story of the USS Albatross and David's labor of love for his father.
In the weeks after the ship was lost, we told the story many many times. Each time we told it, it grew more elaborate, which made us all laugh. Now, not only do our families and friends know the story but so do their friends and families. There is nothing better than to have a great love story passed around and around and we truly felt that David's labor of love for his father was fully appreciated, even though his father was never able to see the finished ship.
These days, I have my kitchen table back and my family enjoys dinners around it once again. The store was good on their insurance policy and we recently received our refund insurance check. The check was a blessing in itself because it paid for the emergency trip David took at Christmas to visit his parents. As for my son's playroom, I still haven't gotten it back in order; it's been taken over by ship number 2! And this time around David's using his new Dremel tool so he won't be spending nearly as many hours painstakingly sanding by hand.
Sadly, David's dad passed away in early February, but we know he lived a full and happy life and his memory will be with us forever, especially every time the story of the lost USS Albatross is told and each time we smile and remind each other, "If you have something important to send, always hand deliver it!"