Ghost Ship Page #10

MURPHY:

What about running number two by

itself?

DODGE:

It's a full 2500 horses down. We

couldn't drag that boat down hill on

ice with it.

MURPHY:

How long, then?

DODGE:

I gotta pull the blades and re-seat

everything in a new rotor -- .

MURPHY:

How long?

DODGE:

Three, four days.

MURPHY:

Goddamit, Dodge.

DODGE:

What do you want me to tell you,

that we can throw this sucker back

in and start pulling her like nothing

happened? Can't do it, skipper.

A beat as Murphy stands there, knowing he's right.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (O.S RADIO)

(from the pilothouse)

Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic

Warrior. This is United States

Coastguard. Over.

A beat.

INT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - PILOTHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - DAY

Murphy enters the pilothouse as the distance-warped VOICE

comes back on the radio.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Arctic Warrior, Arctic Warrior, Arctic

Warrior. This is United States

Coastguard Station North Island.

Over.

Murphy raises the radio mic as Epps, Dodge, and Greer step

in.

MURPHY:

(to radio)

North Island, North Island, North

Island. This is tugboat Arctic

Warrior. Over.

After a moment, the same professional, distance-warped voice

comes back.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Arctic Warrior, we have submitted

your section four two charlie salvage

notification. However, the

International Maritime Authority

record for a passenger vessel Chimera

indicates it was lost at sea in the

Gulf of Oman day two month two year

one nine five three. Over.

A beat as Murphy holds there.

MURPHY:

North Island, please repeat? Over.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Arctic Warrior, passenger vessel

Chimera was lost at sea day two month

two year one nine five three. Over.

Another beat as Murphy holds there, as the others look on.

MURPHY:

North Island, have you got any

additional information? Over.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. The

vessel Chimera was registered to The

Dobbins Kirk Line, Halifax. Nova

Scotia. Date of commission day nine

month seven year one nine three two.

Over.

A long beat as the static of the open channel comes back.

MURPHY:

Roger, North Island. I am tied to

the passenger vessel Chimera. And

she is afloat. Repeat, she is afloat.

Over.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Roger, Arctic Warrior. I say again,

our records indicate the passenger

vessel Chimera was lost at sea.

Over.

MURPHY:

Roger, North Island. Please advise

pending further information. Over.

COASTGUARD DISPATCHER (V.O. RADIO)

Affirmative, Arctic Warrior. This is

United States Coast Guard North Island

Station. Over and out.

A beat as they hold there, thinking about it.

MURPHY:

Obviously it's some kind of screw

up. The shipping records aren't a

hundred percent accurate.

DODGE:

Man, it gives me the creeps. We got

no business towing a ship that size

anyway. I say we fix the turbines

and hit the highway.

GREER:

Are you crazy? Do you realize we got

ourselves a ship? We own a ship,

Dodge.

DODGE:

Yeah, a ship that's supposed to have

been lost at sea fifty years ago.

You don't think that's just a little

freaky?

EPPS:

If this thing turns out to be a ship

everybody thought sank a long time

ago, we just hit the jackpot.

DODGE:

Yeah, well how the hell you get

something like that wrong? That's a

damn big boat. It's either sunk or

it ain't.

MURPHY:

We all want to get outa here, Dodge.

Especially me. With that boat in

tow. You got three days. Make the

most of it.

A beat as Dodge looks back, then out at the Chimera.

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