"Then, if the ship was sunk in action, the men down here would not stand a chance to escape?" queried Ned.
"No; they probably would not know that the ship had been struck till they saw the water come pouring in on them."
"Say, Ned," whispered Herc.
"What?"
"There's one job in the navy that I don't want."
"What is that?"
"To be stationed down here."
"No danger of that," laughed Ned. "Only the most expert of the crew—men to whom gunnery is a science, are assigned to these posts."
A visit to the wireless room, which was set snugly in the superstructure between the two forward and the two after funnels, completed the lads' tour of their new home.