Quote:
Originally Posted by Farmer John
Do we have any cargoes waiting? It's rather warm in Chittagong.
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No cargo here, Farmer John, but I did have a visit from a rather non-descript Indian gentleman on the quay while I was checking our draughts (NO, NO, NO, I am not talking about our beer - just how much ship is actually in the water at present).
He suggested we could pick up a cargo of Rutile (1,500 short tons) in Richard's Bay in South Africa, and take it to the Electric Boat Company facility in Groton, Connecticut. As "earnest" he handed me a well stuffed unmarked brown envelope which turned out to contain several thousand U.S. $$ just as a down payment -- the balance on delivery. Although this project, as usual, is utter hush-hush, the gentleman did indicate the Rutile cystaline structure was being considered for switching elements in the boats nuclear/heavy water circulation structure, or alternatively for use in the guidance of torpedoes. It was conveyed that it was all experimental at present.
