Lessons from My 98-year-old Dad: The Great Blue Whale, Part 2

by Marilynn Chadwick

“The earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.”

Psalm 104:24b,25 NIV

…Continued from Friday…

My Dad paused before continuing the story and got real quiet. He was thinking back to the astounding size of the creature he had seen.

“I was up in the shears of the conning tower. Back then, if you were on lookout duty, you had to always scan the horizon for threats like enemy ships or aircraft. You would also keep watch for any navigational hazards. We were an extra set of ‘eyes’ for the submarine when it was on the surface. But we never in a million years expected to see what appeared in front of our very own eyes that afternoon.”

“I just don’t have the words to describe it.” “It” was a great blue whale that had surfaced a few yards from Dad’s submarine. “It was like the end of the world coming up,” he said. “I think if it would have come up under us, it might have tipped the sub over. She had a calf with her that would have been huge on her own, if not next to her enormous mama. I just don’t have words to describe how large it looked. The ‘fountain of youth’ was coming out of her breathing apparatus. I only wish she could have stayed up longer. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I’ve often wondered how many people have ever seen a great blue whale.”

Dad had grown up on a farm surrounded by family and extended family. There was always lots to learn and someone to ask about everything. Uncle Harold, who lived to be 104, used to call my dad the “curiosity box.”

“So if you are a curious sort like me,” Daddy told the enthralled children, “you might be interested in a few facts about the great blue whale. My interest was sparked and I have since learned that a great blue whale can weigh as much as 30 elephants—that’s 200 tons or 400,000 pounds! Blue whales can grow more than 100 feet long, the largest animal to have ever existed.”

“Not only is the blue whale the largest animal ever to live on the earth, it’s also the loudest. Blue whales are the loudest animals on the planet. A jet engine registers at 140 decibels, while the call of a blue whale reaches 180 decibels. Their ‘whale language’ can be heard up to 1,000 miles away!”

“That was eighty years ago.” Daddy told the children, “But I still can remember the awe and wonder of seeing that great blue whale like it was yesterday.”

This story inspired us to start writing about Dad’s memories from the war*. Life lessons learned and the importance of passing on a legacy. I encourage you to find a way to capture your own memories about your faith, family, and freedom. Talk to your parents or grandparents or start writing your own memories for your children and grandchildren!

*To watch several short videos of Harper Brame sharing his stories, click here to view “Witness to War”