A six-hour shift

Aboard an aging cargo vessel during the First World War, a weary officer begins another night watch at five minutes to two. Rain drums on the deck, pumps and machinery throb below, and the crew moves through familiar routines shaped by a year at sea. Their ship carries frozen meat to the armies in the Balkans, making an important contribution to the war while remaining far from its drama.

This is a thoughtful, vividly observed portrait of life at sea under prolonged strain. The officers and engineers pass the endless hours with tea, toast, bridge, languages, secret drink, or simple silence, all united by one powerful wish: to go home. Amid leaking passageways, cold-storage rooms, and the ship’s comforting mechanical noises, small human details provide warmth—including the easy kindness of a young engineer and the companionship of Thomas, a large black cat. The narrative invites listeners to understand how monotony, separation, and duty can become as consuming as danger.