The brave captain

While the Sam Simon left the trail several times to resupply, the Barker stayed on course. Hammarstedt, despite being only 30 years old, was already well respected for his sea legs. He was calm amidst chaos and more importantly, was headstrong, especially when it came to chasing the Thunder. He was prepared for the worst. Admittedly, the Thunder was far heavier and bulkier. It was able to withstand the harsh climate. On the other hand, the crew of the smaller sized Barker felt the storms that passed over the ocean more. The water would fill through crevices, filling the ship with diesel fumes. The crew was in a roller coaster ride and constantly felt seasick. Still, they stayed the course with a bigger goal in mind. It would have been so easy to give up and turn around, but they opted to be resolute…

Two ships reunite

Soon, the Barker and Simon did reunite. The pursuit escalated as it continued, and after emerging from a violent storm, the ships went into radio silence for several days. All parties were stubborn, but the chase proved to be a test of fuel endurance as well. The Simon had to refuel and every single time the allies would get close enough to connect a fuel hose from one to the other, the Thunder would reprehensibly veer off its path and speed toward them, making it impossible for the two vessels to share fuel at all.