The bridge of a futuristic starship, designed with a circular seating arrangement. In the center, a large, command chair is surrounded by four other seats, all with ergonomic, cream-colored upholstery. The curved ceiling has a series of geometric panels with ambient lighting. Behind the seats, large control consoles with touch-screen interfaces are mounted on the walls. Two doorways and an elevator are visible on either side of the bridge.

The Most Important 24th Anniversary in the Universe

Happy 24th Anniversary, Independence Fleet! These anniversaries seem to be happening quicker and quicker these days! Continuing a tradition we began a few years ago, we again have a video message from a very special guest:

As some of you are already aware, we recently acquired a prop used on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier during the shuttle crash landing scene:

See it on the right side of the screen next to the stacked barrels? Yes, that’s it!

Turns out, it’s a miniature of a highly prolific movie prop. Dubbed the “most important device in the universe” by some, it’s been used in more than 200 movies and television shows. Ex Astris Scientia notes that this full sized version appears in two Star Trek movies and six episodes, and refers to it as “blinking tubes” here.

This guy even created his own working copy of the thing. This full-size device belonged to Modern Props, which unfortunately closed back in 2020. While we don’t know the fate of Modern Props #195-290-1, we’re happy to hold a piece of history with this mini version. What did we do with it?

We asked each ship to write a post using the object in some way. Here are those submissions in alphabetical order by sim:

We then asked three individuals from independent sims to serve as judges:

And your winners are…

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1st Place:

USS Chuck Norris
for What in the World?
CO: Captain Mira Rodale
2nd Place:

USS Washington
for Brigid’s Gift
CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar
3rd Place:

USS Sunfire
for Ikar’s Folly
CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen
“Any device that knows that Raktajino is needed is awesome in my opinion. Awesome plot.”

“I liked the casual subtlety that was employed here.”

“The writing style here is very clean with very good grammar, which makes it easy to read. Well done!”
“This post had peak Treknobabble and it was fantastic.”

“Disclosure – I have a fascination with Celtic deities, so I was immediately drawn in anyway. This was fun, and I am curious about what happens next!”

“I absolutely adore the Quantum Physics take.”
“Starfleet and Snow.. Neat.”

“‘Outsmarted by snow’ is definitely a new take on the ‘acts of God’ trope and I am here for it!”

“I found the battle portions to be particularly engaging, especially the dialogue.”

Superlative winners:

Most integral to story
use of the object:

USS Firebird
for The Thing Is Broken
CO: Captain Malcom Llwyedd
Most creative
use of the object:

USS Montana
for Potential Problem
CO: Captain Michael Murphy
Most humorous
use of the object:

USS Wayfarer
for Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing
CO: Captain Akeno Misaki
“I will forevermore wonder what The Thing ™ does! I cared about the characters and the plot!”

“This sim does a great job of rounding out all bases in a post.”

“‘The thing is broken’ is now my new favorite sentence.”
“This sim does a good job of showing before telling.”

“I wanted to know more about the mysterious officers.. Tell me more!”

“The whole ‘Men in Black’ story line is absolutely wonderful!”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect with the cat at first but the post turned out to be a lot of fun.”

“Cats In Space! I could feel how comfortable Barry the GNDN is for Isoroku!”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the only sim in history who would think to use an unknown object as a cat bed and I love it”
Great all around use:

USS Eminence
for Genesis
CO: Captain Alex Shepard
Avant-garde:

USS Liberty
for Shakedown out the window
CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale
This is Trek:

USS Churchill
for Transfer Arrival
CO: Captain James Stewart
“The cameos were surprisingly well done.”

“A good way to bring in a familiar character. Hi Geordie! OK folks on the Eminence, how do you find the device??”

“The writing, grammar, and punctuation are impeccable!”
“An interesting dilemma, and some equally interesting people in the middle of a time twist!”

“There was a great sense of urgency in the story.”

“From this post, it sounds like the object was incorporated into a larger story, which I find very creative.”
“The sim did a good job of writing the post by the numbers. Right on.”

“I wondered where the device was…”

“I love the detailed descriptions of the scenery.”
Yes, it is a post: USS Albion for A Tale of Two Spragues (and Keys) (CO: Captain Dick Sprague)
“This was one of the funniest things I’ve read, although I may have found it even funnier if some of the context wasn’t lost on me.”

“I liked the differentiation between the real characters and the fake ones.”

Congratulations to everyone, and a special thank you to our judges! All three judges expressed to me how much they enjoyed reading the 10 posts. They were all highly entertaining while showcasing the unique personalities of each sim. I hope the Captains and crews had as much fun writing them!

Happy 24th anniversary, Independence Fleet! Thank you for all you do to make our community what it is!

A rectangular banner featuring Admiral Charles Star, Commander-in-Chief of Independence Fleet. On the left is a black-and-white photo of a man in a red and black Starfleet uniform wearing a hat. The right side displays the name "Admiral Charles Star" in large white text, with "Commander-in-Chief" and "Independence Fleet" below it. The background is black with a purple winged bell logo faintly behind the text. The frame is metallic with a purple accent.
A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: September 2024

Best Post (Single Author)

Lt. Soto Gantt
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird

For “From The Wreckage”

An excellent post of overall story telling.


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Lt. Cmdr. Rhiana t’Aegis & Lt. Cmdr. Jörgen Leed & Lt. Tor Ezzo & Lt. Ceilidh Parsala & WO Arlan Harlan & Lt. JG T’Kuvo
CO / CSTO / CDO / FCO / TS / ACEO / EO
USS Firebird

For “Getting Underway”

The crew of the Firebird again showing that when you mix in all the talent on a sim, the teamwork really does show and shine, well done.


Funniest Post

Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Ens. Aubrie Fox
MA / XO / CFCO / CC / TO
USS Sunfire

For “Day 4 – Nearing Home”

When you’re writing for a mission called Lost in Space, you know there is going to but a good little but of fun.


Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson
Commanding Officer / Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “Shadow Games”

with two talented writers contributing to the first post of a mission, you know it’s going to be a ride.


MVP

Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

The Washington’s CMO has a knack for posting just the right thing at just the right time, and for encouraging players outside the game to keep them inspired.


Most Posts

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 20 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali
Chief Counselor
USS Sunfire

Kind hearted, consistent, and always showing respect and integrity, the Sunfire’s Counselor is truly a pleasure to have onboard.


Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Gale Deekros
Science Officer
USS Firebird

A fantastic writer with three new posts in short order, also active and engaged on Discord!


Recruitment

Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse
Chief Operations Officer
USS Firebird

He brought in two new fantastic writers in one month, and one is brand new to simming.


Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Group collage of various characters and celebrities, both real and fictional, dressed in Starfleet uniforms aboard a starship interior. The scene includes humans, anime-style characters, and aliens, with the Independence Fleet logo in the top right corner, representing a Star Trek simming community.

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Independence Fleet

Happy 23rd anniversary, Independence Fleet! For anyone new and not aware or simply not wanting to do the math, this club was founded all the way back on July 4, 2001. Continuing a tradition we began a few years ago, here is a message from a special guest:

What else do we have for this year? You might remember the 20th Anniversary Almanac that we published three years ago. Well, we got the cover page signed by none other than Star Trek legend William Shatner:

pdf | jpg

A closer view of the signature:


In case you were wondering, the cover photo at the top is indeed based on the greatest Star Trek selfie ever taken by LeVar Burton. Thank you to Captain Misaki for creating our header image two years in a row.

I almost forgot, we have a second message this year too:

Happy anniversary, IDF! Here’s to 23 years and much more!

A futuristic transporter room from a starship, featuring a circular transport pad with glowing blue lights and a surrounding control console displaying LCARS interface. The walls are lined with illuminated panels, and overhead lights highlight the center of the pad.

23rd Anniversary Webcast: July 6th at 7pm Eastern

Beam up to our Discord server this Saturday, July 6th at 7pm Eastern for our 23rd Anniversary Webcast, hosted again by Ken Gillis. Again, that’s July 6th at 7:00 PM ET (-4) / July 7th at 12:00 AM BST (+1). And yes, it will once more include real prizes!

Everyone who won any share of a monthly award from June 2023 through May 2024 had name added to the big wheel below, which we will spin this Saturday for real prizes. All award fractions were rounded up.


Speaking of the big prize wheel, an internal audit of our blog revealed that we never announced the winners from last year’s webcast spin. They were Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire and Captain Shran dh’Klar of the USS Washington. Their prizes were…


What will the prizes be this year? Tune in this Saturday to find out!

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: November 2023

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody! It’s also high time I got last month’s awards announced. Congratulations to all the winners!

Best Post (Single Author)

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “The end of Q?”

Not what I was expecting!


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Lt. Vrax tr’Keirianh
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO / CSO
USS Wayfarer

For “Traitors be amongst us”

Great tension!


Funniest Post

Ensign Kate Kono & Commander Jonathan Grayson
Intelligence Officer / Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “A new friend”

A new friendship leads to a great post!


Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Diplomacy and Debts”

That’s how you start a mission!


MVP

Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali
Chief Counselor
USS Sunfire

What a fantastic month for the Sunfire’s Counselor as she contributed several meaningful plot advancements, got other players involved, and did on absolute outstanding job developing her own character and others within the confines of the mission. Well done!


Most Posts

Lt. Cmdr. Mira Rodale
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 25 posts.


Most Improved

Lt. Cmdr. Thriss Kla’ren
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Sunfire

The Sunfire’s Chief Engineer was very involved in the ship-side of the last mission and wrote several outstanding posts resolving the conflict at the end of the mission while simultaneously developing multiple characters for the future. Great job!


Rookie of the Month

None this month.


Recruitment

None this month.


Thanks for a great 2023, IDF!

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: July 2023

What a great anniversary celebration! Now it’s time to celebrate our latest monthly awardees.

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Simulated Potential”

Nice description, well written, plus a tie to Area 51.


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Paxton Beckett & Lt. Cmdr. Klesh Ezah, Daughter of Aklow & Lt. Awal Kronnelti & Lt. JG Betaras K’ner & Ens. Jack Keegan
Guest / CSOO / CSTO / ACMO / ACFOO
USS Chuck Norris

For “Finding Sanctuary”

I love the Star Fleet personnel in a modern day angle. Well done!


Funniest Post

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “Is Something Out There ?????”

A very funny break from the action. Love it!


Genesis

Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson
CO / XO / CC
USS Washington

For “I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle”

A great and very original way to start a mission!


MVP

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

Lt. Durnell is the glue that holds the Sunfire while the Captain points the direction.


Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 9 posts.


Most Improved

Lieutenant Awal Kronnelti
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Chuck Norris

Lt. Kronnelti went from strength to more strength by adding great contributions to joint posts and successfully encouraging others to be more active.


Rookie of the Month

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

The new Ensign showed a great willingness to jump into action with both solo and joint posting for great contributions all around.


Recruitment

Captain Paxton Beckett
Guest
USS Chuck Norris

He recruited two new members to the Chuck Norris through advertising and networking.


This is the first month in quite a while that we’ve had an awardee for each category. Well done, fleet!

For your additional viewing pleasure, here are a few of the alternate sim move posters that didn’t make it into the anniversary competition last month:

Promotional image for Independence Fleet, a Star Trek simming organization founded in 2001. A glowing IDF emblem with purple wings and gold trim is at the center, surrounded by labeled images of starships including Albion, Montana, Wayfarer, Ganymede, Chuck Norris, Sunfire, Eminence, Washington, Eclipse, Liberty, Starbase 80, and Churchill, all set against a starry space background.

At the movies… with Independence Fleet!

And yet another year of IDF is in the books with our 22nd Anniversary today. To remind you of how old we really are, here’s a quote from last year’s anniversary post:

“On our 22nd Anniversary, we will be further removed from the premiere of the 2009 Star Trek film (May 8, 2009) than IDF’s launch was from the premiere of The Next Generation (September 28, 1987): 14 years, 1 month, 26 days vs. 13 years, 9 months, 6 days.”

Well, here we are! For this year’s celebration, each of our 12 sims created a movie poster to capture their unique essence and feel. We are also very fortunate to have Amanda Rose from RPG Writing, NX-1701-G from Zodiac Fleet, and Beth from Sim Central to judge the entries in three categories: overall image quality, how much does it look like an actual movie poster, and general creativity/originality. Before we get to the posters themselves, we first have an announcement from a special guest:

Now, the 12 movie posters:

And your winners are…
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1st Place:

USS Wayfarer
CO: Captain Akeno Misaki
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
2nd Place:

USS Sunfire
CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell
3rd Place:

USS Eclipse
CO: Captain Aven LaCroix
Poster by: Aven LaCroix
“I’m impressed by the technical skill and originality that went into this poster.”

“If you’re familiar with Anime movie posters, this is spot on.”

“Having anime Trek characters in the mirror universe with the crack showing the Federation and Terran emblems on different sides was brilliant.”
“Of all the posters shared this was the one that actually made me want to join the game in question.”

“Image expertly merged the dinosaur imagery with clear Trek imagery without making them appear distinct.”

“This poster screamed movie poster. I would expect to see this on the wall in some theater. A starship with dinosaurs and big lettering. Well done!”
“I’m not typically a fan of the starship and character posters, but this one spoke to me.”

“I kept wanting to rate this poster higher in my rankings. There’s a lot to like with the faded facial imagery and ship…

…[including] ‘Coming Never,’ which was mildly amusing.”

Congratulations to all three winners, and a special thanks to our judges! However, to quote Kirk from Star Trek III, we’re not finished yet! Here are superlative awards for our other nine games:

Best poster for Seinfeld/Trek crossover

USS Albion
CO: Captain Dick Sprague
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Some bold judges not to pick this one!

USS Chuck Norris
CO: Captain Aurther Winters
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell
Best poster for past meeting the future

USS Churchill
CO: Captain James Stewart
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster if you actually watch Picard

USS Eminence
CO: Captain Alex Shepard
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster for a random trailing light

USS Ganymede
CO: Captain Dyllon McMahon
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster for a low Earth orbit view

USS Liberty
CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster for the IMAX experience

USS Montana
CO: Captain Jackson Adams
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell
Best poster for “Aft torpedoes, fire!!!”

USS Washington
CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster that could double for Dune

Starbase 80
CO: Captain Kathleen O’Shea
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell

While we’re on the topic of movies, we are now further removed from our July 4, 2001 founding than it was from the premiere of the first Star Trek film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 6, 1979): 22 years vs. 21 years, 6 months, 28 days. Feel old yet?

Continuing last year’s tradition, we again have a second video message:

Happy IDF anniversary, everyone!

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: March 2023

With the year nearly 1/3 over, the year’s total awards are hereby 1/4 presented:

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer

For “Coming to grips with true love”

A follow-up to last month’s best post: Sweet nothings.


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Lt. Cmdr. Shoniara T’ghann-Travis & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson & Ens. T’Plana-hath & Ens. James Phoenix & Lt. Seth Travis
CO / XO / CMO / ACMO / CC / IO / TO / CDO
USS Washington

For “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Lots going on in this post! Way to keep it all together!


Funniest Post

Marine Captain Emily Janeway
Marine Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “Debriefing on the issue of cargo transport failed”

Good one.


Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Signal Mystery”

Great way to get things going.


MVP

Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wayfarer

Excellent writing and teamwork! She stayed engaged and found ways to help the plot even though her character wasn’t with the rest of the crew on Risa. True talent!


Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 10 posts.


Most Improved

Ensign Kitiuas Thenis
Science Officer
USS Sunfire

One of the newer members of the Sunfire, Thenis steps up with month some quality posts and helping others get involved.


Rookie of the Month

None this month.


Recruitment

None this month.


I also want to comment on the retro version of the IDF website earlier this month. While our website no longer looks like this, it’s amazing to think that these awards that we started in month one of July 2001 are still going strong today thanks to all the great writing from YOU!

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

The Record Book Has Been Rewritten

With 2022 in the books, it’s high time we checked in with the latest version of the IDF Record Book over on our About page. As it turns out, we have a new all-time leader in monthly awards. Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire now has a grand total of 29.83 awards, passing the previous leader, Jenna Ramthorne (of a prior version of the Sunfire), who has 24.83. What’s even more incredible, is that both characters are played by the same person!

Best PostFunniest PostGenesisMVPMost PostsMost ImprovedRecruitmentTotal
Durnell5.055.78414129.83
Ramthorne4.83415124.83

Prolific across multiple award categories, the two stat lines seem to mirror each other. However, the difference is clearly Durnell’s five plus Funniest Post awards to Ramthorne’s zero. See what adding humor to your game can do! Congratulations to Lieutenant Durnell on this incredible accomplishment!

As it turns out, we have quite a few current or recent members who have moved up leader board since we brought the Awards back for March 2020:

Active Member — received an award within the last year or confirmed to currently be on a sim
Hall of Famer

All characters with five or more total monthly awards

In addition to all those who’ve won awards, I also want to thank each of our sim Commanding Officers for submitting nominations month-in and month-out and to Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh for running the program and selecting winners. Without their tireless efforts, the awards simply wouldn’t be possible.

I’ve long been of the opinion that the monthly awards are one of the absolute best features of this fleet, and they’re a key bonus that really distinguishes us from other groups out there. The numbers speak for themselves: Through the end of 2022, we have 969 total documented awards presented to 506 different individuals through 1,226 different award records. Each one is permanently part of our continuing history, starting all the way back with the five original awards presented for our very first month of July 2001 going up through today and beyond.

Now it’s time to add your legacy to the story…

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: October 2022

The results are in. Here are your October award winners:

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Structural/Environmental Specialist
USS Wayfarer

For “Scoring a date with Doctor Holliday”

The overly flirty doctor works in a Funniest Post or a Best Post.


Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Rosaleen O’Donnell & Lt. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Mark Johnson & Lt. JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
CO / XO / Y / COO / CSTO / CMO / FCO
USS Wayfarer

For “Day One – Beach Games! (Part 1)”

R&R posts don’t typically win the Best Posts awards, but this one was beautifully written and extremely engaging. Well done!


Funniest Post

Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Science Officer / Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For “Meeting of a fellow crewmate”

Entertaining and… funny!


Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Past Present”

I haven’t read a good time travel post in a while. Nicely executed!


MVP

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

What doesn’t Lt. Durnell do? Always a top poster, driving the plot, and encouraging others. It’s just one of a many recognitions to a month-in and month-out superior performer.


Most Posts

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For writing 14 posts.


Most Improved

Ensign Kitiuas Thenis
Science Officer
USS Sunfire

The Ensign really stepped up her game in October by starting several posts and creating excellent openings for others. A true pleasure to sim with!


Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Amelia Jefferson
Chief Science Officer
USS Montana

The new Chief Science Officer joined when the sim had few regular members and really hit the ground running with great plot advancing posts.


Recruitment

Commander Michael Murphy
Executive Officer
USS Montana

Commander Murphy continues to actively recruit for the sim and has brought in more new players than anyone else on the Montana.


A great job by everyone this month. As always, I’m proud to be a part of this fleet and to be associated with so many great writers.