Chaos in Yokohama Harbor
In that moment, laughter echoed throughout the Yokohama harbor. People on all the foreign ships anchored in the bay were laughing until they cried, as were those standing on the shore. And there was good reason for it—amid clear skies and calm weather, a steamship was floundering in the bay, sending out distress signals and desperately calling for help…
This steamship had been purchased not long before from the United States. The Japanese crew decided to test the vessel they were set to sail on. They stoked the boilers, raised steam, and the captain ordered the engine to be set in motion. The engine started, and the steamship began to move through the bay. It responded well to the helm and turned easily. In short, the crew was satisfied with the trial run. It was time to approach the docking area. And that’s when it became clear that… no one on the ship knew how to stop the steam engine!
To avoid crashing into the docks, the captain ordered the ship to turn and headed it back out to open sea. But sailing all the way to America just to stop the engine wasn’t an option! They had to return to the bay. However, after passing through it, the steamship was once again forced to head toward the sea. That’s when the crew started sending out SOS signals, which literally means “Save Our Souls” and is only used when a ship is in distress and about to sink.
Upon hearing the SOS signal, foreign sailors initially laughed heartily. Then someone approached the steamship in a boat, descended into the engine room, and managed to stop the engine, saving the new vessel from disaster in its own port.
And that’s what arrogance gets you!