The more sand that gets tracked in, the more authentic it looks.

The ocean is tossing you up and down and sideways, ... The pump's stopped working. The coal is wet. You're in cold water up to your knees. You know the ship is going to go down. The sky is lit only by lamplight. You feel hopelessness and terror, strengthened only by your own experiences.

Mitchell was a tireless promoter of airspace, but he ignored military protocol.

The ocean is tossing you up and down and sideways. The pump's stopped working. The coal is wet. You're in cold water up to your knees. You know the ship is going to go down. The sky is lit only by lamplight. You feel hopelessness and terror, strengthened only by your own experiences.

Mitchell was a tireless promoter of airspace, but he ignored military protocol,

sailor(s) in a big iron box.