According to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, the Hekla volcano in Iceland had also erupted today. There was also a dispatch concerning today's activity of the Mayon volcano:

>Date: Mon, 28 Feb 00 11:12:56 EST
>From: Incident Information
>To: "Global Volcanism Network"
>Subject: [NAT-DSR:909] Philippines: Volcano - ACT-02: 28-Feb-00
>X-Comment: Natural Disaster Situation Report
>
>Action by Churches Together (ACT)
>Alert - Philippines - No 2/2000
>Mayon Volcano - Eruption Alert Maintained
>Geneva, 28 February 2000
>
>After some hours of silence since Sunday, another eruption occurred this
>afternoon (local time) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
>Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has stressed that the eruption may continue for two
>to three months as has happened in previous eruptions.
>
>An update from the Albay Provincial Disaster Coordinating Center (PDCC)
>quoted the number of evacuees at 11,287 households or about 59,400 persons
>distributed in different evacuation centres. So far, no casualties have
>been reported, although authorities are concerned about farmers returning
>to their homes and farms to check on their belongings, crops and
>livestock.
>
>The President has released P 20 million (approximately US$ 500,000) for
>the calamity fund, but this will not be enough to support the increasing
>number of evacuees for a month.
>
>Member churches of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines
>(NCCP) have submitted requests for relief to NCCP and an ACT Appeal is
>forthcoming. The NCCP Relief and Rehabilitation Program will be moving to
>Legazpi City for its relief operations where the United Church of Christ
>(UCCP) has offered its South Bicol Conference Office as the center for
>operations.
>
>Thank you for your attention.
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide network of churches and
>their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency
>response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
>Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There were some more photos taken by Robert S. Gardner laying on the Chart room table and a better map showing some elevations. Also a USGS map showing other volcanoes on the islands of the Phillipines.

The next day, was sunny and bright, at least from what could be told from this distance under the ocean's surface. The Nautilus seemed in prime working order, due in large part to the constant work of the Crew. Passing Able Seaman Stewart in the passage, I returned an informal salute as he stood to attention at my passing. "As you were, Seaman."

"Sir." he replied, saluting, and went on about his business.

In the Chart room I found some scribbled notes left by Chief Petty Officer Kirk concerning the Mayon Volcano.

...Mayon Volcano National Park, national park in the east central Philippines, on the island of Luzon. The park lies in the extreme south, on the Bicol Peninsula, and has an area of 55 sq km (21 sq mi). At the center of the park is Mayon Volcano (2421 m/7943 ft), the most active volcano in the country. Mayon has erupted more than 30 times since 1616, the date of its first recorded eruption. Recent eruptions occurred in 1984 and 1993. (Encarta Encyclopedia)...

Well, we were still some distance from the Island, approaching from the east through the Phillipine Sea. I had found enough information for the day so I closed my Log and started my daily rounds inspecting the ship.

The Discovery.com - Earth Alert page had more info on the eruption with a handy world map showing earth related events around the globe.

...Feb. 25, 2000 -- At least 30,000 people have fled their homes as the Philippines' Mayon Volcano continued to send rivers of lava down its slopes. Officials reported that the volcano unleashed 14 separate explosions throughout the day on Thursday. (Discovery.com)...

On the CNN website I found information for travelers who go seeking volcanoes which led me to the Volcano World website. There they had a running commentary on the Mayon Volcano eruption off of their Current Eruptions page.

Researching a little more, I came across the Lonely Planet - Destination Phillipines page. It had a handy map of the area where we were heading showing Mayon, where the volcano is situated. The country is some 299,000 sq km (116,610 sq mi) in size.

It'd been a long time since the Nautilus had docked in the Phillipines so I decided to do a little research. I came across some general information at the University of Texas and, strangely enough, an introduction service of sorts seeking to get Phillipinas and Americans together. Well, I wasn't sure about that but on to the job at hand.

The powerful engines of the Nautilus were humming along at top speed as we cruised at 500 feet under the roiling seas of the Pacific Ocean. We had heard news of an erupting volcano in the vicinity and were enroute to investigate.

...LEGAZPI, PHILIPPINES - Philippines' majestic Mayon Volcano spewed out ash-laden smoke and burning materials in an eruption early February 24 that caused thousands of villages to flee their homes in towns around Legazpi. No casualties have been reported. The volcano killed 77 people in its last eruption in 1993. Mayon has had a history of violent eruptions, the deadliest occuring in 1814 where more than 1,200 people were killed by flaming volcanic ash. (Reuters)... [ more news and photos ]