Six Sailors stare at him as they wait in anticipation for the big reveal on the mess decks aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67).

This is the moment of truth. This is the opportunity these Sailors might have to briefly forget about the dangers of working in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. It is the moment when reality turns into magic. As Fire Controlman 2nd Class Bradley Dowden flips the blue Bicycle playing card showing a king of diamonds, the crowd roars with disbelief.

Dowden has a come a long way from learning magic with his cousin to performing in several countries around the world. Magic is more than a hobby to him; it's an obsession.

"I think, in general, most people want to believe in magic," said Dowden. "I think that most people want to believe something amazing is happening in front of them. Even if they know it's an illusion, they don't care. They love it."

Dowden started performing magic tricks when he was an adult. He was inspired as a teenager, when he witnessed his cousin perform some card tricks.

"For my birthday, one year he got me the book 'The World's Greatest Card Trick' by Bob Long," said Dowden. "That's where it all started and now I have a 200-card collection, with more cards ordered yesterday."

"It's a neat conversation piece," said Master Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Dale Aitchison. "It breaks a lot of ice, and I think it's refreshing to have something different from all of the constant workload."

"During deployments, it's easy to get into the work-sleep cycle routine," Aitchison added. "It's easy to get stuck in Groundhog Day, but everyone should try to have a hobby."

In 2015, Dowden decided to make his hobby viewable on a global scale. A friend suggested Dowden announce a world tour through social media sites and record and post magic tricks in different cities throughout his deployment.

"I consider myself an amateur street magician," said Dowden. "However, the Navy has afforded me amazing opportunities like going on a world tour to Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Croatia."

Through my last deployment in 2015 and this deployment, I have performed in Dracula's castle and a fort in Split, Croatia, where the TV show "Games of Thrones" was filmed, said Dowden.

"It's pretty interesting and he's pretty good at it," said Aitchison, who is now taking magic lessons from Dowden. "He's got his work cut out for him, because I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Some of the tricks are simpler than they look and some of them are not, but he makes it all look pretty easy."

Dowden said the magician world for the most part is very helpful and friendly, and he wants to continue to pass that legacy on. If someone is interested in learning magic, it's best to read the techniques rather than watch things on YouTube.

"It takes a special type of person for magic," said Dowden. "What I mean is anyone can be taught a card trick, but you need to have the personality to present the illusion or it just won't be successful."

The performance aspect is what Dowden loves most because there are some situations which call for different personalities, according to Dowden. This is the romance of magic which really draws him in, but is also one of the hardest parts.

"The biggest challenge, as a magician, is to be yourself," said Dowden. "You have to play to the crowd and still maintain your own kind of style."

Developing this style can lead to the defining moment of a magician's life, which is when they start to create tricks of their own, stated Dowden. The moment he took a step towards creating his own illusions was when the magic really started to happen.

"I have a few things that are completely my own that I have never seen anywhere, and it fills me with accomplishment," said Dowden. "When you create something, there aren't any words to describe it."

Dowden will continue to perform magic throughout U.S. 5th Fleet, whether he's aboard Cole or in port.

Cole is currently deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.

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For more news from USS Cole (DDG 67), visit http://www.navy.mil/.