Ghost Ship aground at Ballycotton
- Thread starter Irish Rover
- Start date
Irish Rover
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tudorsailor
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So floating undetected for over a year. No lights, no AIS. Could have given someone a nasty surprise at night!
TS
TS
Poignard
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"On 3 September last year, the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship, HMS Protector, posted on Twitter that its crew had spotted Alta in the middle of the Atlantic.
The tweet said there was nobody on board and the ship looked like she was derelict for some time."
"Last September it was reported that the UK Royal Navy's Devonport-based HMS Protector had come across the MV Alta in the Mid-Atlantic. "
Odd if no effort was made to remove this danger to shipping, either by towing her in or sinking her,
The tweet said there was nobody on board and the ship looked like she was derelict for some time."
"Last September it was reported that the UK Royal Navy's Devonport-based HMS Protector had come across the MV Alta in the Mid-Atlantic. "
Odd if no effort was made to remove this danger to shipping, either by towing her in or sinking her,
Frogmogman
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I think this news calls for a pint of Adnams Ghost Ship.
johnalison
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Which one? 0.5%, or beer?
Frogmogman
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The real ale version preferably.
Mind you, as almost alcohol free beers go, the 0,5% is pretty good. If you mix it half and half with the real ale version, you end up with a beer that smells and tastes pretty much like the real thing, but is 2.25%, just the job if you’re driving.
Mind you, as almost alcohol free beers go, the 0,5% is pretty good. If you mix it half and half with the real ale version, you end up with a beer that smells and tastes pretty much like the real thing, but is 2.25%, just the job if you’re driving.
johnalison
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This isn't the first ship to have had a spirit life. This story is pretty remarkable:
Wansworth
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It was spotted by his protector in October 2019....... why was it not sunk ?
Poignard
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Fascinating . Thanks for that, John
AntarcticPilot
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For various medical reasons, I'm having to lay off alcohol. I've therefore tried quite a lot of low alcohol brews! None are as good as the real thing, but the ones that aren't too bad include Ghost Ship, Nanny State by Brewdog and Brooklyn Special Effects. One or two are awful - in particular, low alcohol Speckled Hen is dreadful - it tastes like unbrewed wort!
Frogmogman
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They thought it would be more deliciously ironic if it were HMS Protector that neglected to do any protecting.
Frogmogman
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The Guardian now has an article about it, which includes some photos that Protector tweeted at the time they encountered the Alta
Ghost ship washes ashore in Ireland after more than a year at sea
Ghost ship washes ashore in Ireland after more than a year at sea
Biggles Wader
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Does HMS Protector, a survey ship, have suitable armaments for sinking it?
crewman
Active member
I agree about LA Speckled Hen. St Peter's Without is worse! Have you tried Infinite Session IPA? I think it is one of the best LA beers.
Irish Rover
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I suppose thread drift is hardly surprising when discussing a ship which has been adrift for over a year. Cheers.
AntarcticPilot
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dunedin
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Surely it could have kept the hulk in sight for long enough to call in some other naval or airforce assets to despatch it as target practice.
Or perhaps not, as we lost our long range planes and all navy money spent on empty runways
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
HMS Endurance, even more a survey ship, had a small gun amply capable of sinking an unresisting ship (4 pounder, or some such). I'm sure a few shots along the waterline would sink most derelicts. Snag is, it was usually struck down below; the only time I heard of it being mounted was during the Falklands War, but they may well exercise with it when not overrun with civilian scientists. I think it is policy that all naval vessels that operate beyond coastal waters carry some sort of weapons.
Mark-1
Well-known member
I thought that, letting it hit rocks strikes me as a very expensive way to handle it. Wonder why it wasn't taken in tow a day or three before it hit Ireland. I can understand why it would be left alone mid Ocean, but once it's so close to Ireland/UK that a wreck we have to clear up is inevitable you'd think action would be taken. Is it just the case that it's nobody's job to watch for approaching ships so its arrival was totally unexpected. Or was there a plan to tow it and then weather stopped it happening? Or something else?
Anyone know?