Bush's new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

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Sgeir

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Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

US imperialism knows no bounds!

A spokesperson for MacBrayne's said "It's bad enough having to fend off attacks by Western Ferries, but now we're up against the US Navy. Well, just let 'em try it. We're ready for anything they can throw at us. Mad mental rool ya bas!"
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

Saw the vessel concerned yesterday as we went up to Rosneath to get the boat out of the water.

Normally the Royal Navy just send a Rib and some gun toting commandos ask you to get out of the way when a ship of the line approaches, but trust our Colonial cousins to threaten mayhem.

Still it might have been a lighthouse.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

[ QUOTE ]
There was no danger to the ferry or its passengers."


[/ QUOTE ]

With the US Navy involved I seriously doubt that statement.

Be afraid...be very afraid...
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

Don't know what they're greetin about, this has been going on for years on the Clyde.

When I was taking the old European Navigator from Larne to Troon one murky September evening, I had a big USN nuclear sub call me up and ask me to keep clear, as it happens we were passing (head on) with a CPA of about a mile and a half so I told him I understood their request and would keep my course and speed.

I have no doubt that these trigger happy boys would start shooting if you got too close though.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There was no danger to the ferry or its passengers."


[/ QUOTE ]

With the US Navy involved I seriously doubt that statement.

Be afraid...be very afraid...

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never quite understood the phrase "Friendly Fire", it makes no difference who pulled the trigger, it's still downright unfriendly!!!
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

There was a US warship anchored off Cannes in June. Any vessel, including small yachts and speedboats, that approached within 500 yards of them was warned off. Some of these probably did not even have VHF and took no action, in which case a guardboat came to them. Whether most of the French vessels even knew what a yard was is debatable. All broadcasts were on Channel 16 at high power, which we originally heard perhaps 100 miles away. Some broadcasts were extremely threatening.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

Reminds me of three sub related stories from the early 80's

A windsurfer off Largs was prosecuted for getting too close to a Nuke Sub coming up the Clyde. That he sailed between the aft deck of the sub and the rudder fin may or may not be an exaggeration of just how close he was..........

I was racing on an X99 in the Kip Autumn series and one of the mid channel marks was used as a mark of the course. A sub was coming up river with a police boat escort. Nothing, repeat NOTHING was going to stop us from going around that mark and we got close enough to the sub (but didn't cross its path) that the police boat came over to give us some grief about exclusion zones or some other such nonsense.
We replied, none too politely, that they should guide their expensive toys away from the fleet of yachts racing and that as we weren't at war and that power gives way to sail that they should go away. They went away. Closest distance to the sub, less than 10m

Third storey is the most amazing one:
Drum England, Arnold Clark's ex Duran Duran Maxi, was sailing around the Mull (CCC round the Mull race). They were between Islay and the Mull when they hit the periscope of a RN sub. This ripped a 15ft gash in the hull of the boat which, luckily, made it up to Crinan safely where it was pulled out for temporary repairs.
The sub needed a new periscope (bent) the damage was extensive.
The RN excuse on why they didn't detect an 80ft yacht (with a substantial lead lump on the keel and a big aluminium mast) is that they didn't think there would be any boats there at that time. Amazing that none of the expensive listening devices on a sub could detect such a large yacht.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

Whilst sailing thru the Med this summer we encountered an
American "WARSHIP" (their words) any vessel that got within
about a mile of her was challenged on Ch 16 as to their
intentions. This was all very well, but she kept slowing or
stopping.so as we were approaching her stern we kept
catching her up. All very well but it was difficult to keep
clear in the entrance to the Messina straits. Obviously
the American Navy are jumpy after the bombers attacked
one of their ships. I feel paranoia has set in, specially when
they challenge a Scottish ferry,and dominate Ch16
I don't recall the British Navy challenging me in Pompey
or Soton waters. S'pect the Yanks would have a dicky fit
sailing in the Solent /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

[ QUOTE ]
Amazing that none of the expensive listening devices on a sub could detect such a large yacht.


[/ QUOTE ]
Not that amazing really - the listening devices are built to listen out for machinery noise (such as normally comes from warships and submarines(oh, and torpedoes)) and a sailing vessel without auxilliary engine running is virtually impossible to detect other than visually (BTW, I remember the incident too - /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif).

Had a similar encounter, though not nearly so close, with a tall ship in the Irish sea; it was nighttime, and they were sailing, with lots of background lights to confuse the old eyeballs. Made for a tense hour on the periscope!!
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

One time we were crossing the Irish Sea over to Holyhead in a Sadler 32. We came upon a convoy of USN ships heading north. They were giving out the usual warnings when over the horizon comes the HSS from Dun Laoghaire going 40+knots. Scared the bejesus out of the yanks and they wanted more information (all on ch16) when the guy on the HSS asked for a working channel, the American lad says 14...

In the end they seemed to forget about the little sailing boat and we slipped through a gap /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

This reminds me of a trip on my old converted six metre to Holy Loch (from Cardwell Bay.) Along with a few characters from the Bowling Basin scene of the sixties were a couple of AWOL American servicemen (Jeff and Hank) who had run out of waccy baccy and needed to touch base at Ardnadam to resupply.

After stocking up, we drifted about the loch in almost flat calm conditions surrounded by a haze of smoke and the fumes of strong wine (Lanliq if I remember.) We drifted near to the USS Hunley, the submarine base ship and a sailor climbed down to the deck of a submarine in the outside raft nearest us. "hey watch this" said Jeff, "when we get nearer, he will walk right down the hull to the end nearest us" and the sailor duly did. Hank chipped in "if we get any nearer, he will insling his weapon" and this in turn also happened. The sailor then checked the breach and Jeff told us he was "just making sure he had one up the spout." At this point I asked "what happens next?"

"He shoots us" said both Jeff and Hank in fits of laughter. I have never before or since got a longshaft seagull 102 out of the cockpit locker, over the side, onto the mounting bracket and started to get us out of the situation and the loch!
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

Does not surprise me in the slightest! Being a Brit living in the US gives me a certain perspective. Reminds me of a trip from the Virgin islands to Florida at the close of a trans-Atlantic trip. Sailing with a friend on his 30' Harrison Butler, a wonderful sailor, but a bit of a curmudgeon, particularly when it comes to the US military/Coastguard. He had never believed in a VHF and there was none on board. We were heading north in moderate seas when an aircraft carrier loomed on the horizon. Headed straight for us. Despite my suggestions that we tried some avoidance, my friend was not about to inconvenience himself for a mere aircraft carrier and held course. Possibly they did try to contact us by VHF. They did buzz us with a whole bunch of helicopters though. Great close up views of the military. This was all before 9/11 thank goodness. It would probably be different now.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

It seems crazy that a US ship can enter UK territorial waters and threaten a UK commercial boat which is going about its legitimate UK business...
Just what are these guys on...?
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

There was a fleet of NATO vessels carrying out exercises in the upper Clyde this week. I saw 2 Greek Frigates, A turkish Frigate, A Dutch Frigate and the U.S. Navy ship which I thought was a destroyer. There were also some R.N. ships involved. How come only the Yanks felt that the ferry presented a clear and present danger?
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

I was up the Gareloch on Sunday engaged in tacking duel with another boat and the Yanks cordially invited the police launch to shoo us away. Seems their multi-milion dollar frigate was feart of a Hillyard 2 1/2 tonner and a Manta 19. I suppose it's ever since USS Cole got clobbered off Yemen (was it Yemen?).

Aaaaaand another thing! Since all these Yanks, Turks and Greeks arrived the Gareloch is full of plastic trash. Never seen it so bad. Think I'll write to my MP, MSP and MEP. Does anyone know if we're represented in the US Senate yet? I'll write to him as well.
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

It's not just shipping, a few years ago they threatened to shoot down the mail plane into Benbecula. I did wonder at the time how the Post Office would have reacted as it is still an offence in law to interfere with the mail!
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

When travelling round the Gareloch at the weekend, I was gobsmacked to see so many ships alongside. The RFA wallflower thats been around for a couple of months got kicked out to the tail-o-the-bank. It used to be that all you had to worry about on the Clyde was the Waverly and that was bad enough!
 
Re: Bush\'s new Axis of Evil - the Kilcreggan to Gourock ferry

pretty clear to me that the exercise was all about dealing with a terrorist threat from a merchant ship and that part of the procedure was to ascertain idebtity in the real world, and that they should then have moved into the exercise world communications for the next part of the exercise, except some numpty forgot to change channel.

Seems incredible to me that some people on here appear to be thinking that this sort of exercise should not happen - that sort of thinking gets both servicemen and civilians killed.
 
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