Detonation In Ettrick Bay.

Mark-1

Mark-1

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A few people will have heard the transmissions about the underwater detonations in Ettrick Bay yesterday.

We saw two ships. I assume one would have been HMS Penzance. According to MarineTraffic.com the other was HMS Walney, but google suggests Walney is no longer in service. Anybody know for sure which warships were in the area?

Anybody know some detail about exactly what they were doing?

Edit: Sounds like it's common.

"Controlled explosions on Bute usually happen at Ettrick Bay"

http://www.buteman.co.uk/news/local-headlines/station-cleared-after-hand-grenade-found-1-369086
 
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Mark I think the other one was Horizan, a Type53 distroyer, as My mate John saw it going up the channel today, I think.
Will be in contact soon Mark.
Eamonn.

Edit, I thought we figured out yesterday that they were procuring a years supply of fish for the officers mess!lol
 
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Clyde_Wanderer said:
I thought we figured out yesterday that they were procuring a years supply of fish for the officers mess!lol
Click to expand...

:-)


A little bit of internet research suggests Walney still seems to move around a bit, it was in Portsmouth last month . I wonder if it's still mobile under its own steam and they use it for exercises with the AIS still transmitting HMS Walney. If Walney was some kind of non-commissioned target ship it would perhaps explain why she was identifying herself with AIS, whereas the other vessel was just showing up as 'Warship'.
 
Mark-1 said:
A few people will have heard the transmissions about the underwater detonations in Ettrick Bay yesterday.

We saw two ships. I assume one would have been HMS Penzance. According to MarineTraffic.com the other was HMS Walney, but google suggests Walney is no longer in service. Anybody know for sure which warships were in the area?

Anybody know some detail about exactly what they were doing?

Edit: Sounds like it's common.

"Controlled explosions on Bute usually happen at Ettrick Bay"

http://www.buteman.co.uk/news/local-headlines/station-cleared-after-hand-grenade-found-1-369086
Click to expand...

Perhaps somebody who has had the nerve to dive in this or other nearby bays could comment?
There was a lot of "invasion" practice done on some of the beaches on Bute during WW2, including construction of underwater obstacles- to practice demolition of same during simulated landings. The RN still lurk about in these bays quite a lot, so I supect there is some training / practice value in whatever remains on the seabed. Probably including underwater demolition...

Graeme
 
Clyde_Wanderer said:
Mark I think the other one was Horizan, a Type53 distroyerl
Click to expand...

I dont think we have got that far yet!!! The Type 45 is the latest, HMS Duncan is out on trials in the Clyde at the moment....she is presently doing gunnery trials at the south end of Arran working with a FRA Falcon aircraft based at Prestwick.

Quite often the RN Bomb disposal folk will use Etterick bay for detonating any old war time mine that may have been trawled up by a local fishing boat.
 
Perhaps it was an Irn Bru bottle exploding!-just remembering the good old days back in the 90s when everything that went down the toilet in Glasgow ended up on Ettrick Bay and Scalpsay Bay.
The sludge boat dumped it in Kilbrannan Sound and the tide brought it in.
In winter the disposable nappies;sanitary towels and tampons look so pretty wrapped arounf the chain link fences.
The used needles made lovely toys for the children.
Seriously though it was disgusting particularly as my wife in her nursing capacity identified some of the needles as ones used by hospitals during treatment/operations!
Remember Stanley Baxters "song of the clyde" with the "s...t going in and out with the tide!
 
pagoda said:
Perhaps somebody who has had the nerve to dive in this or other nearby bays could comment?
There was a lot of "invasion" practice done on some of the beaches on Bute during WW2, including construction of underwater obstacles- to practice demolition of same during simulated landings. The RN still lurk about in these bays quite a lot, so I supect there is some training / practice value in whatever remains on the seabed. Probably including underwater demolition...

Graeme
Click to expand...

:eek: But what abot the poor little seagrasses & iccy baby sea ponies?
 
V funny "confession" article in MBY (yes, I will wash my mouth out :D) about someone mis-hearing "Patrick" Bay on vhf, thinking it must be somewhere on the other side of the Irish Sea and then steaming unwittingly into Ettrick Bay under the guns of one of the grey funnel line's finest destroyers.
 
Walney has been out and about in the Clyde for the last few weeks. I noticed on AIS and when I looked it up on Google I saw it was decomissioned 2/3 years ago. I am still none the wiser about it!

As for the explosions and warnings they were also doing this earlier in the year. As we sailed by there were dolphins in the area and we followed up with them on VHF. They informed us that they were just doing controlled "small" underwater explosions for training and that there was not a problem. In fact when it went off - based on the time they were transmitting - there was no noise, vibration, or waves on the water. In fact the warnings and exclusion zone seem a bit over the top for what they are doing.

Duncan is impressive rushing in and out every evening and morning - fuel consumption I would hate to think even though I am paying for it in my taxes.
 
kyleview said:
Walney has been out and about in the Clyde for the last few weeks. I noticed on AIS and when I looked it up on Google I saw it was decomissioned 2/3 years ago.
Click to expand...

That's the source of my confusion. I suppose they must use retired boats for training.
 
Clyde_Wanderer said:
Mark I think the other one was Horizan, a Type53 .

"Edit, I thought we figured out yesterday that they were procuring a years supply of fish for the officers mess!lol
Click to expand...

Was on a frigate out of Devonport in '49, which went past Eddystone, ostensibly for some weapons practice, they projected a depth charge and then put out a ship's boat to pick up all the choice fish for the galley.
 
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