Laugh or cry?

[Guest]

So a further ship (though only 3000 tons) has hit the wreck of the Norwegian car carrier, despite GPS, nav warnings, patrol boats and all the rest! Does one laugh or cry? Who is the better seaman? The reasonably experienced yachtsman or the ticketed master of Bahamas/ Cyprus etc etc registered freighter?
The news says that 'strong currents' are making approach to salvage difficult. That's funny, since spring tides are not until next Friday!

 

[PortsmouthBird]

I agree about, the issue of shipping hazard and how the hell can they hit it??

However it is better to salvage on a neap tide as the tidal movement for divers to survey is better (Slack water window is greater) and less hazadous. Having said that it will make any diving operation extremely dangerous in these conditions.

 

[qsiv]

and where was the French Navy picket ship they showed patrolling the area? Was it l'heur du 'pero - and the pastis proving too much of a distraction, or did they mistakenly think the inbound freighter was British flagged, and quietly look the other way?

 

[kingfisher]

merchant navy=unskilled amateurs

Apparently both Dover CG and French naval vessel tried to contact the freighter over VHF, but no reply.

Hmm...autopilot...coffee break...no one on the bridge ?

So in the last few weeks, the merchant navy has proven:
1) that their boats are unseaworthy, and their crew untrained and their practices shoddy (oil tanker Prestige sinks by Spanish coast

2) that they have a blatant disregard for the ColRegs (Tricolore rammed by/rams other vessel in Channel)

3) that they have no lookout whatsoever (see above mentioned case)

BTW: if they run over their own kind, what do you think your changes are in the Channel ?

Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[NDG]

Me, I'm laughing. As long as they keep crashing into a wreck and not other boats it might start to encourage them to look out of their windows once in a while to see where they are going. Who knows, with a few more they might start to sit up and take notice!

Speaking as someone who was very nearly run down by a coaster last summer off Ramsgate, all I can say is keep it coming!!!!

(as long as no-one is hurt of course!)

 

[roger]

IF WATCHKEEPER HAD LOOKED OUT OF THE WINDOW HE WOULD HAVE SEEN ONLY A YELLOW FLASHING LIGHT> THIS HAS AS FAR AS I KNOW _ NO NAVIGATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AT ALL> I CANT THINK WHY THE RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY DIDNT PUT OUT A SET OF CARDINALS INSTEAD
IVE ALSO SEEN YELLOW FLASHING LIGHTS ON A FRENCH FISHING BOAT > PERHAPS THEY MEAN SOMETHING TO THE FRENCH
SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS MY COMPUTERS PLAYING UP

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: Cardinals - Good Point - nm

 

[Viceroy]

The last time I saw a flashing yellow light, it was on a surfaced submarine, making way in the dark. Nationality, unknown. RCL

 

[chippie]

Re:Yellow flashing light

I thought yellow flashing signified a hovercraft, or fishing with purse seine gear

 

[peterb]

Colregs, Annex 2, Para 3. Purse seine fishing vessels may show two yellow lights in a vertical line, flashing alternately. But the only one I've ever seen had one bulb blown, so the result was a single flashing yellow. To be avoided, since they lay their nets in a big circle.

 

[peterb]

Re:Yellow flashing light

Or submarine. See Annual Notice to Mariners No. 8.

 

[FlyingSpud]

Of course you are right about the flashing yellow lights, but this is getting off of the point.
As a merchant ship on its side is neither a submarine, a purse seine fishing fleet, nor a hover craft, if you saw a flashing yellow light you will not connect this to the story of the sunken ship, indeed, you would assume it was something entirely different.
Presumably they have been putting out Nav Warnings, in English, and, From Gris Nez, in French, but what if the crew spoke neither. The Standard English they have to learn for Radio communication (as we learn French for the same purpose) would not allow them to understand a complex Nav warning.
Ok, if you see something you do not understand, it is normally best to stay clear, but these boats are not easy to manoeuvre
The only safe answer would have been to put out standard lights that would be understood at once. Cardinals sound sensible, but Morse broadcasts of Uniform on radar would also work. I suspect the problem was they had not had the time to get it sorted out. The French Navy were there as a backup. I wonder which language they were trying to use?

 

[Col]

Yeah, and our insurance goes up!!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/colspics> Cols Picture Album</A>

 

[TheBoatman]

I bet you could have bounced red paras off his bridge windows and it wouldn't have much difference, someone would still have hit it. IMHO the only thing that may have made a difference would have been to place a guard boat lit overall with blazing deck lights. Unfortunately as seems to be the case if there aint no one watchin' dont matter what you do?

 

[cgull]

Re:Yellow flashing light

I have a yellow flashing light on the roof of my Motorway Maintenance vehicle. Must stay away from the coast!

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: Off the point

Morse broadcasts of Uniform on radar on a merchant ship, on its side, that was carrying BMW's is not so much a submarine, more a U boat.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Off the point

Ah! But who's uniform, french or british navy? Thats the question!!

 

[jimmie]

Re:Yellow flashing light

In my book yellow flashing lights are displayed by non displacement craft. So does that mean a planing MV should display one?

Jempers

 

[MADFISH]

Re:Yellow flashing light

"Powered hover vessels travelling at non displacement speeds....." (i.e. hovercraft) as I seem to remember.

 

[jimmie]

Re:Yellow flashing light

I can't get a hold of my book at the moment as the prison library is shut just now after the riot last night but I suspect that if you check your book that the hovercraft was quoted as an example rather than being the sole case when a yellow fashing light is to be used. However as a woman my memory for the collision regs is not as good as it used to be.

Do you know what started the riot? Well Angela dropped a note from Ernie and Sadie picked it up and ate it, it turned out it was impregnated with a hallucogenic and she went seriously ape. in the fracas Beryl got a black eye but I managed to stay out of it and thankfully I'm coming out again on parole later today.

See ya soon

Jemz