Whoops!

[dk]

How can 1) Two commercial cargo carriers over 500ft long bump into each other in the Channel in this day and age? And 2) Another one crash into the wreck when the whole World has been informed about the incident and there are war ships and tugs on station all around the stricken vessel.

It makes me wonder if any big ship actually sees our little boats on the horizon and if the fact that not many of us gets mown down at sea is more to do with luck - or our own wary judgement!
Duncan

 

[ccscott49]

I've heard of motorway pileups, but channel ones? The "captain" of the last vessel really needs a rocket up his arse! Lets face it, the standards have really reached an all time low, they have the cheek to call us amatuers!!

 

[claymore]

Fog

I'm just wondering why fog would stop divers going down - I thought it was an air phenomenon - never realised it turned water murky as well.
I did hear that the one on the bottom was on its way up to the Rig with a selection of cars for Colin to choose from for Christmas.....

regards
Claymore

 

[jimi]

Re: Fog

Good job they were'nt VW Beetles or there would be a couple of thousand new channel hazards!

 

[NDG]

Just gives even greater credence to the "real" colregs - stay out of the way of anything of this size, because if they cant see each other you can be sure as anything that they won't be looking out for you!!!

"Professional" standards are dreadful, aren't they?

 

[snooks]

Re: Fog

Seems the French are going to put some "lit" buoys around the thing tonight!

I thought these big chaps didn't need navigation marks, and they wanted Yotties to pay for them...I don't think any yachts bounced off the big red thing since the world was alerted to it plight!

On the bright side they'll be two less shipd to run us over! (for a while!)

 

[claymore]

Re: Fog

I suppose you are right - but it will be ruining the leather on the seats of the cars

regards
Claymore

 

[WS175]

Re: Fog

Perhaps they had a Greek captain, didn't know there was football on the telly at that time of night! - well lookouts and radar must be optional!

 

[oldharry]

Re: Fog

Apparently is was 'high winds and strong currents' that prevented the divers going down, not just fog, Claymore.

Anyway I suppose if I were a diver, I would not relish the thought of my support vessel being run down in fog, and sinking on top of me!

 

[claymore]

Re: Fog

Well - these cars will all have side impact systems and roll over bars so I guess they'd be safe enough in there.

regards
Claymore

 

[pugwash]

I am a lighthouse

Remember the situation about 1972 when a big tanker (Texaco Caribbean?) collided, caught fire and sank off Folkestone? A few days later a Panamian freighter went over the top and tore its bottom out and sank. Trinity House circled the mess with half a dozen green boys and two light vessels and numerous other twinkly bits. Along came a US aircraft carrier and associated escorts. Steamed right through the lot but through sheer luck didn't hit anything. Makes you think the "I am a lightouse" story could be true.

 

[Stingo]

Re: Fog

Besides the side impact bars etc, what about the drivers and passenger airs bags. One would hope that they would have been activated by the collision.

So with all that bouyancy, how did the ferry sink?

http://www.stingo.co.uk - now showing at a computer near you

 

[feathers]

"Whoops!" Understatement of the year old boy! What a complete bunch of tossers, the lot of them. We've all given something a nudge at some point or sat on the putty for a while but for goodness sake! Surely (he says!) if said container ship hadn't spotted that he was charging up big red ships arse like a raving bandit, that big red ship would have got on the blower to let him know of his unwelcome advances! When retiring last night the old girl said "You know what, some fool will have a pop at big red ship just to make sure he can't go anywhere", "Yes Dear" (no-one can be that daft he thinks and nods off) only to arise this am to hear that the magnificent French Navy has let some twit do just that! Surprised they didn't join the party themselves and make it a proper gang bang! Ban cargo type things from the channel, it'll make it a far more pleasant place for all of us part timers to be.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Fog

So thats what happened! I wonder where they'd got to!

 

[jamesjermain]

Cars

You've got to feel sorry for all those who won't be picking up their Ferraris this Christmas

JJ

 

[andy_wilson]

Airbags

V. doubtful that the collision was hard enough or from the right direction to trigger anything more than a wobble in the step of the crewmembers. None were injured so no banged heads I believe.

Didn't the overtaken vessel try to cross behind too early and clip the back end or something?

 

[snooks]

Clip?

If that was a clip, I'd hate to see the bow if she took it upon herself to ram the Tricolor!

 

[Ohdrat]

Bloomin eck.. just seen the position of the original collision (on C4 news.. so maybe more accurate than the Beebs reporting of the initial incident.. ) The Tricolor is right at the Northern Entrance to the Channel .. Slap bang in the middle.. But it is rather an embarassement for the Skipper of the Nicola..

 

[Cornishman]

Re: I am a lighthouse

The story of the Texaco Caribbean and the two other ships which collided with her wreck is told in the IALA Buoyage publication as one of the reasons why the current international buoyage system(s) came into being.
The standard British wreck buoy was green, but this meant 'leave to starboard when travelling in the direction of the flood tide' (similar to a starboard lateral today) to some nations and this led to the disasters. I believe some 50 or so lives were lost.

 

[DavidP]

Hi ,

I expect it has a lot to do with the fact that we personally own our boats ,so tend to look after them and keep looking 360 degrees 24/7

Dave.