Blather, Waffle and Poppycock!

[fsn]

2nd series could be a problem. 

[Orcs]

I'll stick with Only Connect

And we know why

[Techno]

Why has she only got 3 fingers on her right hand ?

Obviously been watching my "How not to use a scalpel"  video. 

Cheers - Phil

[Orcs]

Why has she only got 3 fingers on her right hand ?

You noticed her fingers ?

I worry about you sometimes Phil

Mark

[Last Hussar]

The Lovely Victoria used to review porn movies.

[fsn]

I believe she wrote and directed one.

[Techno]

On a completely different subject.....

I hear on the news today that a tanker and American Warship have collided and a number of sailors have been lost. (Overboard ??)This is very sad !

What I can't understand..Is that surely both ships would have known for a while (minutes ?)  that there was no way of avoiding the collision.....So why isn't the crew moved as far away as possible from the point where the 'bump' was most likely to occur.

Must be some reason, or something I'm completely missing.

Any ideas, folk ?

Cheers - Phil

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Bad visibility, a restricted seaway, complete idiocy.....

[Westmarcher]

In these days where every ship has radar, it is a puzzle for us land lubbers. However, maybe not as clear cut as you might think, Phil. For example, the collision was reported before dawn so perhaps no time for 'action stations' to be fully effective or for the crew to be warned on the likely side of the ship to be hit. There was another collision in June and the subsequent enquiry / court martial did not turn out well for the Captain.

[fsn]

My brother who had spells in boh the merchant and Royal, tells of coming through the English Channel at night. He noticed that the radar screen had been switched off. Somewhat perturbed, he asked the helmsman (who hailed from Sri Lanka IIRC) why this way.

"I switch off, Boss. Screen too busy."


One does wonder how it happened though.  Presumably tankers are well lit and since they're in the Malaccan Strait, one assumes the US warship was too (i.e. not going sneaky-beaky after Somali pirates). Even if the warship had its radar switched off, you'd have thunk the tanker would be maintaining radar watch, and what happened to the good old Mk1 eyeball?

Will be interested to get the details.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I missed one - Sub-Lt Phillips giving the helm orders - "Left hand down a bit"......

[Techno]

Some good/interesting and even frightening points, chaps.....Thanks. 

WILL be interesting to hear the outcome of the 'investigation'.
I must admit, I had  the vision of some completely automated system that went ape (like a red alert on Star Trek) if there was any hint of a problem. (Especially on a modern warship)

Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

According to the Indy, all American warships are to return to port! http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-navy-pause-singapore-collision-worldwide-stop-operational-admiral-order-uss-john-s-mccain-a7905306.html

[Techno]

Just seen that on the Beeb, Will.....I knew about the other collision that Westie mentioned, but hadn't realised that this was the fourth (did I hear that correctly ?) incident involving American ships in the past few months.

Cheers - Phil.

[fsn]

How do you do this with an oil tanker?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Because they have a keel bulge containing bow thrusters at the front, which extends forward, then a bow take above, possibly?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMKKygINkw

There goes the no-claims bonus!

[fsn]

 

Surprised the warship survived!

I thought they sort of bumped side on side. That looks like a ramming.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I suspect that warships are still designed to be manoeuvrable with 2 compartments open to the sea.

[paulr]

Unfortunately it looks like some of the 'missing' have been found in the flooded areas of the ship

17 US Sailors have died this year in the Pacific area in accidental collisions with civilian vessels

[fsn]

I'm not setting off any conspiracy theories here, but in the photo does that look like a Harpoon has been fired?