Accidents and mishaps at sea

[Rod]

There was a video made once. I cannot find it anywhere. Of about 10 Officers sitting down to a meal, down 1 side of a long table. White table cloth loads of knives, forks etc. Food was in front of them and the ship was rolling. It was like the vids of a tennis match...Heads going from side to side watching their food go back and forth!

[Rob Lightbody]

Yacht Collides with Tanker at Cowes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-14435966

[Lynda Bradford]

The Country File program covered the yachts practicing for the Cowes yacht race yesterday. They mentioned there is an increasing number of yachts that now take part which is a concern for safety. 

I am surprised that a tanker was anywhere near the yachts.   It looks like it is the yacht team's responsibility to get out of the way or be crushed.

[Twynkle]

The Country File program covered the yachts practicing for the Cowes yacht race yesterday. They mentioned there is an increasing number of yachts that now take part which is a concern for safety.  

I am surprised that a tanker was anywhere near the yachts.   It looks like it is the yacht team's responsibility to get out of the way or be crushed.

Lynda -nothing seems to be surprising in the Solent!
Captain Bates on board QE2 had become so concerned about the behaviour of the 'Sunday afternoon drivers', he wrote an article in one of the Yachting journals explaining why!

Here's an image of the sailaway,  taken about half an hour after the start of the Clippers Round the World Race last Sunday.
We were onboard a small cruiser, it was a great afternoon - most people knew exactly what they were doing!
The Yorkshire making use of what little wind there was - she is crewed like most of the other nine Clippers by about 40 people, some of 70yrs, and some who have never sailed before!
In this link, you'll see the entire crew of the purple hulled Edinburgh clad in the kilt!
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Sue-Gyfords-Clipper-blog.6808317.jp

There has already been an accident, a crewmember on one of the two Australian yachts has already sustained a broken leg  
Rosie.

Clippers round the World

[Twynkle]

11.00 hrs: A tug pulling a barge (with crane) overturned on the Thames, close to Greenwich.
Two man survived, another is missing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14505009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025271/BREAKING-NEWS-River-Thames-closed-tugboat-capsizes-crew-member-missing.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[Twynkle]

During yesterday's Tropical Storm in the Philippines where over 130 lost their lives, the following has been posted with a photograph from the beach on the Filipino Seafarers Worldwide page on Facebook, together with an image,

'Dumaguete, Philippines
Rescuers hold on to a rope as they form a human chain to rescue 32 passengers and crew, including an infant, of ill-fated M/V Ever Transport III, which sank after running aground off sitio Canday-ong, barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete City at 4 a.m. Saturday 17 December 2011, after it was battered by big waves brought about by Tropical Storm Sendong.'

and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16229394

[Twynkle]

Might have been a nasty accident had the RN not intervened
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16549042

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Might have been a nasty accident had the RN not intervened
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16549042

This does not look like an accident -- it was an arrest or a capture, of a Somali pirate ship.

[Twynkle]

Might have been a nasty accident had the RN not intervened
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16549042

This does not look like an accident -- it was an arrest or a capture, of a Somali pirate ship.

Exactly, Isabelle!
my post refers to 'what might have been'
had the RN or others from the permanent Nato force not been on pirate-watch in the area!
Rosie

[Twynkle]

A very good point Isabelle; I think the reasons you suggest are a;; quite likely and I do indeed recall reading a small report in the Evening Standard once - note, a small report - saying that a Phillipine ferry had gone down and well over 5000 had been killed in that instance.

Nearly four times the toll of the Titanic, and almost totally ignored; there was even less coverage in the dailies than there was in the standard - a single small paragraph in some cases.

I think it is probably this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dona_Paz that I remember from that report, in which case the early estimates of 5000+ seem to have been lowered to an actual figure of 4375.  But that is still incredibly high to have gone un-noticed.

This site http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-shipwrecks-resulted-most-casualties-history lists a few particularly bad disasters, including the above one, and pointing out that the official toll is lower at 1,565 although it is obvious that nobody believes that figure - even if correct it is still higher than that of the Titanic.

Peter and Isabelle
The dreadful disaster in the Philippines just before Christmas was reported here:#21
The numbers of people affected were reported to be much higher nearer to Christmas.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2389.0.html
I'm not so sure that it (Costa Concordia) will be regarded in the fullness of time as 'more important than other catastrophes''. Although it's an eye-catching media story involving so much 'personal' as well as commercial interest, and not forgetting the considerable degree of the 'envy factor' that goes hand-in-hand with anything associated with the business of cruise-ships and shipping. These things aren't necessarily the first things that people immediately associate with cargo ships, tankers and ferries. Having said that, the Rena off NZ N Island has attracted world-wide media interest - mainly because of the potential pollution in a part of the world that is completely unspoilt.

Having links with seafarers on the Islands, I understand that it was once again, the less fortunate people that suffered most.
Cunard support an orphanage on one of the islands where Filipino children are cared for.
Historically, some of whom, as they have grown up, have chosen to work on board Cunard's ships.
Wishing I could remember it's name and where it is- sorry!
Whenever 'happenings' at sea are mentioned, this link shows more about how many are involved in disasters etc
http://seafarertimes.com/2011-12/index.php

Btw - you might find this of interest too
David Bacon's account is here.
http://dbacon.igc.org/Phils/07Seafarer.htmRosie

[Twynkle]

Papua New Guinea
'More than 200 people have been rescued from the sea off Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s north coast after a ferry sank with up to 350 on board, officials say'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16848536

[Mauretania1907]

This news is updating hourly here. NZ Herald this morning says the MV Rabaul Queen sank on a voyage between Kimbe in New Britain to Lae, Papua New Guinea's second largest city with up to 360 pax and 12 crew. Ships and aircraft sent to help have rescued between 198 and 219 people ( number not exactly known as survivors are on several ships) Many were students returning to school after the summer holidays, along with trainee teachers returning to teacher college. Mr Martin Mosi, director of the PNG Disaster Centre said it was difficult to say what had caused the ship to sink - was it overloading, the weather or something to do with the ship itself.
Note: the aircraft assisted by dropping rescue equipment, including life rafts. More later.
Other news is that the crew member who was trapped on board Concordia with a broken leg has been discharged from hospital.

[Mauretania1907]

More news, approx 240 people have been rescued from Rabaul Queen sinking. Unconformed report is that several people have managed to swim to an uninhabited island and used a cell-phone to call relatives. Local ships and aircraft, including aircraft from Australia are still serching for survivors and bodies. 4 bodies have been recovered and about 100 people still unaccounted for. The ship was over 20 years old. I will get tomorrow's paper to see if there is more news and post here if there is.

[Matteo 91]

More news, approx 240 people have been rescued from Rabaul Queen sinking. Unconformed report is that several people have managed to swim to an uninhabited island and used a cell-phone to call relatives. Local ships and aircraft, including aircraft from Australia are still serching for survivors and bodies. 4 bodies have been recovered and about 100 people still unaccounted for. The ship was over 20 years old. I will get tomorrow's paper to see if there is more news and post here if there is.

Rob, that's linked to your other question about the ability to swim!

[Mauretania1907]

Sadly, the search for survivors has now become a recovery of bodies. Ongoing searches of uninhabited isles will continue when the storm which sank the ship abates, but hopes are fading fast for the 100 people missing. Many are thought to have been trapped in the ship when she foundered. 6 bodies have been recovered. Very sad news, which I regret to have to relate.