Ship aground on MY beach

[starrkers]

Guess I won't be taking my kids to the beach for a bit (well, we wouldn't in the middle of winter anyway). Whenever we return to our old hometown, we visit the beach. But right now, there's a bulk ore carrier taking up most of the surfing space.

Ship aground

And two more are dragging anchor and could surf in to the next beach up.

 

[impressive]

Is it wrong that the phrase "being absolutely pounded" made me hot?

 

[starrkers]

Is it wrong that the phrase "being absolutely pounded" made me hot?

Probably, seeing as it refers to a ruddy great ship, which is currently sitting less than 100m off the sand of a beach in the middle of the fifth largest city in Australia. If it breaks apart, and it very well might, because of being absolutely pounded , the resultant oil spill won't do any of the local wildlife any favours.

Pictures

 

[impressive]

Probably, seeing as it refers to a ruddy great ship, which is currently sitting less than 100m off the sand of a beach in the middle of the fifth largest city in Australia. If it breaks apart, and it very well might, because of being absolutely pounded , the resultant oil spill won't do any of the local wildlife any favours.

Pictures

Makes you wonder why they're not pumping the fuel out already, huh? There's gotta be a way to remove fuel from a ship without (a) consuming it or (b) spilling it.

 

[starrkers]

Looking at the weather forecast and current conditions, I'm not really surprised. The seas are bloody huge!
At least one of the other ships trying to beach itself is safe now, and the other has a tug hanging nearby just in case.
Apparently the seas were getting to 18m and they're not expected to abate for a while yet - not a happy night in Newcastle tonight.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

How dare they be so careless.

 

[starrkers]

Not the first time it's happened - one ran aground and broke in half in 1974, about 10 miles north of this one. Half of it's still sitting on the beach.
*praying it holds together till tomorrow when they're going to try and drag it off the beach with tugs, if the weather settles enough*

 

[Guest]

Dammit, who let Gilligan drive???

 

[oggbashan]

Starrkers, you've given your real name away.

If the ship is aground on Your beach, you must be Nobby.

You don't LOOK like a Nobby.

Og

PS. I surfed on that beach many years ago.

 

[Guest]

Starrkers, you've given your real name away.

If the ship is aground on Your beach, you must be Nobby.

You don't LOOK like a Nobby.

Og

I'd say she has some real nice knobs.

PS. I surfed on that beach many years ago.

Remember that cute little surfer-groupie you were with behind that big dune the summer? You don't suppose Starrkers could be your daughter?

 

[Flickr_Inc]

Mother Nature

How dare they be so careless.

Unfortunately they weren't being careless. The weather conditions have been nothing short of horrific down the south east coast of Australia. These ships were moored a fair distance off shore when the weather rapidly deteriorated, with gale force winds tearing several tankers from their moorings. The storm sea surges and 20 metre waves have pushed this beast of a ship just 20m short of the shore. Watching the news tonight was pretty surreal. 21 Crew members were individually winched from the ship in the most harrowing conditions the rescuers said they had ever experienced. The weather has worsened over the last few hours and expected to deteriorate overnight and tomorrow.

I don't think they were careless - Mother Nature is a fearsome force!!

 

[marifree]

I witnessed something similar on the US east when I was a child. It’s an awesome sight to see that big ship beached where you play every day. We didn’t have the bad weather to contend with, as it was a scuttled ship that got loose and beached itself. They had a bugger of a time with it before it was removed and that was in good conditions.

Hope they get those off your beaches before too much damage is incurred.

 

[starrkers]

This afternoon the ship is still in one piece. The city isn't. Abadoned cars and flooded streets everywhere; cars washed into stormwater drains, houses being evacuated; 100,000 homes without power, sewerage system overloaded, no fresh water to some areas.
From the outside it sounds worse than the earthquake in '89.
Think I'm glad I'm not still living there.

 

[starrkers]

They finally dragged the ship off the beach tonight.

 

[oggbashan]

They finally dragged the ship off the beach tonight.

Congratulations. You've got your beach back.

I'd wait a couple of days for any oil slicks to clear before surfing.

Og

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

That same thing happens here quite often, Starkkers. It sucks, but at least it gives us something to bitch about.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/Jenny_Jackson/cruisex.jpg

 

[starrkers]

Congratulations. You've got your beach back.

I'd wait a couple of days for any oil slicks to clear before surfing.

Og

No surfing for me at this time of year - too damned cold! So far no sign of oil slicks either, which is more than excellent.