Although there is a genuine Subbuteo sub-culture out there, should the urge to play football with little plastic players seize you uncontrollably.
No, I am talking about maritime traffic, and more priceless data being provided by "What Is Going On With Shipping", as put out by Sal, who runs the channel. Art!
I will apply a little Conrad-deduction here, as this ship, the "Ursa Major", is not one of the Ruffian's riverine-tankers and is presumably rated suitable for travel at sea. It sank between Spain and Algeria in the Mediterranean, reportedly after an engine room explosion. Must have been a pretty large explosion to sink a 13,000 ton cargo ship.
Aha! Wait one, I just found a relevant data point. "IMO 9538892" which was it's registration number with the International Maritime Organisation, so YES it was rated for travel at sea. Art!
Another thing I learned from Sal - "AIS" stands for "Automated Information System" and allows a vessel to be tracked.
What will concern the Ruffians and fellow sailors is that this is a relatively modern vessel, launched in 2009, so once again not a fifty-year old rust-bucket working in an environment it was never designed for. Art!
Here it is, listing heavily to starboard and down by the stern, implying that the hull has been breached and it's taking on water. Two crewmembers missing at present, chances for them are minimal. Bless Sal, he felt bad for the fatality from the two Volgonaff ships, because all sailors have the sea as a common adversary.
He covered the sinking of that third tanker, the Volgoneft-109, with a bit more detail about their design. Art!
 |
| Sister ship Volgonaff-239 |
These vessels all fit a standard design, being long, narrow and with a shallow draught, all to better navigate the internal riverine system of Modern-day Mordor. Sal explains to all us landlubbers that the vessel above is fully-loaded, carrying four thousand tons of oil, which is why it looks level in the water. Were it to be empty, it would have a pronounced 'hog', which is to say the bow (the front bit) and the stern (the end bit) would sit lower in the water than the cargo section. This is intentional and allows the ship to sit level once loaded.
HOWEVER - O my favourite word again! - this design and profile means these ships ought never to be in the open sea. All three of these ships were rated to withstand a sea of up to 2.5 yards*. Art!
Meaning waves of up to that height. In fact in the storm that hit the Black Sea, there were waves up to 5 yards in height, meaning that these vessels were subject to stresses far beyond what they were designed to manage. Essentially, their bows broke off and they sank. This is a known weakness of the Project class of vessels, since three of them also sank with a similar failing in 2007. Art!
This is the consequence. Over eight thousand tons of oil has been spilled onto Ruffian beaches, and the locals are now squawking about what an international tragedy it is and can everyone come help them please? For Your Information, that's 'Mazut', about the lowest-quality fuel there is and a lot less biodegradable than diesel or petrol. One local filmed a couple of excavators that arrived to help, which was filmed by local news, and once that had been done, off the excavators went.
What you might call karma, given the ecocide caused by the orcs deliberately demolishing the Khakhovka Dam <tweaks moustache>.
There was also a very knowing Comment from a viewer of Sal's earlier video, which I will add in here - Art!
This is why
corrosion control and bilge and void preservation are so important on ships.
For your information, 'corrosion control' means not allowing things to rust so badly that they fall apart in bad weather. Art!
The bilge is the lowest level of a vessel, liable to fill with water that will cause corrosion issues if allowed to sit. "Voids" are enclosed spaces that aren't used for cargo, ballast or fuel and ought to be inspected regularly in order to protect from or prevent corrosion. You can bet your bottom ruble that these Volgonaffs weren't inspected or maintained over their lifetime. Art!
This one only broke down, not apart, so they managed to tow it to port. What an exciting time to be a Ruffian sailor!
"Bury Your Gaze" By Chuck Tingle
Except no. You may recall that Darling Daughter (and Quiet Tom) came to visit for Wonder Wifey's birthday, at which point Conrad dumped the usual bagful of books upon her, for perusal or pitching.
In return - Art!
What an hilarious misunderstanding!
I have already made a start. Conrad will let you know.
Following On From That -
Still sticking with the horror theme (for BYG is horror) I think it's about time to have another of Bernie Wrightson's FPG trading cards. We're now into the #Fifties so just over half-way for this particular 1993 collection, and there are three other collections to go. SIT BACK DOWN! you will enjoy this, or else. Art!
More akin to an alligator than a newt, methinks. It might be feasible, if the newt lives in water then it won't have to sustain it's full weight, being buoyant and all that. Eating a full human might give it flotation problems, mind. Whatever would Gussie Fink-Nottle say!
Gussie Fink-Nottle
Because you may not be aware, and Conrad takes his didactic mission with BOOJUM! quite seriously at times.
If you are aware of the "Jeeves" novels and short stories by 'Plum' Wodehouse, then you are aware of the central narrator, one Bertie Wooster. Bertie is a playboy-around-town, with no need to work, lots of friends and membership of some exclusive London clubs. Art!
Yes, that is "House" before he was "House", in the middle, flanked by Augustus and the right-wing nutjob who's secret talent is designing ladies lingerie, and who often threatens Bertie with being 'beaten to a jelly', until J
ANYWAY Gussie's raison d'etre is the study of newts. This he carries out in his Lincolnshire home, well away from the fleshpots of Babylon-on-Thames. He is a shy and retiring character, but one of Bertie's oldest chums, having been at boarding school with him. Get him on the subject of newts, mind, and he really comes alive.
Keeping The Theme Going!
I do apologise (a little) for going off at a tangent that I never imagined when I began typing about sinking Ruffian vessels. It's just how spontaneous I am. Art!
Another book cover. In case you can't resolve the print, this is "War With The Newts" by Karel Capek. Yes, the Czech author who invented the term 'Robot' and possibly the only Czech you know by name, apart from Wenceslas.
ANYWAY WWTN is a satire about a breed of super-newts that hail from Sumatra, whom can be trained to use tools and speak. Amazing! Except they are set up as slaves and serfs, which provokes a rebellion and suddenly Hom. Sap. is fighting for survival.
Here's a curious factoid: looking at the Wiki description of the plot, whom did I notice but a certain "Gussie H. Bondy" as an industrialist whom helps 'develop' the newt industries. Hmmmm. Bit of a coincidence, that.
Finally -
"Right Ho, Jeeves" which introduced Gussie, was published in 1934. WWTN was published two years later. I draw no inference, I merely observe.
* Sal used metres, so I have corrected him.
No comments:
Post a Comment