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Post by Mr Stabby on May 28, 2018 20:40:27 GMT
I knew somebody who got run over by a paddle steamer.
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Post by TonyDunkley on May 30, 2018 1:13:56 GMT
I have my doubts about the experience of the people involved, . . . . Peter. I think those doubts are well founded, Peter, and there are plenty of pointers to that in this video clip : Rarely have I seen a more inept display of tug work by supposed professionals, . . their lack of ability and/or experience with unwieldy tows in confined waters is all too apparent. They were in trouble with it from the moment they got underway from alongside the north-western wall of the dock. Far too much way on, and they didn't even bother to rig a temporary snotter for better control while they were still in the dock despite having no stern tug to hold the tow back and it showing a strong tendency to sheer off to starboard from before they rounded up and then whilst heading back down the dock to the river lock with the portside leg of the bridle slack. When the tow hit the corner of the low wall by the inner gates she was nigh on half her width out of alignment with the lock chamber wall on that side. That impact with the low wall (at 7.59 - 8.00 on the clip timer) was plenty hard enough to have holed or split the bow plating close to the waterline, so I would guess she was probably making some water from her own bow wave and every wave or bit of chop encountered from then on at an ever increasing rate until she had taken on enough water to put her further down by the head and the damage was constantly submerged. Much as I would enjoy pointing the finger of blame at my friend Mr Beacham and the work he carried out preparatory to the tow to Coleraine, I don't see how there can be much doubt that the sinking would probably have had it's beginnings in the tug company's attempt to move Sharpness Dock's river lock a bit closer to the South Wales coast.
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Post by naughtyfox on May 30, 2018 4:18:52 GMT
Will Steve's answer be to tow Planet to Ireland...?!!
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Post by TonyDunkley on May 30, 2018 6:03:43 GMT
Will Steve's answer be to tow Planet to Ireland...?!! On the off-chance that might just be his next move I spoke with someone at the Crannagh Marina, Coleraine yesterday and they're passing the message I left on to the marina owner, Seamus Carey, who by all accounts is none too happy with events so far with £245,000 plus the cost of survey and preparatory work for the tow by Sharpness Shipyard ending up at the bottom of the Irish Sea along with his plans to turn the boat into a floating hotel/restaurant. Presumably the menu will now be restricted to seafood only. Strange coincidence, though, but shortly after making the call to Crannagh Marina I got another weird e-mail from Beacham saying that he'd sold "Planet" during the weekend, and that he'd been forced into selling the ship because my interference had prevented him from going ahead with all the plans he had for it ! There'll be more about this on the 'Bar Lightship' thread later.
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Post by JohnV on May 30, 2018 7:08:08 GMT
Thanks for putting up that video clip Tony, I had only seen the tiny bit of the RNLI one before. As you said, very optimistic with only a RIB as a stern vessel in the docks ....... it needed a stern tug/big workboat, something with a bit of grunt with an unwieldy tow. Don't recall ever having heard anything bad about the towing company. (Incidentally I loved the sound of the old girl as she opened up a bit leaving the dock ..... reminded me of some of the old clunkers I've been out on ) (Not recently though ...... just had a couple of jollies out on Voith drive tugs ...... one single the other twin ...... eye openers after the old stuff !!!)
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2018 7:24:29 GMT
Seems odd not to have carried out a full inspection of the impact area - it seemed to be quite a clonk. I've never done any towing but I would have thought if you were pulling anything unusual and/or old out through a sea lock and you hit it on something it would be standard practice to have a close look at it before proceeding.
Obviously hindsight is a wonderful thing but there must be standard procedures in place.
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Post by naughtyfox on May 30, 2018 7:38:24 GMT
I got another weird e-mail from Beacham saying that he'd sold "Planet" during the weekend, and that he'd been forced into selling the ship because my interference had prevented him from going ahead with all the plans he had for it !
I thought his plan was to sell it but the one prospective buyer shied away because a Bill of Sale couldn't be produced. He allegedly bought Planet on the understanding and promise he'd be lovingly restoring it - well, that promise soon evaporated! It could all be solved so quickly and amicably if only he did the right thing, and that is to produce his (alleged) Bill of Sale for all to see (why the secret?), and, if the ship does indeed belong to Alan Roberts, then to ask for his money back from whoever sold it to him, and arrange to have Planet returned to Mr Roberts.
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Post by naughtyfox on May 30, 2018 7:49:40 GMT
There's a big CRUNCH! at 07:49 in the video, and an 'orrible grinding afterwards as Oliver Cromwell gets pulled off what it's crashed into. I'd be looking at the tug boat's insurance company doing the paying out.
The tug just carries on dragging it out of the harbour with no-one checking for damage there and then! If they're looking for damage with the dinghy afterwards, then it shows they KNOW it struck the harbour wall / rocks.
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Post by TonyDunkley on May 30, 2018 7:50:15 GMT
I got another weird e-mail from Beacham saying that he'd sold "Planet" during the weekend, and that he'd been forced into selling the ship because my interference had prevented him from going ahead with all the plans he had for it !
I thought his plan was to sell it but the one prospective buyer shied away because a Bill of Sale couldn't be produced. He allegedly bought Planet on the understanding and promise he'd be lovingly restoring it - well, that promise soon evaporated! It could all be solved so quickly and amicably if only he did the right thing, and that is to produce his (alleged) Bill of Sale for all to see (why the secret?), and, if the ship does indeed belong to Alan Roberts, then to ask for his money back from whoever sold it to him, and arrange to have Planet returned to Mr Roberts. It difficult trying to understand what's going through whatever Beacham uses instead of a brain at the best of times, but he's probably a bit pre-occupied at the moment trying to come up with some plausible sounding reasons for why something he'd just finished lavishing so much time and attention on specifically to ensure it was fit for a lengthy sea passage only got just over halfway to it's destination before turning into a shipwreck !
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2018 8:00:48 GMT
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Post by naughtyfox on May 30, 2018 8:07:10 GMT
MCA = Maritime and Coastguard Agency? We don't all know the lingo, Mr Magnetman. Anyway, I'm sure it wasn't approved to be bashed into harbour walls and dragged over sharp rocks.
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Post by TonyDunkley on May 30, 2018 8:25:13 GMT
There's a big CRUNCH! at 07:49 in the video, and an 'orrible grinding afterwards as Oliver Cromwell gets pulled off what it's crashed into. I'd be looking at the tug boat's insurance company doing the paying out. The tug just carries on dragging it out of the harbour with no-one checking for damage there and then! If they're looking for damage with the dinghy afterwards, then it shows they KNOW it struck the harbour wall / rocks. In answer to your posts and Magnetman's , . . given it's history as a BoT certificated passenger boat with one extensive, probably nigh on full length, low level, single compartment accomodation deck (bit like a car ferry), it would have had a full depth (keel to weather deck) forward collision bulkhead to contain flooding resulting from shell plate damage around the bows. The tug crew would know this and so they probably would have assumed that any damage they'd caused wouldn't be a problem during the sea passage. The fact that the vessel did sink at sea is a reliable indicator that the collision bulkhead didn't do it's job, and the reason it didn't do it's job, whatever that might have been, is what should be giving Beacham and the Surveyor(s) who signed off his work cause for some serious concern. Whichever way you cut it, the responsibility for a vessel sinking on passage in fair weather and calm conditions must ultimately rest with whoever prepared it and signed it off as seaworthy. Nb. I know it isn't the BoT (Board of Trade) who survey/certificate passenger vessels these days, . . but that's who did it the last time I had to get a passenger boat surveyed and signed off. I presume that the MCA or MCA approved Surveyors deal with this now, . . the same bunch who brought about the wholesale scrapping of dozens of commercial barges in 2006-7 after the Government turned it's 'safety' loonies loose on inland waterway transport.
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Post by bills on May 30, 2018 8:27:46 GMT
The thing I can't get my head around is the number quoted,
Why, in anybody's world, would someone pay £245k plus whatever for that pile of scrap?
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Post by naughtyfox on May 30, 2018 8:30:14 GMT
The thing I can't get my head around is the number quoted, Why, in anybody's world, would someone pay £245k plus whatever for that pile of scrap? Insurance scam? (note the question mark!)
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Post by TonyDunkley on May 30, 2018 8:34:57 GMT
The thing I can't get my head around is the number quoted, Why, in anybody's world, would someone pay £245k plus whatever for that pile of scrap? Decimal point in the wrong place, . . maybe ?
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