Ships

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That animation shows a double tap, I think that's a glitch.

Double tap...That's what ya get when ya go for a ride out to the pine barrens.

And I love that perfectly boat-shaped hole in the other boat.

[Carruthers]

An acquaintance of mine started his working life in the Merchant Navy so, when I saw him earlier this week, I asked had he seen reports of this incident.
A lack of lookout was the first thing he mentioned and it prompted him to relate the tale of a Greek tanker in the English Channel several decades ago.
The ship was under way but there was no response to radio calls.
It's an exceptionally busy area so the decision was made to board the vessel.
The story goes that the bridge was unmanned and the only sign of life there was a dog.
When the crew were eventually found they said there was no problem as the dog always barked when he saw another ship!

True or not? You can decide that for yourself, but just bear in mind that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

[Gravdigr]

Admission: This article is shamelessly copy/pasted from Uncommon Reality.

The SS Warrimoo:

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix & brought the master, Captain John Phillips, the result.

The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31′ N and LON 179º 30′ W. The date was 31 December 1899. “Know what this means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line.”

Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ships position.

He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed. The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.

At midnight the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line! The consequences of this bizarre position were many: The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & the middle of summer. The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.

The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899. Forward it was 1 January 1900. This ship was therefore not only in two different days, two different months, two different years, two different seasons but in two different centuries – all at the same time.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's pretty cool.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Building a boy boat...