Breaking

Drachinifel's youtube channel is popular in our household--about warships up to the end of WW-II (avoiding the still-secret stuff involved in modern ships). You learn how the ships were built, used, and lost -- and many single-ship episodes ended, as the ship outlived it usefulness, with "sent to the breakers."

"Breaking" -- how does that work; how did that work back before iron ships? Luckily there's a little history. "In the days of the "wooden walls," a ship condemned to destruction was often burned or even carefully "lost" in some convenient spot. To-day the shipbreaking industry is run on scientific lines, and nothing is wasted." (It makes me itchy when people misuse "scientific" like that...)

"Even naval ships were sometimes treated in that way and to the present day small vessels and barges which have no sale value will often be carefully “lost” in some out-of-the-way corner. Harbour masters and conservancy authorities are careful to check this practice wherever possible; but even the Port of London Authority, responsible for the best-controlled port, in the world, often has trouble in stopping it."

At sea

I saw a news squib about the return of the USS Stout after a 9 month deployment, with a comment about how sturdy those sailors must be.

There's another way to look at the matter.

When I was young I read of a Navy where a vast amount of sailor time was spent painting or chipping paint. When the ocean is always trying to dissolve your boat, I suppose that makes sense. At any rate, I was never eager to go to sea.

I guess they don't do that anymore.

Ramming

Has everyone seen the story about the Venezuelan rammer?. "The 403-foot-long Resolute ... Intended for Antarctic cruises, it has a reinforced ice-capable hull." and "the steel-hulled patrol ship suffered severe damage from repeatedly ramming the cruise ship, began to take on water, and ultimately sank."

I'd have thought that the Naiguatá's captain might have noticed that things weren't going his way and desisted, but perhaps communications were poor.

I've heard a couple of explanations for the attempt--one at the link: "The ship was recently "arrested" by Argentina due to alleged non-payment of her fuel bill." Another implied a history of shakedowns.

Want to book a cruise?