British navy ship hits immediate trouble on launch

yahoo news ^ | 4/9/04

[Fierce Allegiance]

Fri Apr 9, 3:50 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A brand-new British naval ship saw action rather sooner than expected as it shot across a river after being launched and crunched into the opposite bank.

The 16,000-tonne amphibious landing vessel was left with a sizeable dent in its stern after grazing a quayside on the north bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland, just seconds after it was launched.

The incident came two days after it was revealed that eight of the Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters had been grounded because they were not equipped to fly in cloudy weather.

The launch Friday of the landing vessel was preceded by the traditional ceremony of smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull. But in an event traditionally seen as bringing ill-luck to a vessel, the bottle only broke on the second attempt.

British defence giant BAE Systems, which built the ship, played down the incident, saying the damage was "superficial."

"At no point was there a risk to the vessel or the crowd, thought to be up to 10,000 people watching the event.

"There will be a full investigation but this minor incident should not be allowed to take the shine off a significant day for the business and for the Clyde," the company said.

On Wednesday a government spending watchdog said a software blunder has left Britain short of Chinook helicopters in Iraq (news - web sites) and reliant on the United States to reach full battlefield capability

[Fierce Allegiance]

Just damn!

[Frank_Discussion]

"Don't ever, EVER toucgh the red button, kid."

[dead]

Forget to add brakes.

[Poohbah]

The incident came two days after it was revealed that eight of the Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters had been grounded because they were not equipped to fly in cloudy weather.

That's kind of a necessity in England, isn't it?

[RebelBanker]

Anyone with military experience will tell you:
"S**t happens!"

[leadpenny]

Question from an Army vet: Wouldn't that vessel have been on some kind of short leash after it slid into the water?

[mtbopfuyn]

Anyone remember Carol Burnette's skit about launching a British ship? Lol!

[glorgau]

Last year I read "Battleship Musashi: The Making and Sinking of the World's Biggest Battleship" and in it the builders were worried the self-same occurrance. They ended up putting a "cushion" craft opposite it on the other shore. It didn't crash into it though.

[leadpenny]

I can hear the rep at Boeing Vertol when the British Army called.

"You wanted instruments in those things?"

[Poohbah]

Question from an Army vet: Wouldn't that vessel have been on some kind of short leash after it slid into the water?

1. The leash would be trying to hold back about 16,000 tons of ship.

2. If the leash is non-elastic, and it breaks, you don't want to be anywhere near it.

3. If the leash is elastic...it might snap back, and drag the ship back toward the building ways.

4. You might not break the leash--but you might break the ship.

[hchutch]

Oh, bloody hell! I'd consider it important...

[Poohbah]

"You wanted instruments in those things?"

"Y'all bought the CH-47 Chinook, not the CH-47 Chinook XL with the special option package. Besides IFR instruments, it also comes with reclining bucket seats and custom wheels."

[Fudd]

You've gotta read "Bath Iron Works" (I think that was the title), about the ship yard at Bath. The funniest story was about John Wayne being drafted to help launch a ship that was stuck on the launch rails.

[Khurkris]

"Allo 'Allo...fine day for lauching ey what?

THUD!

..I say...did we hit a helicopter?

[leadpenny]

Makes sense.

[commish]

HMm lets see what was that theory ..hmmm..oh yeah "An object in motion tends to stay in motion until acted upon by an opposite force."

Thank you for attending today's physics lesson presented by the British Navy.

[leadpenny]

Stop now! Please.

My stomach hurts.

[Kozak]

Could be worse. Eg the "Vasa"

In august 1628 the Vasa capsized on her maiden voyage. She had set sail from the Royal Castle at 3 pm steering eastward toward the archipelago of Stockholm. She fired a "swedish charge", a two-gun salute. A gust of wind from the south caused her to heel somewhat, nothing alarming in that though. The Vasa soon came inte more open water and the wind increased in force. Suddenly a few gusts of wind made her heel alarmingly to port and water began pouring through the lower gunports. Efforts by the crew to right her failed and the Vasa rapidly sank to a depth of 30 meters.

[Stonewall Jackson]

This happened to a German battleship (I believe it was the Bismarck) back in the 1930's. She tore loose from her supports several hours before her official launching ceremony and charged across the harbor, ramming a passenger liner, causing extensive damage to both vessels.

[In_25_words_or_less]

The 16,000-tonne amphibious landing vessel

16,000 tonnes, and what do you gette,
Another dayye older and deeper in debtte.