Diego Garcia [Indian Ocean] Unaffected by Tsunami

Freerepublic Posts | December 27, 2004 | Other Freeper Posters

[topher]

A number of different threads have people inquiring to the status of Diego Garcia -- which has US citizens on it.

There have been a number of comments in articles that it is okay, but no post to this effect.

Diego Garcia is in Deep Water and is unaffected by Tsunamis.

In the Freerepublic Article:

SUMATRA QUAKE REVISED TO 9.0 MAG

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308750/posts

Now inside this article, there a number of comments that confirm Diego Garcia is okay:

Post #129 -- Diego Garcia Yahoo Message Groups

Post #143 -- Pentagon Duty Officer reports no damage in Diego Garcia.

Post #254 -- Air Force Mom gets email from Diego Garcia

Post #192 -- duplicate of Post #143 except reference to Fox News link.

Finally, there is a good description of Tsunami:

Post #151
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1308458/posts?q=1&&page=151#167

This is a good explanation of what a Tsunami is.

[topher]

I think we need a thread on Diego Garcia so folks with relatives there or possibly there do not have heart attacks.

Please use this thread for Diego Garcia info.

And since Diego Garcia is atop a volcano, I don't want anyone in the Pentagon to blow their stacks over this thread -- so don't post anything that might hurt the US Military or Civilians in that area... Please!!!

[topher]

And yes, the Diego Garcia Tire Shop will open on Tuesday -- joke from another thread...

[VOA]

I heard Capt. Dale Dye (Ret, USMC) on his radio show last night (www.kfi640.com).
The good captain said that his contacts said there was some flooding and minor damage
to some building...no harm to people.

[topher]

Ping!

[topher]

Since Diego Garcia has US Assets, I did not want to get into too much detail. Everything I have heard indicated no damage.

There was strange weather reports via the weather link with some hours having N/A posted, but that might have been for Military reasons.

Someone supposedly posted last night to the Yahoo Message board that they didn't understand people's concerns and that everything was okay.

There were reports in that thread that Diego Garcia was ready to offer assistance to other hard hit areas -- which they would not be able to do if their buildings had gotten washed away.

[Strategerist]

Being in deep water actually increases, not decreases, tsunami risk. Hawaii, Japan, etc. typically have steeply sloping sea bottom just offshore to deep water.

So that's not the reason there wasn't much effect at DG. It's possible the size of the fringing reef shallows was so large the tsunami was broken up.

[VOA]

Rest easy...Capt. Dye's report went out over KFI's 50,000 watt
(clear-channel) coverage area of about 10 MILLION potential listeners (and more on the
Internet streaming)

But it sure helps to not have loose lips (like the Los Angeles Times and their
unindicted co-conspirators)

[ProudVet77]

Had sent several emails to people on Diego Garcia, received this back last night from the webmaster at the Support Activities website:

Thanks for your concern, fortunately for us - we are all doing well. We just feel sorry for the number of lives lost during the recent event in that part of the world.
Many thanks again..

[topher]

But it sure helps to not have loose lips (like the Los Angeles Times and their unindicted co-conspirators)

Not sure what all is on Diego Garcia, but one thread had 1500 Americans there, and I imagine there a few British citizens as well [former British that we decided to lease I think].

[VRWCTexan]

Thanks be to God - and continue to pray for those hurt most by this event....

Luke 21:35

"And there will be strange events in the skies--signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.

[topher]

Being in deep water actually increases, not decreases, tsunami risk. Hawaii, Japan, etc. typically have steeply sloping sea bottom just offshore to deep water.

But at least I erred on the side of not causing panic that someone might think they have lost someone at Diego Garcia, which I hope is the case.

Our military and their families have been through hellish times with the MSM blowing anything that happens in Iraq into a front page story.

This has got to take its toll on the family of service personnel.

I loathe the MSM for that reason right now.

[anymouse]

I was wondering if DG would suffer bad damage or not. I thought it was pretty flat and not much is very far above sea level.

I'm sure that once the sub-sea grids started showing off-the-chart seismic readings (and satellite ocean surface measurements), the Navy alerted every ship and base in the Indian ocean to batten down the hatches immediately. (Remember that one way to track subs is by monitoring unusual changes in sub-sea seismic activity and sea surface changes.)

[Capt. Tom]

I thought it was pretty flat and not much is very far above sea level.

It appears that way.
You wouldn't have any trouble identifying it om the air.
What a strange shaped Island.
The landing strip is on the left side of the pic. - tom

[Robert A Cook PE]

But the waves, their reflections, their off-shore slopes, and the initial direction of the wave may have spared DG.

Too many variables to speculate. (As long as the servicemen there are OK, and the infrastructure remains intact.

(My sister was at DG for 1 year in the early 90's, my college roommate there for a little over a year in the early 80's.)

[topher]

What a strange shaped Island.

In the other thread, someone said it was a volcano formation that has coral reefs on top of the old volcano -- if that makes any sense.

Just picture a volcano in Hawaii or the Rockies -- they sometimes make odd shapes sort of like this -- especially if one side of the volcano had a large lava flow and the other didn't.

[Slicksadick]

Great pic Tom, and its oriented correctly, North-South. Anything coming from the North-East (upper right) would have washed over the non populated atoll area first, greatly diminishing the destructive force.

[Slicksadick]

Heres a picture of what many consider to be the most beautiful atoll in the world, Bora Bora. Atolls are formed as the volcanoes, long inactive, gradually sink below the oceans surface, while the surrounding coral continues to grow. Eventually, all that remains is a ring of low lying coral, with the original volcano left far below sea level.

[Tacos]

"What a strange shaped Island"

Called the "Footprint of Freedom" by many in the military.

[Phsstpok]

VOA wrote:

But it sure helps to not have loose lips (like the Los Angeles Times and their unindicted co-conspirators)

And topher replied:

Not sure what all is on Diego Garcia, but one thread had 1500 Americans there, and I imagine there a few British citizens as well [former British that we decided to lease I think].

Diego Garcia is a joint US/UK installation.  Think "really big aircraft carrier that doesn't move."  It serves as a depot for US equipment that can be deployed all over that part of the world.  Tom Clancy has some great coverage of it in Executive Orders with "task force Comedy," a military supply convoy being deployed to Iraq led by a real ROLO ship, the USNS Bob Hope.  They go into harms way blaring "Thanks For The Memories" over the loudspeakers.  I love it.

USNS BOB HOPE   (T-AKR 300)
Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ship

 

USNS Bob Hope is one of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ships and is part of the 28 ships in the Sealift Program Office.

 

• Length:	950 feet
• Beam:	106 feet
• Draft:	34 feet
• Displacement:	62,069 long tons
• Speed:	24.0 knots
• Organization:	Surge
• Civilian:	30
• Military:	0

 

 

There is a Diego Garcia web site which gives a good summary of what their mission is.  All public information.  No risks.

It is obvious from the picture that a tidal wave could do real damage, but it's also obvious that this is a peak, with no "shallows" for the tidal wave to build up. Tidal waves don't effect ships at sea in deep water. They only become dangerous when they reach shallow water and rise up with the rising ocean floor. I'm betting the sides of Diego Garcia don't "rise" so much as go straight up. It would mean the effect would be more like that on a ship at sea.

[Battle Hymn of the Republic]

I am thankful it seems OK at Diego Garcia.

Thanks for posting that verse... it's actually Luke 21:25 :-)

Events are sure happening at a fast rate these days. I believe the tsunami is nothing compared to what will happen to the earth in the near future...

29 He taught them a lesson. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.

30 When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;

31 in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.