Huge Explosion reported at Mobile Alabama shipyard

Twitchy.com ^ | 04/24/13 | twitchy staff

[Mmogamer]

BREAKING NEWS: Explosion shook houses and blew doors open in Spanish Fort.

[MestaMachine]

The Gulf oil rig.

[EBH]

Well are you sure they were unloaded? Had natural gas and then unloaded....

or

Were they empty and had just been loaded? As in they were load earlier in the day....as in they were previously loaded and waiting to leave port?

[EBH]

It is the slow breakdown of worker responsibility described as in Atlas Shrugged. Regulation upon regulation leads to the people feeling like they don’t need to think or use common sense. The culmination mark is the tunnel scene where the wrong kind of train is used. The lead up to the moment describes the layers upon layers in the decision tree to use one locomotive or wait. But sprinkled throughout the storyline is the malaise of common sense and safety.

As we wind down into the socialist/fascist pit we will begin to witness a drop in workplace safety. These ‘accidents’ we’re seeing now are just the tip of the iceberg. As these ‘accidents’ increase in frequency, expect to see tougher enforcement or more ‘rules’ put into place.

We’d have to do some research, but curiosity would be to look at ‘accidents’ during the Clinton, Bush years verses what we’ve witnessed under 0bama in a short 5 year span?

The reality is these ‘accidents’ are just a symptom of the larger changes taking place in our culture and society.

[EBH]

I assume the barges were containerized?

[Mathews]

Hey! I just moved from Spanish Fort. Lived in Timbercreek. Now I live in Detroit. Not the same...

[eastforker]

A wire shorted out in the main tank, I thought everyone knew that by now.

[cva66snipe]

Shipyards under the best of conditions are a dangerous place to work. Explosions in one form or another aren't that uncommon unfortunately and it's been that way since modern shipyards came to be. My last year on ship we were in a one year overhaul. I was T.A.D. to the ships Fire Department for six months and then went back to my shop for my final six months of enlistment to train a new crew of Snipes.

During my last six months I was also on Rescue and Assistance Detail which was back up for our own Fire Department and could be sent to assist other ships in the yards.

One night we were called to gear up to assist another ship a few piers away. Seems a yardbird went to weld in a space with explosive gases. Killed him and his fire watch best I remember.

[penelopesire]

Reports are that they had been unloaded and were in the cleaning dock. Liquified natural gas is very volatile.

[Bulwyf]

I’d say Reagan should be in charge. How about we just let Allen West handle things?

[PaleoBob]

Is April a cursed month?

---

The cruelest month.

[daniel1212]

My now-deceased dad was an expert welder at Beth steel for 35 years, then Porstmouth, and being short (5’1’’) he was a favorite to work in subs. Of course you always had to have a fire watch, but on gov. ships, which took about 3 times as long to repair due to the regs,

And sometimes a piece of something could smolder or do a small burn and which small cases my dad was good at quickly blowing or smothering it out rather than using the fire extinguisher, for if a fire extinguisher was used even for a second then a lengthy investigation took place.

[Fresh Wind]

Nothing to worry about, Obama (peace be upon him) has assured us that the war on terror is over.

[PaleoBob]

God I wish W were leading our men and women as CINC.

---

W? So he could grant more Chechnyan Muslims political asylum in the USA?

[Lucky9teen]

Time to ban that fuel....

[Resolute Conservative]

I told you so... I am off to fight...

[oh8eleven]

Explosion shook houses and blew doors open in Spanish Fort.
History repeats.
My ggg-Grandfather fought in the battle of Spanish Fort during the Civil War. He was Union artillery.
Later claimed his deafness was due to the firing of the guns during this battle and received a small "pension."

[Monterrosa-24]

“...So he could grant more Chechnyan Muslims political asylum...”

And let's not forget the thousands of Somalians George W. brought us with expedited immigration. And the thousands of Kurds from W's Iraq.

[TribalPrincess2U]

And the WH.

[PapaBear3625]

I always thought natural gas was carried in containers as compressed natural gas (CNG). Propane is in a liquid state when in a tank.

Make NG cold enough, and it turns to liquid, which allows easier transport (as long as it stays cold). Look up "liquified natural gas"

[CMB_polarization]

How would anyone know this after the explosion? Or did people see the electrical arcing and jump into the water to get away?