Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
These images come from the wonderful Retronaut. In the upper shot, a group of submarine crew in 1908 try on their escape equipment – I’m reminded of the Dr Who-style diving suit I posted about some years ago.
And the lower image – well, I think it’s pretty well indescribable, at least with a straight face.
Click on the images see a bigger image, and to find out a little more!
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The story of high-tech Naval submarine HMS Astute getting stuck in the Kyle of Lochalsh is possibly disappointing for tax payers who paid for all the technology and training that’s meant to prevent this kind of thing – and probably even worse for the officers involved.
Still, it does make me feel a little better able to forgive myself for all errors I’ve made in sailing over the years – and leads me to fervently hope all my future mistakes will have equally minor consequences. I also recommend reading Ewan Kennedy’s musings about the event – he knows the area, and argues that it is in fact well charted though it’s lucky the big, expensive boat hit gravel and not rock. My thanks to John Lockwood for tipping me off about this.
One other thought thought is this. I’ve never has occasion to look at a map of the area before, but I must say the Kyle looks like a super cruising ground for small boats.
PS – Thanks to John again, I’ve learned that the sub got damaged by the tug that pulled it free.