Mail: "RN Loses 2,000lb WW2 Mine Off Essex Coast After Trying To Blow It Up"

[TheLa]

RN Divers drop mirror in Gemini - And lose mine in the process...

BBC News - Royal Navy search for missing WWII mine off Essex coast

I remember this happening to us a good few years back, rather pleased that Aunty Beeb didn't jump over us for this!

 

[frogman007]

Lads just wanted another night in a hotel, Southend good night out on a Saturday.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

Jesus wept.

It must be summer again.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

One would've hoped after the last debacle, the public relations gurus would refrain from grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory again & waited until the 'ber-nag' before admitting involvement.

Then again, at least the branch has operational credibility to offset the inevitable mockery.

 

[frogman007]

Must be down to poor leadership eh?

:wink:

Look at the SD's sticking up for each other! Friends with ATG by any chance???? Also might have been the Boss's job. He is SD bet your view would change then.

 

[frogman007]

FLASH!!

You Lose

:wink:[/QUOTE


Flash? Not at all. But it did hit the hammer on the head- SD's sticking up for each other.

 

[WreckerL]

FLASH!!

You Lose

:wink:[/QUOTE


Flash? Not at all. But it did hit the hammer on the head- SD's sticking up for each other.

I thought you hit nails on the head or do divers do it differently ?

 

[frogman007]

I thought you hit nails on the head or do divers do it differently ?

Ha bizzarely I actually looked that up before posting. Some pages say the head of the hammer, some say the head of the nail. 50/50 and I got it wrong.

 

[yamyamdabber]

Is this actually a cover up for an STC operation??

Or just a bubble head screw up. They could have put it off awaiting the hair gel resupply scheduled for tomorrow!

 

[alfred_the_great]

And, WRT your comment ref ATG - I don't know him from Adam and wouldn't know who he was if he were to walk past me in the Wardroom bar.

And here's you saying you'd never forget me after *that* night....

 

[21_Man]

Tooo much Brylcream.........a 'slip(k)not'?

 

[soleil]

Royal Navy loses 2,000lb World War Two mine off Essex coast after trying to blow it up | Mail Online

 

[WreckerL]

Already covered Sol
http://www.navy-net.co.uk/gash-barge/62086-rn-divers-drop-mirror-gemini-lose-mine-process.html

 

[soleil]

Thanks WreckerL, that's what happens when you spend all afternoon in the hairdressers!

 

[janner]

Thanks WreckerL, that's what happens when you spend all afternoon in the hairdressers!

WreckerL has the same problem Sol/

 

[WreckerL]

WreckerL has the same problem Sol/

I'm there collecting for Rummer's new syrup.

 

[Naval_Gazer]

I'd treat what some of the media are saying with a pinch of salt. The prevailing weather conditions have been appalling and this device is in an exposed area some distance offshore.

Such circumstances can't have been conducive to safe diving operations, especially where the handling and initiation of high explosives is involved. However, it's all too easy for the ill-informed to get the wrong end of the stick.

Thames Area Shipping Forecast
​

Gale warnings - Issued: 2156 UTC Fri 15 Jul

Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Shipping Forecast - Issued: 1625 UTC Sat 16 Jul

Wind: South or southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea State: Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather: Rain then squally showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

As a matter interest, does anyone know whether they teach knot-tying at Raleigh on tne Initial Naval Training course?

 

[frogman007]

As a matter interest, does anyone know whether they teach knot-tying at Raleigh on tne Initial Naval Training course?

Did in 1987 oppo.

 

[Naval_Gazer]

Safety is the order of the day. As I strongly suspected, the divers deliberately relaid the mine in a known position (probably by gradually deflating the lifting bag which could easily be mistaken for a buoy) pending an improvement in the appalling weather conditions and the RNLI/MCA appear to have misread the situation. In view of the weather forecast, I'd be surprised if the divers manage to dispose of the mine on Sunday, either.

Navy divers 'did not lose war mine'
​

...a Royal Navy spokesman denied that the mine had been lost, saying: "Because of the extreme weather off the coast it's looking likely to be (Sunday) to get down and dive on it.

"They know where the mine is. They put it down on the sea bed and they won't lose track of it. It's never been lost. They know where it is. When it's safe to do so they will get down to it and dive on it. They put it on the sea bed safely."

The Royal Navy team will return to the scene with their own boat, when they hope to make physical contact with the mine and detonate it safely.

Incidentally, a German 2,000 lb ground mine (see below) looks nothing like the moored mine shown in the Daily Mail article.

​