Ships Happen

I have always been fascinated by ships. 

At this very moment as I look up from my office desk which overlooks the mighty Humber Estuary I am poised with mobile phone in hand to go onto the ShipFinder App. On the high tide there is a steady line of vessels coming into view making its way upstream to the Port of Goole, down the Trent and many other destinations which link into this extensive navigable corridor. 

On my way home from work every day I pass by the Western Docks of Hull which usually has a good assortment of ocean going craft moored up for a layover, refit or unfortunately waiting to be scrapped. 

My affinity to such things is not a genetic one as I have no ancestral link, as far as I am aware, to seafaring or boats although my father did build a wooden canoe from a kit in the living room back in the 1970's. 

My late father in law did work on fuel barges when just in his teenage years and although he never spoke about it much we think that he may have been in some of the Convoy vessels that made the treacherous and perilous trips from UK waters into the Arctic in the Second World War. 

I always took my children when young to see any ships that had an open day in Hull Docks. It was always better when father in law came along and we revelled in his enthusiasm. 

A regular event in a city of such rich maritime tradition was always a ship launch with there being active shipbuilders on the banks of the River Hull and the Humber. 

By the way the canoe is still in the family and I have sort of inherited it with every expectation of getting out on the water at some time. 

There are of course many great movies featuring life at sea. My absolute favourite which made it into the TV schedules over the Festive Period is the Peter Weir film of "Master and Commander" but I was also brought up with the likes of "A Night to Remember", "The Poseidon Adventure", "The Cruel Sea" and "Mutiny on the Bounty". The quest to locate the sunken wreck of RMS Titanic by Robert Ballard in 1985 also caught my imagination. My perception of that luxurious liner is largely based on its status at the time of its launch as the largest of its kind. It was 269 metres long and with a breadth of just over 28 metres. Her total height from keel to bridge was some 32 metres. 

The Titanic was held to be a marvel of its age and a magnificent feat of engineering not to mention the level of opulence and extravagance in its fitting out. 

Unfortunately the combination of events and the tragic loss of life from of her sinking only served to highlight the futility of humans when confronted by the sheer power of the natural world. 

So, fast forward to the modern era of ocean going liners which have once again been steeped in controversy and tragedy through their association with the Pandemic amongst passengers and crew in 2020. 

Just take a look at the image below which superimposes one of the largest current cruise ships onto an image of the Titanic. 

The advances in technology and engineering have been stupendous although as with the Titanic there can never really be a claim that a ship is infallible or unsinkable.