Model Boat Mayhem

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length.
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Hiding Waverley's engine!  (Read 3414 times)

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Hiding Waverley's engine!
« on: March 25, 2008, 08:31:38 pm »

I've copied this from another Forum. It leaves you speechless.

Colin

*************************

SECURITY measures have been stepped up on board the world's last sea-going paddle steamer amid fears that pleasure cruises around Britain's coasts could be targeted by terrorists.
Operators of the paddle steamer Waverley, which ferries passengers along the Dorset coast every summer, have had to comply with new Department of Transport security regulations.
Paddle Steamer Preservation Society chairman Myra Allen said: "The threat of terrorism is not something normally associated with paddle steamers and coastal cruising but unfortunately in recent years it has invaded our lives in many ways.
"It is now a requirement that our sea-going ships have to be assessed for their security risks and appropriate measures taken. In the main, this affects access to ships' bridges and engine rooms."
Paddle steamers run by Glasgow-based Waverley Excursions Ltd have now been "assessed" by the Department of Transport's Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate.
Writing in the Spring issue of Paddle Wheels, the Paddle Steam Preservation Society's magazine, the chairman said it would now be necessary to erect some barriers on the bridge deck of the Waverley and its sister vessel Balmoral to make access to the bridge more secure.
advertisement

The chairman described TRANSEC's suggestion that a barrier should be erected to enclose Waverley's engine room as "a devastating requirement, as the unobstructed view of the engine is of course one of the major attractions of travelling on our beautiful paddle steamer."
She added: "It is hoped that the commitment by Waverley Excursions to have the engine room constantly manned will remove to a large extent the need for such an obtrusive barrier.
"A barrier will be made however so it can be erected quickly in cases where the country is on increased security alert.
"Equally I hope the barrier arrangement on Balmoral's bridge deck does not ruin her appearance and not interfere with the excellent visibility that the crew - and passengers - have had to date."

The Balmoral will sail around the Dorset coast in June while the Waverley will make a return visit to the area in September.
   
     

Logged

Bunkerbarge

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,510
  • Location: Halifax, UK
Re: Hiding Waveley's engine!
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2008, 09:22:35 pm »

It's a sad reflection of our times I'm afraid Colin and it can only continue to get worse.

Unfortunately there are now hundreds of thousands of people around the world who make a living out of the very threat of terrorism and the paranoia that this generates, safe in the knowledge that no-one dares to question any such initiatives for fear of being seen as unsupportive or even subversive.

Common sense is out of the window and normal lives continue to be encroached on in every area we deal in from getting on a plane to visiting most large business offices.

Who is going to be brave enough to stick thier neck out and cry what stupidity this is when even the feintest niggle at the back of thier minds causes them to wonder just what could actually happen?

Security forces, government agencies and beaurocracy in general revel in such job creation schemes and normal citizens continue to pay more and more in insurance and taxes to cover the costs.

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code was the fastest piece of IMO legislation ever to be put in place, being adopted on the 12th December 2002, just over a year after the 9/11 attacks.

Compare that to some of the Solas amendments that took nearly 10 years to see implemented after the Herald of Free Enterprise incident and you see how things are going.
Logged
"Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

cos918

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,278
  • Location: Abingdon
Re: Hiding Waveley's engine!
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2008, 09:36:12 pm »

I have to agree that we now live in a mad world run by head less chickens or it would seam.
When i was on the QE2 i asked the Captin and he said, i would love to let you see the bridge if it was up to him but due to new laws no one is aloud on the bridge. How sad is this and how many children will grow up not been on a ships bridge or a aeroplane cockpit. Welcome to the mad world.

john
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Hiding Waveley's engine!
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2008, 09:42:59 pm »

True, but there's no logic to it is there? With the exception of high profile potential targets such as airliners which experience shows need special treatment, you can argue that everything is at risk. Somebody might blow up the Waverley but where's the kudos in that compared, say with blowing up a bus in Oxford Street. The assumption is that there is an equal degree of risk everywhere but that simply isn't true, in the majority of cases it is minute to non existent and money spent on it is money wasted. If terrorists want to blow up something then they will, there are plenty of totally unprotected potential targets.

I find it hard to believe that somebody seriously thinks that there is a risk of terrorists taking over the bridge of the Waverley and ramming it ito the Queen Mary 2 or something similar which is essentially what they are suggesting. meanwhile they are happy to blithely spoil the enjoyment of thousands but of course that's "not my problem Guv!"  >>:-(

Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Hiding Waveley's engine!
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2008, 10:05:29 pm »

As a further comment on my last post, many years ago I was responsible on behalf of the County Council's Social Services Department for visiting our old people's homes with the fire prevention officer for risk assessment purposes. The fire guy would have a look round and then say, "well you need a three storey fire escape on the front of the building because one of the bedrooms is more than x feet from an internal fire door." This would have cost thousands of pounds and ruined the appearance of the building. I then had to negotiate alternative solutions involving various measures which would cost a hell of a lot less but still provide an acceptable risk reduction - and there were almost always ways of satisfactorily doing this. The problem was that the fire guy had no responsibility for the cost effectiveness of what he was proposing, I on the other hand, had the budget!

The problem with these things is that the people responsible for enforcing the law have no responsibility for the consequences of their actions so they tend to cover their backs by going for the easy option. It seems that the Waverley people have recognised this in undertaking to have the engine room continually manned. Any terrorist mad enough to throw himself into the conrods would swiftly find his remains shovelled into the firebox! But I suppose that would deny his human rights!
Logged

dougal99

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,326
  • Huntingdon, Cambs, England
  • Location: Huntingdon, England
Re: Hiding Waveley's engine!
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2008, 10:33:00 pm »

In my experience many security 'experts' hide behind  "it's only advice".

Thus if you follow it and run up a huge bill they can say it was only advice. However, if you ignore it and something happens they can say 'well we did give you advice'.

Risk is, of course, an alogether different subject.  8)

Logged
Don't Assume Check

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2008, 10:45:56 pm »

Yes, but if it's only advice you can at least make up your own mind. My house was built in the mid Sixties. If I were to respond to one of those offers from my power company offering a "wiring check" I'm sure I would be told that I need a complete rewire as the house doesn't meet modern standards - which it doesn't, but that doesn't make it unsafe. If I were to take the "advice" it would cost me a fortune as the wiring is buried in the plaster with no conduits and the whole place would been to be redecorated afterwards. But I can make that choice myself.

The problem is when you are told that you "must" do something by somebody who has no regard for the consequences. The latest example being the Government's proposals to stop shops displaying cigarettes and insist that they be sold from under the counter which will involve a lot of small businesses in a lot of expense, but what do the Government care? I don't smoke but neither do i like it when people "in authority" come up with bright ideas which cost a bomb - of somebody else's money.
Logged

inverclyde-ted

  • Guest
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2008, 11:10:47 pm »

Back to the subject,
As a boy living on the River Clyde, I have fond memories of watching these great shafts of steel, brass and oil, thrusting power to the two paddle wheels. It was the highlight of the crossing from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute to Gourock, via the now defunct piers including Inellan, Strone etc.
What a sad reflection of the world we now live in...........I cant even find an emoticon to describe my feelings
Logged

gingyer

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,684
  • Location: Glasgow
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2008, 12:33:22 am »

I too remember my mum and dad taking me on board the waverley as it tied up at millport for an hour to see the engines.
It was all cordoned off with a glass panel panel was really interesting to see in the engine room. It is a shame for those who
will never get the chance to see inside any engine room never mind a paddle steamer's

Logged

funtimefrankie

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,259
  • Location: Birkdale, Lancashire. twixt the Mersey & the Ribble
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2008, 08:35:29 am »

But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes.
Logged

DickyD

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9,423
  • www.srcmbc.org.uk
  • Location: Southampton UK
    • SRCMBC
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2008, 09:14:45 am »

But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes.
Pardon.
Logged
Richard Solent Radio Controlled Model Boat Club http://www.srcmbc.org.uk

farrow

  • Guest
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2008, 11:05:02 pm »

The Balmoral has 450 reasons on the coast and 750 in the river, an easy target which a terrorist would love. The same applies to the paddler, it is numbers of people taken out that grabs headlines which these sad people want and no one really understands them, which makes matters worse so governments must take action to protect the public or else they get voted out when they are seen not to act by the voting public. The new security regs are a major headache to the mariner industry as a whole and I am glad I am now out of it.
Logged

funtimefrankie

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,259
  • Location: Birkdale, Lancashire. twixt the Mersey & the Ribble
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2008, 08:36:57 am »

But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes.
Pardon.
But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes. :(
Logged

westcoaster

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 180
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2008, 09:28:29 am »

But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes.
Pardon.
But then, the Twin Towers would still be there if terrorists had found their way into the cockpits of the planes. :(

Double typo ??
Logged

Willit

  • Guest
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2008, 09:16:20 pm »

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say it.


utter sillyness.

I severely doubt any terrorists in this country are aware of Waverley's existence at all.


And tbh, I bet you could inflict much better damage to the ship by sitting near the windows in the restaurent or bow saloon and then blowing yourself up, as you'd be blowing a hole in her hull.  The engine room, although a vital bit of ship space, is quite open, so could probably take a non-sinkable blast ok.  That is, unless the boilers went up too. 
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #15 on: March 30, 2008, 09:30:22 pm »

To a terrorist, a bomb on a bus in Oxford Street must be a greater attraction. The real risk to Waverley is minute. Yes, utter sillyness.
Logged

farrow

  • Guest
Re: Hiding Waverley's engine!
« Reply #16 on: April 12, 2008, 06:01:13 pm »

I believe I have recently heard of new construction vessels being built with no bridge doors to stop unwanted intruders entering the bridge, point a rifle at me through the glass window and I believe I will still put my hands in the air.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.107 seconds with 21 queries.