[SOC] Re: [Sidebar] Re: [E-Q&A] Nothing much

[Paul Bartlett]

Speaking of 'Ooops'.

Another anecdote. This time from Danny, fellow villager and sometime mariner
and submariner. Umm. He drinks beer too...

Danny was on a frigate on the Armilla patrol (Indian Ocean) and had been
steaming up and down between Madagasgar and the coast of northern South
Africa for 12 weeks. The normal tour was six weeks but the replacement
vessel was broken so this crew had to suffer double. Up and down, up and
down looking for gun runners running arms and munitions into South Africa.

Anyhow, one fine day a small fast vessel was spotted from the frigate
attempting to run the straits. It was radioed and hailed and ordered to
heave to.

No response.

Skipper sez, "Guns! put a shot across her bows.". A shell duly splashes
ahead of the boat but it doesn't stop.

Skipper sez, "Guns! put another not across her bows!"

Guns gives the orders but hadn't taken into account the fact that the other
boat was travelling somewhat faster than the frigate and the shell that was
intended across the bows was a direct hit. At this point, the target
disintegrated as its cargo of weapons and high explosives detonated.

Danny said that there was for a moment a hemispherical hole in the ocean
where the gun runner had been.

Apparently there was complete silence on the frigate's bridge apart from
Guns' solitaritary comment of, "Ooops".

Paul ;-)



----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian C. Purdie" <ianpurdie@integritynet.com.au>
To: <Sidebar@vk2tips.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: [Sidebar] Re: [E-Q&A] Nothing much


> Paul Bartlett wrote:
>
> > Ooops.
>
> Yes, I'd say Ooops also.
>
> Broadcast to the world...
>
>
> > Whaddya mean "drinkin'". I'm only just awake.
>
> Hey mate, it's me you talking to. You still awake at 12:44? Oh you're
thinking
> about lunch?
>
> I'm into my second bottle of Sauvignon Chardonnay [apart from the "firsts"
> before] at nearly 11:00 p.m. LT. Well 10:50 p.m.
>
> The thing about you Paul, is that you are a total, inveterate clone of
myself.
>
> God help us if we ever really meet, two peas in a pod.
>
> Your friend
>
> Ian
>
>