Avast me hearties!

[thelionspaw]

Piracy is alive and well, throughout the world.  We have all seen the black powder merchantmen cannon that were required by insurance underwriters in the past. Now they use water cannon against pirates.

Well here's a website that is a little confusing because of it's wealth of interesting "stuff".  A great time-waster when you don't want to do what it is you have to do.  Just surf it for the, "Wow! Look at this." factor.

http://www.cargolaw.com/gallery.html   The site is put up by the insurance underwriters, "Countryman and McDaniels". If you get lost, just google that.

Here is one of interest that I found today.  A modern container ship was almost sunk by the British Navy using black powder cannon balls from an 18th or very early 19th c. ship. 

after you raise the site, scroll down to; SEARCH The Cargo Law Site.  Then click the CIRCLE that has SITE SEARCH.

If you get side-tract and have to use it, the container ship's name is:  M/V Sealand Express.

YO HO HO ......... (Oops! Politically incorrect)  and a bottle of rum ........

Richard

[thelionspaw]

I forgot.  Enter "Piracy" for the SEARCH.  It will help.

rc

[Evil Dog]

Oh wow !!!!  Could I ever waste a lot of time there.  A great area to aimlessly wander around.  Sure beats surfing cheerleadersinbondage

[seacoastartillery]

     Richard,   This is really a great site.  I typed "m/v sealand express" in the search window and the story with all those great pictures came right up. 

The

Here is one of interest that I found today.  A modern container ship was almost sunk by the British Navy using black powder cannon balls from an 18th or very early 19th c. ship. 

YO HO HO ......... (Oops! Politically incorrect)  and a bottle of rum ........

Richard

     I think maybe you should come out of retirement and contact the Madison Avenue crowd; me thinks you have some natural talent for PROMOTION !  This got my attention; there are other great stories and spectacular photos there too like the container ship transporting FIREWORKS !!!  Oh my.   

Thank you,

Tracy and Mike

[thelionspaw]

M&T
I always wore 2 hats.  I free lanced as an independant under contract, writing ad copy to build-up marginal businesses and put them in the black.  Been there; done that.  Now I just kibbitz.  I'm glad you get a kick out of it. 

Did you know that Santa isn't allowed to say, "Ho Ho Ho" in some places.  It was made an issue somewhere in Australia last year.  There's too much education and no common sense in the world.........especially politics.  Batten down the hatches and run-up the guns.  They're getting closer and gaining on us. I hope BP and cannon ownership out-lasts me.   

Ho Ho Ho me hearty.

rc 

[Victor3]

 I work as a casual longshoreman at the LA/Long Beach harbors. That's a site often posted by guys from down on the docks. Amazing what's lost at sea all the time; most of it never makes the news...

[Cat Whisperer]

I work as a casual longshoreman at the LA/Long Beach harbors.
...

Sounds like real WORK, nothing 'casual' about it.   

[GGaskill]

Amazing what's lost at sea all the time; most of it never makes the news.

It truly is.  If flying had this many accidents, nobody would fly.

[Victor3]

I work as a casual longshoreman at the LA/Long Beach harbors.
...

Sounds like real WORK, nothing 'casual' about it.   

 "Casual" denotes that you're not yet a book-signed member of the longshoremen's union (ILWU).
 
Sometimes it's back-breaking, sometimes not - Depends on what job comes up when they call your number. I can be driving new Toyotas off of a ship on a good day , shoveling cement out of a hold on a bad one 

 It's mostly dangerous stuff. Longshore work is worse than firefighting or police work as far as fatalities and major injuries go. Easy to get squished if you're not careful...

[Victor3]

 Last night I was working on a cargo ship, thinking about that one with the Russian tanks recently taken by pirates off of Somalia.

 I wanted to talk to the crew about any experiences they might have had with modern-day pirates, and ask if they would want to have cannons like back in the good ol' days. They no speekee much ingrish though 

 We had fun with the ship's name; I commented that maybe it was indicitive of what the crew might say if they were attacked by pirates.

  Beautiful clear cold night on the waterfront. Sorry for the lousy cell phone pics...

[Cannoneer]

Victor,

   This is so risque it almost offends my sensitivities; if only I had any. Wouldn't offended sensitivities actually be an oxymoron, sensitivities by their very nature being constantly offended? I'll bet it would be more appropriate (at least as far as the English language is concerned) to say, "offends my sensibilities". Now, this last phrase I can hear myself using every now and then, but enough of these gratuitous ramblings.

As some comics like to say; "in all seriousness", what language does MAERSK PHUKET represent?

[Double D]

Phuket is a province in Thailand.

[thelionspaw]

"But seriously folks"; wasn't that the name of the lead for Union Gap? Gary Phuket?

[Terry C.]

To put my contribution to this thread somewhat on-topic, let me first show my vantage point. This an artillery barbette on a bastion top at Fort Clinch in Fernandina, FL, overlooking the entrance to the St Marys River. In the distance you can see Cumberland Island.




Big cargo ships coming through here are a common sight, I usually pay them little attention. But sometimes something about one will grab your attention.




Let's just say if this ship ever gets boarded by pirates, it may be because they were, uh, distracted...




I also have photos of a nuclear missile submarine cruising past the fort, and out to sea. But that's a whole 'nuther story.

[Cannoneer]

"But seriously folks"; wasn't that the name of the lead for Union Gap? Gary Phuket?

   Union Gap; wasn't that the original name of a jeans store that used to pay their employees a decent wage? Ugh, that was bad!
To hell with Gary; as a young man with an artistic frame of mind in New York in the 50's and 60's, how about an anecdote involving a visit to Birdland and hearing Thelonious Monk or John Coltrane up close.

Added 11:56 PM - I don't know how I drifted off on the jazz tangent, but the thought of hearing Trane and Monk in a live setting excited me so much I lost my original thought, which was that the name Gary Phuket reminded me of my favorite limerick: THERE WAS A YOUNG WOMEN FROM NANTUCKET WHO ....... Ahh hell, I can't finish this classic poem here; I might end up really offending someones sensibilities, maybe even their sense of decorum.