Container ship verses tall ship, ooops

[John Arton]

Maersk container ship entering freemantle harbour struck Australia biggest sail trading ship Leeuwin, dismasting it and them struck the maritime museum.
Rgds
J.A.
https://splash247.com/maersk-vessel-...ing-fremantle/

[j.sabourn]

In 1997 or thereabouts I was on the Leeuwin as part of a volunteer crew to keep in line with Transport regulations re certificated watch keepers. At that time there were only 3 paid mariners on board they were the skipper a retired ANL master, the Cook, and the motor mechanic come chief engineer who worked and maintained the small diesel engine on deck for getting into and out of port. They were all otherwise volunteers. So when they say two of the crew they were probably just watchmen hired in port to tend the ropes etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the short time I was on her , and saw some of todays youth go though a change of behaviour for the better in a very short time. I hope repairs are possible and the insurance covers them. Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John A
Thanks for this post, now I know what john Sabourn was on about, I hadn't seen anything on the news about it, what a sorry thing for a modern ship to nearly destroy such a marvelous ship.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

I wonder the wisdom in berthing the yacht in what appears to be a container port!!

[j.sabourn]

The container part of the port is on the other side of the rather large expanse of water opposite the passenger terminal John. If she had struck a passenger ship it would have been tit for tat as regards damage , she should have picked on someone her own size. When I was on the Leeuwin the old skipper told me to take her out on the engine , when outside all the youths over 16 were up aloft dropping the sails and my job was to handle the wheel and teach those younger ones how to steer by compass and keep out of coming into stays that is with the wind right ahead or close to it and going nowhere. Easy to steer and nothing to hear ,just the swish of water, no smell of engine oil and peace and quiet. JS

[j.sabourn]

Don’t know if already remarked or not as can’t see, but the vessel is not a yacht , she is Barque rigged and the nearest thing to a proper ship in this part of the world available at the moment. Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

If you had looked up in the dictionary 50 years ago the word ship you would have been given the definition a 3 or 4 masted waterborne vessel square rigged on at least 3 masts. Today you will see something like a vessel used to navigate on water. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
She must have had a pilot on board who would know the port, was the wind up at the time? It would have been distressing for the young people who had sailed on her to see the mess she was in. We have had wind gusts of up to 170 kilometers an hour here and we are lucky as the Alps cut the really strong gusts away from us. Any chance you knew the pilot? as Freemantle is a small place, or at least it was when I was last there.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Used to know one of the pilots Des a John Major. That was years ago I only knew him through my sister who was a nurse who worked with his wife. JS.
Not the politician one. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
It's going to cost Mearsk or their insurer a swag
to rebuild it.
Des