HMS Ocean navigating the Thames barrier

[chazola]

is it me or was this a bit of a close call- brown trousers and a bking or no-one's fault?
When I used to live near the river I noticed anything being towed went at a fair rate, I guess due to strong currents?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/9245926/...

[Stuck In A Lift]

Where is the best place to view this from?

[markmullen]

She's right hand drive, you always get closer on the side you can see easier

The rearmost tug did appear to be trying to bring her back to the left.

[JAHetfield]

That was nearly close!

[Simpo Two]

I wondered why we're using a naval asset for AA cover when it would surely be simpler to use land-based systems. Or haven't we got any of those? Helicopters and marines can work from land, sparing the ship for use elsewhere.

NB Looking at the aerial view I suspect the ship clipped the barrier - hence the cut to a different angle.

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 4th May 16:41

[anonymous-user]

Simpo Two said:

I wondered why we're using a naval asset for AA cover when it would surely be simpler to use land-based systems. Or haven't we got any of those? Helicopters and marines can work from land, sparing the ship for use elsewhere.

NB Looking at the aerial view I suspect the ship clipped the barrier - hence the cut to a different angle.

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 4th May 16:41

I imagine it's there more as a statement than anything else.

[davepoth]

Simpo Two said:

I wondered why we're using a naval asset for AA cover when it would surely be simpler to use land-based systems. Or haven't we got any of those? Helicopters and marines can work from land, sparing the ship for use elsewhere.

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 4th May 16:41

Because it's a lot easier to move the ship into place rather than parking the ship in Portsmouth, taking off all of its helicopters, spares, weapons, fuel, maintenance equipment and crew, trucking it 70 miles to London, finding somewhere to store it all securely and under cover in the middle of the city, and then sending it back again six weeks later? Ocean isn't any use without helicopters and crew.

[Dogwatch]

'Left hand down a bit.......'

BOINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG


'Oh, lummy!!!!'

[Ayahuasca]

Miles away.

[Ross1988]

They are deploying Rapier batteries to defend the airspace. I'm not too sure that HMS Ocean is there for defence purposes, rather the Navy getting in on the act, as the army is deploying 13,500 troops to help. They have to justify their budget somehow.

[anonymous-user]

...and the OOW was heard to say, mere seconds before....."Right, hold my beer and watch this......"

[LotusOmega375D]

You could get a bus through there!

Apparently the Navy has also recommissioned the 6" guns on HMS Belfast to keep any potential land-based invaders outside the M25. This combination of MoD and Border Agency immigration policies should ensure that the Olympics takes place without any hitch, or without any pesky foreign spectators for that matter.

[Simpo Two]

davepoth said:

Because it's a lot easier to move the ship into place rather than parking the ship in Portsmouth, taking off all of its helicopters, spares, weapons, fuel, maintenance equipment and crew, trucking it 70 miles to London, finding somewhere to store it all securely and under cover in the middle of the city, and then sending it back again six weeks later? Ocean isn't any use without helicopters and crew.

Sure. I was being optimistic and assuming we had other AA assets knocking about somewhere in the UK.

Evidently we don't. Let's hope we don't need AA cover when HMS Ocean is on the other side of the world...

Although from Ross says it's more of a testing/show-off thing.

[markmullen]

LotusOmega375D said:

Apparently the Navy has also recommissioned the 6" guns on HMS Belfast to keep any potential land-based invaders outside the M25. This combination of MoD and Border Agency immigration policies should ensure that the Olympics takes place without any hitch, or without any pesky foreign spectators for that matter.

The big boys outside the Imperial War Museum would be amazing to recommission.

[Huntsman]

I'm amazed Ocean has that big rust streak running down from the anchor.

[Hooli]

LotusOmega375D said:

You could get a bus through there!

Apparently the Navy has also recommissioned the 6" guns on HMS Belfast to keep any potential land-based invaders outside the M25. This combination of MoD and Border Agency immigration policies should ensure that the Olympics takes place without any hitch, or without any pesky foreign spectators for that matter.

People foreign to London from outside the M25, you mean the English?

[Skywalker]

So, nothing to do with having a full range of medical facilities and the ability to hide hundreds of Booties inside the steel hull then. All this in addition to the flight deck and helis.

It sounds like a sensible plan.

Is the US Navy going to have a CVN or a Gator parked in the Thames estuary too? Well, they always by coincidence have a CVN on a friendship visit whenever POTUS comes to stay.

[coanda]

I think this asset was specifically intended to calm our nearest and dearest allies. We would have had a USMC baby carrier otherwise.

[mickrick]

Perfectly manouvered. Loads of room.

[anonymous-user]

Skywalker said:

So, nothing to do with having a full range of medical facilities......

Granted, she's got a large(ish) sickbay but......"a full range" of facilities? Better and bigger than the main London hospitals?