Since it is nearly the dead of winter in the northern hemisphere and there is little better to do then be an armchair or internet sailor until it thaws (still waiting for the deep freeze in NY) I'm going to give a pop quiz. You just have to check 2 links on maritime disasters and try to identify some common causality between the two very different mishaps. Both are very recent. One has been international news since it happened and another was on US inland waters.
This one you can scan through to get the drift but you must figure out why or how the captain and pilot used the channel they did to get under the bridge. You are going to have to scroll down a bit to see the pictures and description: 2012nightmare_Delta_mariner.html
This accident you will recognize but I think that the assessment of the author is quite interesting (few pictures so this one deserves actually reading it): 2012 Nightmare:Allision of M/V Delta Mariner
Sure, the death totals and total damage in each case was different but one of the root causes of each of these accidents was the same.
Name that cause? - for 1 point.
The author of the text in my second link makes an interesting statement: "The casualty occurring despite the availability of technologically advanced navigational equipment is likely to precipitate further discussion and argument whether such equipment de-skills traditional navigational knowledge and practice, a corollary to the general belief that mariners are allowing technology to do their thinking."
He used the word "de-skills" (is that a word?). What do you think? - for 5 points.
I know this is kind of stirring an old simmering pot but it is winter up here in the northeastern US; even if it is pretending it is not.
This one you can scan through to get the drift but you must figure out why or how the captain and pilot used the channel they did to get under the bridge. You are going to have to scroll down a bit to see the pictures and description: 2012nightmare_Delta_mariner.html
This accident you will recognize but I think that the assessment of the author is quite interesting (few pictures so this one deserves actually reading it): 2012 Nightmare:Allision of M/V Delta Mariner
Sure, the death totals and total damage in each case was different but one of the root causes of each of these accidents was the same.
Name that cause? - for 1 point.
The author of the text in my second link makes an interesting statement: "The casualty occurring despite the availability of technologically advanced navigational equipment is likely to precipitate further discussion and argument whether such equipment de-skills traditional navigational knowledge and practice, a corollary to the general belief that mariners are allowing technology to do their thinking."
He used the word "de-skills" (is that a word?). What do you think? - for 5 points.
I know this is kind of stirring an old simmering pot but it is winter up here in the northeastern US; even if it is pretending it is not.