"Where in North America?" --- Section III

[Mark Sedenquist]

Another lighthouse.... One of the tallest in America was this one at Point Pigeon, in California. This one is a little smaller in scale.... What is it's name and location?

(Photo by Gerald Thurman)

[Eris]

Derby Wharf Lighthouse, Salem, Massachusetts.

Went to Salem because of the witch trial history. Nearby is Gloucester “Prefect Storm” film location if I remember correctly.

{Eris How in the blazes did you get this one that fast? A perfect 3 for 3 in less than an hour -- I bow to your knowledge...} --- Mark

[CalOldBlue]

I used to work for a container line (APL), who acted as advisor for the shot of the container ship in the film (maybe a 30 second scene).

In 1998, the APL China ran into a typhoon between Taiwan and Seattle. This ship is 900' feet long, and too wide to fit through the Panama Canal.

The Longshoremen took shots of the end result after it limped into port:

here's the tail end of the ship, those boxes pushed over are about 9'X9'X40' and full of expensive imports from Asia:

Photo: ILWU 19

Some went overboard, a number still onboard were left hanging over the side, ripped open.

Thankfully no lives were lost.

Here's the full ILWU site on the incident: ILWU account of unloading the APL China

[Mark Sedenquist]

I spent about 30 minutes looking at the photos and the accounts of the work by the longshoreman tasked with unloading the containers from the China. That was really amazing -- pretty amazing that the ship made it to Seattle at all.

This seems like a good place to drop this photo in:

These are all what we call Supply Vessels. They call at the platform roughly once a week to bring everything we need to continue operating - from crankshafts for 4000 hp diesel engines to toilet rolls. Needless to say that in conditions like these they just have to steam up and down waiting for the sea to subside before we can call them in to work them.
UKTrevor (Trevor Longden) Trevor works on an oil rig in the north sea. (I actually get a little queasy looking at this one -- serious sea-sickness potential out there)

I can't remember the size of these supply vessels -- but they must be at least 300 feet long -- look the wave height on this one -- this wasn't apparently even what they consider a stormy day!

(Photo by Trevor Longden)

[Mark Sedenquist]

Here's another reasonably important building -- there's a visual hint in the photo... (albeit a subtle one).

(Photo by Gerald Thurman)

[Eris]

Very interesting looking through the photos and reading the background into this incident and the North Sea detail.

The "Perfect Storm" is one of those films that really took my attention.

You look at the size of the ship APL China and yet nature still gets the upper hand. Thankfully no one was hurt.

If anything I'm more a landlubber with very little experience with the sea - wouldn't be much good to a ship Captain.

Current photo hasn't struck a cord yet other than looking very official.

[glc]

The only thing I see in that photo that might be a hint is what looks like a state flag.

[CalOldBlue]

Shipping can be hazardous to your health. In WWII, the "service" with the highest casualty rate was the Merchant Marine. Obviously for reasons other than weather, but....

For another amazing disaster at sea, do a google image search on "Hanjin Pennsylvania". Spectacular explosion/fire in the Indian ocean... burned practically to the waterline but somehow kept afloat and was towed back to Singapore. There WERE some deaths associated with this one.

I don't think they ever identified what went off; chemicals or undeclared fireworks. Per regulations, fireworks and other explosive items must be loaded above deck, so if the worst happens, the ship's structural integrity can survive. This was something that ignited in a hold just ahead of the superstructure.

The Hanjin Pennsylvania and the APL China are both post-Panamaxes, about 900 feet long or so. They are rated by the number of 20' long containers they can carry, in this case about 5,000 (although most containers are 40', so in reality about 2,500 40' containers). There are vessels today that can carry almost 3 times this number; but the ports they can call are somewhat constrained due to the need for special cranes, docks, etc.

Looks like somebody either fibbed (to get a cheaper rate) or somebody mis-stowed a container.

There are some spectacular photos of the exposion and aftermath out there on the web.

Back to the topic at hand; I'm either going to need a clue or I'm going to start surfing (later today).

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hint: #2
It is in Washington, DC... The work therein began nearly 39 years ago...

Mark

[CalOldBlue]

That would be maybe EPA?

If this is correct, I have an old slide from that era I can offer up as the next opportunity.