Radar?

I just had a conversation about mis-reading radars and what happens?

It happens to the best of us. The weather was just fine on the 5th and the Light Tower was working just fine too...

OIL TANKER RAMS S.I. LIGHT TOWER

AP November 5, 2007 -- An oil tanker slammed into a light tower off Staten Island Saturday, hobbling a navigation aid that helps watch over the main shipping lanes to New York Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The shipping lanes remained open, but the Coast Guard urged boaters to avoid the Ambrose Light until it could be fixed. A Coast Guard vessel was being sent to set up temporary navigation aids until permanent repairs could be made to the tower, about 12 miles southeast of Staten Island and four miles outside the shipping channel.

There are other navigation aids in the area, "but it's very important that all mariners know about this one so they don't come too close to it," Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Annie Berlin said.

The tanker Axel Spirit rammed into the 76-foot steel tower at around 2 a.m. Saturday, damaging its legs, the Coast Guard said. The tower's light - normally visible for about 18 miles - was still on, but no longer rotating and not reliable, Berlin said.

No injuries or leaks were reported. [END]

So the weather was clear, winds light, visability excellant and it still hit the light tower. As two of my maritime buds tell me

"This happens about 2 times a year. In the 3 months I transited between Houston and NYC is happened twice!

And

"Darn it Rob, you're stealing my best after dinner joke !!! (ie the Irish Lighthouse keeper on the radio to a USN aircraft carrier, when the latter hadn't realised that the object in front of him on his radar was a lighthouse..... )."

Remember the Poll!

RS