Not Bus Driving

I am still on holiday so not much about buses. I did watch a program last night on BBC TV called Coast. If you missed it or can't get BBC then shame. Last night's program covered the Thames Estuary and two items caught my eye, the first was the fact that during the 2nd World War bombers from a now friendly nation used to fly up the Thames on their way to London in an attempt to kill everyone there by dropping bombs on them. We, the Brits, fired a lot of anti aircraft shells at them in an attempt to stop them. Lots of the bombs and shells did not work and are still turning up in fishing nets and being dredged up and passing scuba divers are finding them in such numbers that the Royal Navy employ a team who dispose of this unwanted explosive material. It varies in size from a shells of a few kilograms to 250kg and 500 kg bombs. This happens every week and the navy wrap them up in gaffer tape, add some plastic explosive, light the fuse, drop the lot over the side and move away at a speed similar to the last 12 at night running dead back to the depot all the time shouting "Fire in the hole", to passing yachts and scuba divers. My concern here is, What do they shout at all the marine life that is quietly doing what marine life does until a ruddy great bang disturbs them, probably permanently.

Now I know that WW2 bombs turn up from time to time and this ecologically unfriendly method is the easiest way of getting shut of it all so I just watched with fascinated interest. The second item didn't so much catch my eye as had me running for an atlas to reassure myself that the Thames Estuary was in deed a long long way away. It is, by the way, just in case you are unfamiliar with the geography of this fair land.

This item concerned an American ship, the SS Richard Montgomery, that sank in the estuary with at least 1500 tonnes of big bang material still in it's hold. And both the wreck and the dangerous stuff are still there, 60 years later. Presumably just waiting to fulfil it's propose for existing. I.E. To go BANG in a very big way. If it does all go bang at the same time it will be the largest man made non nuclear explosion ever. Debris will be thrown 3 km (almost 2 miles) into the air and a tidal wave will head for just about every where in the estuary including London and the Houses of Parliament. Hopefully Tony will be there and he will be heard screaming, "I told you he had weapons of mass distruction." as he is carried away by the water never to be heard from again.

Click here if you don't believe me or want more details. The photo is of the SS Richard Montgomery so you can see she is not hiden away in deep water.