"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Guest Post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It's Your Choice":

For someone that prides herself on being accurate, your accuracy is suspect sometimes.

The two warships that collided were the destroyer HMCS Algonquin and the resupply ship HMCS Protecteur. They were participating in a routine training execise.

These ships were not in Hudson's Bay becuase they are attached to the Pacific fleet!

They were practising towing one ship by the other. Clearly something went wrong. HMCS Protecteur was being towed and it's bow struck Algonquin on the port (left) side above the waterline.

In reading the posts about the modern military that you sometimes make, I wonder how much you and some of your readers really understand.

We have a huge physical country to service through our armed forces. Since the mis-management of the Trudeau administrations of the 60s and 70s, the size and capability of the armed forces have been reduced to the point that they are spread too thin. However, training must continue.

Anytime that you have two large ships operating at close range like a resupply ship, there is always a danger. In normal operations, the resupply ship comes along side of the receiving ship. Speeds and headings must be matched exactly. In the space between the two, a significant current is created that can potentially cause them to collide. It is a wonder that there are not more collisions.


The guys and girls on board those ships should be commended not made fun of in a blog.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 3 September 2013 09:44



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We tend to make light of things that deeply puzzle or frighten us.
Your critic is partially correct about that situation. Even those in the military all their lives cannot recall such an incident. Small wonder that the eyes of civilians widen with shock.

Anonymous said...


Possibly we should contract out our military and take the multiple billions of dollars saved annually and invest these in the infrastructure that is collapsing around us all over the country.

This would create tens, if not hundreds of thousands of secure jobs and eliminate our laughable position in the world. Our national deficit down would be appreciably reduced and money saved could be invested in education and healthcare.