Re: R/V Launched just 6 weeks ago is breaking up and sinking outside

Roger Long wrote:
> <salty@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
>> Here is the owner's website. Very interesting vessel.
>>
>> http://www.aquasurvey.com/
>>
> 
> It's not a new vessel at the OP indicated.  The hull is basically a
steel 
> barge so there's no way it broke up due to wave action.  I think the key
in 
> the post above it that it sometimes took them several hours to pull the
legs 
> out of the mud.  If one or more were stuck and the hull was in the
water, 
> the great leverage could have broken the hull due to lots of previous 
> stressing and corrosion due to age.
> 
> You would be in a tough spot with a boat like that with shortened legs
if 
> the waves got bigger than forecast and started hitting the hull.  Can't
go 
> up because the legs are too short, can't go down because the waves will 
> start throwing the hull around with legs stuck in mud.
> 
> Too bad.  It was a good research program.  If only they had put the full

> length legs on deck for the delivery north.
> 
> --
> Roger Long 
> 
> 
> 

Yes, it is a pity.  They will probably just go ahead with the project 
without the study.  They would have probably built it anyway.

BTW I just read an article about a couple of off shore wind turbine 
projects in Britain.  It seems the rising cost of material is 
outstripping the ability to raise funds to build them.  At least on of 
the major partners abandoned the project to invest in a land based wind 
farm in the US.

I also heard that some of those farms are having a real high rate of 
failure, I think the turbines were crapping out.  50% failure rate in 18 
months or there abouts.  Given my memory almost anything is possible.