94023 Hit by Shells
Firing Exercise Area Ignored Daytime.
Strong Winds, Force 7 - N'ly. - Off Canary Islands.
- Report No. 94023.
Our vessel, a fully loaded large ore carrier, was steaming off the SE of Las Palmas when a few of us heard a loud bang that seemed to come from the upper deck (where the deck workshop is). It so happened that at this time the carpenter was working with a hammer. On investigating, nothing unusual was found in the workshop. A little while later the "Old Man" inquired from the C/O if he heard the loud bang, and explained that there was a heavy indent on the starboard side of the bridge wing deck.
On inspection for traces which could relate to what had struck the steel deck with such force, a pinkish powder and a few threads of aluminium (as from a bolt) were found. With the prevailing strong winds we were lucky to find anything at all. Looking up at the "Christmas Tree" that was directly above the indent only made us assume that something had come loose and fallen down on the deck, therefore the incident was forgotten.
The next day while on deck, a funny sort of object resembling an empty shell with a date on the face of it was found. On careful inspection, we noticed a pinkish powder buried inside the shell. This was immediately brought up and compared with the pinkish powder that remained on the bridge wing deck, and was found identical. When this was shown to the Captain he too realised what it was and confirmed it. Several more shells totalling five were later found on deck in various locations and the point of contact identified. The next problem,.....how did these shells find their way on board? The vessel had to have passed through a firing exercise area!!
On further investigation it was found that the vessel had navigated through a Firing Exercise Area bounded by the co-ordinates mentioned in a Nav warning which was lying in the chart room clipped and hung, but not plotted on the large scale chart which the 3rd Mate was using. The places of impact showed that, if one of these shells had come into contact with the crew, there would have been a fatality on board. Fortunately, due to the strong winds, the Bosun was asked to work inside the accommodation.
What bothers me most is that this Nav Warning was received the day earlier and the 2nd Mate had plotted this on a small scale chart and not on the large scale chart that was used by the 3rd Mate for coastal navigation when arriving SE of the Canary Islands. Further, these Nav Warnings were not checked by the Captain, therefore he was not aware that the vessel was navigating through a Firing Exercise Area.
If you don't want "things dropping on you from a great height" make sure everyone is aware of the relevant Nav Warnings. The experts say that the "shells" (identified by photographs supplied), are the nose cones of shells containing both a timing and setting device, most probably starshells from a 100 or 105mm gun. It is likely the shells (not explosive filled) had been mis-set (or not set at all). They were probably intended to illuminate a target from an altitude of a few thousand feet and landed on the ship on return to surface. The pink substance was probably a phosphorescence type for signals (tracer) or starshell (illumination) use.