this could be taken from and pages of Bes.
British Navy mistook whales for submarines and torpedoed them, killing three, during Falklands War
Two were killed by torpedoes fired from the anti-submarine frigate HMS Brilliant, and the third was attacked by one of the ship's helicopters, The Plymouth Herald reports..
The previously undisclosed incidents are taken from the diaries of the ship's crew, which have been published online by hmsbrilliant.com, a website commemorating the vessel's role in the 1982 war.
One crew member wrote of a "small sonar contact" that prompted the launch of two torpedoes, each of which hit a whale.
He noted drily: "Whale oil sighted by Sea King [helicopter] . . . I think I'll join Greenpeace."
Britain's Ministry of Defence said the sonar equipment of the time could be easily confused by whale signals, but that modern-day equipment was far more discerning.
If you've ever wondered what en exploding whale looks like, this news report from the US in the early 1970s of the problem faced by officials confronted by a decomposing whale on a popular beach will give you an idea.
http://www.ablxboston.com/world/14656-british-navy-mistook-whales-for-submarines-and-torpedoed-them-killing-three-during-falklands-war.html#
OMG! How embarrassing... :-[
:(
at reunions they play Star Trek IV on movie night.
Datsa cold!
dont get all blubbery about it.
The Japanese whaling fleet is taking notes. As a bonus can also torp the greenpeace boats with the new long lance whale poon
Con
I couldn't find the picture/report of the blown up whale in the article, but I just ate - I think I'll pass ;)
Small price to pay for getting the real targets in that conflict though.
Will have to mention this to the one of the test engineer/former UK Merlin pilots at work tomorrow. I'm sure he's got a few good stories.
whale poon Con? really....
wonder if they have whale kill silhouettes on the ship?
I would put money that there were 3 stickers somewhere.
Funny how things change. When Battleship Washington joined the British Home Fleet to watch Tirpitz and Scharnhorst, the british asdic operators were pretty dismissive of our sonar operators, saying they could not tell the difference between a porpoise and a Uboat.
I sense a new Harpoon scenario in the works.
I recommend checking out the Brilliant's website. Some great pics from the Falklands War taken by the crew. Stuff you don't normally see.
http://hmsbrilliant.com/