Safety check carried out on one of Britain’s most haunted canal tunnels
Let’s face it, we all love a good ghost story, don’t we? Engineers (along with a different branch of the surveying family) have braved spooks and spectres to inspect the Harecastle Tunnel in Staffordshire, UK to ensure it is safe for waterway users to navigate, no wonder it caught my eye.
Harecastle Tunnel has the reputation of being one of the most haunted canal tunnels in Britain. Folklore has it that a woman arrived in Kidsgrove on her way to join her husband in London. She accepted a lift with some boatmen and was murdered for the valuables in her luggage. Her body was hidden in a culvert off the main tunnel leading to Goldenhill colliery, known as Gilberts Hole. The story goes that when her body was found, she had been beheaded.
Officials from the Canal & River Trust inched along the Harecastle Tunnel, one of the longest canal tunnels on Britain’s historic canal network, to carry out a vital inspection of the Grade II-listed structure on the Trent & Mersey Canal near Kidsgrove. Jonathan Muir, senior tunnel surveyor at Canal & River Trust, said: “Built two centuries ago, Harecastle Tunnel is a marvel of the Industrial Revolution. It is vital that we give it the care and attention that it deserves, with every part of the network an important piece of the jigsaw to keep the canals open and alive.
“Inspecting the tunnel means travelling slowly through the tunnel, tapping the old bricks to ensure their structural integrity, measuring the profile of the tunnel to check for any movement, and monitoring for any leaks or cracks. The inspection will determine what maintenance and conservation repairs our charity needs to programme in,” he said.
The surveyors travelled on a boat with a specially mounted platform to enable them to inspect every inch of the haunted tunnel.
Tom Cruise receives Navy’s top civilian honour
Hollywood star and movie legend, Tom Cruise, has picked up a prestigious award, but this time not an acting Academy Award. You’ve all seen Top Gun (apart from me) right?
The actor, the U.S. Navy’s 36th Honorary Naval Aviator, was awarded the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service (DPS) Award, the highest civilian honour the Navy can bestow on someone outside the organization.
Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, presented the award, recognizing Cruise’s decades-long commitment to raising awareness and appreciation for the Navy and Marine Corps. From his iconic portrayal of Maverick in Top Gun to the blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise’s work has inspired countless Americans and even led to a surge in Navy pilot recruitment during the late 1980s and 1990s.
“It was an honour to present Tom Cruise with a Defense Public Service award for his decades of naval advocacy through many movies,” said Secretary Del Toro. “His work has inspired generations to serve in our Navy and Marine Corps.”
The DPS Award highlights Cruise’s nearly 40 years of unwavering support for the Navy, both on and off the silver screen. From 1986 to 2023, his contributions have significantly boosted public understanding of the Navy’s mission and the sacrifices made by its personnel.
Canada’s iconic tugboat ‘Theodore Too’ partially sunk on its mooring
This is a rather sad story to report, and I do hope that this much-loved replica tugboat can be salvaged.
So, I read that the iconic 65-foot replica tugboat Theodore Too, beloved by Canadians and fans of the classic CBC series Theodore Tugboat, has partially sunk at Ontario Shipyards in Port Weller. According to owner Blair McKeil, the vessel took on water while tied up at the dock and is now resting on the bottom, though still partially afloat. “Thankfully, there were no injuries, and we are working on a refloating plan,” McKeil assured.
Theodore Tugboat was a children’s television show that aired on CBC from 1993 to 2001. The replica boat was built in Dayspring, Nova Scotia in 2000. His official birthday is 5 May.
Theodore Too’s official Facebook page lightened the dramatic situation with an upbeat message from the tug himself: “Ahoy friends! I had a mishap but am resting safely in the mud. My team is working hard to make me ship-shape in time for the holidays.”
McKeil said the company is committed to executing a “safe and successful refloat” of Theodore Too while keeping people informed.
Swedish Club publishes children’s book about seafarers
This is a brilliant and creative initiative and one I am happy to support and promote. There was research published in the UK last year that revealed 2 out of 5 children of school age had no idea what a ship is, let alone that over 90% of the world’s goods are transported on them. There was even a call for children to be educated in this topic – unlikely to happen though in my opinion.
The Swedish P&I Club has published Our Family and the Sea, a picture book that helps children understand the challenges of having a parent who works as a seafarer.
The story follows siblings Angelo and Mutya, whose father is away at sea for long periods. Angelo struggles with his father’s absence, while Mutya dreams of a whale taking her to visit her father. With support from their mother, grandparents, and friends, the children learn to cope with their emotions and understand their father’s work.
Produced by The Swedish Club and Mental Health Support Solutions (MHSS), the book is aimed at children under 10 and is available to read online regardless of location. The book is the first step in this initiative, created with input from child psychologists at MHSS. It aims to connect families, foster understanding, and support seafarers and their children, despite the distance between them.
Five decades at sea and Argo Merchant’s oil spill drift card turns up on Scottish Isle
Well, here’s a strange story for sure, and the last one this month.
Whilst tidying up debris around her property on Scotland’s Isle of Coll following a storm late last year, Barbara Payne found a red, credit-card sized plastic item with instructions in multiple languages to contact NOAA in Boulder, Colorado. It turned out to be a plastic drift card from one of America’s most significant oil spills which happened almost five decades ago.
The origins of the card can be traced back to the December 1976 Argo Merchant disaster, when the 640-foot tanker ran aground off Nantucket Island. The vessel, operating with faulty instruments and 24 miles off course, broke apart six days after grounding, releasing 7.5 million gallons of oil making it the largest U.S. tanker spill at that time.
This discovery serves as a reminder of the long-lasting impact of plastics on the environment. While the oil from the spill has long since dissipated, the plastic card is still in good condition even after nearly 50 years!
Modern oil spill tracking has evolved beyond plastic drift cards to more environmentally conscious methods, with current drift cards made from biodegradable wood and non-toxic paint.
See you next month.
Mike Schwarz
