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Fortean Flotsam: Odd Objects Washed Ashore

And a bit of history - Bonny Prince Charlie on Benbecula:

In coursing along Harris, Charles, while crossing the mouth of Finsbay, espied a ship of war, commanded by Captain Ferguson, lying in the bay, at the distance of about two musket shots, which immediately gave them chase. The ship followed them three leagues; but they escaped among the rocks at the point of Roudil in the Harris. They then kept close to the shore, and in passing along the coast of North Uist were observed by another war vessel lying in Lochmaddy, which also gave them chase. Charles reached Benbecula after a very close pursuit, and had scarcely landed when a storm arose, which drive the vessels that pursued him off the coast. After this escape, Charles could not help remarking, that Providence would not permit him to be taken at this time.

It being low water when Charles landed in Benbecula, one of the boatmen went along the rocks in quest of shell-fish, and found a crab, which he held up to the prince with an expression of joy. Taking up a pail which lay in the boat, Charles immediately proceeded to the spot where the boatman stood, and, in conjunction with him, soon filled the pail with crabs. The party then proceeded to a small hut which lay at the distance of two miles. Charles carried the pail, which Macleod insisted on relieving him of; but Charles refused to part with it, observing that he and the rest of the company might carry the baggage. The door of the hovel was so low, that the party could only enter by creeping in on their hands and knees; but to make the entry easier for the prince, Burke dug away part of the ground, and put heather below the prince's knees. From this homely residence, Charles sent a message to old Clanranald, acquainting him of his return to Benbecula, and of the difficulties with which he was beset. Clanranald, at the same time, sent Charles half-a-dozen shirts, some shoes and stockings, a supply of wine and brandy, and other articles, to make his situation as comfortable as circumstances would admit of. After passing several days in this miserable habitation, Charles, by the advice of Clanranald, removed to South Uist, and took up his abode near the hill of Coradale, in the centre of the island, which was considered a more secure place of retreat.


http://www.electricscotland.com/history/charles/82.htm
 
And a dramatic rescue during storms in 2002:

Despite the RAF's "epic rescue" of 18 fishermen aboard a French trawler 250 miles off the Outer Hebrides, it was confirmed yesterday that Yannick Jeog, the vessel's captain, was washed overboard. .................

The Atlantic rescue was mounted after the four-man crew of an RAF Sea King helicopter flew more than 500 miles through 70mph winds to the French fishing vessel Le Perrain, sinking in 30ft waves.

Three Portuguese and 15 Spanish crew members were winched from the vessel to the helicopter, which had only minutes to spare if it was to get home safely to Benbecula before running out of fuel.

Flying Officer Marshall Kinnear, who co-ordinated the rescue from RAF Kinloss, said: "They were operating on the outer limits of the helicopter's capabilities, in probably one of the most demanding scenarios they could ever face."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... nwet03.xml
 
** WARNING... Inappropriate "wind-up" comment follows **

Lucky it didn't wash up on the South West coast of England - the thieving so-and-so's would have stolen it in five minutes!
 
ArthurASCII said:
Lucky it didn't wash up on the South West coast of England - the thieving so-and-so's would have stolen it in five minutes!
A lot of the thieving so-and-so's (in the case of the Napoli grounding) came from well outside the area concerned...

But it's not so easy to hop in your car and drive to Benbecula!
 
Yeah, but that could just be a cover story - like the whole Roswell weather balloon thing

(or it could be a beer fermentation tank)
 
spiritdoctor said:
Yeah, but that could just be a cover story - like the whole Roswell weather balloon thing
Yeah, just like those 'meteorological rockets' that were fired in the same area... 8)
 
It'd still be interesting to know how it got there...

If there are signs that it's been used (and I don't mean containing dregs of beer - I mean more structural clues like having seals to pipes broken or something), maybe it floated all the way across the Atlantic from the States?

If it hasn't been used, maybe it dropped off a German freighter en route to the Coors brewery? :shock: :lol:
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ect-washed-new-zealand-beach-divides-opinion/

Edit: Here's a photo of the object.

Muriwai-Beach-Object-NZ-2016.jpg
A strange object has washed up on a beach in New Zealand sparking a social media debate about what it could be.
The large object covered in barnacles was spotted on Muriwai Beach in Auckland by local resident Melissa Doubleday.

She posted the photo on the Muriwai & Waimauku Area Community Group, asking: “Just curious to know if anyone knows what this is??! Washed up on Muriwai Beach.”
 
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As if Social Media debate would ever resolve anything! :evil:

What is needed is real hands-on research - scrape off the weed and barnacles, and see if underneath is a dead tree, a bit of whale carcass, part of a crashed plane, or even a burned-up re-entered satellite.

The boat-like object is probably something that a storm broke free from somewhere, maybe just a floating workshop. Again, social media won't help, unless it reaches some-one who really has first-hand knowledge.
 
Yeah, it's so encrusted with barnacles, who can tell?
My own speculation is that it's the keel beam of an old wooden ship.
 
The NZ Herald declares:

The object is actually a huge bit of driftwood, and is covered in what appear to be gooseneck barnacles.

SOURCE: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11764561

(EDIT: Add additional citation)

... And according to this NZ news site:

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/giant-barnacle-covered-object-washes-up-on-muriwai-beach-2016121014

... the driftwood explanation was confirmed by the woman who discovered and photographed it (a Ms. Doubleday).
 
Well, that agrees with my first guess, but the NZ Herald doesn't seem to offer any definite evidence.

(Not that I'll be losing sleep about it...)
 
I'm worried that I may be very, very boring.

The first thing I thought: Dead tree covered in barnacles; beautiful object - but dead tree, covered in barnacles.

Maybe I just have no imagination.
 
A mystery came out of the ocean on South Carolina’s Seabrook Island, and authorities haven’t yet identified what some are calling “space junk.”

The Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network was the first to notice, posting a photo on Facebook of a “mysterious object that washed ashore” on Thursday. The island is about 24 miles south of Charleston.

mysteryitem.png


The object is big, taller than a woman standing nearby, and it’s cylindrical.

It also looks like it’s made of concrete, but Marine Mammal network officials say that’s deceiving. Touch it and it feels like “a soft foam,” said the network, adding that it was quickly whisked away by town officials.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article219544575.html

maximus otter
 

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I want to say "O-Rings".

To provide some degree of inhibition for the escape of LOX from a side-booster conventional rocket array.

A friction /compression foam seal, installed during sub-assembly build, which has (post-reentry, and partial destruction) become tumescent with sea-water, seperated from its metal encasement, then risen from the depths.
 
Intriging theory from a long-term radical/alternative YouTube channel user "MrMB333"

TL: DW .... the remains of a flame-retardant *foam-built* Chinese satellite
 
I want to say "O-Rings".
To provide some degree of inhibition for the escape of LOX from a side-booster conventional rocket array. ...

I think it's a big O-ring or seal, but I'm not convinced it's from a rocket (yet).

I've seen large low-pressure seals / gaskets / rings like this used to join sections of (e.g.) large diameter pipes (e.g., concrete sewer and outflow lines).

It's not from one of the Space Shuttle's solid rocket booster units. It doesn't match any of the SRB components.

The outer layers are definitely some sort of foam material, but I haven't found any mention of the innermost ring's material. Is it foam, too? Or ... ?
 
I think it's a big O-ring or seal, but I'm not convinced it's from a rocket (yet).

I've seen large low-pressure seals / gaskets / rings like this used to join sections of (e.g.) large diameter pipes (e.g., concrete sewer and outflow lines).

It's not from one of the Space Shuttle's solid rocket booster units. It doesn't match any of the SRB components.

The outer layers are definitely some sort of foam material, but I haven't found any mention of the innermost ring's material. Is it foam, too? Or ... ?
Possibly from an oil rig?
 
I wonder if the photographer took more pictures of the object? .. I'd have taken loads ..
 
As per the proposal by MrMB333....he thinks that the angled cylindrical shape is indicative of the nacelle from the crashed Tiangong-I space station...
Screenshot_2018-10-09-10-51-26.png


My major problem about this suggestion is that internal depictions of eg the ISS or Skylab show virtually zero foam thickness as insulation, whereas this would represent a massive percentage of the overall volume of the spacecraft's interior.

The suggestion by @Mythopoeika that it could be detritus from the oil industry is a good idea. And therefore a pipeline O-ring, not a rocket one.
 
Possibly from an oil rig?

That occurred to me, too. I checked for offshore drilling platform components that might match this object (e.g., foam bumpers on the main 'legs'), but found nothing that recommended itself.

Also, there's aren't any offshore drilling rigs in that area. There were exploratory wells drilled 30 - 40 years ago in that area (off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts), but they were all dry holes and nobody's drilled for oil there since then.
 
I wonder if the photographer took more pictures of the object? .. I'd have taken loads ..

There are a very few other photos 'out there', taken by other people. Unfortunately, they're all pretty much of the same type (standoff distance; not much detail).
 
That occurred to me, too. I checked for offshore drilling platform components that might match this object (e.g., foam bumpers on the main 'legs'), but found nothing that recommended itself.

Also, there's aren't any offshore drilling rigs in that area. There were exploratory wells drilled 30 - 40 years ago in that area (off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts), but they were all dry holes and nobody's drilled for oil there since then.
What it could be is an old well cap.
 
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