News Stories

[SeijiSensei]

Japanese military matters in the news again today. First, a new radar installation is being built on Yonaguni island some 150 km away from the Senkakus and nearly as close to Taiwan. The Japanese intend to station at least a hundred JSDF personnel there in the next two years. America is not pleased, nor obviously are the Chinese.

The move is the Japan’s first military expansion in 40 years and could be the first of many such expansions in the islands southeast of the country’s main islands, according to Defense Minister Isunori Onodera.

"This is the first deployment since the U.S. returned Okinawa in 1972, and calls for us to be more on guard are growing," Onodera said. "I want to build an operation able to properly defend islands that are part of Japan's territory.”

Then there is Russia. During the ceremony announcing the construction of the radar, Defense Minister Onodera reported that Russian planes have repeatedly flown near Japanese airspace over the past week.

On Friday six Russian TU-95 bombers were seen flying two by two, with one pair moving around the Okinawan islands and then going north along Japan's Pacific coast.

The two other pairs flew over the Sea of Japan (East Sea). None of the flights intruded into Japanese airspace.

"They are continuing flights, which we deem as abnormal and were unseen even in the Cold War era," Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters after attending a ceremony in Okinawa to inaugurate an airborne early warning squadron.

The minister, according to footage on public broadcaster NHK, added that Russia's intentions were unclear and Japanese defence officials based in Russia have been trying to check them.

This is hardly the first time the issue of Russian overflights has come up, however. Last November, the Christian Science Monitor reported on similar behavior by Russian jets. "Experts say encounters like this are fairly common. The Japanese Defense Ministry has reported 105 cases when it scrambled fighters to intercept incoming Russian aircraft between July and September of [2013] alone, a huge increase over the previous three-month period."

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Form teams and use a buddy line?

Apparently at times the currents are so strong that the lines they've been using to get down to the ferry have been pushed near horizontal. These are NOT easy diving conditions even if you're a military diver trained to do recovery missions. Not to mention exploring the insides of an upside down sunken ship with low visibility isn't a particularly easy task even by itself...especially when the ship is full of bodies.


...lets also keep in mind that a ferry is a very big place to explore under these circumstances, and that there even being a handful of people surviving in air-pockets would be a miracle. So finding survivors is a very tricky issue.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

An update on the Korean Ferry; it has completely sunk into the seabed and worse, it has sunk while lying on its side. This means there is now no realistic way for there to be any decent air pockets for any number of people, and as such anyone remaining onboard has likely died.

Further, the analysis suggest that the vessel was over-loaded according to the original specifications when it was a Japanese ship. When the Korean owners purchased it, they added extensions that allowed more passengers but also increased its carrying capacity beyond what it was designed for.
This still was okay except that the ballast of the ship was actually the fueltank. When the ship is fully fuelled, it was able to stay upright because the centre of gravity was still low enough to keep balance. But the over-loading means the fuel consumption was higher, and as such by the time they reached the disaster area the ship likely had became more top-heavy. This is a possible explanation for why it tipped only after travelling so far.

Finally, when the ship tipped, the rudder no longer worked properly, and this was the explanation for why the ship suddenly performed a massive right turn.

Once again, this is a Japanese Broadcast.

NicoNico

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm23370463

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[Fireminer]

In short, it's hopeless, right?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Fireminer

In short, it's hopeless, right?

Get the coffins ready essentially. It was deceptive how the ship LOOKED like there could be survivors. But now we are pretty sure all the missing have now drowned, froze to death, or suffocated.

What made it hurt more than usual, is that it was so easy to imagine a miracle where all the children were able to be spirited out of the ship safe and sound. We have thousands of rescuers all around the ship, in shallow water. Yet in three days there was no realistic means to doing anything like we imagined in action films.

If the ship had exploded or burned down, at least we would have expected them to die. But to watch the ship slowly sink while nearly entirely intact, is just painful and showing how powerless we still are.

[JokerD]

Might be empty coffins being buried. Depending on whether they want to raise the ship or just leave it there if its not a navigational hazard

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Might be empty coffins being buried. Depending on whether they want to raise the ship or just leave it there if its not a navigational hazard

The plan is to raise the ship, yes. The ship is intact and in shallow water, it would however be half a year's work.

[JokerD]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

The plan is to raise the ship, yes. The ship is intact and in shallow water, it would however be half a year's work.

I remember another case of a ship sinking in shallow water, although it went straight down. The solution? cut off the top so it doesn't block the passage any more...

Colleagues pay respects to "hero" Heng in Nicoll Highway collapse
So it has been 10 years since this thing...

SINGAPORE: It has been 10 years since the Nicoll Highway collapse, but foreman Heng Yeow Peow's body was never found.

On Sunday afternoon, his former colleagues and bosses were at the place where the incident occurred to pay their respects to the man they remembered as a "hero".

"Say my thank you to Ah Heng..." says a Thai worker.

Ten years may have passed since the Nicoll Highway collapse, but emotions are still raw for construction worker Phornamdaeng Thiticha when he speaks of his former supervisor.

The Thai national was one of the eight workers Heng Yeow Peow pulled to safety.

The 40-year-old did not make it out himself and his body was never found.

In Heng's memory, his former colleagues from Kori Holdings have placed a memorial stone at the accident site.

And since then, it has been a yearly ritual for them to pay their respects to Mr Heng.

Mr Hooi Yu Koh, managing director of Kori Holdings, said: "Sometimes we meet up together, sometimes there may not be that many people. But probably because today is a Sunday. So many more came than previously before."

Among the prayer items were a pair of white gloves.

They were placed there by Mr Hooi, who said the gloves were given to him by the Singapore Civil Defence Force when he participated in the final attempt to locate Heng's body.

Mr Hooi said: "Those gloves have a lot of meaning to me. It is the last piece of gear I was holding in my hand. And it was the closest that I thought was nearest to him before the search needs to be called off. I still keep the gloves in my car throughout the 10 years till now."

Heng's colleagues said they hope to continue the yearly ritual for as long as they are able to.

- CNA/de

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

An update on the Korean Ferry; it has completely sunk into the seabed and worse, it has sunk while lying on its side. This means there is now no realistic way for there to be any decent air pockets for any number of people, and as such anyone remaining onboard has likely died.

Further, the analysis suggest that the vessel was over-loaded according to the original specifications when it was a Japanese ship. When the Korean owners purchased it, they added extensions that allowed more passengers but also increased its carrying capacity beyond what it was designed for.
This still was okay except that the ballast of the ship was actually the fueltank. When the ship is fully fuelled, it was able to stay upright because the centre of gravity was still low enough to keep balance. But the over-loading means the fuel consumption was higher, and as such by the time they reached the disaster area the ship likely had became more top-heavy. This is a possible explanation for why it tipped only after travelling so far.

Finally, when the ship tipped, the rudder no longer worked properly, and this was the explanation for why the ship suddenly performed a massive right turn.

Once again, this is a Japanese Broadcast.

NicoNico

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm23370463

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Some of those comments seriously.......I get the feeling it's the same troll commenting over and over*facepalm*

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Some of those comments seriously.......I get the feeling it's the same troll commenting over and over*facepalm*

Internet is the same everywhere. You should be used to it by now sadly.

[Fireminer]

Don't know whether should I be happy that MH370 is no longer on the headline.

[maplehurry]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Some of those comments seriously.......I get the feeling it's the same troll commenting over and over*facepalm*

CNN.com and foxnews don't even allow comments on this one.

[Tiberium Wolf]

South Korea ferry: Transcript reveals evacuation panic

Sewol communications excerpt

Controller: "Please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing."

Crew member: "If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?''

Controller: "At least make them wear life rings and make them escape.''

Crew member: "If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?''

Controller: "Don't let them go bare. At least make them wear life rings and make them escape... We don't know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you're going to evacuate passengers or not."

Crew member: "I'm not talking about that. I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?''

Just looking at those communications I AM FREAKING ANNOYED. Why is the crew member asking over and over the same thing? Does he think rescue can get there asap like it was magic? Even if was a fast boat no way to get all the passengers anyway.

[Anh_Minh]

What he should have been asking: if they get trapped inside a sinking ship, will they grow gills and start breathing underwater?

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

What he should have been asking: if they get trapped inside a sinking ship, will they grow gills and start breathing underwater?

Makes one wonder. We know that buses are designed so that if it tipped, you can break a window via a hammer to get out. But in both real life and fiction, it is portrayed that a ship that isn't in the upright position become nearly impossible to navigate. There was TIME for people to get out; but there was no physical way to do so because they couldn't reach exits and doors that became suspended above them and are no longer usable.

I guess it is too much to ask to design ships so there are ways to install handlebars and indentations allowing people to limb out?
...Yes, I know that's an unreasonable request. Forget I asked. Maybe they just need better designed exits instead, so there is always a way to get to upper deck no matter how tilted.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Tiberium Wolf

South Korea ferry: Transcript reveals evacuation panic



Just looking at those communications I AM FREAKING ANNOYED. Why is the crew member asking over and over the same thing? Does he think rescue can get there asap like it was magic? Even if was a fast boat no way to get all the passengers anyway.

Just say, "No. If you are scared of liability, get them to the highest point of the ship and make thems stay there so at least they don't get wet. And remember to stay alive so I can sack you personally."

[Fireminer]

http://www.dw.de/ukraines-prime-mini...n-all-1573-rdf

Before God, who we are?

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Tiberium Wolf

South Korea ferry: Transcript reveals evacuation panic

Just looking at those communications I AM FREAKING ANNOYED. Why is the crew member asking over and over the same thing? Does he think rescue can get there asap like it was magic? Even if was a fast boat no way to get all the passengers anyway.

Can they keep this for the investigation, please? Those media are becoming a nuisance in everything here. Freakin' Hell!

[MeoTwister5]

It's reflection of how the media need to police itself and to stop putting itself on an untouchable pedestal of freedom of the media. Free media entails responsible journalism, and the coverage of the ferry sinking shows that no media group should be above criticism.

[Marcus H.]

This reminds me of the Air France Flight 447 crash. (Another link here.)

The last words of co-pilot Pierre-Cédric Bonin: "But what is happening?"