Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sheer(mad)ness.

Having never been to Sheerness, (and being curious about the rumours of 'two headed' people that are heralded, by some, to reside there) when a friend of mine suggested we go there for a shopping spree, I figured it might make a refreshing change.

But how refreshed do you want to be?

After reading up on the Town's history, on a placard near the clock tower, I discovered that you could, in fact, be refreshed to death, under the right circumstances!

Quite matter-of-factly, it stated.....

In 1944 the United States cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery ran aground and sank 1 mile (1.6 km) off the coast of Sheerness, with 3,172 tonnes of explosives on board. Due to the inherent danger and projected expense, the ship and its cargo have never been salvaged. If the wreck were to explode, it would be one of the largest non-nuclear explosions of all time.
A 2004 report published in New Scientist warned that an explosion could occur if sea water penetrated the bombs.

Er, yikes!

It went on to say that Whitstable would, for a while, become one of the outermost suburbs of this new Atlantis, and that most of the bridges across the Thames would get a well deserved wash.
Sheerness itself, along with everything and everyone in it, would be proper fucked, the notice gently advised!

Quite enough info. to have me fumbling about in my purse for my train ticket!

And I never did get to see any of those fabled two headed people.

Ah well, I can always pop to Margate if the need becomes too great. I'm sure that two-faced people would suffice!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Resemble any of the folk as you scanned for Sheerness peers ?

Anonymous said...

" ... statistics dictated that 12.5 % of all Liberty’s had weld defects, 10 % had developed serious structural faults and one in thirty had major faults."

Lucy Mail said...

Having no idea what you look like, I really couldn't say.

Lucy Mail said...

Shit! I'm not Richard Card too, now, am I?

Anonymous said...

How did that happen ?

Lucy Mail said...

I'm hoping it was just a coincidence.

Lucy Mail said...

Nice to throw a little temporal humour in, every now and again.

No Richard, I'm not accusing you of losing your temper.

Anonymous said...

(1) You used that word "Just" again.

(2) Quote "Nice to throw a little temporal humour in, every now and again."

I agree. When are you going to start ?

Lucy Mail said...

(1) Look up the word 'just' for yourself, and don't be so lazy.

(2) I didn't expect you to get it. You never do.

Anonymous said...

Fourier ?

Don Wood said...

why would anyone want to go shopping in sheerness ? thats just stupid it would be akin to going to Ramsgate to meet ECR ..........Unthinkable

Lucy Mail said...

I'll bow down to your expertise, Don, when it comes to the unthinkable.