From our files:
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 6 1991 ‘Insensitive’ naval exercise
LOCAL fishermen are powerless to stop a Royal Navy exercise which they have labelled ‘insensitive’ as it coincides with the inquiry into the
Antares tragedy. A navy spokesman said they had to make use of the good weather and stressed that no submarines were being used in the exercise, which includes a beach assault near Carradale.
The spokesman privately agreed that the manoeuvres were bad timing in light of the fatal accident inquiry, but the decision to go ahead had been taken at the highest level of the Ministry of Defence.
‘Although we sympathise with the people of Carradale, the Ministry of Defence is of the opinion that it can’t hold up exercises like this when the weather is so good.
‘It was arranged before we knew the dates of the fatal accident inquiry.’
FIFTY YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 1 1966 Do-it-yourself boat
TWO AMATEUR yachtsmen stepped ashore at Southend’s Dunaverty beach on Friday afternoon after a 28-day crossing of the Atlantic in a homemade boat.
They were George Cooper, a 40-year-old engineer from Baillieston, Glasgow, and Phillip Patterson, 30, of Kirkby-in-Furness, Lancs.
Mr Patterson designed the boat, which Mr Cooper built in his spare time while working in Canada.
Christened Oomiak, Eskimo for ‘boat’, the 30ft trimaran (triple-hulled vessel) is made of plywood and fibreglass.
The two men left Labrador on July 29. En route they had to contend with gales, pack ice and the United States Navy.
Their mast was broken in a gale and they suffered hull damage when crushed between two ice floes.
After calling at Southend for provisions, the pair sailed overnight to Ardrossan, where their families were waiting.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 2 1916 Smart rescue at the harbour
ON SUNDAY afternoon Mr Jas Durnan, fisherman, again effected a smart rescue at the harbour, thus adding to his long record of life-saving.
A boy of 11 years of age, the son of Mrs John Mackay, Kirk Street, fell into the water on the north side of the Old Quay, and on the alarm being raised Mr Durnan, who fortunately happened to be near at hand, jumped into the water to go to the child’s aid.
A crowd gathered quickly and watched the rescue of the boy, which was speedily accomplished by Mr Durnan, who brought the little fellow onto his shoulders up the iron spikes of a quay ‘fender’, when he was promptly lifted on to the pier by some of those who had watched the gallant deed.