Sinking business

“SUBMARINE deal torpedoed” ran some headlines over the last-minute cancellation by Australia of a $90 billion (R1.3 trillion) deal with France, who in furious retaliation recalled its ambassador.

In his amazingly comprehensive dictionary of 1755, Dr Samuel Johnson defined Torpedo as “a fish while alive, if touched even with a long stick, benumbs the hand that so touches it, but when dead is eaten safely”.

The fish was an electric ray, but the sense was transferred to an explosive device used to blow up enemy ships but carried by a boat in what was a “hit or miss” mission.

“Submarine”, in the sense of a vessel which can go under water, is recorded from 1807 and has a rich literary history in authors such as Jules Verne before becoming a deadly naval threat in both World Wars.

One of the stains on the record of Vladimir Putin was his resolute silence over the loss of the Soviet nuclear submarine Kioursk some years ago.

While President Joe Biden addressed the UN and spoke about “the allies” and “the adversaries”, it was not clear who they were.

As submarines have become more sophisticated, governments and politicians have become more crude, as the fallout of this affair shows.

Geoff Hughes is an emeritus professor formerly with Wits University