Strategic Vulnerability of Douglas Port

[Barrie Stevens]

3 minutes ago, benl said:

Didn't M&S plan to bring food in by plane once using a C-130? I thought they only needed a rough strip. Not quite the Berlin airlift but still possible. 

I think M&S actually did that once?? Boots used a 'plane as well I recall...How did the IOM manage in the 1966 strike by seafarers?

I was not there then but there seemed to be several "legends" about it.

About 1998 or so there was a supposed hush hush NATO exercise on the Island and Hercules transport aircraft were using Jurby.

Sir Miles Walker in the Keys I recall saying that farming no longer supplies us as it once did as these days people want everything processed. He specifically mentioned baked potatoes which these days come ready to go. The old days of farm gate food have largely gone so there would needs be a complex exercise to keep supplies going as they are now...And food farming can take a whole year to produce results

And then today we have essential non-food items.

I was told that the tanks in Douglas harbour contain three months stockpiled supplies and that at Spring Valley there is or was a three months store of food and other items????

I recall the 1966 strike in the UK and give a link regarding emergency powers and the use of the Navy which I am sure the Island would qualify for under the defence contribution.. It mentions port and harbour clearance....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/23/newsid_2504000/2504227.stm

 

 

 

[Neil Down]

4 hours ago, b4mbi said:

Here

My opinion it's not good enough to say we've never had a problem in the past, so we will just hope for the best that the worst doesn't happen.

If it does, it could be weeks before a salvage company is mobilised to remove the 'blockage'

Then shelves would really be empty.

Where is the contingency?

I was involved in the haulage industry during the last big sea strike. Blackpool airport had never been as busy. The company I worked for chartered a plane that took their product off the island and brought foodstuffs onto the island. Same would apply again in an emergency I would imagine

[Neil Down]

40 minutes ago, Barrie Stevens said:

I think M&S actually did that once?? Boots used a 'plane as well I recall...How did the IOM manage in the 1966 strike by seafarers?

I was not there then but there seemed to be several "legends" about it.

About 1998 or so there was a supposed hush hush NATO exercise on the Island and Hercules transport aircraft were using Jurby.

Sir Miles Walker in the Keys I recall saying that farming no longer supplies us as it once did as these days people want everything processed. He specifically mentioned baked potatoes which these days come ready to go. The old days of farm gate food have largely gone so there would needs be a complex exercise to keep supplies going as they are now...And food farming can take a whole year to produce results

And then today we have essential non-food items.

I was told that the tanks in Douglas harbour contain three months stockpiled supplies and that at Spring Valley there is or was a three months store of food and other items????

I recall the 1966 strike in the UK and give a link regarding emergency powers and the use of the Navy which I am sure the Island would qualify for under the defence contribution.. It mentions port and harbour clearance....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/23/newsid_2504000/2504227.stm

 

 

 

Goodness me, something happened and Barrie wasn't involved... Hold the front page.

[Barrie Stevens]

9 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

Goodness me, something happened and Barrie wasn't involved... Hold the front page.

Better still strike a gold coin!

Sadly, I was doing the "School Cert." at the time (1966). That would be Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce School Certificate and not the "School Cert" you were thinking off just now! I got 11 passes by the way. 

[Neil Down]

46 minutes ago, Barrie Stevens said:

Better still strike a gold coin!

Sadly, I was doing the "School Cert." at the time (1966). That would be Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce School Certificate and not the "School Cert" you were thinking off just now! I got 11 passes by the way. 

Congratulations...

[piebaps]

Those 11 passes were also the last time he got anything right.

[b4mbi]

5 hours ago, GD4ELI said:

Peel.

Yes, if you live in 1979 where side loaders are still operating. Also suspect draft and length issues prevent current vessels berthing there as well.

General public would be quite happy not to be able to take their car off the Island for minimum 3 weeks whilst it was all sorted???

Be prepared for enormous price increases if everything had to be flown in.

[mollag]

Isnt Ramsey a functioning cargo Port? Not hi tech but would suffice at a pinch.

 

[guzzi]

11 minutes ago, b4mbi said:

Yes, if you live in 1979 where side loaders are still operating. Also suspect draft and length issues prevent current vessels berthing there as well.

General public would be quite happy not to be able to take their car off the Island for minimum 3 weeks whilst it was all sorted???

Be prepared for enormous price increases if everything had to be flown in.

You don't need side loaders.  Just cranes, lifting containers from small cargo ships.  Mezeron chartered two small container vessels and did just that several years ago. They used to berth at King Edward VII pier normally, but sometimes on Victoria Pier. That could be done again anytime, using the outside berth on Victoria Pier, which does not need access via the harbour entrance.  At a pinch, smaller freighters that could dry out  could berth in Ramsey as at present. Tankers in Peel, as at present.

[Derek Flint]

5 hours ago, Barrie Stevens said:

Is there still a govt strategic stockpile they used to hold enough for three months plus fuel..? I was once told.

its not that much! 

[Derek Flint]

 

 

[WTF]

36 minutes ago, Derek Flint said:

 

 

fully laden with 'air' i suspect.

[Yibble]

I seem to recall that trade union extremists stopped the boats in an attempt to hold the Island ransom for two or three weeks back in the late 80s. We managed to get by well enough. That perhaps highlights that militant trade unions are a potentially greater menace than broken down boats. Maybe more sensible contingency planning would be plans for such an event; possibly involving the citizenry going from house-to-house, bayoneting union members, Labour Party sypathisers, Guardian Readers and anyone else who doesn't regard (ahem) 'Murphy Richards' as anything other than a ludicrous figure of fun. 

Actually it might be quite sensible to do that anyway.

 

;-)

[Derek Flint]

1 hour ago, WTF said:

fully laden with 'air' i suspect.

Landing distance of 3000ft but needs 7600ft to take off at MTOW carrying 76 tonnes.

[woody2]

1 hour ago, Yibble said:

I seem to recall that trade union extremists stopped the boats in an attempt to hold the Island ransom for two or three weeks back in the late 80s. We managed to get by well enough. That perhaps highlights that militant trade unions are a potentially greater menace than broken down boats. Maybe more sensible contingency planning would be plans for such an event; possibly involving the citizenry going from house-to-house, bayoneting union members, Labour Party sypathisers, Guardian Readers and anyone else who doesn't regard (ahem) 'Murphy Richards' as anything other than a ludicrous figure of fun. 

Actually it might be quite sensible to do that anyway.

 

;-)

when do we start.....