Deep questions
it is interesting how we become more philosophical as the years advance. This whole sorry saga makes me wonder just what values underpin our civilisation and have we lost said values ? There is ample evidence of survival for many days in similar situations. I appreciate the difficulties of the merchant vessel being able to render any further assistance beyond their locating the upturned hull, Whilst this event has been unfolding I have clambered up and down the sides of similar vessels by rope ladder. I would not wish to do that at sea in a 20ft swell. The first (inescapable) duty of the master of the vessel is to his crew and their safety. Was a USCG vessel not immediately assigned to make best speed to the upturned hull? Its position could at least be monitored by a series of airborne SAR sorties? These threads always seem to end up with a discussion of MOD tasks versus DFT responsibilities... As a humble taxpayer I suggest that it is not unreasionable to expect a public asset to be used if there is a possibility, however remote, of a result. The achievements of the Nimrod crews over many years are respected and a source of justifiable pride to those of us who know or care about such things. This brings me to the previously mentioned letter to LAA members, one sailor is a fellow aviator. I received that email as I was working on a vessel in Europort and was annoyed at the apparent ignorance of the appellant (LAA) asking that the search be aided by an RAF patrol aircraft as good training value. I replied hastily as follows:
Royal Air Force plane to practice search techniques ?
I'm afraid not, neither did we send one to help search for the Malaysian Boeing. This is because the Royal Air Force retired its Nimrods early,before introduction of the ill fated Nimrod Mk4 ( a rebuild of earlier examples) and the government abandoned (scrapped|) the Mk4 in their 2010 defence review.
So, a planned 'capability gap' has become a 'capability chasm' with no indication of when we will recover this vital capability.
The United Kingdom, a maritime nation that depends highly on merchant shipping trade, has NO maritime patrol capability!
This is why we are reduced to begging others to help.
It looks bad for those men, but we should continue where there is hope and in particular, investigate the hull in the shortest possible timescale. Otherwise, I fear we have reached a point where we fail to be worthy of the description 'civilised'.