Thursday, March 22, 2007

Arc Of A Diver
This could be called Newport News news. Were I so inclined. And I am. A little item in today's noisepaper: "New fireboat sinks before put in service." I will snip the item as reported in the Associated Press (taken from here):
NEWPORT NEWS - The city Fire Department's new boat sank Wednesday morning - before the department could even take ownership of the $385,000, state-of-the-art vessel.
The boat, moored at a marina by the James River Bridge, was discovered with its back end on the river bottom and the front end sticking up out of the water. Investigators were trying to determine the cause.
The fire department had yet to take ownership of the 33-foot boat. It was waiting for the manufacturer, MetalCraft Marine of Canada, to finish installing electronic equipment, department spokeswoman Dana Perry said.
Perry said the department has two other boats that can be used to fight fires on the water but it doesn't have the capabilities or technology of the new one, which is named in honor of Carl Brashear, the late Navy master diver.

If the name Carl Brashear rings a bell, he was the subject of the Cuba Gooding starred movie "Men of Honor." And with full respect to the courage and achievements of MCPO Brashear, is it really a good idea to name a boat after a diver?

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