The Royal Australian Navy: A Reef in Training

Well, all was prepared for the scuttling of HMAS Adelaide. The ship had been towed into position, holes had been cut into the hull, explosives set and the obligatory group of protesters who turn up at any vaguely public event had their placards on standby. Then at the penultimate moment a pod of dolphins swam by totally ignoring the exclusion zone the police had set up. Proceedings had to be delayed while our aquatic cousins were encouraged to leave the area. A police spokesman later claimed that the use of capsicum spray was well within official guidelines and the officer who tazered a dolphin to death was acting in self defence. The spokesman also announced a review of the use of tazers in an aquatic setting; funerals for the officers (and dolphin) who died of electric shock will be held next week.

I'm not sure why our navy is so keen on scuttling things. If you or I tried to dispose of several thousand tonnes of metal, plastic and asbestos by dumping it in the ocean the Environmental Protection Agency would definitely want to have a word. Still there seems to be an implicit promise given to every Australian naval vessel on commissioning that one day it will be reborn as a hazard to navigation. Perhaps its a form of compensation for not seeing very much combat. HMAS Adelaide might not have sunk anything during her naval career but there is always the possibility that something will now run aground on her.

The protesters were the same wearisome bunch that turn up anytime somebody attempts to do anything. Apparently they were concerned that dropping the aforementioned several thousand tonnes of metal, plastic and asbestos into the briny deep wouldn't do much for the environment. Personally I suspect the environment is tougher than they think and hiring a sky writer to help get their message across was in my opinion a tactical error. Let's protest against polluting the sea by mucking up the sky.

It is possible that Adelaide's choice of funeral will have an impact on the environment although anybody who thinks the ocean can't handle it should check their diary for World War Two. At one point there were more ships on the seabed than there were actually floating on the surface yet people fish in those areas now (and indeed did then, a number of those sunken ships were trawlers). It doesn't seem to have caused any lasting damage. The navy's position is that Adelaide will form an artificial reef and become a dive site and a haven for marine life. Indeed it has been suggested that if global warming does kill the Great Barrier Reef then the navy will simply line itself up along side and simultaneously scuttle to pick up the slack. If the rust gets any worse in our tank landing ships they may well self scuttle before they get there. I wonder what people would think of a dive site and haven for marine life in the middle of Sydney Harbour.