THE CHINESE ICE BREAKER SENT TO THE RESCUE OF THE RUSSIAN ICE CAPABLE EXPEDITION CRUISE SHIPS NOW REPORTS DIFFICULTIES IN EXTRACTING ITSELF FROM THE SEA ICE.
Image Wikipedia Commons SOMETIMES SEA ICE REALLY SUCKS
The Chinese Ice Breaker that was dispatched to help extricate the Russian expedition ship out of a heavy concentration of sea ice successfully evacuated the passengers to an Australian Ice Breaker. The Australian was headed to Tasmania with 52 passengers extracted from the Russian expedition ship when it received orders to standby in the area and prepare to assist the Chinese ice breaker now fearing ice entrapment itself.
The 24 hour daylight of the Antarctic summer apparently has not generated much in the way of above freezing temperatures and the ice is not thinning yet. The "Sea Dragon" is making some slow progress but realistically fears being trapped in the ice. For the complete story click here:
Ship involved in Antarctic rescue faces trouble for the story as it appeared on AOL.
As much as we don't trust Chinese naval intentions, we do appreciate that the Chinese were conforming to the highest traditions of the sea in responding with their capable ice breaker to an international call of distress.
The Australians as well, were and are, conforming to the highest traditions of international seafaring. Unfortunately this incident seems to illustrate Mark Twain's observation in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: " What's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" We think the old River Pilot may have also been the origin of the similar observation ...."No good deed goes unpunished". Hey Dragon, welcome to the real world of naval endeavor!
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