2,400 dead in Holland and UK

MV Princess Victoria - Lost at sea

SS Virgo - Stranded in Holland

Today is the anniversary of the great North Sea Flood which occurred on the night of 31 January, 1953. Difficult to believe now, but over 2,400 people died as a result of the storm and flood, eighteen hundred in the Netherlands and over 300 in the UK.

Many boats were lost at sea including the MV Princess Victoria ferry which sank off Belfast with the loss of 133 lives. The ship's captain, Captain Ferguson, was observed by those in the water or in lifeboats to be stood at the salute on the bridge in the classic pose of the captain who goes down with his ship. While there were 40 survivors, there were no women or children amongst them, giving rise to controversy at the time.

While sea defences have been improved significantly since 1953, this devastating natural disaster gives some insight into the potential impact of future climate change for low lying areas.

This is an old newsreel of the aftermath of the storm and flood.

Beware of exploding whales

The Whalemobile

I see a reference in this morning's Today in History to a story about a dead whale that spontaneously exploded in Taiwan in 2004 while in transit for a necropsy (that's an autopsy for whales).  You can see more about the story here (complete with video footage - you've been warned!).

It reminded me of a more famous instance of a whale which was found on a beach in the US over 40 years ago. Unfortunately nobody appeared to know how to remove the carcass so, naturally enough, they decided to blow it up!  Except they used a little too much dynamite!