Let's say you're in charge of the Spanish Navy. You know it's a good idea to have accurate maps for your sailors. This dates back to the days when Christopher Columbus was supposed to take a ship filled with high school seniors to the beach, and got lost, winding up far from Ocean City.
More recently, a Spanish ship, the "Malaspina," was sent out to update the charts in the Mediterranean near the island of Ibiza. But they ran aground, thus proving the need for better navigational maps.
The good ship Malaspina was west of Ibiza in an area of shallows when it got stuck. This was last week, and at last report, rescue teams were on the way to lift the vessel off the ocean floor.
"After an initial inspection... no structural damage can be seen," said a dispatch from the Navy. Also, no injuries were reported among the crew.
Malaspina was launched in 1975 and refurbished in 2007. Its job is to prowl the Spanish coast and collect undersea topography data - getting the lay of the land, as it were. It has sailed some 180,000 miles in this task.
 |
| The Spanish Navy survey ship Malaspina, in happier days |
It's named for Alejandro Malaspina, a Royal Navy Brigadier from the 18th century.
If you remember your high school Spanish, you know that "mala spina" literally means "bad thorn." The words are used together to denote a bad feeling.
Maybe change the name of the ship to "Buena Suerte" (good luck)?
No comments:
Post a Comment