23 August 2016

Flotsam, jetsam, lagan, and derelict


When I watched this video, I tried to think whether it was "flotsam" or "jetsam" that was being created.  Neither, actually:
  • Flotsam is floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo.
  • Jetsam is part of a ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is purposely cast overboard or jettisoned to lighten the load in time of distress and is washed ashore.
  • Lagan (also called ligan) is goods or wreckage that is lying on the bottom of the ocean, sometimes marked by a buoy, which can be reclaimed.
  • Derelict is cargo that is also on the bottom of the ocean, but which no one has any hope of reclaiming (in other maritime contexts, derelict may also refer to a drifting abandoned ship).
Much as one hates to see the ocean get trashed, if there are no toxic components in those pipes, this accident may have created some interesting microenvironments for marine creatures.

5 comments:

  1. lgeAugust 23, 2016 at 10:56 PM

    It brings to mind Ogden Nash:
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    Does anybody want any flotsam?
    I've gotsam.
    Does anybody want any jetsam?
    I can getsam.
    - - - - - - - - -

    And also,
    - - - - -
    I will ring welkins and before anybody answers I will run away.
    I'm just a little euphorious.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 24, 2016 at 8:32 AM

    i am more interested in the outcome of that - who gets blamed for using the straps that then broke. is that covered by insurance? what did the captain radio in the next day: 'hey, umm... those pipes that you ordered? well, you are only getting...'.?

    I-)

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  3. KipAugust 24, 2016 at 1:07 PM

    Depending on the depth of the ocean at that point those pipes probably ended up hitting the bottom at a nearly vertical angle and with enough speed to stick themselves into the silt. Could be the start of a new reef.

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  4. AnonymousAugust 27, 2016 at 11:27 AM

    Also interesting to note that the river in Belfast (where I am) is called the Lagan. Your post prompted me to check up the meaning of it to see if it came from the same word here.
    But no, the name Lagan comes from the Irish word 'lagáin'. Wikipedia translates it as the river of the low-lying place which is very descriptive when you consider that Belfast is situated between 2 mountains, the Black Mountain to the north and the Castlereagh Hills to the east.

    Irish place-names are a fascinating study if anyone is interested. My favourite one is a town called Tandragee. It is a translation from the Irish 'Toin le Gaoith' which means arse to the wind. :) The story goes that the poor people of the town had to build their houses on the exposed side of the hill that the town is situated on. The poor houses then shielded the rich houses from the harsh winds coming off the hillside.

    Molly

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