Forum attic item #14

[Rod_Filan]

The irregular series Forum Attic was last posted in May. Time for another go. If you do not know what the object of the Forum Attic is, read here.

While waiting out these cold drift-bound months, a pastime commonly pursued is that of rummaging around the attic. It was during one of these winter forages that I recently came across an old reel of film. Film which long ago preserved the motion of a heroic era.

Although the steadiness of the camera was dependent on the abatement of the seas and the field of view is narrow, the assembled frames--albeit far from perfect--create a panorama of a scene that I thought until now existed only in the written record.

The film does not identify this item and the short duration of the operations give little time for conclusive opinion--but as a certain detective once said: "There is nothing as deceptive as an obvious fact". You may weigh the evidence once presented.



-
Cheers

[FOKKERJ]

Hi Rod,

It looks like some "Catch of the Day".

Happy Holidays, Jay

[Rod_Filan]

This is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh fish.

The clues exist in the text. These are much deeper waters than you had thought.
-
Cheers

[Catfish]

Hello,

well first i see a wooden ship, and since it has shrouds, it sure is a sailing ship - some sailing ships did have auxiliary steam engines, but i see nothing of it on the picture. There is a cannon on a (semi?) circular base protruding the hull.
The lifeboat (?) sure looks strange, bow ok, but a round stern.
I think this scene takes place on the seas, not on a lake anyway, there was no such ship on a lake in Africa or wherever i know of.
Is this a swimmer, or the fuselage, of a plane (probably a Short?). Or is it from a plane at all ?
I cannot identify the uniforms. But then, it just looks like clothes sailors use around the world.

I have two proposals:
1. Since it has been 90 years that british troops began to evacuate Gallipoli ... ?
2. Or it takes place in East Africa, near or south of Daressalaam ?

Hmm, is there a hint at which time this scene was happening ?
Greetings,
Catfish

[Varese2002]

Hi Rod, thanks for adding to the attic series. Knowing your field of interest this is undoubtedly a piece of a dirigible fallen into the water (river, ocean etc.), being hoisted aboard an old ship.

Most likely the piece hoisted out of the water is the gondola of a dirigible. A wild idea gets in my head of the British airship which had a gondola that was the fuselage of a B.E.2.

Cheers

Kees

[Catfish]

Hello,
you mean like this ?

Greetings,
Catfish

[Varese2002]

Yes, thanks Catfish, something like in your picture. Although the wrath of Rod will surely come down on me as it does not quite fit in with the picture presented in this Attic.

Cheers

Kees

[Rod_Filan]

You two are definitely on the correct heading.

sailing ship, yes.

fuselage, yes.

dirigible, no.

Without giving too much away, I'll post another photographic clue and verbal hint once I'm on my computer at home.
-
Cheers

[Rod_Filan]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Hmm, is there a hint at which time this scene was happening ?

That clue has already been given. Not specifically mind you--although I have determined the exact date of this landing--but it should be enough to solve the riddle now that you know the aeronautical classification of the item.
-
Cheers

[m9a3r5i7o2n]

Is it a pontoon off of a very large aircraft? Perhaps one of Captain Midnight's super secret, but failed, experiments. Ho Ho Ho!

Yours, M.L. Anderson