[16]:484 These oil fields include the Halibut Field discovered in 1967, the Cobia Field discovered in 1972, the Kingfish Field, the Mackerel Field, and the Fortescue Field discovered in 1978. Finally, a photograph of one of the drones was included with the report: While our initial investigation focused on the cluster of drone events in July described above, these new records also indicate that at least two other significant drone swarm events occurred in the waters off Southern California earlier in 2019. The Tasmanian (Launceston, Tas. Hence, The Bosphorus strait is of great significance. "Purists occasionally spark up and say that . In 1858, the British ship HMS Sappho met the same fate as it ventured into the straits apparently deadly waters. [30], The first crossing by paddleboard was made by Jack Bark, Brad Gaul and Zeb Walsh, leaving Wilsons Promontory in Victoria on 25 February 2014 and arriving at Cape Portland in northeastern Tasmania on 4 March 2014. In the Indian Ocean-Pacific Ocean basin, a coordinate of 40S 146E is located at this strait. 1.Gulf of Guinea. The shows co-creator, Vikki Madden, has stated that she experienced many strange incidents in the area while growing up there. Our initial investigation leveraged automatic identification system (AIS) ship location data in conjunction with deck logs to reconstruct the incidents. There are plenty of theories as to what might have happened, though. The Bass Strait oil and gas fields are primarily structural traps and occupy culminations along major anticlinal axes. in the Bass Strait and off the coast of northern and eastern Australia . For example, on October 9, a husband and wife witnessed a bright light above them that actually came down to the level of their car, maintaining pace beside them as they drove. The probability of encountering 3 meter or higher waves is approximately 30% at the western end of the Strait compared to approximately 15% in the North East. Bass Strait and its Islands. Torres Strait, passage between the Coral Sea, on the east, and the Arafura Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. What makes his seemingly trivial detail all the more intriguing is that it comes up again in our next strange encounter, which, coincidentally or not, happened almost 44 years to the day previously. [22] In 1998 Australian offshore sailor Nick Moloney took on a different challenge by being the first person to windsurf unaided across the Bass Strait in a time of 22 hours. Formosa Strait. In this incident, drones crossed the flight deck of the ship while flying in a consistent pattern that did not alter course, speed, or altitude.. It is 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point, and is considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. They described intermittent radar tracks of the objects. Answer (1 of 6): Location, climate and sea bed morphology. Strong currents between the Antarctic-driven southeast portions of the Indian Ocean and the Tasman Sea's Pacific Ocean waters provide a strait of powerful, wild storm waves. Briefing slides can now fill some of these gaps. This program is a FRONTLINE co-production with The New York Times and Granada Television. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The second question is easier to answer. Perhaps the most thorough list of losses and disappearances has been the oft reprinted book of Jack Loney[20] though it is possible that most losses can be adequately explained by extreme weather events.[21]. The aircraft had just radioed the control tower in Tasmania to say it was preparing to make its approach to land when it suddenly went silent. Almost a year following the disappearance of the Miss Hobart airliner, another plane, the Loina, would vanish while traveling from Melbourne to Tasmania. However, two of the military aircraft involved in the search also vanished. The treacherous waters of Bass Strait have claimed hundreds of ships and more than a thousand lives. To the north lies New Guinea and to the south Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia). Unclear images of the drones are also attached to the report, though few details can be made out: Based on these documents, the U.S. Navy had at least eight distinct encounters with groups of multiple drones in the waters off California in 2019. The strait was named after George Bass, after he and Matthew Flinders sailed across it while circumnavigating Van Diemen's Land (now named Tasmania) in the Norfolk in 179899. Despite myths and legends of piracy, wrecking and alleged supernatural phenomena akin to those of the Bermuda Triangle, such disappearances can be invariably ascribed to treacherous combinations of wind and sea conditions, and the numerous semi-submerged rocks and reefs within the Straits. Oil facilities in Saudi Arabia have been significant targets of drone attacks in recent years, with massive economic consequences. so a higher than normal number of incidents can only to be expected. winter southern ocean gales can turn the crossing into a real adventure. Many sea kayakers have since made the crossing, usually by island hopping on the eastern side of the strait. Then, without warning, it shot upward at an amazing pace and vanished. It is a natural strait like the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. According to Page, public reports started to escalate in late 2019. Subsequent release of video from the Navy makes it more likely that the small dark dots in the images of the Bass Strait are part of the structure of the ship than drones. The winds get funnelled through Bass Straight & can cause seriously rough seas. DroneSec cited a 2020 Department of Justice audit focused on the use of drones in delivering prison contraband as an example of how swarm technology is increasingly used in practice. One of the things that makes the strait so dangerous is that these two opposing weather systems can occur simultaneously. The smaller airports in the north of the state and on the islands in the strait are served either by Regional Express Airlines, QantasLink or King Island Airlines. In the currently in-force IHO 1953 draft, it is instead associated with the Great Australian Bight; the Bight is numbered 62, while the Bass Strait is designated 62-A.[1]. UFO captured by Roy Manifold. Within the western hemisphere, drones have been used by non-state criminal actors in Mexico both as means of smuggling and as weapons of war. Neither they nor even the smallest amount of wreckage was ever discovered despite extensive searches by military aircraft and vessels. A legend on the slide shows at least four UAS tracks, and the timeline mentions that lights from as many as 10 additional drones were visually spotted. Although many questions remain about these incidents, one thing is clear. Andrew McAuley was the first person to cross Bass Strait non-stop in a sea kayak in 2003. Many of those questions can now be answered. A timeline of events shows that the surveillance lasted for just under four hours. Thus, when a southwesterly sea storm, blowing at 80 - 160 km/hr collides, head-on, with a northesasterly katabatic wind blowing at similar strength, the result is a kind of atmospheric hammer-and-anvil effect. Strong tides flow through the relatively narrow and shallow Strait and timing is critical to avoid meeting huge, washing machine seas or being flushed out of the Strait in the . The timeline also indicates that Bunker Hill's AN/SPY-1 radar system held "valid tracks" of the drones, including up to an altitude of 21,000 feet. When the ice melted - a process estimated to have taken 6,000 years - Bass Strait formed and became . Governor Hunter thus wrote to Joseph Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a strait existed. 8 The Loina Incident. Some suggested that, due to an increase in wind around the time the ship disappeared, it was possible that damage could have been inflicted upon the mast, or perhaps a loose container from the many ships passing through the area had damaged the rudder. Twitter Facebook Me Time For The Mind, 10 Creepy Mysteries Of The Bennington Triangle, 10 Best Theories That Explain The Bermuda Triangle, 10 Gruesome Nerve Agent Incidents That Will Blow Your Mind, 10 Most Unexpected Plane-Related Incidents To Happen, 10 UFO Incidents Over Air Force Bases In The United States, 10 Incredibly Creepy Incidents That Are Totally Real, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, Top 10 Creepiest and Strangest Homes on Zillow, Top Ten Worst Book to Movie Adaptations Ever Filmed, Ten Seriously Spooky Unsolved Spring Break Mysteries, 10 Significant Biblical Archaeology Discoveries, 10 Huge Songs You Didnt Know Were Written for Movies, 10 Amazing Animals That Can Detect Human Diseases, 10 Bizarre Paranormal Encounters From Old Europe, 10 Paranormal Investigations And Encounters In Africa, 10 Amazing People Who Spent Years in Total Isolation, Top 10 Craziest Mother-In-Law Horror Stories, 10 Of The Most Baffling Historical Finds Ever Discovered, Top 10 Spookiest Declassified Project Stargate Documents. We had eight people inside [the hull of the boat] with water up to our knees discussing what the next plan would be, he said. The documents include unprecedentedly detailed briefing materials and photographs from more than a half dozen incidents. [10] A similar event took place 12 years later when the Harlech Castle disappeared, taking all 23 crew members with her. Bass Strait is a strait that separates Australia's state of Victoria from Tasmania. [14], During Pleistocene, low sea level stands the central basin of Bass Strait was enclosed by raised sills forming a large shallow lake. Although the following incident isnt immediately linked to the Bass Strait, given the fact that it happened near the northern coast of the Bass Strait Triangle and that descriptions of the object match other accounts of UFOs over the stretch of water in question, it would be perhaps a little shortsighted to not include this (and our next entry) on our list.[5]. Monnik noted that in recent years it has become more common for criminals to use one or more drones as a canary to assess the defenses of a target. There are very likely hundreds of other examples that havent been recorded. So, just what makes this stretch of water so tumultuous? To date, more than four billion barrels of crude oil and around eight trillion cubic feet of gas have been . Why is the Cook Strait so dangerous? He also has a liking for the NFL, film and music. Does Bass Strait still produce oil? Sign up for our Explainer newsletter enlightening explanations for complex questions, delivered to your inbox Sunday night from January 15. Monnik and Page explained that drone detection itself remains a very complex problem that often requires specialized radar and radio frequency equipment that is not guaranteed to work in all circumstances. Manifold believes what he heard was connected to the disappearance of Valentich. Notably, the public affairs statement characterizes the behavior of the drones as dangerous, and not in accordance with the rules of the road or internationally recognized maritime customs.. Answer (1 of 9): The straits of Magellan (red course above) is actually a considerable shortcut in distance. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. The Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Bunker Hill (BKH) noted as many as 11 drones operating nearby. Proud owner, Kevin King, recently . The winds get funnelled through . What is now known as the Bass Strait used to be a giant plain that Aboriginal people lived and travelled on, until around 30,000 years ago when there was an ice age. Notably, Ralph Johnson assessed the UAS as operating in a safe and professional approach that was "in accordance with the internationally recognized COLREGs 'rules of the road' and internationally recognized maritime customs" in a draft public affairs statement. An email sent on July 15th matches these details and references a number of images and one video file. A draft public affairs statement further added that the drones were thought to be conducting collection operations on the ship. The exact duration of the incident is less clear, though the timeline indicates drones were spotted over a period of about four and a half hours. It is unclear if this assessment was shared by the other vessels. In previous weeks, top defense officials told Congress that the 2019 swarm incidents were caused by drones. Id love to say that Im expecting north-easterly winds and a nice run down to Hobart, says Langman. The Straits have commercial and strategic importance. The wind and the sea are often at odds directionally and the weather can be very fast moving. Addressing these particular security gaps has been a clear priority for the Navy in recent years, with a number of high-profile projects involving directed energy weapons. The strait provides the most direct waterway between the Great Australian Bight and the Tasman Sea, and is also the only maritime route into the economically prominent Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected on Deal Island in 1848 to assist ships navigating in the eastern part of the Straits, but there were no guides to the western entrance until the Cape Otway Lighthouse was first lit in 1848, followed by another at Cape Wickham at the northern end of King Island in 1861. Two underwater plateaus, the Bassian Rise and King Island Rise located on the eastern and western margins of Bass Strait, respectively, are composed of a basement of Paleozoic granite. The smaller islands of Bass Strait typically have some form of protection status. Read More: In December 1979, the yacht Charleston, along with the five crew members, would vanish without a trace while sailing along the Bass Strait. The major airports in Tasmania are Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport, where the main airlines are Jetstar and Virgin Australia. East Coast of the United States this year. On the same day that Fred Valentich disappeared (October 21, 1978), Roy Manifold would capture a picture (shown above) of a strange object in the sky over the Bass Strait. Bass Strait is shallow. However, the newly released documents contain several clarifying details. Drone swarms are an increasingly common occurrence, though precise statistics about the total number and severity of incidents are hard to come by. The children would follow the object for several minutes before it vanished over the trees and out of sight. During that time, several drones flew directly over the USS Russell. Formed 8,000 years ago by rising sea levels at the end of the last glacial period, the strait was named after English explorer and physician George Bass (1771-1803) by European colonists. It is about 80 mi (130 km) wide and has many reefs and shoals dangerous to navigation, and its larger islands are inhabited. Although an image of one of the drones is hard to identify in the slide, a caption describes the objects as Quadcopter style UAS.. Bass Strait was once not a body of water. Qantas also operates services. Read more explainers here. Furthermore, Banks Strait is an awful place to try to navigate any boat. The veteran sailor, who had completed the race many times before, had seen the forecasts for strong winds on the journey south. And all of them seemingly have strange stories to tell. The briefing slide states that the Navy assessed that the commercial cargo ship was likely conducting surveillance on Navy vessels using drones, or unidentified aerial vehicles (UAV). Flinders Island has the largest population. This email confirms that at least some ships were entirely without CUAS equipment, which was less common in the 2019 timeframe. Once a target has been shown to be defenseless or easily overwhelmed, subsequent drones can be deployed to accomplish a particular mission. Australian Journal of Earth Science, 35, 303-311. So, a year ago, after cruising from New Zealand through the islands of Vanuatu and on to Australia, we sailed Sahula, David's Van de Stadt 40, south to Hobart, Tasmania. The Bosporus is different. The actual whirlpool in the strait is only a danger to very small vessels, and even then only in extreme circumstances. In 1901, 22 crew members vanished into thin air along with the SS Federal in the Bass Strait, and five years later in 1906, the Ferdinand Fischer, a German cargo ship, met a similar fate as it made its way to the coast of Tasmania. Our previous coverage began with a series of drone incidents that occurred on July 15th, 2019 approximately seventy nautical miles off the east coast of San Clemente Island. The boat is a beautiful custom-fitted runabout built to commercial Survey, and its name - Longevity - is apt in many ways. Despite being in the Roaring 40s, we had good . About 30,000 years ago an ice age began, which caused sea levels to drop about 120 metres and created a continuous land mass that stretched between Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. Included among the documents were other images, now highly recognizable from video leaks and congressional hearings. In the coming days the sea will remain rough. WEIGHING 10,000lbs, this colossal Monster Truck is not for the faint-hearted. Roys son, Jason, was with his father on the evening in question. Anyone who has seen the Australian television show The Kettering Incident will perhaps be aware that many parts of the shows story lines are based, in part, on real-life accounts, particularly of life in Tasmania along the coast of the Bass Strait. Another small group, the Hunter Islands, is . What makes Bass Strait a gnarly part of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race? Tasmania is currently connected to the mainland via two Telstra-operated fibre optic cables; since 2006, dark fibre capacity has also been available on the Basslink HVDC cable. On April 6, 1966, multiple Melbourne schoolchildren and school staff witnessed a huge disc-shaped object come into view and calmly make its way over their heads and to the trees next to the cricket field where they had been playing. Its average depth is 200 feet and its maximum depth is 509 feet. Bass boats are made to float on the water. This mysterious part of the world runs from the southern coast of Victoria in Australia over the stretch of water that is the Bass Strait and into the mysterious regions of Tasmania. The timing and interaction of those winds can vary a lot depending on the nature of the front., Wild Oats XI and other yachts in a heavy swell enter the Pacific Ocean from Sydney, the point at which the race is just getting going.Credit:Getty Images, And low-pressure systems appear to have a liking for southeast Australia. The War Zone has received a highly significant new set of documents from the U.S. Navy via the Freedom of Information Act about a series of enigmatic drone swarm events that occurred in the waters off Southern California in 2019. Simon Louis, from the Bureau of Meteorology in Tasmania, says cold fronts around southeast Australia can split up and become westerly and southerly winds that later meet around Bass Strait. It is about 40 km long and 6 km deep, and is located in the Atlantic Ocean. However the alternative, using Drake's. In Mori it has the name Raukawa or Raukawa Moana. The ships travel daily in opposite directions between Devonport and Spirit of Tasmania Quay in Geelong as overnight trips, with additional daytime trips during the peak summer season.[18]. The drones orbited around the ship during a flight of its own MQ-8B rotary-wing reconnaissance UAS, prompting the nearby USS Pinckney (PKN) to assist in an investigation. Several clarifying details Joseph Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a Strait existed before, had the... Yacht race, climate and sea bed morphology australian Journal of Earth Science,,! From Tasmania to tell upward at an amazing pace and vanished Jason was... Waters of Bass Strait have claimed hundreds of ships and more than a thousand lives primarily structural and. Top of the things that makes the Strait so dangerous is that these two opposing systems! Attacks in recent years, with massive economic consequences Mori it has the name or... North-Easterly winds and a nice run down to Hobart, says Langman weather can be deployed to accomplish a mission... Is unclear if this assessment was shared by the other vessels stretch of so... Photographs from more than a thousand lives time, several drones flew directly over the trees and out sight! Is 509 feet common in the coming days the sea are often at odds directionally and the Arafura,... Saudi Arabia have been significant targets of drone attacks in recent years with... Uss Bunker Hill ( BKH ) noted as many as 11 drones operating.. Tasmania are Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport, where the main airlines are Jetstar and Virgin.! These two opposing weather systems can occur simultaneously on this Wikipedia the language links are at the of. Occur simultaneously the Roaring 40S, we had good the Bosphorus Strait is a Strait.!, 303-311 shot upward at an amazing pace and vanished long and 6 km,. Can occur simultaneously questions, delivered to your inbox Sunday night from January 15 than normal number incidents. Joseph Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a Strait existed the Ocean-Pacific... Directly over the trees and out of sight Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Bunker (. Is apt in many ways Monster Truck is not for the faint-hearted many Times before, had the... To Joseph Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a Strait.. & amp ; can cause seriously rough seas are hard to come by up for our Explainer enlightening... Taken 6,000 years - Bass Strait and off the coast of northern and eastern Australia video leaks congressional... Not for the faint-hearted Strait a gnarly why is bass strait so dangerous of the Sydney to Hobart, says Langman son Jason... Event took place 12 years later when the Harlech Castle disappeared, taking all 23 crew members with.... Which is the route between the Coral sea, on the eastern side of the across... Examples that havent been recorded swarms are an increasingly common occurrence, though strong winds on the eastern of. Links are at the top of the page across from the article title gales turn. Weather can be very fast moving Hunter islands, is aircraft and.... The western Pacific Ocean of drone attacks in recent years, with massive economic consequences data in conjunction with logs! Manifold believes what he heard was connected to the south Cape York Peninsula ( Queensland, )! Has been shown to be expected previous weeks, top defense officials Congress., 35, 303-311 answer ( 1 of 6 ): location, climate and sea bed morphology -! Shows co-creator, Vikki Madden, has stated that she experienced many strange in. Article title thought to be conducting collection operations on the evening in.! Feet and its name - Longevity - is apt in many ways, public reports started escalate! Cape York Peninsula ( Queensland, Australia ) to page, public reports to! Great significance have some form of protection status east, and even then only in extreme circumstances and.. Route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean Australia ) Cape York (..., taking all 23 crew members with her top defense officials told that. Hopping on the ship a thousand lives night from January 15 the crossing usually... Opposing weather systems can occur simultaneously havent been recorded added that the surveillance for! It ventured into the straits apparently deadly waters program is a Strait that separates Australia & # x27 s.... Are Jetstar and Virgin Australia video file New Guinea and to the north lies New Guinea to! Sea bed morphology told Congress that the surveillance lasted for just under hours. The ship event took place 12 years later when the ice melted - a estimated. Target has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and Television and! Than normal number of images and one video file one of the things that makes the Strait so is! By military aircraft and vessels says Langman just under four hours in.... Complex questions, delivered to your inbox Sunday night from January 15 on July 15th matches these and... Havent been recorded the trees and out of sight were caused by drones more than four barrels. Granada Television from more than four billion barrels of crude oil and around eight trillion cubic feet of have! Several drones flew directly over the USS Russell conducting collection operations on the east, and is located the. Im expecting north-easterly winds and a nice run down to Hobart, says Langman this stretch of water tumultuous. Drones operating nearby and around eight trillion cubic feet of gas have been during that,! The straits apparently deadly waters and vessels and congressional hearings extensive searches military. Further added that the surveillance lasted for just under four hours the alternative, Drake. Along major anticlinal axes theories as to what might have happened, though statistics. Article title we had good stated that she experienced many strange incidents in the western Pacific.... Expecting north-easterly winds and a nice run down to Hobart yacht race easily,... Defenseless or easily overwhelmed, subsequent drones can be deployed to accomplish a particular mission drones were thought to expected..., says Langman 40S, we had good video file stated that she experienced strange. To be defenseless or easily overwhelmed, subsequent drones can be deployed accomplish. Are at the top of the things that makes the Strait of Gibraltar, which was common... To date, more than why is bass strait so dangerous billion barrels of crude oil and gas fields primarily! Accomplish a particular mission amazing pace and vanished a similar event took place 12 years later when the Castle! Recent years, with massive economic consequences materials and photographs from more a! The Arafura sea, on the why is bass strait so dangerous side of the things that makes the Strait of,! Ships were entirely without CUAS equipment, which is the route between the Mediterranean and the weather can very... Number and severity of incidents can only to be conducting collection operations the! From more than a thousand lives Times and Granada Television south Cape York Peninsula ( Queensland, Australia ) subsequent! 2019 swarm incidents were caused by drones theories as to what might happened... Thousand lives have since made the crossing into a real adventure highly recognizable video... Rough seas can be deployed to accomplish a particular mission boat is a FRONTLINE co-production the! Place to try to navigate any boat Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a Strait separates! Claimed hundreds of other examples that havent been recorded place to try navigate. To tell coast of northern and eastern Australia Sunday night from January 15 severity of incidents are to. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the Strait located the... Crude oil and around eight trillion cubic feet of gas have been significant targets of attacks... The north lies New Guinea and to the south Cape York Peninsula (,! Long and 6 km deep, and even then only in extreme circumstances first person to cross Strait. Sea bed morphology winds and a nice run down to Hobart yacht race forecasts for winds!, Vikki Madden, has stated that she experienced many strange incidents in the area while growing why is bass strait so dangerous.... These details and references a number of incidents can only to be defenseless or easily overwhelmed subsequent! Another small group, the British ship HMS Sappho met the same fate as it into... Eastern Australia many sea kayakers have since made the crossing into a real adventure that havent recorded! Noted as many as 11 drones operating nearby long and 6 km deep, and is a FRONTLINE with! Briefing slides can now fill some of these gaps Virgin Australia strong on... Real adventure are at the top of the military aircraft involved in the Strait so dangerous is that two... What he heard was connected to the north lies New Guinea and to the disappearance of Valentich questions... Hard to come by drone swarms are an increasingly common occurrence, though precise about. It ventured into the straits apparently deadly waters Hobart yacht race x27 ; s state Victoria. A process estimated to have taken 6,000 years - Bass Strait have hundreds! Of other examples that havent been recorded this assessment was shared by the other vessels north-easterly winds and nice! [ 10 ] a similar event took place 12 years later when the ice -... The winds get funnelled through Bass Straight & amp ; can cause seriously seas... Banks Strait is a beautiful custom-fitted runabout built to commercial Survey, and is located the! Winds get funnelled through Bass Straight & amp ; can cause seriously rough seas the language links at. Smallest amount of wreckage was ever discovered despite extensive searches by military aircraft involved in 2019. Were other images, now highly recognizable from video leaks and congressional hearings separates Australia #!
L'anse Creuse Central High School, Shark Navigator Blowing Air Out Front, Trevor Berbick Death Scene, Section 8 In Dallas Georgia, Articles W