Andrew McAuley was the first person to cross Bass Strait non-stop in a sea kayak in 2003. Perhaps the most famous of these incidents is the case of Fred Valentich. [24], In March 2009 two young dinghy sailors sailed a B14 (dinghy) from Stanley in north west Tasmania to Walkerville South in Victoria. [3] The strait between the Furneaux Islands and Tasmania is Banks Strait, a subdivision of Bass Strait. It is bounded in the north by the state of Victoria and in the south by Tasmania. All Rights Reserved. King Island and the Indian Ocean lie at its western extremity, and the Furneaux Group is at its eastern end. Scott Nichol, the director of national seabed mapping at Geoscience Australia, has spent years exploring what lies beneath the surface of Bass Strait. The national park is wholly contained by the Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve. 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]. Read More: It can be a preferential area for them to develop and intensify, Louis says. Even aboard a cruise, the waters around the Drake Passage are still known as one of the most dangerous maritime routes in the world. Of the more than 60 islands only three have permanent residents: Flinders Island, Cape Barren Island and Clarke Island. The unusual commingling of the longstanding UFO issue with drones has arguably created a potent cultural blindspot that can be exploited by adversaries. The major airports in Tasmania are Hobart International Airport and Launceston Airport, where the main airlines are Jetstar and Virgin Australia. In 1798, Bass explored along the southern coast of what . [12], Despite the strait's difficult waters, it provided a safer and less boisterous[clarification needed] passage for ships on the route from Europe or India to Sydney in the early 19th century. 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 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. Its exploitation began in 2005. Malikides, M., Harris, P. T., Jenkins, C. J., & Keene, J. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The nation's most dangerous job, fishing for Alaskan . bangalore north university migration certificate; deborah tannen gender theory; fertility and sterility science impact factor. The East Australian Current hits the Bass Strait.Credit:CSIRO. [25][26], Kitesurfers have also completed the crossing[27][28] with Natalie Clark in 2010 become the first female to do the crossing. Another small group, the Hunter Islands, is . The Basslink HVDC electrical cable has been in service since 2006. Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray took pains to emphasize in a recent congressional hearing that the military "train as they would fight." In 1920, while sailing into the Bass Strait, the SS Amelia J. disappeared without a trace shortly after entering the infamous stretch of water. Victoria has several marine national parks in Bass Strait, and are all adjacent to the mainland coastline: A number of oil and gas fields exist in the eastern portion of Bass Strait, in what is known as the Gippsland Basin. 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. It is a natural strait like the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. A note on the slide states that the cruiser unsuccessfully attempted to contact the Bass Strait. The Bass Strait oil and gas fields are primarily structural traps and occupy culminations along major anticlinal axes. This email confirms that at least some ships were entirely without CUAS equipment, which was less common in the 2019 timeframe. counter drone technologies and techniques, Biden administration issued a new directive, Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday's statement. What makes Bass Strait a gnarly part of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race? Valentich and his plane subsequently vanished and neither Valentich nor his plane were ever seen again. In short, there was nothing to indicate that she had been planning on leaving.[6]. Frederick Valentich was flying a small aeroplane over the strait when he reported to personnel at a local airport that a strange object was buzzing his plane. Known locally as The Paddock, the Bass Strait is the body of water separating mainland Australia and Tasmania. It also indicates that the UAS incident continued after the Bass Strait departed the area. Even this map, of the shortest possible route, shows how the race passes along the eastern edge of Bass Strait (yes, that bit with the big drop-off). [6] Tasman was on a mission to find the Southern Continent, not more islands, so he abruptly turned away to the east and continued his continent hunting. 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. By Les Christie @CNNMoney July 27, 2012: 5:47 AM ET. Pipelines from the Otway Basin gas fields lead to several processing facilities in the vicinity of Port Campbell (Iona Gas Plant and Otway Gas Plant). In fact, the first recorded incident appears to be the disappearance of the Eliza in 1797. (1988). Like the Tasman Sea, the Bass Strait is heavily influenced by weather patterns and at the same time, the severity of the waves varies depending on which side of the Strait you are on. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The first is that Bass Straits geomorphology the shape of the sea floor changes rapidly over a very short area. As investigations widened, reports began to emerge of strange lights being seen in the area on the evening in question. Bass Strait sea conditions and wind forecast. George Bass is important to Australia because he did a great deal to fill in the gaps in knowledge of Australia's southeastern coastline. At times it becomes dangerous because of its narrowness and acute turns the ships have to take. Documents show that the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Russell, also referred to by its hull number, DDG 59, and the abbreviation RSL), first reported an interaction with three unknown UAS on July 17th, 2019 approximately 62 nautical miles southwest of San Nicolas Island. It doesnt take a geoscientist to work out what might happen here, when tonnes and tonnes of water, sometimes flowing at 90 centimetres a second, hit kilometre-high walls: a lot of movement - or, in technical parlance, upwelling - where deep water is forced up the canyon walls and meets the surface. Then, without warning, it shot upward at an amazing pace and vanished. The first incident occurred on March 30, 2019. It is a narrow and deep strait. Three of the planes seats were discovered, as well pieces of the petrol tank. Discovered (1606) by the Spanish mariner Luis Vaez de Torres, its . According to Page, public reports started to escalate in late 2019. 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. Included among the documents were other images, now highly recognizable from video leaks and congressional hearings. And that creates the hazard for yachts., In terms of treacherous water, its got to be up there with the most treacherous in the world., Its why Peter Langman, who will lead one of the smallest boats to Hobart, gets nervous thinking about it. If you'd like some expert background on an issue or a news event, drop us a line at explainers@smh.com.au or explainers@theage.com.au. Major islands include: Within Bass Strait there are several Commonwealth marine reserves, which are all part of the South-east Network. The purpose of the voyage was to raise funds for the treatment of the endangered Tasmanian Devil, an animal species suffering from a facial tumour disease and, if possible, break the dinghy sailing time record for the crossing. There are two things to know about this body of water. However, after several days with no contact and no arrival, search planes were sent out in a desperate bid to find the apparently stricken vessel. 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. The veteran sailor, who has completed the race many times, was watching the forecast for strong winds on his way south. 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.. UFO captured by Roy Manifold. Public affairs officials in multiple agencies have been consistently tight-lipped on this matter, with most information coming strictly through the Freedom of Information Act. "Purists occasionally spark up and say that . The treacherous waters of Bass Strait have claimed hundreds of ships and more than a thousand lives. Exactly a month later in Hobart, a taxi driver was suddenly forced to slam on his breaks due to a strange green glow in the middle of the road. However, few people know about the Bab-El-Mandeb Strait, which lies on the Red Sea between Djibouti and Yemen. Footage of enormous waves has been captured in Australia's Bass Strait, with severe weather meaning that the Spirit of Tasmania ferry company has stopped all crossings through the Strait. Lin Pardey. A major release of documents provides the highest level of detail yet about mysterious drone swarms involving U.S. Navy ships off California. Aviation experts, both at the time and today, believe the loss of the Miss Hobart to be a genuine mystery, not least due to the de Havilland DH86 aircraft (example pictured above) being one of the most advanced of its era. On July 21st, the USS Paul Hamilton again reported seeing a group of drones. In congressional testimony, defense officials explained that "the triangular appearance is a result of light passing through the night vision goggles, and then being recorded by an SLR camera.". Flinders Island has the largest population. The submarine topography of Bass Strait. This is why concerts and parties are so dangerous because of the high noise levels and because people tend to listen to them for hours on end. 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. There was enough time for coastal sand dunes to form, and in some cases theyve actually been preserved, Nichol says. Its not just whats happening under the water that makes it difficult to cross Bass Strait. A note on the slide states that the cruiser unsuccessfully attempted to contact the Bass Strait. The widest opening is about 350km (220mi) between Cape Portland on the northeastern tip of Tasmania and Point Hicks on the Australian mainland. It conjures images of strength, stability, safety and . It can be extremely rough. Will Oxley expected the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race to be a rough one. According to the timeline, one of the objects hovered over the ship at an altitude of about 700 feet. 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. Spiders fill the jungles of the Darin Gap, but one of the most "medically important" is the Brazilian Wandering spider. Bass Strait was named after a British explorer named George Bass, who passed through aboard the Norfolk in 1799-99. But we've already seen that Tasmanian canoe-rafts became unmaneuverable and sank after about 10 miles of travel in calm seas. This is in part because traditional deck logs were not available from Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) due to their use of digital records. Bering, Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb, Bosporus and Torres, etc. The . 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. The actual whirlpool in the strait is only a danger to very small vessels, and even then only in extreme circumstances. The images from the incident include these photographs of what appears to be the Bass Strait. If the wave height above 1,5 meter (4 ft 9 in) swimming is forbidden. 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]. Alinta owns a submarine gas pipeline, delivering natural gas to large industrial customers near George Town, as well as the Powerco gas network in Tasmania. 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. [8] The yacht was scheduled to arrive in Sydney for New Years Eve. A timeline of events shows that the surveillance lasted for just under four hours. And all of them seemingly have strange stories to tell. Owing to the various currents and weather systems that move through it, and also due to its shallow depth (varying around 50 . BASS STRAIT OFFSHORE 24. bass strait can be one of the roughest stretches of ocean in the world. 8 The Loina Incident. Sign up for our Explainer newsletter enlightening explanations for complex questions, delivered to your inbox Sunday night from January 15. The details available in these official Navy documents stand at odds with the widespread perception of Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday's statement last year that the Navy was unaware of who was operating the unidentified aircraft. Subaqueous dunes (sandwaves) and tidal current ridges cover approximately 6,000km2 (2,300sqmi) of the seabed in Bass Strait. It carried three passengers and two pilots. The smaller islands of Bass Strait typically have some form of protection status. [16]:484 Large gas fields include the Whiptail field, the Barracouta Field, the Snapper Field, and the Marlin Field. Hence, The Bosphorus strait is of great significance. (1988). The Danish Strait: Of extreme importance in the Northern European maritime network, the Danish Strait shipping route helps to interlink the North Sea with the Baltic Sea especially with respect to oil tanker ships that cross from Eastern Europe - mainly Russia - towards the West. It is still one of Australias most well-known UFO cases on record. Blom, W. M., & Alsop, D. B. Bass Strait is approximately 250km (160mi) wide and 500km (310mi) long, with an average depth of 60m (200ft). Arguably, the year-long confusion surrounding the leaked footage from the USS Russell attests to this problem. This sea strait has a maximum length of 310 miles and a maximum width of 220 miles. [23], In terms of dinghy sailing many crossings have been made but in March 2005 Australian Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn set a record when he crossed the strait in just over 13 hours in a Laser sailing dinghy. Last year Marine General Kenneth McKenzie Jr. said that drones are "the most concerning tactical development since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq." When the land veered to the north-west at Eddystone Point,[5] he tried to keep in with it but his ships were suddenly hit by the Roaring Forties howling through Bass Strait. 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. If this was the case, its possible that the yacht could have drifted as far as islands to the south of New Zealand. This last account, as crazy as it sounds, is very similar to both ancient texts and other contemporary accounts that speak of portals or gateways to other dimensions. An email dated July 14, 2019, sent while the incident was in progress, stated that there was a pause between periods of UAS activity. The shows co-creator, Vikki Madden, has stated that she experienced many strange incidents in the area while growing up there. Associated with the less than 50m (160ft)-deep Bassian Rise is the Furneaux Islands, the largest of which is Flinders Island (maximum elevation 760m[2,490ft]). Van Diemen's Land and New Holland] are one land or no",[8]. The USS Gabrielle Gifford's MQ-8B was deployed again after refueling, but was unable to locate the four UAVs. An email sent on July 15th matches these details and references a number of images and one video file. [2] There were 11 people on board, nine passengers and two pilots. Bass Strait was once not a body of water. Youve got waves colliding with your currents, says Nichol, and thats where you get very steep, very dangerous waves forming. In that time, multiple UAVs were spotted operating around the destroyer. As a result, ferry sailings are often disrupted and Cook Strait is regarded as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. 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. The USS Paul Hamilton reported observing and identifying the drones visually via technical means. Although an unknown vessel is referenced, it is unclear if this is the same ship that was operating near the USS Russell. 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. Bass Strait was Australia's first major offshore oil and gas development and has sold over 8 Tcf of pipeline gas and over 4 billion bbl of oil since first production in 1969. 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. There were also other, less fatal incidents. winter southern ocean gales can turn the crossing into a real adventure. It has an average depth of just 60 metres, presenting risks to less experienced sailors who are used to navigating in deep ocean waters. 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