Whale (mistaken for a submarine) may have been bombed from a plane
January 19, 2024 3:09 AM Subscribe
In March 1945 the air force may have bombed a southern right whale from the air after mistaking it for a submarine. An article from the Wagga Daily Advertiser in March 1945, reports the air force examined the southern right whale carcass and confirmed it had been hit by an aerial bomb after likely being mistaken for a submarine.
Also, strong Douglas Adams vibes...
"Ahhh! Whoa! What's happening? Who am I? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by 'who am I'? Okay, okay, calm down, calm down, get a grip now. Ooh, this is an interesting sensation. What is it? It's a sort of a tingling in my... well, I suppose I better start finding names for things. Let's call it a... tail! Yeah! Tail! And hey, what's this roaring sound, whooshing past what I'm suddenly gonna call my head? An aeroplane! Is that a good name? It'll do. Yeah, this is really exciting! It's coming toward me very fast... I wonder if it'll be friends with me? Hello Aeroplane!'"
posted by rory at 4:26 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
"Ahhh! Whoa! What's happening? Who am I? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by 'who am I'? Okay, okay, calm down, calm down, get a grip now. Ooh, this is an interesting sensation. What is it? It's a sort of a tingling in my... well, I suppose I better start finding names for things. Let's call it a... tail! Yeah! Tail! And hey, what's this roaring sound, whooshing past what I'm suddenly gonna call my head? An aeroplane! Is that a good name? It'll do. Yeah, this is really exciting! It's coming toward me very fast... I wonder if it'll be friends with me? Hello Aeroplane!'"
posted by rory at 4:26 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
In the North Sea liv'd a whale,
(In the North Sea liv'd a whale, in the North Sea liv'd a whale)
Big in bone and large in tail,
(Big in bone and large in tail!)
This whale used unduly
To swagger and bully,
And oh! and oh!
The ladies loved him so!
This whale used unduly
To swagger And bully,
And oh! and oh!
The ladies loved him so!
All went well until one day,
(All went well until one day, all went well until one day)
Came a strange fish in the bay,
(Came a strange fish in the bay!)
This fish was indeed, oh!
A Woolwich torpedo!
But oh! but oh!
The big whale did not know,
This fish was indeed, oh!
A Woolwich torpedo!
But oh! but oh!
The big whale did not know.
"Just you make tracks," cried the whale,
("Just you make tracks," cried the whale, "Just you make tracks," cried the whale)
Then he lashed out with his tail,
(Then he lashed out with his tail!)
The fish being loaded
Then and there exploded,
And oh! and oh!
That whale was seen no mo'!
The fish being loaded
Then and there exploded,
And oh! and oh!
That whale was seen no mo'!
Olivette (Audran/Farnie, 1879)
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 4:32 AM on January 19 [7 favorites]
(In the North Sea liv'd a whale, in the North Sea liv'd a whale)
Big in bone and large in tail,
(Big in bone and large in tail!)
This whale used unduly
To swagger and bully,
And oh! and oh!
The ladies loved him so!
This whale used unduly
To swagger And bully,
And oh! and oh!
The ladies loved him so!
All went well until one day,
(All went well until one day, all went well until one day)
Came a strange fish in the bay,
(Came a strange fish in the bay!)
This fish was indeed, oh!
A Woolwich torpedo!
But oh! but oh!
The big whale did not know,
This fish was indeed, oh!
A Woolwich torpedo!
But oh! but oh!
The big whale did not know.
"Just you make tracks," cried the whale,
("Just you make tracks," cried the whale, "Just you make tracks," cried the whale)
Then he lashed out with his tail,
(Then he lashed out with his tail!)
The fish being loaded
Then and there exploded,
And oh! and oh!
That whale was seen no mo'!
The fish being loaded
Then and there exploded,
And oh! and oh!
That whale was seen no mo'!
Olivette (Audran/Farnie, 1879)
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 4:32 AM on January 19 [7 favorites]
Captain Ahab would have been jealous over that kind of firepower.
posted by rikschell at 5:10 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 5:10 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
It was either an accident, or a bombardier thinking to himself, "This particular action has never been done before in the history of time."
posted by delfin at 5:19 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
posted by delfin at 5:19 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
The bowl of petunias could not be reached for comment.
posted by automatronic at 5:45 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
posted by automatronic at 5:45 AM on January 19 [5 favorites]
Thank you, polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice! This demands a revival of the sea shanty craze from a few years ago in tribute to this mighty creature.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 5:54 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 5:54 AM on January 19 [1 favorite]
Poor whaley. :(
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:45 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:45 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
Having elderly relatives that were in the military, I think the word "mistaken" is doing a lot of work here
posted by credulous at 6:56 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
posted by credulous at 6:56 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
Having elderly relatives that were in the military, I think the word "mistaken" is doing a lot of work here
I agree. They didn't seem to care if it was an allied sub.
posted by Brian B. at 7:59 AM on January 19
I agree. They didn't seem to care if it was an allied sub.
posted by Brian B. at 7:59 AM on January 19
"Men, bomb the sub and not the whale".
Bomb the sub and the Nazi whale? Yes sir!
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:17 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
Bomb the sub and the Nazi whale? Yes sir!
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:17 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
Came here to make Douglas Adams' jokes and am completely unsurprised to have been beaten multiple times to the punchline. :)
Fog of war is a serious thing and friendly fire always happens because, as it turns out, people are extraordinarily adverse to taking extra time and care when the enemy can shoot back and possibly kill you.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:39 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
Fog of war is a serious thing and friendly fire always happens because, as it turns out, people are extraordinarily adverse to taking extra time and care when the enemy can shoot back and possibly kill you.
posted by drewbage1847 at 8:39 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
people are extraordinarily adverse to taking extra time and care when the enemy can shoot back and possibly kill you
I am pretty sure that southern right whales never had the ability to shoot back at aeroplanes.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:51 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
I am pretty sure that southern right whales never had the ability to shoot back at aeroplanes.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:51 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
I am pretty sure that southern right whales never had the ability to shoot back at aeroplanes.
Arm the whales!
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:58 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
Arm the whales!
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:58 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]
It's the only sensible solution.
posted by flabdablet at 9:13 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 9:13 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
Having elderly relatives that were in the military...
Ahem, having relatives and friends in the military, being married to someone who was in the military as a young Horse, having lived in a military town for over thirty years, I'm pretty sure the advent of the whale was cause for the thoughts of 'sploosh' and great glee.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:15 AM on January 19
Ahem, having relatives and friends in the military, being married to someone who was in the military as a young Horse, having lived in a military town for over thirty years, I'm pretty sure the advent of the whale was cause for the thoughts of 'sploosh' and great glee.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:15 AM on January 19
The "may have" doesn't match with the "confirmed". They _did_ bomb the poor thing (but at least they didn't have to blow the carcass up afterwards)
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:17 AM on January 19
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:17 AM on January 19
There was a smartarse little badge and T-shirt slogan around in my youth to let us all demonstrate how darkly ironic we were: "Nuke the Whales". Seems its time has come round again.
posted by Paul Slade at 9:31 AM on January 19
posted by Paul Slade at 9:31 AM on January 19
"Nuke the Whales"
"Gotta nuke somethin'." —Nelson Muntz
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:46 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
"Gotta nuke somethin'." —Nelson Muntz
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:46 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]
"I still dream / of old Shamu
I wake up crying / You're making chunks / And they're just so big
-- "Whalebombing", Kate Bush
posted by zaixfeep at 1:14 PM on January 19
I wake up crying / You're making chunks / And they're just so big
-- "Whalebombing", Kate Bush
posted by zaixfeep at 1:14 PM on January 19
It takes experience to discriminate between biologics and submarines. Especially with the combination of active sonar and DIFAR. As an example,
the Royal Navy’s 3:0 KTD vs whales in the Malvinas fracas.
posted by pdoege at 1:32 PM on January 19
the Royal Navy’s 3:0 KTD vs whales in the Malvinas fracas.
posted by pdoege at 1:32 PM on January 19
That makes me really mad. :(
posted by Didnt_do_enough at 7:46 PM on January 19
posted by Didnt_do_enough at 7:46 PM on January 19
Whenever I hear about this sort of thing, I'm just reminded that there are psychopaths everywhere.
posted by Didnt_do_enough at 7:49 PM on January 19 [1 favorite]
posted by Didnt_do_enough at 7:49 PM on January 19 [1 favorite]
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(Poor creature!)
posted by rory at 4:20 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]