Doofus Of The Day #484


Today’s winner comes from Birmingham in England.

This is the moment the aptly named Titanic II lived up to expectations by sinking on her maiden voyage.

Just like the doomed liner 99 years ago, the rather more modest, 16ft cabin cruiser went down after taking on water.

Hapless owner Mark Wilkinson was left floundering as the vessel disappeared beneath the waves.

Bemused holidaymakers looked on while Mr Wilkinson, from Birmingham, was pulled out of the sea by the local harbour master.

But unlike her namesake, Titanic II was saved from a watery grave when it was later towed out of West Bay harbour in Dorset.

Mark, aged in his 40s, said afterwards: ‘If it wasn’t for the harbour master I would have gone down with the Titanic.

‘It’s all a bit embarrassing and I got pretty fed up with people asking me if I had hit an iceberg.’

Mark had recently taken ownership of the second hand boat and towed it from his home to the south coast for its first outing.

He enjoyed a successful fishing trip in Lyme Bay but as the cabin dory boat entered the harbour a large hole opened up in the fibre-glass hull.

Mark tried to pump the water out but was forced to abandoned ship when the boat sunk stern first.

There’s more at the link.

Well, if you will name your piddling little boat for one of the greatest maritime disasters in history, what do you expect?

Peter

6 comments

  1. Tired of people asking if he'd hit an iceberg? Hah! Talk about bending over and asking for it…!!!

    I wonder if his insurance cost more because of the name.

  2. I call that "tempting fate."

    Other names that would likely cause such heartache include:
    Wilhelm Gustloff
    Stueben
    Goya
    Sultana
    Empress of Ireland
    Lusitania
    Andrea Doria
    Edmund Fitzgerald

    If you're going to name your craft after a disaster, you get what you deserve.

  3. Apparently Neptune does not like competition, because ships named "Empress of the Seas" and "Sovereign of the Seas" among other majestic titles have all met bad ends. There is a reason sailors, like airmen, tend to be a little superstitious.
    LittleRed1

  4. I might be wrong, but I thought sailors never rename(d) a boat. Didn't they consider this unlucky?

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