Diego Garcia resides in a bubble (tsunami)

[donsu]

http://www.buzzflash.com/mailbag/04/12/mai04358.html


-snip-

Subject: Diego Garcia - 3500 US personnel @ an average 4' above sea level in direct path of the Sumatran Tsunami

Hello...?

Anyone 'there'...?

Multiple interviews with upper echelon US administrators (including SEC Powell) and not one question about the fate of Diego Garcia - what gives?

it's all about asking the right question(s).

Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important than they all. It matters not what rank he has, what revenues or garnitures: the requisite thing is that he have a tongue which others will listen to; this and nothing more is requisite. -- Carlyle (1905) pp.349-350
Kenneth E. Tucker



-snip-
-----------------------------------
on edit: for some reason all of this did not post. here is the rest:
on edit: beats me why it won't post but here is the S&S link:
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26265





hhmmmm after reading the Stars and Stripes article.

isn't that one of the places we do torture and other criminal things?

[bpilgrim]

1. PENTAGON: "no significant damage"

Navy providing some help to countries hit by tidal wave -- may provide more
Monday,December27,2004,11:46 AM

PENTAGON The U-S Navy says all of its ships and other assets survived south Asia's killer tsunami with no significant damage.

The closest U-S base to the affected area is on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. The base emerged unscathed.

source...
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=2736548

---

U.S. sea service ships en route to help tsunami victims

The joint U.S.-British base at Diego Garcia in the southern Indian Ocean also reported no damage from the waves or earthquake.

None of the U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Gulf or Horn of Africa regions are being repositioned to help with the disaster, U.S. officials said. But two Japanese destroyers and a supply ship returning from coalition duty in the Arabian Sea were ordered on Dec. 28 to head for Thailand to provide assistance.

more...
http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-574803.php

peace

[BeTheChange]

2. Yeah it is..

Its like Guantano bay x 10 from what I hear.

If it was close enough to the eq, the wave wouldnt have raised enough speed by the time it hit Diego.

It does make my tinfoil tingle about nuke tests.. but Im not sleep deprived enough yet.

[BeTheChange]

5. Oh.. another thing

I guess Diego Garcia is in deep waters so that could absorb the wave as well.

[donsu]

14. no, they are on a coral reef

read the Stars and Stripes article

[NewYorkerfromMass]

20. I think he meant the shape of the ocean floor allowed the wave to stay low

If the island is surrounded by enough deep water then the wave volume would not allow a "run up" in height and the peak crest would be reduced. I believe that is what happened there and elsewhere.

[BeTheChange]

21. She.. and that is what I meant.

http://www.dg.navy.mil/news_flash.htm

Diego Garcia Personnel Safe, Facilities Intact Following Tsunami

Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory – Navy personnel on board Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean are safe following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that had devastating effects on Southeast Asia. Facilities and operations were not affected.


Favorable ocean topography minimized the tsunami’s impact on the atoll. Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago, situated on the southernmost part of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. To the east lies the Chagos Trench, a 400 mile long, underwater canyon that ranges in depth from less than 1,00 meters below the surface to depths that plunge to over 5,000 meters. It is one of the deepest regions of the Indian Ocean.


Diego Garcia is located to the west of Chagos Trench, which runs north and south. The depth of the Chagos Trench and grade to the shores does not allow for tsunamis to build before passing the atoll. The result of the earthquake was seen as a tidal surge estimated at six feet.

[msongs]

3. this from google...if u can believe the military industial complex...

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/diego-garcia.htm

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[Silverhair]

36. Accurate history. The site even mentioned my old unit - NMCB-1.

[gennifer6]

4. something just doesn't seem right, why the mass damage evrywhere else

BUT that Diego island??? hmmmmmm

[northzax]

8. physics

although I admit that physics never bothered any of the WTC conpiracists either (i'm not saying you are one of them, realized on edit that was implied, sorry.). The way that Diego Garcia is constructed (the island, not the base) does not lead to exposure to damage from Tsunamis. Because the island presents a small cross section to the tsunami shck wave, and has steep sides, the wave finds it easier to go round the island rather than up and over it. Shock waves always look for the path of least resistance, that's why we have tsunamis in the first place, the water is less dense than the land.

[Squatch]

9. Not "around", per se...more likely reflected

[hootinholler]

26. No, around....

A cross section of wave energy can be thought of as circular in deep water. As long as there is no drag from a wall or floor, the energy is mostly under the average surface of the water. Interaction with the floor causes the energy pattern to become more oval, and water is drawn from in front of the wave to stack up in the wave. When the water crests hte energy field, it then falls down the face of the wave. That is a breaker, and how the tube forms in largish waves. The topography of the sea floor and beach along with the amount of energy in the wave determine the wave hieght.

Once a wave comes in onto a shelf it begins to interact with the ocean floor and the energy 'stacks' the water up in a column. In deep water the energy doeesn't have a chance to interact with the sea floor.

There's no Continential shelf at Garcia, the island is basically a pinnicle rising up out of deep water (hundreds of fathoms). Similar to the Marianas.

I doubt the wave was more than a few feet above the tide level when it hit Garcia.

-Hoot

[Squatch]

27. Basic wave principles

an obstruction normal to wave motion will relfect that wave. All other orientations (until parallel) will diffract then reflect the wave.

[quaoar]

33. The tsunami created in 1964

from the massive earthquake in Alaska reached Hawaii and the west coast of the United States with considerable force. It wiped out the waterfront at Hilo.

And a tsunami generated by an earthquake off the coast of Chile in 1960 caused significant damage in Japan

[vpigrad]

6. More evidence...

that it was a carefully created man-made diaster. Don't forget that due to the fact that Indonesia has the world's largest muslim population (about 3x that of even Iran!) that it has been on Bushie's hit list for a while.

[northzax]

10. but who did it? who stood to gain?

the ony people I can see who stood to gain from this are the Indonesian Military, since Aceh was a place that was considering trying to break away from the rest of indonesia (Aceh is more Muslim than the rest of the nation)

the US certainly gains nothing.
China gains nothing.
India certainly loses.
hmm, maybe Poland?

sheesh. does the tinfoil hurt when you sleep, or what?

[sal]

35. China wins in textile/garment industry.

Wiping out the nascent but robust textile industries in Sri Lanka and Thailand allows for China to gain a further advantage.

[Razorback_Democrat]

43. Geez, what will we do now?

tinfoil hat alert

[Squatch]

7. War going on...not apt to release info on a strategic base

COMSEC and all that.

[Daisey Mae]

11. When there is NO news

LOOK for a cover up !!!

[Squatch]

12. Diego Garcia is a strategic military installation

it's a no-brainer that they will not be very forthcoming with information on damage.

[Blue Wally]

13. Yeah, but........

Two weeks before the tsunami, Jeb Bush carefully positioned three refridgerated semitrailer vans on diego Garcia to haul away the bodies. There are over three thousand bodies of us service personnel hidden in those vans on Diego Garcia. It is all a plot on the part of the BFEE and the Rosicrucians.

[donsu]

15. go be silly someplace else

nt

[BeTheChange]

16. That is such a weird island

[Stinky The Clown]

28. Actually, it is a garden variety atoll

An extinct, imploded volcano. The lagoon in the middle is the former core of the volcano, now flooded with seawater. Atolls are somewhat more common in the south Pacific, but not unknown elsewhere.

[Squatch]

29. Nevermind...I take it back

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Maldives/

[BeTheChange]

30. Heh.. thank you for the geology lesson..

I still say it looks like a rather surreal place for us to be using to export our death and destruction throughout the world.

[Minstrel Boy]

17. I read a while ago of the forced removal of the islanders

to make way for the "strategic interests" of the Ango-Americans.

Forced off their homeland, which is converted into a military air strip.

Jesus, what a fucked-up world we have.

[Squatch]

18. Actually, blame the British. They own it.

[Minstrel Boy]

19. And the British are owned by

the Americans.

The UK is title holder, but it was leased to the US in 1970. The British, as landlords, forced the indigenous peoples off the island, but the reason was to "make way for a US air and naval base."

From the Guardian:

The British government has summarily barred thousands of Indian Ocean islanders from returning to the homes they were cheated out of more than 30 years ago to make way for a US air and naval base.
The decision to reject the right of return of residents of Diego Garcia overturns without debate a high court judgment four years ago that criticised the behaviour of previous British governments and opened the way for the islanders to go home.

At the time, the Foreign Office accepted the judge's decision and promised to embark on preparations for their return. But the Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell has now said it is not feasible for the islanders to go back and that, as a result of September 11, US defence needs have increased.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1240409,00.html

[BeTheChange]

22. Poor Ilois

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/12/60minutes/main558378.shtml

[Tinoire]

23. Diego Garcia. Unscathed. Imagine that.

Our little base there with its Tsunami Watch station emerged unscathed.

What a miracle.

Pot. Honey. Flies.

[Squatch]

24. They have tsunami measuring devices there?

[Tinoire]

31. I'd use a different terminology but yes , if you want to call it that

Diego Garcia is one of our Global Seismographic Network (GSN) Stations

The GSN also provides seismic detection capabilities for the Alaska Aleutian Chain as well as for U.S. territories in the Western Pacific, areas at significant risk for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunami.

http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis105/gseisnet.html

It's also of the USGS. hi.water.usgs.gov/presentations/ pacific_programs_2003/pacific-programs-2003gs.pdf

I hate to use a freeper quote but this guy explains it nicely.

Below you will find general information on how local tsunamis are generated by earthquakes as well as animations, virtual reality models of tsunamis, and summaries of past research studies. The scope of tsunami research within the USGS, however, is broader than the topics covered here. USGS researchers have also provided critical research toward understanding how sediments are transported during tsunami runup (see, for example, analysis of deposits (1.8 MB) from the recent Papua New Guinea tsunami) and deciphering the geologic record of prehistoric tsunamis (for example, in the Pacific Northwest). The USGS also collaborates with the tsunami research group at NOAA. As part of this effort under the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, the USGS has upgraded the seismograph network and communication functions of the west coast tsunami warning system (termed CREST -- Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308556/posts

You can read up on Diego Garcia and its relationship with that system here: The system is sometimes called

http://ida.ucsd.edu/pdf/DMSSC_2003_03.pdf

https://www.yoko.npmoc.navy.mil/yoko/depts/ops/pubs/aor/otsr/fltsup.pdf

Now to get to the fun part....

The NOAA immediately warned the U.S. Naval Station at Diego Garcia, which suffered very little damage from the tsunami. It is telling that the NOAA was able to get the warning to the US Navy base in the area, but wouldn't pick up the phone and call the civil authorities in the region to warn them. They made sure that a US military base was notified and did almost nothing to issue a warning to the civilian inhabitants who were in the direct path of the wave--a warning that might have saved thousands of lives. This is criminal negligence.

http://www.iacenter.org/tsunami.htm

[Minstrel Boy]

25. God must have been watching over it.

A Christmas miracle? O8)

You made me laugh there. Actually, more like you made me make bitter, cyncial snorts. :evilgrin:

[Tinoire]

32. 12/27 thread... More thought required....

We're feeling the same. Bitter, cyncial snorts.

[cleofus1]

34. good old Diego Garcia

I lived there for a year...very deep deep waters...the rim of an extinct volcano...built up with coral reefs...snorkaling in the waters there is brightly coloured coral and huge day glo tropical fish very beautiful stuff...then as you go out further the bottom drops out from underneath you and the void opens to utter blackness. The temperature drops and you almost feel as if the abyss is pulling you down. Dark waters here...dark waters me lads...coconut palms and gigantic antennae arrays...plenty of CB's and knucklheads...lot's of jungle...and things running in the underbrush invisible and quick. That tsunami just passed her by with a wink and a nod...

[MADem]

37. They call it the FOOTPRINT OF FREEDOM

...and after a year aboard, you want to beat feet to get FREE from there!!!

[cleofus1]

38. hated it when i was there

but i always appreciated the beauty of the place...you'd have to be blind not to.

[MADem]

39. Being there is easy for a short period of time, true!

But it's like Guam or Oki, after a year (or two or three, or four!) you get island fever.

[BlueCollar]

40. I deployed there with VP-40

in the early eighties. Barracks were still under construction. I actually enjoyed it. Uniform was khaki shorts and a T-shirt. No rank insignia. Very loose and comfortable environment. Snorkling was off-limits due to sharks etc. but we'd wander along the coral reefs at low tide. Absoloutely stunning tidepools and the island was very pleasant if you had your back to the airstrip. When the lease expires it would make a great "Club Med"... I wonder if they've loosened up the restrictions?

We'd stop at Pattaya Beach or Subic Bay on the way back for "R&R'...

The point about it's location is well made though. I'm not surprised damage at Dodge was minimal. In those days we referred to it as "Fantasy Island" though. You could even get a poster that said "Welcome to the real fantasy island" which depicted a lady in a wet t-shirt...wish I had thought to buy one.

[MADem]

41. Dodge!!! That term fires off a few brain cells!

You wouldn't recognize Subic nowadays, sidewalks and the Shit River all cleaned up. And of course, the base is not a base anymore. It's a deep water international port.

....Pattaya was north of the worst devastation from the tsunami, I understand, but it will be a long time before that entire area recovers.

[thrillcat]

42. personal info about DG

I know someone on DG.
They emailed and called me within 24 hrs of the quake.
So- there was power, phone and internet service.

This person also wrote and said there was little damage- big waves, some jungle materials washed into lagoon, some people felt quake, one of the roads is "unaccessable". But NO DAMAGE to any buildings, no one was hurt.
This person also goes on to talk about activies and plan for the next week. Seems like life is back to normal there.
I'm glad to see they have some planes flying out of DG and helping people in Asia.

I saw Powell say he had "no information about DG" which really pissed me off. I don't understand why they are not talking about it more. I'm guessing because there is nothing to talk about. It is a military base- which needs to be secure. There was no major damage. the whole world has soooo much work trying to help the millions of people who were affected. I think DG is at the bottom of the list. I'm just glad nothing happened to the island.

-thrillcat