From: George Sherwood 

On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 08:57:14 +0100, Ad wrote:

> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/26/scottish_ferry_meets_us_navy/
>
> "A tiny ferry making its way across the Clyde river got caught up in a
> NATO naval exercise and ended up being threatened by a large US
> battleship, it emerged this week.


Pretty much as I said earlier, there was much more to this story then
reported.  It was an exercise message that went out on the wrong frequency.
 But hey, it plays good.  And for sure the Samuel B. Roberts isn't a
battleship.

George

Ferry in the crosshairs

A Scottish ferry pilot got quite a scare Oct. 23 when he was warned to
stand off or take fire from the frigate Samuel B. Roberts.

But the warning wasn� �t meant for him.

The skipper of the MV Kenilworth heard a standard use-of-force message that
was mistakenly broadcast over a maritime communication channel, according
to Lt. Mike Kafka, a 2nd Fleet spokesman. The warning was part of a
training scenario during the Neptune Warrior exercise and was intended for
ships playing opposing forces.

The Samuel B. Roberts was operating with a large flotilla of allied ships
on the west coast of Scotland. According to an article in the Glasgow
Evening Times, the skipper of the Kenilworth was told he was about to be
fired on with live ammunition.

He replied over the radio that he was � �just a little ferry,� � the
Evening Times reported.

The Kenilworth, a tiny 70-year-old boat that makes a 10-minute transit
between Kilcreggan and Gourock across the River Clyde, was also ordered to
stay 1,000 yards from the U.S. warship, according to the Evening Times.

� �It was the wrong channel. The ferry overheard communication with vessels
involved in the exercise,� � Kafka said. � �It� �s regrettable that the
ferry heard that. The ferry was never in any danger.� �

The story generated some turgid headlines in the British press, including �
�US Navy Declare War on Clyde Ferry� � in the Daily Record of Glasgow.

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