A trip around Thistlegorm today is like traveling through time and many visitors experience high emotions during the dive. It is after all a bombsite with highly visible signs of great destruction and loss. It's also a giant underwater museum, a war grave, a unique piece of military history and an opportunity to step into the past during a period when the free
The Thistlegorm set sail on her last voyage from Glasgow on 2 June 1941 destined for alexandria She was carrying supplies to relieve the British Army . As Germany controlled the Mediterranean sea during this period, the ship had to sail in a convoy around the Cape to the Red Sea In September, Captain Ellis anchored north of near Ras Muhammad National Park.
The Thistlegorm was a sitting target for two German bombers returning from Crete . They dropped two 450 kg bombs directly onto the ship. The explosion killed nine crew members and was so forceful that it launched two railway locomotives stacked on deck into the air. Thistlegorm sank immediately, leaving no time for the crew to operate thelifeboats . Instead, they jumped into the water and were later rescued by another British ship moored nearby.
In the early fifties J Yves Cousteau discovered her by using information from local fishermen. He raised several objects from the wreck, including a motorcycle, the Captain’s safe, and the ship´s bell.
In the early 1990s the ship was rediscovered and has become a well-known dived wreck. The massive explosion makes the wreck very accessible to divers. The depth of around 30 m is ideal for diving without the need for special equipment and training.
The wreck is rapidly disintegrating due to natural rusting. Many divers have taken items as souvenirs from the wreck ; it came to such extent that in December 2007 the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation began work on installing permanent mooring buoys and drilling holes in the wreck to allow trapped air to escape. The aim of this conservation work is to prevent further damage to the wreck.
Extracts from wikipedia.
If you like diving it´s a must.
Today´s Quotations. Please, let me know what you think of these witty remarks by Oscar Wilde.
- I´m not young enough to know everything.
- Most people are other people. Their thoughts are somebody else´s opinion,their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
- To disagree with the three fourths of the British public is one of the first requisites of sanity.
NB2A/C
--Homework: A photocophy about the simple past tense with expressions like: to have a shower, to have lunch, to have a swim.. and some explanations about countable and uncountable nouns.
--Vocabulary: irregular verbs in student´s books, page 155. This time we checked pronunciation and meaning of the list up to the verb to send. We also saw the differences between SAY and TELL,e.g. Mary (said to ) me that she was fed up with some people, and Mary told me that she was fed up with some people. Initial s- in verbs such as :sleep, spend,stand,steal.
--Listening: Holidays, 2nd part. The remainig exercises were done; a bit more difficult ,tough.
--Speaking: Student´s books, page 17. This activity is very important because it´s a common topic for conversation. So, following the clues ,we built up the basis for a speaking activity to be developed on Thursday. Don´t write a composition of what you´re going to say; just with a few words you have to make a well developed and logically organised speech.
--Homework: Grammar, chapter 44 , the notes for the speaking activity and the irregular verbs.
NI2E
--Homework: to make sure you had studied the vocabulary for homework , I gave you some strips with the sequences of the process when you start feeling sick until you get over an operation. They were all scrambled and you had to be logical and order the sequence.
--Vocabulary: a fill in the blanks exercise to review the Health and Medicine expressions and vocabulary.
--Speaking: a pair work activity .Student a had to read silently and remember the information of page 114 and student B had to do the same but on page 119, then you had to retell the stories about hypocondriacs.
--Speaking: a questionnaire to see if you are a hypocondriac or not and some questions about the topic.
--Listening: Going to the Doctor ,from another text book with some vocabulary related to illnesses ,symptoms and cures. The most common sentences doctors say and the listening itself :two patients go to the doctor ,one suffers from food poisoning and the other has a virus that makes him sneeze.
--Homework: Grammar ,unit 38. I didn´t say much about first and second conditional; however I think it´s better for you to read and do the exercises and back in class I´ll provide you with the necessary explanations and solve your doubts; otherwise we won´t have much to develop other practical skills such as listening and speaking.