Stricken.

Stricken.
Originally uploaded by Wizard1551c

Bad storms in the Irish Sea at the end of January did a lot of damage. This cargo ferry set on that fateful night and was hit by a massive wave just off the coast. The cargo was dislodged and shifted making the ship list heavily and in danger of running aground. A few hours later and the crew were airlifted off and the Riverdance ended up beached, just off the coast of Cleveleys, near Blackpool, Lancashire.

Since then the ship has brought crowds to the area to see it. Cargo has been washed overboard, but to the locals disappointment this ended up to be a few packets of biscuits. An exclusion zone has been set up around the ship because people were walking to it at low tide. Children were seen climbing on it. People walked their dogs underneath the side of the ferry.
Local shops and cafe's are doing a roaring trade and the roads are clogged around this part of the Lancashire coast.

Fuel is being pumped from thwe ship and trucks removed from the deck. Hopefully this will enable it to be refloated on spring tides and towed to dry dock in Liverpool.

For more pics go to wizard1551c flickr pages.