An acquaintance of mine started his working life in the Merchant Navy so, when I saw him earlier this week, I asked had he seen reports of this incident.
A lack of lookout was the first thing he mentioned and it prompted him to relate the tale of a Greek tanker in the English Channel several decades ago.
The ship was under way but there was no response to radio calls.
It's an exceptionally busy area so the decision was made to board the vessel.
The story goes that the bridge was unmanned and the only sign of life there was a dog.
When the crew were eventually found they said there was no problem as the dog always barked when he saw another ship!
True or not? You can decide that for yourself, but just bear in mind that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
