Is Life in the Wreck Patrol As Bad As It Sounds?

  • Thread starter Thread starter nsaspook
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Life
AI Thread Summary
The Sierra Madre, a grounded ship in the South China Sea, serves as a base for Filipino marines tasked with monitoring the area amid ongoing territorial disputes between the Philippines and China. The marines face significant challenges, including limited supplies and a harsh living environment, leading them to fish for sustenance. The presence of numerous rats and cockroaches raises questions about the ecosystem on the ship, with speculation that the pests are feeding on the ship's decaying materials. The broader context of the dispute centers on strategic sea lanes and the potential for undiscovered oil reserves, highlighting the geopolitical significance of the region. The conditions at the outpost are described as precarious, with comparisons made to a horror scenario due to the unsanitary living conditions.
nsaspook
Science Advisor
Messages
1,478
Reaction score
4,852
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/07/world/south-china-sea-dispute/index.html

Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the South China Sea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the Sierra Madre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships.
...
"I estimate there are five to six hundred rats and a million cockroaches."

— Hilbert Bigania, Philippines marine
 
Physics news on Phys.org
So, they have a hard time getting supplies to the marines and the marines have to supplement their diet by catching fish. They go out fishing twice a day, in fact.

This raises the question: what are the rats and cockroaches eating?
 
zoobyshoe said:
So, they have a hard time getting supplies to the marines and the marines have to supplement their diet by catching fish. They go out fishing twice a day, in fact.

This raises the question: what are the rats and cockroaches eating?

It looks likes the cockroaches are eating the ship (mold, slime and god knows what else in the interior) then the rats eat the roaches and the roaches eat the dead rats. I'm sure the diet is high in iron in the food chain. The poor guys look like castaways looking for a rescue.

This dispute is mainly over sea lanes and possible large oil fields that nobody has found yet but everybody wants a piece of in case it is found.
http://energyinasiablog.com/2011/10/the-spratly-islands-dispute-defining-sea-lane-security/
 
Last edited:
A very remote, insecure military outpost.

If they had a small science team aboard, there'd be nothing to prevent it from becoming the first scene in a horror novel.
 
I heard cockroaches love to eat glue. So they don't even need real food.

Although, I'm not sure how long they can live on glue.
 
zoobyshoe said:
A very remote, insecure military outpost.

If they had a small science team aboard, there'd be nothing to prevent it from becoming the first scene in a horror novel.

Release the Kraken:
sea_monster.jpg
 
leroyjenkens said:
I heard cockroaches love to eat glue. So they don't even need real food.

Although, I'm not sure how long they can live on glue.

Old style glue made from horse hooves was probably quite tasty.
Young kids like white pasty glue I have heard, so why wouldn't cockroaches.
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top