Among the professional members involved in oil clean-ups, such as the vaunted Ecospill in Australia, there are some historical events that have greatly influenced the practice. Many areas of the world have experienced such a catastrophe headlining their news feeds, but perhaps none have seen such a spectacular example as England’s infamous Torrey Canyon shipwreck.
The Torrey Canyon, a bulk crude carrier, struck Pollard’s Rock in March of 1967. It was later alleged that the captain had attempted to a shortcut to his eventual intended port, Milford Haven in Wales. In any event, the ship quickly was holed as it moved in the heavy surf, and in short time, it’s cargo of crude oil was leaking out in to the surf.
The sheer size of the ship, with a gross oil cargo of 120 000 tons, and it’s fixed position on the rocks, meant that a rescue mission was impossible. Floating booms were quickly ruined, due to the heavy surf. Authorities then turned to a novel solution. Once the crew was evacuated, the RAF was called in to action, and were ordered to bomb the ship – in an attempt to set fire to the remaining cargo, and burn it off.
Over the course of several days, over a thousand bombs and rockets were dropped on the ship, along with several thousand gallons of napalm, in an attempt to burn off the oil. Unfortunately, the heavy seas, and the tides, quickly spread the oil down the south coast of England, soiling beaches for hundreds of miles. However, this disaster did breed an interest in the use of microorganisms to break down the oil, something that continues today. For that, at least, some positives could conceivably be taken from this disaster.