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Sirens


ladysaint
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Every once in a while they test the Civil Defence sirens throughout the City. AFAIK, in many instances, they use the same design/hardware as was used in WWII.

 

I spoke to my Mother about it a couple of years back, and she says that every time they test them it still sends a shiver of fear down her back, remembering the bombing raids on Southampton.

 

Came across this: http://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/index.htm

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Living at the bottom of town, I get to hear them regularly. As people have said it's that long wailing one you associate with programmes about the Blitz.

 

They were regularly for a bit on Saturday mornings.

 

No idea where they were coming from, so would love to know, we just presumed Fawley (although that's a long way) or some alert in the docks????

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Living at the bottom of town, I get to hear them regularly. As people have said it's that long wailing one you associate with programmes about the Blitz.

 

They were regularly for a bit on Saturday mornings.

 

No idea where they were coming from, so would love to know, we just presumed Fawley (although that's a long way) or some alert in the docks????

 

There used to be a siren on the green beside Cheviot Road in Millbrook, but I've just had a look on Street View and it appears to have been removed.

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if it is an air raid sounding siren..it could be a nuclear alarm test

 

it happens in the dockyard here in plymouth every monday at 1130 on the dot

 

What if the country that is attacking us decides not to land a nuke in Plymouth at 11:30 on a Monday......

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Shift change at BAT.

 

 

I don't think so. I think the docks is a better shout. Having lived in Regents Park for four years, I'm sure I would have heard them a lot louder, clearer and on a more regular basis, if it was simply a shift change at nearby BAT.

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seriously...could well be a nuclear alarm test

 

LOL.

 

A bit pointless having a warning siren if no-one knows what it's meant to be!

 

Can you imagine if someone did decide to attack us, and they set off the warning alarm?

 

"what's that?"

"oh, that alarm thing, that's just the shift change at BAT"

"no, it's the docks that is"

 

By the time people have stopped arguing over what the alarm is for, they'll cease to exist so it wouldn't matter anyway.

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Can someone not call the council and ask - surely someone on here works for them or at the docks. The reason I said the container ship thing is that I worked with a girl at a company in Brunswick Place and her hubby worked at the docks, every time we heard it, she would say that it was a warning for approaching container ships that there is a lot of marine traffic and or fog in the area.

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LOL.

 

A bit pointless having a warning siren if no-one knows what it's meant to be!

 

Can you imagine if someone did decide to attack us, and they set off the warning alarm?

 

"what's that?"

"oh, that alarm thing, that's just the shift change at BAT"

"no, it's the docks that is"

 

By the time people have stopped arguing over what the alarm is for, they'll cease to exist so it wouldn't matter anyway.

 

 

On the other hand, they could say

 

'Oh ****, a nuclear bomb is coming,

lets hide under the bed; that'll save us'

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On the other hand, they could say

 

'Oh ****, a nuclear bomb is coming,

lets hide under the bed; that'll save us'

 

True.

 

On balance, I think I'd rather not know, die blissfully ignorant :D

 

The consensus of opinion - not that that means anything on here!! - is that it is either Fawley or BP @ Hamble testing their alarms.

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LOL.

 

A bit pointless having a warning siren if no-one knows what it's meant to be!

 

Can you imagine if someone did decide to attack us, and they set off the warning alarm?

 

"what's that?"

"oh, that alarm thing, that's just the shift change at BAT"

"no, it's the docks that is"

 

By the time people have stopped arguing over what the alarm is for, they'll cease to exist so it wouldn't matter anyway.

 

 

 

might be about a nuclear spillage or a reactor accident..

the siren would be to warn the the docks or the local services

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do they not visit around once a year at least..?

 

No.

 

The last one was January this year, but is not a regular event...

 

 

http://www.nuclearinfo.org/node/1969

 

This is a good quote though ;)

The distribution of preventative medication has medical implications and should not be delivered by sailors. This charade is a waste of council resources of time, energy and money.

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No.

 

 

 

so...a nuclear sub could not come alongside usinf RFA dilligence which is in the pipeline to do in southampton/liverpool andor another dock then...?

 

also..you would have no idea if one was due to use the berth or not..

 

 

the fact that they do from timeto time means certain procedures have to be practiced......

if the siren is for this

Edited by Thedelldays
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so...a nuclear sub could not come alongside usinf RFA dilligence which is in the pipeline to do in southampton/liverpool andor another dock then...?

 

also..you would have no idea if one was due or not..

 

 

the fact that they do from timeto time means certain procedures have to be practiced......

if the siren is for this

 

 

Seeing as they are both floating vessels and Southampton is surrounded by water, then it is entirely possible!!

 

How likely it is I couldn't possibly tell you.

 

However, the consensus of opinion - from people other than on TSW - seem to agree that the sirens are from Hamble and or Fawley, testing that they are all in working order. Seeing as these two are both permanent establishments in the area, it would make far more sense that they should test these alarms since a spillage from either of them is far more likely than the off chance that a nuclear submarine should make a very rare visit and a spillage at the same time!

 

I don't doubt for a second that certain procedures need to be followed in the unlikely event of a nuclear spillage, I just don't believe they are carried out on a frequent basis like the original poster was insinuating.

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two reasons after looking into it..

 

1. nuclear siren that is tested twice a year...once in pompey once in southampton

 

2. live ammo (large ammounts) being traversed around marchwood military port

 

So we can definitely discount number 1 then considering the OP stated they keep hearing sirens lately.

 

If only the moon mystery was so easy to solve :D

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They may go off every Tuesday at this time I am normally at work but this week on holiday so heard it in Regents Park and presume they were coming from the Docks or Fawlehy but I also heard them over a weekend about two weeks ago as well, just really want to know why they are sounded. There is also a massive ship in the Docks today,looks more like a tower block than a ship but it may the sirens may have been welcoming it into port.

Edited by ladysaint
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so...a nuclear sub could not come alongside usinf RFA dilligence which is in the pipeline to do in southampton/liverpool andor another dock then...?

 

also..you would have no idea if one was due to use the berth or not..

 

 

the fact that they do from timeto time means certain procedures have to be practiced......

if the siren is for this

 

Wrong wrong wrong......as for Nucular sub visits....I'd know, it's my job to!!

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I certainly recall having heard them quite regularly, more than once a week, certainly. I heard someone say they get tested every day at a certain time, but I can't imagine that's the case or surely we'd all know about them? I'm sure I heard them a lot when my work pattern meant I was at home for portions of the day quite a lot.

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