Title: Flying Flamingo
Over the years there have been quite a few collisions involving jetfoils and hydrofoils travelling between Hong Kong and Macau. I recall the collision in 1982 when the Macau-bound Flying Flamingo ran at full speed into the Flying Goldfinch, travelling in the opposite direction.
This was just west of Fan Lau, southwest Lantau. I think four people died in that accident.
These photographs are not of that collision but are of the day that the Flying Albatross ran aground in restricted visibility north of Lantau. This was in March 1990. The photos were taken from the command console of an SBU Typhoon 7 RHIB. We were called in as the incident was initially thought to be far more serious than it actually was. The police launch in attendance, PL 8, is a Water Jet Boat, built by Choy Lee Shipyard for the Marine Police for work in Deep Bay (which is very shallow). So, water jets are better than propellers - ideal for shallow water work - like helping a ferry that has inadvertently made friends with a sandbank.
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