All at sea

http://www.snopes.com/military/lighthouse.asp

I have an article in The Sunday Times (5 Dec) arguing that since the end of the Vietnam War, American aircraft carriers -- behemoths that are referred to as super-carriers -- have been an important deterrent to conflict erupting in East Asian flashpoints like the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula.

The article is too long to post here.

But I want to use this space to retell an aircraft carrier joke that, in some versions, imply that the purported incident actually happened. My abridged version here goes like this:

An American aircraf't carrier captain is told by a crewman that a small vessel spotted on the radar screen is close by, and on a collision course with the 100,000-ton warship he is in command of.

He gets on the radio: "Captain of unidentified ship, please change course 7 degrees south to avert a collision."

Back comes the reply: "Sorry, no can do. Suggest you change course."

All puffed up, the captain shoots back: "This is Capt Hugh Ego of the US Navy. I am in command of the USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class super carrier. I say again, please change course 7 degrees south to avert a collision."

Back comes the same reply: "Sorry, no can do. Suggest you change course."

Captain: I am the captain of one of the most powerful warships in the US Navy. Who are you?"

Reply: "I am just a humble lighthouse keeper. And if you keep wasting our time, your big toy and my little lighthouse are going to disappear into the sea soon!"

What's intriguing about this tale is the air of authenticity conferred in some versions, as if the account is from a leaked official navy source, a la the current WikiLeaks saga. But the hyperlink above shows that this story is just an urban legend -- going back to a long time ago.

So, when you hear a joke that involves real people or situations, caveat emptor.