above that comprised a two-storey service building housing a medical centre, communications facility and the control hub for the wind farm, solar panels and wave power modules.
Douglas McLeod, edged his vessel skilfully between two enormous projecting arms, positioned at sea level and sticking out from the lifting deck like the blades of a giant fork lift truck. He cut his engines, and, along with Mike Needham, made himself comfortable on the bridge to watch.
The arms, designed to hold the vessel steady during the process of disembarkation, clamped its sides like the beak of a monstrous bird. One hundred and twenty horizontal steel rods slid out from each arm to hold the vessel along its full length, all with sensors at the end to ensure that the lightest pressure necessary was applied to avoid any possibility of crushing the hull.
Once held and locked in place, the computer on the service platform took over control of the disembarkation process. They watched as the vesselâs front ramp was lowered onto the lifting deck. The four parallel lengths of track on the vessel linked and locked with corresponding tracks on the ramp. The left-hand track on the ramp continued straight ahead whilst the others curved into it through a series of points, so that just a single track left the ramp to link with the lifting deck. On the deck itself, the track coiled round in a spiral to accommodate the full length of up to forty cabins.
A series of red warning lights along the length of the track changed to green.
âThatâs telling us that weâre ready,â said Mike. âIt means the vessel, ramp and platform are locked together. More than locked, in fact; it means they are now, to all intents and purposes, a single rigid structure, which can move with the swell or air turbulence without effecting the unloading operation.â
As he spoke, the port side line of cabins emerged from the PTV onto the lifting deck, curving round and stopping under cover of its low-profile arched roof, like that of an aircraft hanger or engine shed.
CHAPTER FOUR
âThanks, Paul. See you later.â
âHave a good day, sir.â
Tom eased himself out of the car and made his way to Peel Building where the press conference was being held in one of its large meeting rooms. The government press officers had already started shepherding journalists into their designated places after they had passed through the security checks, observing the hierarchical protocol for recognising the main media channels and dailies in the seating plan.
The headquarters of the Home Office occupies Number 2 Marsham Street in the City of Westminster. The site comprises three buildings connected by a multi-storey bridge, forming part of a corridor, known by the occupants as âThe Streetâ, which runs the full length of the buildings. The whole complex is light and airy with many open plan areas and offices, and incorporating natural greenery in three central atria and a number of tiny interior parks.
The conference started promptly at 8.00 am, with Tom seated at a table covered in a red velvet cloth with three microphones on small stands facing him. Across the table from him was a three-deep semicircle of reporters and seventeen TV cameras. Along each side of the room were around a dozen photographers. Tom was flanked at the table by Paul Webster on one side and one of his Special Branch colleagues on the other. At the back of the room, behind the journalists, a further six officers lined the wall, relaxed but attentive in stand-at-ease positions.
One notable absentee from the media group was Sylvie Hanker, former Breakfast News anchor and currently the BBCâs chief political reporter, who was watching it all unfold on a TV monitor whilst supervising the arrangements for her one-to-one interview with Tom in his office, due to start in just under an hourâs time.
*
âTuesday, 24 th March, 6.05 pm, Delaware.â The detective
Douglas McLeod, edged his vessel skilfully between two enormous projecting arms, positioned at sea level and sticking out from the lifting deck like the blades of a giant fork lift truck. He cut his engines, and, along with Mike Needham, made himself comfortable on the bridge to watch.
The arms, designed to hold the vessel steady during the process of disembarkation, clamped its sides like the beak of a monstrous bird. One hundred and twenty horizontal steel rods slid out from each arm to hold the vessel along its full length, all with sensors at the end to ensure that the lightest pressure necessary was applied to avoid any possibility of crushing the hull.
Once held and locked in place, the computer on the service platform took over control of the disembarkation process. They watched as the vesselâs front ramp was lowered onto the lifting deck. The four parallel lengths of track on the vessel linked and locked with corresponding tracks on the ramp. The left-hand track on the ramp continued straight ahead whilst the others curved into it through a series of points, so that just a single track left the ramp to link with the lifting deck. On the deck itself, the track coiled round in a spiral to accommodate the full length of up to forty cabins.
A series of red warning lights along the length of the track changed to green.
âThatâs telling us that weâre ready,â said Mike. âIt means the vessel, ramp and platform are locked together. More than locked, in fact; it means they are now, to all intents and purposes, a single rigid structure, which can move with the swell or air turbulence without effecting the unloading operation.â
As he spoke, the port side line of cabins emerged from the PTV onto the lifting deck, curving round and stopping under cover of its low-profile arched roof, like that of an aircraft hanger or engine shed.
CHAPTER FOUR
âThanks, Paul. See you later.â
âHave a good day, sir.â
Tom eased himself out of the car and made his way to Peel Building where the press conference was being held in one of its large meeting rooms. The government press officers had already started shepherding journalists into their designated places after they had passed through the security checks, observing the hierarchical protocol for recognising the main media channels and dailies in the seating plan.
The headquarters of the Home Office occupies Number 2 Marsham Street in the City of Westminster. The site comprises three buildings connected by a multi-storey bridge, forming part of a corridor, known by the occupants as âThe Streetâ, which runs the full length of the buildings. The whole complex is light and airy with many open plan areas and offices, and incorporating natural greenery in three central atria and a number of tiny interior parks.
The conference started promptly at 8.00 am, with Tom seated at a table covered in a red velvet cloth with three microphones on small stands facing him. Across the table from him was a three-deep semicircle of reporters and seventeen TV cameras. Along each side of the room were around a dozen photographers. Tom was flanked at the table by Paul Webster on one side and one of his Special Branch colleagues on the other. At the back of the room, behind the journalists, a further six officers lined the wall, relaxed but attentive in stand-at-ease positions.
One notable absentee from the media group was Sylvie Hanker, former Breakfast News anchor and currently the BBCâs chief political reporter, who was watching it all unfold on a TV monitor whilst supervising the arrangements for her one-to-one interview with Tom in his office, due to start in just under an hourâs time.
*
âTuesday, 24 th March, 6.05 pm, Delaware.â The detective
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