Whatever happened to those mysterious cargo ships?

Vanity

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

I remember a story that popped up (at least in the UK media) just before the hostilities began, to the effect that three Iraqi cargo ships were meandering about the high seas, ignoring all attempts to establish radio contact.

Here is one of the threads posted to FR on the topic.

Sooooo.... whatever became of those ships?

[BenLurkin]

.......?

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[Steven W.]

Rumsfeld & Myers were asked about them and they said they knew of no such vessels.

[Rev. Lou Chenary]

Last I heard they unloaded in Turkey?

But that info came from a caller on a radio talk show.
If they are still out there I imagine at some point they will run out of fuel and supplies and become dead in the water.
a mystery for sure.

[Mitchell]

Last I heard they unloaded in Turkey

In Turkey? Have you heard anything about this rumor?

[JDGreen123]

I see three possibilities:

1. The news of the ships was incorrect.

2. The news of the ships was misinformation planted by the US & UK for some other purpose.

3. The news of the ships was correct but the story was hushed up for the sake of future operations. Maybe they captured the ships and we will read about it in 20 years.

[lilylangtree]

I can just see the news headlines:

THREE MISSING IRAQI CARGO SHIPS WERE SEEN SAILING WITH THE FLYING DUTCHMAN!

[x1stcav]

I think you'l find that contrary to intense speculation that they were orbiting in the Indian Ocean, they actually gave our maritime reconn satellites the slip and have rendevouzed in the North pacific with the 5-6 (est.) vessels that are still carrying servicemen from WWII and Korea who contracted VD so virulent and untreatable that they could never be allowd back home for fear of introducing shameful, foul, and vile disease into the general populace.

[antaresequity]

I asked the same question last night.

I was told by a fellow Freeper that they were basically boarded and searched; nothing of importance was found.

[Calvin Locke]

I heard that too, but were not the ships in the Indian Ocean? France exerted such pressure on Egypt to allow
suspected hazardous material to transit the canal then to Turkey?

[Natural Law]

If they existed it would be safe to assume that they were sunk the moment hostilities were commensed.

[al baby]

What is going on with lacy peterson case

[aspidistra]

As I recall from April, 1969, that Bldg. 519 at OAB was the last stop before the bus ride to Travis AFB. That's where I heard about the disease (some called it the black clap) and the ship that never made port. There was also talk of an island. After landing at Bien Hoa, we were taken to a tent where a Chaplain told us the not to believe anything we'd heard about a mysterious disease or ships that sailed forever.

[kcar]

Now ambassador, don't tell me that you lost THREE vessels?

[green team 1999]

there was a posting here that the ships were heading for greece

[Quix]

MY QUESTION TOO.

Was going to write O'Reilly about checking on it. Fell through the priority cracks.

[tessalu]

Was this one of Baghdad Bob's stories? It sort of sounds like it.

[yankeedame]

If they existed it would be safe to assume that they were sunk the moment hostilities were commensed.

Sunk or scuttled?

[Allan]

Have you heard anything about this rumor?

No. And I have only a vague recollection of the original story.