Thursday, December 6, 2018

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

 Another S(h)ipping  Reporter  ghost  fleet  special.

 The  arrival in Townsville  of  the  cruise ship  Seabourn  Sojourn   , with 800 passengers,  the first of  five  such  vessels  to   call  this  month , provided  many  striking   angles   for   camera  and  maritime   buffs .

 While the local media   covered  the  arrival , the Townsville Bulletin write up did not  say from whence the vessel came  and where it would  head   after its short nine hour stay , many passengers  given a   "cool face washer to wipe away the North Queensland  sweat."

Not  noticed was a   bulk carrier tied  up  nearby   with  an evocative   name  -La Bamba -  bringing  back  memories  of   " The  Day   the   Music  Died "  ... the 1959 plane crash   in which,  Ritchie Valens ,    Buddy Holly  and   J. P. Richardson  died , went   unnoticed .  Mexican American   singer, songwriter  and  guitarist   Valens   made  La Bamba  a  hit in  l958.   Rock and Roll    star  Ricky Nelson ,who  died in an air crash along with his fiancée in  1985  , also  belted  out  La  Bamba  .