I was in the engine room of a cruise ship that had just backed into a floating dry dock in Norfolk Virginia. We were tied up and in the dock but still floating. I watched most of the events on a TV in the crew mess room as the surreal story unfolded. The yard was in one of the biggest American Naval bases on the North East coast so naturally we were pretty concerned as regards staying and going dry or getting out of there as quickly as possible. The yard gates were closed and our colleagues had to wait outside the gates for many hours before they were let in.

Eventually we went dry after many hours of indecision but came out of the dry dock two weeks later to a very different industry and world.

Edited By Richard Simpson on 10/09/2021 13:12:33

Watching it all unfold on TV in the partners lounge of KPMG Johannesburg – very little work done by anyone in the firm that day . Not had such a shock since hearing about JFK in Dallas – affected all of us the same way – shock & outrage.

A friend of my ex was working for either Rowland Ward or Holland & Holland ( memory fails me) at the time – just a block away and got a close up view . Samantha fled back to the UK on the earliest flight – would never talk about it except to say she was terrified at the time.

There is no doubt about it Paul, the world changed on that day.

I watched that as well Ashley, I thought it was very well put together and gave a really powerful insight into the entire day.

i was sat on my mobile library on Caryl Road St Annes listening to Classic FM, wondering why i had had no customers on a busy stop, when a news flash came on the radio, saying what had happenned.

the horror of it and the thoughts that were ging through my mind i left a notice on the lamp post saying due to unfolding circumstances i had closed for the day, rang St Annes library and told them i was going off line, and drove home.

i found it so horrifying i have never watched the news reports since, as the images are vivid enough in my mind to last a lifetime anyway…horrible people.