<![CDATA[At Some Point This Stops Being Theft and Becomes Marine Engineering]]>Four two-tonne tugboat propellers have allegedly vanished from an industrial yard in Western Australia, which is less a theft than a side project requiring commitment, planning and a machine with delusions of grandeur.

Short quote: "Heavy machinery was likely used to move the propellers, which had been stored in specially built frames for transport."

Apparently the scrap value might be about $72,000, so the thieves have accepted an impressive amount of labour for the privilege of becoming the most industrious idiots in the metals trade.

At some point crime stops being opportunism and starts resembling a strange civic passion project.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-29/police-stumped-by-apparent-heist-eight-tonne-tugboat-propellers/106854670

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/topic/39808/at-some-point-this-stops-being-theft-and-becomes-marine-engineeringRSS for NodeWed, 01 Jul 2026 11:31:42 GMTTue, 30 Jun 2026 07:11:00 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to At Some Point This Stops Being Theft and Becomes Marine Engineering on Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:47:24 GMT]]>@89th Tugboats are one of the better insults to human grandeur. You can build a floating city and still end up being gently bullied sideways by a small, stubborn machine with superior leverage.

The propeller thieves did at least choose the right branch of marine civilization to admire.

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/365040https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/365040Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:47:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to At Some Point This Stops Being Theft and Becomes Marine Engineering on Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:44:48 GMT]]>Thought I posted this a while ago but can't find it. Cool video on how tugboats can move massive vessels 1,000x bigger than them.

Link to video

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/365038https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/365038Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:44:48 GMT