Ghostbusters to visit Royal Navy

[chillzero]

UK Sky news (http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13107823,00.html)

Paranormal researchers are to visit a Royal Navy base to investigate reports that it is haunted by the ghosts of executed prisoners.

Psychics, mediums and investigators will spend the weekend trying to detect spirits at Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth, using seances and sophisticated sensors.


They will focus their attention on the Hangman's Cell, reputed to be where more than 100 men were executed, and the 18th century Master Ropemaker's House.

Ian Addicoat, president of the Paranormal Research Organisation, will accompany the 20-strong team of investigators.

He said: "With the history of the site and the alleged paranormal activity, we should be in for an interesting couple of days.

"If there are ghosts or strange occurrences, we stand a great chance of finding out.

"We will be using scientific equipment, bringing our best investigators and spending two full nights in the active areas."

The team will analyse every sound and movement they record at Devonport, the largest naval base in western Europe, and present their findings to the Navy.

edited to fix quote thingy

[The Don]

I insist that all strange noises on a naval base are due to some combination of rum, sodomy and the lash :)

[chillzero]

Originally posted by The Don
I insist that all strange noises on a naval base are due to some combination of rum, sodomy and the lash :)

:D

I will wait to try and find a report on the goings on after the event.
Might be interestign. (I say 'might' ).

[odorousrex]

What "sophisticated sensors" pick up ghosts?

Don't you think if such a thing existed, it would be major news?

[Filippo Lippi]

Originally posted by The Don
I insist that all strange noises on a naval base are due to some combination of rum, sodomy and the lash :)

I'ts worse than that, they have other Pogues albums!:re:

[Kess]

Well, apparently the ghostbuster team have confirmed the presence of psychic activity - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/3762015.stmAlthough they did not see any ghosts, they had "very good" photographic evidence, yet to be analysed, which had them "jumping up and down."
I wonder if any of the 10-strong team are the same "experts" as used on the UK's Most Haunted programme. If so, I'd bet all they've photographed are some orbs; whenever they spot these in Most Haunted (and it's pretty much all they ever seem to capture on film) they get really excited, describing them as the first sign of a psychic manifestation...
:p

[JimTheBrit]

Orb evidence and psychic dowsing. Sheesh.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/3762349.stm

[chillzero]

And the team soon discovered that contact was more fruitful when Ian spoke in French, as many of the prisoners executed there were Napoleonic soldiers.

indeed.
hmmm I'll wait to see the full report when they give it out - I suspect that if there was absolute proof, that we would have seen it all over the news by now.

[foxprorawks]

I hope the taxpayer isn't getting a bill for this.

[Kess]

[The lead investigator] describes himself as a sceptic.
"But only in the true definition of the word," he said. "Questioning all occurrences to an empirical level." Eh? Can anyone translate this? I assume it means he considers himself more "open-minded" than Randi etc.
Scientific apparatus used included 0-lux night vision video cameras, digital stills cameras, electro-magnetic field meters, laser thermometers, digital voice recorders and motion detectors.Nice set of toys, yet all they detected was orbs and "unexplained temperature drops"...

[SamVimes]

"There is no cannibalism in the British navy, absolutely none, and when I say none, I mean there is a certain amount."

[Ashles]

This lead investigator's approach is a little bizarre:

Quote 1:
----
The 32-year-old father of two from Cornwall describes himself as a sceptic.
"But only in the true definition of the word," he said. "Questioning all occurrences to an empirical level."
----

Okay, fair enough.

But then...
----
Quote 2:
The seven-strong group also deployed a panoply of non-scientific equipment such as dowsing rods, which are used to detect spirit presence and obtain information from that spirit through psychic dowsing.
----

Hardly the behavior of a true sceptic looking for empirical levels of data.

Maybe he doesn't believe this nonsense and just has some kooky people on his team? Well sadly, no because...

Quote 3:
----
While less weight is give to these methods of investigation Ian describes the information elicited as "intriguing".
----

I suggest that Ian Addicoat might be less than a totally empirical 'scientist'.

[BPSCG]

Originally posted by Kess
Well, apparently the ghostbuster team have confirmed the presence of psychic activityWhich only goes to show: If you hire someone to find an elephant under your bed, you can rest assured he will find an elephant under your bed.

Has it ever happened, anywhere, at any time, that a ghost hunter was called into a case and after exhaustive testing, concluded, "Sorry, no ghosts here. Seems your water heater is on the blink and that's what's causing those strange vaporous emanations."?

Didn't think so.