Anyone know what this might be? Washed up on beach in UK

[magellan]

Here's part of the related article, Mystery container found on beach, at the Beeb:

Experts are trying to identify a huge metal container that has been washed up on a beach in the Western Isles.

The tank, which is 27m high, has no markings and is thought to have fallen from a ship before being washed up on the west of Benbecula.

It was discovered by a dog walker on Poll Na Crann beach - known locally as Stinky Bay - near Griminish.

Stornoway Coastguard is using two numbers on the container to try to find out where the item has come from.

The article says it probably contained liquid of some kind, but it's ruptured and empty.

[DS1]

1. looks like a fuel cell for a rocket of sorts

[magellan]

4. That's what we thought, but surely NASA would have missed one of those? n/t

[DS1]

8. there's more than one space program going on in the world

;)

[magellan]

17. Why do you hate America so?

:)

[Liberty Belle]

2. Did it contain those missing White House files?

[wildbilln864]

11. no, it's way to small. n/t

[Liberty Belle]

49. ha! good one. ;-)

[Cooley Hurd]

3. It's an Iranian A-bomb! Run!

:rofl:

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Skylab!

You found it!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/11/newsid_3867000/3867739.stm

[Sugar Smack]

54. YES! We had a portion of Skylab land on our shed at Camp Clearwater

when I was eleven. There's the rest of it!!:bounce:

[lpbk2713]

6. I'd say it probably came from the USA at one time or another.

That number '8' was written like an American would make it.

[IDemo]

7. It's a 5580. Sheesh.

[ThomWV]

9. Yeah, late model-slash-B. Dam shame about that dent.

[IDemo]

16. You sure it's a slash-B? The matriculator looks like a slash-C

[balantz]

10. Huge water filter?

[Scurrilous]

12. Iso Tank w/o the frame? n/t

[msongs]

13. very large pod people? world's biggest recycleable soda can? nt

[Froward69]

14. Silo or a beer vat...

[FreakinDJ]

33. Ding ding ding - we have a winner - Beer Vat

[Swamp Rat]

38. Yep

See post #37

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. Numbers indicate that it probably didn't come from an Arab country

as the numbers in Arabic are far different from those used in the West (who ironically call their numeration system "Arabic"--it is not--it came from India via the Arab traders, who didn't use it themselves).

[SalmonChantedEvening]

18. It's Pickles lost Chardonnay supply for November. n/t

[minnesota_liberal]

21. Pickles seems like a BOX wine kind of gal (n/t)

[minnesota_liberal]

25. dupe

[Dawggie]

19. Sorry, that's me. A bit too much to smoke with the Doctor last night

and I wandered to a taxi afterwards to get to my flat.

I'll pick it up in a day or two. Please don't let them tow me.

[magellan]

20. As in, it's a Tardis?

Bloody hell, doesn't the Doctor know to leave the inter-dimensional parking brake on?

[Dawggie]

23. Naw, the Tardis is god knows where.. I'm a friend of Captain Jack's

this one's named Mable.

[Speck Tater]

22. Hmmmm. Those are Arabic numerals written on it. Coincidence? NT

[Bozita]

24. It came from the codpiece of li'l Georgie's war hero jet fighter pilot costume

[BelgianMadCow]

26. The rectal pill

Bush* deserves?

[Dawggie]

27. On the serious side, it looks like a chemical reactor of sorts.

[minnesota_liberal]

28. Homer Simpson's PIG CRAP silo

From "The Simpson's Movie"

[ThoughtCriminal]

29. Industrial storage silo

My guess.

[magellan]

35. That looks about right in shape and size

Wish there was a better photo of the beastie to compare the other end to that diagram.

[ThoughtCriminal]

40. Probably was being delivered on a ship

and washed off in rough weather. I heard that is very common.

Not an expert on these things, but it also looks to me like the tank is insulated because there seems to be an inner tank that would match the diameter of the cone. I assume this would support the theory that it was designed to hold a liquid.

[Xithras]

42. It's in the Outer Hebrides. Could also be from a North Sea oil platform.

Some sort of storage tank on one of the platforms that blew off during a storm? That would also explain the insulation.

[ThoughtCriminal]

44. I don't think it was installed

The plates that the gantry(?) would be bolted to do not seem to be torn or bent.

[Jamastiene]

30. I don't know but

:tinfoilhat:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

31. Anthrax supplied by the Chimpy and Dick as retribution for discontinuing

the use of "War on Terror". Either that, or lots of pressurized whipped cream. :shrug:

[Bozita]

32. Could be one of Saddam's floating mobile chemical weapons labs.

Check with Powell.

[momster]

The Illudium PU-96 Explosive Space Modulator

Of course.

"Where's the kaboom? There's supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!"

[postulater]

34. Benbecula is an island in the Outer Hebrides

Benbecula's main settlement is Balivanich (Scottish Gaelic: Baile a'Mhanaich, meaning "Town of the Monk") in the northwest. It is the main administrative centre for the three islands, and has the council offices and the administrative centre for the artillery deep sea firing range on South Uist, which is managed by QinetiQ. The village is also home to the airport and the island's bank.

- From Wikipedia

Could be related to the artillery deep sea firing range nearby.

Or again it could be just a vat from one of the local whisky distilleries. Talisker on nearby Skye used to have to float their barrels out to the ships in bad weather just to get them somewhere where they could be sold.

I like to think it's the whisky.

[Xithras]

43. Heh, and it was "emptied" after the locals found it.

n/t

[stevedeshazer]

36. Saddam's nuke

Those WMD's gotta be here somewhere.

[Swamp Rat]

37. It's a beer vat

http://www.ropemarine.com/Picture%20Gallery.htm

[Liberal In Texas]

45. Nice find. You win. n/t

[HughMoran]

53. Hmmmm, looks like we may have a winner here

How'd you find that pic?

[Swamp Rat]

55. I lived in a beer vat before moving to the nave of a church.

Now I live with a few cute mice who try to keep me sober long enough to share the cheese.

[Mz Pip]

39. It's Cheney's shredder.

He moved it before he torched his office.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[A HERETIC I AM]

41. Dammit, i was wondering where that went....

I had it in my backyard only yesterday and off it floats, as if Scotland is SOOOOO much nicer than Fort Myers.

I wish i had never built the damned thing. Fuckin' tank with a mind of it's own. All i wanted was for it to stay put while i fermented this last batch of.....oops..never mind.

[ShaneGR]

46. I could be wrong, but that looks like a beer vat to me....

I've seem them unloaded at Miami airport, the one I saw was Dark Ale beer from Spain.

[mmonk]

47. It's a K8 5580. Says so right on that cone tip.

[SaveAmerica]

48. Major Nelson and Major Healy might know

[aikoaiko]

50. I'm voting for hoax.

[HughMoran]

51. Just a giant fuel filter

...everybody knows that! :D

Maybe a grain silo as suggested above - who knows.

[alfredo]

52. It's the last shred of my dignity.

[Kip Humphrey]

56. ALIENS!!! (the outer space kind) - We're being invaded!

[Joe Fields]

57. Cheney's escape pod.