On Sunday, the most famous container ship in the world was finally freed after blocking the Suez Canal for six days. A combination of tug boats and high tides were responsible for unsticking the Ever Given, after it got inexplicably wedged between both walls of the waterway. And while those in charge of global shipping traffic were elated to finally be out of a nearly week-long traffic jam, the internet had a very different response. By Sunday night, the phrase ‘PUT IT BACK’ was trending on Twitter.
I love how the ship is unstuck and everyone is like PUT IT BACK pic.twitter.com/z3o0Ao3lln
— (@carries_town) March 29, 2021
PUT IT BACK, PUT THAT SHIP BACK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/IOKgTVfRld
— some bones in space (@undeadartclub) March 29, 2021
some people aren't brave enough to stand by their convictions, but I'm going to say it: put the boat back now.
— â³ikhail Klimentov (@LeaderGrev) March 29, 2021
Reasons for this irrational outpouring remain fairly mysterious. Perhaps there was symbolic comfort to be found in the principle that a single ship could disrupt the whole world. Perhaps, as 2021 gets rolling and we leave 2020 behind, the internet just needs one last gasp of chaos to cling to. And perhaps everyone was just enjoying the inexplicable mystery of how this doesn’t happen at least once a week.
There were other motivations on display, Sunday night and Monday morning.
Some people were in it for the memes:
PUT IT BACK. THE MEMES ARE STILL COMING, PUT IT BACK. pic.twitter.com/RfAGU1nhKa
— Halo Plasmaposting (@Plasmaposting) March 29, 2021
Some were in it for the merch:
Put the boat back please god I just spent all my stimulus money to kickstart my stuck boat suez canal themed merch and now it wouldn't make sense to sell it please for the love of god put it back so I know I haven't squandered all my money pic.twitter.com/GDvcyVNeQp
— Ashe Ê â¢á´¥â¢Ê (@bungeebingleton) March 29, 2021
Others thought conspiratorial forces were at play:
Well fuck you Aquaman for freeing the boat. You need to PUT IT BACK like the people WANT pic.twitter.com/tglXgiO5V5
— Kohaku (@KonekoKohaku) March 29, 2021
But for some, the stillness of the Ever Given had been soothing:
THERE WAS SOMETHING DEEPLY COMFORTING ABOUT THE BOAT BEING STUCK AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF THEY COULD PUT IT BACK
— NOT A WOLF (@SICKOFWOLVES) March 29, 2021
PLEASE THAT'S MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT VESSEL PUT IT BACK PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU pic.twitter.com/yivAAqemAH
— ⤫ (@alyx_fierro) March 29, 2021
For others, the container ship’s stubborn commitment to resting in place felt personally relatable:
GUYS THE SHIP IS UNSTUCK WHAT THE HECK IT JUST WANTED TO CHILL PLEASE PUT IT BACK pic.twitter.com/mbMSWVcWYT
— abi your beloved (@thebonecrusher_) March 29, 2021
And then there were the brave souls willing to stand up for the ship’s unwieldy self, and get it a buddy.
PUT IT BACK AND ADD ANOTHER SHIP! pic.twitter.com/t0pLFQWe1L
— Joshua Seth (@joshuaseth) March 29, 2021
At the time of writing, the Change.org petition to “Add Another Ship” was very close to exceeding its goal of 2,500 signatures. That might seem funny now, but when it comes to maritime matters, the internet can be a surprisingly determined place. Lest we forget that in 2016, after the UK government asked the public to come up with a fitting name for a prestigious new research ship, the internet rallied and succeeded in getting its preferred title to the top of the polls. It was “Boaty McBoatface,” a name that now lives in infamy. God speed, Suez Canal.
Copyright 2021 KQED