Strange Noise?

[bluemoon1]

Whilst returning from fishing yesterday we were in the middle of the Irish sea, between the Isle of Man and Anglesey, on a very fast boat, when we all heard two very load bangs. They sounded like artillery fire, one straight after the other. We stopped the boat and were all wondering what could have made the noise. There was nothing visible in the sea, or air and we couldn't see land.
Can anybody suggest what it could have been?

[hc4361]

Military jets passing overhead?

[Stephen_G]

The most obvious thing is a Sonic Boom - supposed to sound like artillery fire.

[Fitzer]

Very possibly sonic booms, there is a large air training area just south of Dolgellau and although they don't go supersonic there one imagines they might well do on going home if late for their tea :-) http://machloop.co.uk/

[Stephen_G]

Doing a bit of digging, it MIGHT HAVE been a couple of F-16s, overnighting at RAF Shawbury. If it was, it looks like they are heading for RAF Cosford, although I don't know if they're on static or flying display.

[bluemoon1]

Thanks all. We did think of a sonic boom but would that be possible if the aircraft was out of sight? It was a cloudless sky and their was nothing in sight, could it be that it was going so fast that the sound reached us after it had disappeared from view?

[melv16]

More importantly.....Did you catch owt?

[hc4361]

Yes, it was so fast it had gone before you heard it