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From the telephone exchange distribution board.
Inside Paddock, the alternative Cabinet War Rooms, Dollis Hill.
PADDOCK was built at the start of the 2nd World War on the site of the Post Office Research and Development Station in Dollis Hill. Its purpose was to act as an alternative underground control and command centre for Central Government should a devastating air attack on Whitehall force Government to evacuate central London. PADDOCK would provide protected accommodation for the War Cabinet and the Chief of Staff of the air, naval and land forces, acting as a stand-by to the Cabinet War Room...
As early as 1937 plans were drawn up to move Central Government out of London to the North West suburbs and if that became unusable a further withdrawal should be made to protected accommodation in the western counties.
...On 14th October 1938 the final plans were drawn up for the construction of the bombproof war headquarters deep underground at the Dollis Hill research station. The same team was employed on the plans as had been responsible for the adaptation of the Storeys Gate War Room. CWR2 as it became known would duplicate the facilities of CWR1 (Storeys Gate), the two major rooms being the map room with a usable wall surface of 1000 square feet and a cabinet room with seating for 30 people. All these would be located in a sub-basement 40 feet below ground.
The sub-basement would be protected by a roof of concrete five feet thick (probably in two layers with an intervening layer of gravel as a shock-absorber) while over it would be a first basement considerably larger in area, protected by another reinforced concrete roof
three and a half feet thick with similar protection on the sides. The entrance to this citadel would be concealed within a new three-storey building already planned by the Post Office to meet its own peace-time needs; only one storey was eventually built. The cost of the war HQ was put at nearly £250,000.
As built, the citadel was oblong in shape, running parallel with Brook Road under the north-east corner of the research station grounds. The two basements were longer and wider than the surface building with the first basement extending under the pavement of Brook Road.
Excavation started at the beginning of 1939 without attracting much attention although it involved earth-shifting on a massive scale. Construction work and fitting out were finished by June 1940 in line with the original 1938 plan and CWR2 was ready for use by the War Cabinet.
...The War Cabinet met at PADDOCK at 11.30 a.m. on 3rd October 1940. The meeting was attended by Churchill, twelve other Ministers and the three Chiefs of Staff. Churchill was not impressed by PADDOCK, in a minute to the Cabinet Secretary on October 22nd he wrote "The accommodation at PADDOCK is quite unsuited to the conditions which have arisen" and he told one of his chief war advisors Sir Edward Bridges, "The War Cabinet cannot live and work there for weeks on end .... PADDOCK should be treated as a last resort"
... In October 1940, shortly after the first War Cabinet meeting at Dollis Hill, a descriptive note was written about daily life at PADDOCK. "Government now occupied not only the 19 rooms of the basement and the 18 rooms of the subbasement but also the ground floor with its 22 rooms and lavatories. These rooms were used predominantly for work while other workrooms were available in the main Post Office building. Staff could use the Post Office canteen for meals and had living and sleeping accommodation in Neville's Court, where about thirty NCOs and men were quartered so as to allow a 24-hour guard over the whole complex to be maintained."
...After the war the upper basement and above ground building were used by the post office as extra laboratory space and some rooms were used for recreational activities; the staff drama group also used the bunker as a changing room after performances. The research station closed 1974 when the Post Office moved out to Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. The Post Office finally vacated the site in September 1976.
For a few years Cadbury Schweppes occupied the building as offices but in the early 1980's whole site became the Dollis Hill Industrial Estate. It would appear that the bunker was not used during this period.
In 1981 Paddock was suggested as a replacement for the North London Group War Room at Partingdale Lane, Mill Hill at a cost of £300,000. The plan was rejected by the GLC because of water seepage. At that time there was an inch of standing water in the sub-basement. Part of the site was acquired by Network Housing Association in May 1997....as part of the sale Brent Council required Network Housing to make the bunker safe and open it on at least two days a year to the general public...Today PADDOCK remains very damp with water ingress on both levels but the pumps ensure that the water doesn't build up to an unacceptable level in the sub-basement.
[Subterranea Britannica website]
Top-performing company-grade officer, warrant officer and non-commissioned officers, from all services across the Pacific region, including 1 Department of the Army Civilian, completed the 8th Theater Sustainment Command's Phase II of the Young Alaka'i Leader Development Program.
1st MSC hosts mobilization readiness exercise
Camp Santiago, Salinas: Soldiers of the 1st Mission Support Command's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment hosted a mobilization readiness exercise at Camp Santiago, P.R., 14-27 March.
During the event, HHD Soldiers completed readiness checks for over 1,000 Soldiers. Events such as this are commonly held annually to ensure that commanders can maintain their unit readiness.
"We try to do this as the units get closer to their available year in order to have them improve their overall readiness and mobilization posture in the event they get selected (for mobilization) down the road", said Gerardo Rodriguez, mobilization officer for the 1st MSC.
Rodriguez said MRXs help units maintain readiness for deployments but they also serve the individual Soldier.
"As part of the MRX ... there are different stations and one of them, one of the most important, is medical. A Soldier is completely checked and whatever cannot be fixed at this location ... the Soldier can go to a private (medical) provider and get that situation fixed and that helps them with their overall readiness",he said.
Soldiers rotate through eleven different stations in total where they are checked in by HHD Soldiers and efficiently move through the station. While the process has been refined over the years at times people still tend to get impatient.
Staff Sgt. Anaselly Ramos, logistics noncommissioned officer with the mobilization team, know the experience can be stressful but to help keep the level of frustration down she leads groups of Soldiers through stations when she sees openings. While each group of Soldiers is instructed to follow the schedule given to them for the MRX, Ramos' method keeps things moving along too.
Keeping track of the entire flow of Soldier traffic is a system called the mobilization plan data viewer.
"It shows all the stations and actually it runs the SRP (MRX) completely", said Spc. Hector Rodriguez, from Bayamon.
"It's tracking each Soldier by station ... you can see how many have completed (the stations) and how many have not",added Rodriguez, who is assigned to the 311th Quartermaster Company.
While the process can be tedious for the Soldiers going from station to station, one Soldier working at the medical readiness station found the MRX to be an opportunity to challenge herself by practicing her public speaking skills.
Spc. Jenniffer Gonzalez Diaz, a traffic management coordinator, who's primary language is Spanish, began giving the medical station briefings to many groups of Soldiers. Gonzalez admits that speaking English is not one of her strengths but her determination brought her recognition among her peers and even the Commanding General of the 1st MSC Brig. Gen. Fernando Fernandez.
"They gave me the opportunity to participate in this activity so I can ... help them in the system with the Soldiers, and I practiced a lot my English",said Gonzalez.
As a member of the the 390th Seaport Company, in Ceiba, Gonzalez recognizes the importance of refining her English language skills. When given the opportunity to refine her abilities when she signed up for the Army, Gonzalez participated in English language courses.
"I improved my English, I practiced my English when I took the class but I knew a little bit of the language because we are Puerto Rico and we are bilingual so we took classes when we started in (grade) school", said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez knows this isn't the only challenge she'll have to overcome in her military career, which is why she stays motivated and maintains a positive attitude.
"The important thing for me is to show people that you are trying, don't get upset, don't get mad if someone corrects you because they are helping you",she said. "If you don't know, ask, so you can learn ... the stuff you learn nobody can take away."
Top-performing company-grade officer, warrant officer and non-commissioned officers, from all services across the Pacific region, including 1 Department of the Army Civilian, completed the 8th Theater Sustainment Command's Phase II of the Young Alaka'i Leader Development Program.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct. 18, 2012) - Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) connect tethering lines to a SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3). George Washington and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Navy is constantly deployed to preserve peace, protect commerce, and deter aggression through forward presence. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. (U.S. Navy photo by MCSA Tatiana Avery)
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180407-M-DL117-0073
AUGUSTA BAY, Italy (April 7, 2018) Marines assigned to 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Sailors assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New York (LPD 21) stand in formation during a change of command ceremony April 7, 2018. During the ceremony Capt. Todd Vandegrift was relieved by Capt. Brent DeVore as commanding officer of New York. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Marine corps photo by Cpl. Juan A. Soto-Delgado/Released)
Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief, National Guard Bureau, left, and Cassadee Pope, right, with a service member during a USO Tour unit visit, Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, July 4, 2019. Pope is one of the performers hosted by Lengyel for a USO Tour visiting troops in six countries in three combatant commands. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jim Greenhill)
FORD ISLAND, Hawaii (Aug. 10, 2016) - Soldiers from 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, load cargo and military vehicles on board the 8th Theater Sustainment Command's Logistic Support Vessel-2, the U.S. Army Vessel CW3 Harold A. Clinger at Ford Island in preparation for Pacific Pathway 16.3 (Photo by Staff Sgt. John C Garver ) 160810-A-NQ837-244
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ATLANTA (Army News Service, May 2, 2016) - Lt. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield, deputy commanding general, U.S. Pacific Command, speaks at the Army Aviation Association of America-sponsored 2016 Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit in Atlanta. (Photo by David Vergun)
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L'Hôtel Ciamberlani, commandé par le peintre symboliste Albert Ciamberlani, a été conçu en 1897 par l’architecte Paul Hankar, et est situé au n° 48 de la rue Defacqz à Ixelles (Bruxelles). Il jouxte un autre immeuble de style Art nouveau aussi construit par Paul Hankar : l'hôtel René Janssens sis au n° 50. L'arrière de la parcelle communiquait avec les écuries de l'Hôtel José Ciamberlani dont la façade se trouve rue Paul-Émile Janson.
La symétrie prônée dans les bâtiments classiques est ici rompue, le rez-de-chaussée comptant quatre travées avec la porte rejetée à l’extrémité de la façade. La structure métallique est laissée apparente en façade et les fenêtres sont de formes particulières. Au premier étage, où se trouve le salon donnant sur le balcon, elles sont en arc outrepassé, avec des fins châssis en bois qui compartimentent la baie et dont le dessin ressemble à un dessin extrême oriental.
La taille et forme des percements sont elles aussi en rupture avec l'architecture classique. La façade est dictée par la nature des pièces à l’intérieur. Elle se doit d'être le reflet de la distribution intérieure de l'hôtel, conséquence directe de l’intérêt d'Hankar pour Viollet-Le-Duc et sa théorie sur le rationalisme, théorie qui énonce que l'ornementation doit être liée à la structure même de l'édifice et que la façade doit être pensée en fonction du plan et de l’organisation intérieure. Quant à la décoration, les sgraffites conçus par Ciamberlani lui-même pour orner la partie supérieure ainsi que la partie entre les deux fenêtres semi-circulaires du première étage ont été réalisés par Adolphe Crespin (cf. wikipédia, merci www.admirable-facades.brussels pour la photo).
Outgoing U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Commander Col. Bryan D. DeCoster relinquished command to Col. G. Shawn Wells during a ceremony June 25, 2014, at Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern. This was the garrison's first ever official change of command ceremony (Photos by USAG RP Public Affairs)
Command Sgt. Maj. James P. Wills, U.S. Army Reserve command sergeant major, conducts battlefield circulation during the Warrior Exercise (WAREX) and exercise Red Dragon at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 16-17, 2016.
Lt. Col. Matthew A. Lutz takes command of the Virginia Army National Guard’s 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion from Lt. Col. Michael S. Waterman Aug. 8, 2015, at Camp Pendleton, Va. Col. Michelle Rose, the commander of the Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group, presided over the exchange of organizational colors that began and ended with Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy D. White, the 529th CSSB command sergeant major, signifying the transfer of command from Waterman to Lutz. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Command Sgt. Maj. Alan M. Ferris, the Virginia National Guard Senior Enlisted Advisor, also attended. The Clifton Forge-based 29th Division Band provided music for the ceremony. The 529th CSSB commands the Emporia-based 1710th Transportation Company, the Blackstone-based 3647th Maintenance Company and the Virginia Beach-based 229th Military Police Company. Lutz, who served as executive officer of the 529th during its deployment to Afghanistan from March 2010 to April 2011, was most recently assigned as a force developer at the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee. Waterman took command of the 529th in July 2013 and led the battalion during its deployment to Kuwait in support of operations Spartan Shield, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve and Resolute Support from June 2014 to April 2015. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)
PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 11, 2012) - An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to the Flying Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, a fleet replacement squadron for the F/A-18A and F/A-18D legacy Hornets, prepares to launch from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway conducting fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Ryan J. Mayes)
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BUSAN, Republic of Korea (July 22, 2016) - U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) senior enlisted leaders held a Combined Joint Senior Enlisted Leaders Symposium on the ROK Fleet Base in Busan, the new home for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea. Commander, Naval Forces Korea is the U.S. Navy's representative in the Republic of Korea, strengthening collective security efforts in the region. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wesley J. Breedlove) 160722-N-SR567-008
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The beginnings of a major ( major for my standard..) kit bash / green stuff conversion attempt. Had been planning a command squad for a while then GW went and released the boxed squad but I decided to continue and attempt to make my own to match my custom Belial. Will be attempting to add robes, oath papers and more dark angel symbolism as the days progress, wish me luck!
Neil Dawson 'Bomber Command', 2005, WW2 memorial, Australian War
Memorial Sculpture Garden, Canberra
The Bomber Command memorial is sculpture memorial commemorating the service and sacrifice of the RAAF air and ground crew who served and died with Bomber Command during the Second World War. It contains specific references to elements of the Bomber Command experience; bombing operations occurred at night and searchlights posed a major threat; the Bomber Command personal- air and ground crew and eight of the aircraft flown by Bomber Command - Halifax, Wellington, Lancaster, Mosquito, Stirling, Blenheim, Whitely and Hampden. The memorial consist of a symbolized searchlight beam, images of air and ground crew as silhouetted figures in the form of a curved stainless steel wall, a glass plate at the base of the searchlight beam with stencils of the eight plane types flown, paving and a ring of granite surrounding the base of the sculpture engraved with text and insignia commemorating the Bomber Command crews. There are five preparatory samples for the Bomber Command Memorial prepared by the sculptor, Neil Dawson; examples of the glass, curved stainless steel wall with a single figure, structure of the central beam, meshwork for the central beam, and piece of etched black granite. (www.awm.gov.au/collection/ART92683/)
EL KANTARA 1905-1926
Fiche élaborée avec le concours de
L'ouvrage du Commandant Lanfant " Historique de la Flotte des Messageries Maritimes 1851-1975 p 105
L'ouvrage du Docteur Bois "Le Grand Siècle des Messageries Maritimes" p: 242 Tome VII de la collection "Histoire du Commerce et de l'Industrie de Marseille XIX° -XX° Siècles
2ème d'une série de 4 navires identiques (différentié du LOUQSOR le 1er qui lui a les coursives du château fermées.)
Paquebot mixte de type "trois îles", à deux hélices, une cheminée mince, deux mâts, une étrave incurvée avec gaillard, château central en deux parties et dunette. Construit à La Ciotat
1904 le 4 août – Lancement
1905 en avril Mise en service.
CARACTÉRISTIQUES :
Longueur : 136 m entre PP et 141.35 m HT
Largeur : 16.06 m
Jauge brute : 6880 tjf Lanfant 6888 tjb P. Bois
Jauge nette : 4425 tn
Port en Lourd : 8170 t
Déplacement : 11800 t pouvant aller à 13475 pour 8.34 m de TE
5 cales desservies par :
18 mâts de charge de 2.5 t
2 bigues de 10 t
1 bigue de 20 t
Larges panneaux de cale pour les colis encombrants.
PROPULSION :
2 machines à vapeur alternatives à triple expansion.
2 chaudières du type Amirauté à double façade, soit 16 foyers. Timbre 9.5 kg/cm²
Puissance : 3800 cv
Vitesse : 13 nœuds aux essais et 10.5 nœuds en exploitation
ÉTAT-MAJOR :
12 officiers
PASSAGERS :
1ères Cl : 40
Sdes : 54
3èmes Entrepont : 1200 rationnaires
LIGNES :
1905 en avril 1er voyage sur le ligne d'Extrême-Orient Marseille- Saïgon – Haiphong
1914 Réquisitionné pour les services postaux. Sur les lignes de l'Océan Indien et autre sur réquisition d l'État.
1919 affecté à la ligne Dunkerque-Tahiti-Nlle Calédonie via Panama. Il inaugure cette ligne en rapatriant les soldats de Nouvelle-Calédonie et de Tahiti. Il inaugure pour la Compagnie le passage du Canal de Panama.
1920 Il passe sur la ligne d'Australie.
1923 le 12 mai il inaugure la nouvelle ligne France-Antilles-Panama-Tahiti-Nouméa
Il aura effectué toute sa carrière sans aucun incident notable.
RETRAIT :
1926 en décembre il est vendu à Dunkerque pour la démolition.
WATERS EAST OF JAPAN (June 4, 2016) - Gunner's Mate 1st Class Michael Beer oversees as Fire Control Technician 2nd Class Nhut Truong Nguyen fires a .50 caliber machine gun during a live-fire training exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elesia K. Patten/Released) 160604-N-WM647-114
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Tobyhanna Army Depot
June 17, 2019
Reviewing Officer: Maj. Gen. Randy S. Taylor, U.S. Army CECOM Commanding General
Outgoing Commander: Col. Nathan M. Swartz
Incoming Commander: Col. John W. McDonald
Photographer: Thomas Robbins
Close up photo of Ideal's Tank Command board game toy, taken from TV Cream Toys www.tvcreamtoys.co.uk - more photos, plus write ups, at the web site.
Adm. James Stavridis, commander of the U.S. European Command (back to camera) passes the U.S. Army Europe flag to Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, officially marking Hertling's assumption of command of USAREUR, on Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany, March 25. (iphone photo by Mark Ray)
161201-N-TC720-120 GAETA, Italy (Dec. 1, 2016) – Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh reads his orders as he relieves Capt. Carlos Sardiello as the commanding officer aboard the U.S. 6th fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) Dec. 1, 2016. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mat Murch/Released)
Harem.
Another door leads to the Courtyard of the (Black) Eunuchs, with their apartments on the left side. At the end of the court is the apartment of the black chief eunuch, the fourth high-ranking official in the official protocol. In between is the school for the imperial princes, with precious tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries and gilded wainscoting. At the end of the court is the main gate to the harem. The narrow corridor on the left side leads to the apartments of the odalisques (white slaves given as a gift to the sultan).
Many of the eunuchs’ quarters face this courtyard, which is the first one of the Harem, since they also acted as guards under the command of the Chief Harem Eunuch. The spaces surrounding this courtyard were rebuilt after the great fire of 1665. The complex includes the dormitory of the Harem eunuchs behind the portico, the quarters of the Chief Harem Eunuch and the School of Princes as well as the Gentlemen-in-Waiting of the Sultan and the sentry post next to it. The main entrance gate of the Harem and the gate of the Kuşhane connected the Enderûn court leads out into the Kuşhane door.
The dormitories of the Harem eunuchs date to the 16th century. They are arranged around an inner courtyard in three storys. The inscription on the facade of the dormitory includes the deeds of trust of the Sultans Mustafa IV, Mahmud II and Abdül Mecid I dating from the 19th century. The rooms on the upper stories were for novices and those below overlooking the courtyard were occupied by the eunuchs who had administrative functions. There is a monumental fireplace revetted with the 18th century Kütahya tiles at the far end. The Chief Harem Eunuch's apartment adjacent to the dormitory contains a bath, living rooms and bedrooms. The school room of the princes under the control of the Chief Harem eunuch was on the upper story. The walls were revetted with 18th-century European tiles with baroque decorations.
WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD Hawaii (Oct. 24, 2016) - A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Wing, takes off from Wheeler Army Airfield with Soldiers and equipment assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. The Soldiers are heading to the Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii to participate in Lightning Forge 17. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Armando R. Limon, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division) 161024-A-EL056-014
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WESTERN PACIFIC (April 14, 2016) - The guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the fast combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7). Providing a ready force supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, Mobile Bay is operating as part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group and Great Green Fleet on a regularly scheduled 7th Fleet deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley/Released) 160414-N-MJ645-018
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Tobyhanna Army Depot
June 17, 2019
Reviewing Officer: Maj. Gen. Randy S. Taylor, U.S. Army CECOM Commanding General
Outgoing Commander: Col. Nathan M. Swartz
Incoming Commander: Col. John W. McDonald
Photographer: Thomas Robbins
The Building and Operation of Newport Terminal
During early 1967, ships were anchored up to 45 days or longer waiting to be assigned berths (Command History, 1967, Vol. II). Demurrage costs ranged from $3,000 to $7,000 per day. By the end of 1967, ten ports would be handling cargo thus reducing ship berth time from 20.4 days to 2.4 days (Heiser, 1974). There was also a shortage of tugboats to handle vessels, barges and miscellaneous duties, but with the building of Newport, the Saigon command port crisis would be essentially over by late spring of 1967.
Newport is located on the Saigon River three or four miles north of the Saigon port and just south of the main bridge for highway 1A which had direct route to Bien Hoa air base and Long Binh field depot and the main ammunition depot. The primary purpose of Newport was to take over the handling of all U.S. military cargo that was presently being handled at the Saigon port. Newport would become part of the Saigon area port complex. The components of this complex included Saigon port, Vung Tau where ships lined up and waited for pilots to take them up the river to Newport, Camp Davis which was up river for military housing and the Cat Lai complex located seven miles south east of Saigon. The complex handled over sixty percent of ammunition entering Vietnam (Biggs, King, Criner, 1994). That included several different barge locations for the loading and unloading of ammunition from ships in stream, but of these several barge locations, only two were used exclusively for ammunition and they were located at Buu Long and Cogido. Therefore, the above mentioned would all be handled and operated as a single command.
Construction of Newport started in 1966 and took fifteen months to complete, costing the United States at least $50 million dollars (Forken 1967). The facility was constructed by RMK - BRJ (Raymond International, Morrison - Knudson International, Brown & Root and J. A. Jones) on an area of approximately one hundred acres of land that had once been part rice-paddy and a swampy, mangrove-covered area, which at high tide was covered by water (Diary of A Contract 1967). Therefore, great quantities of rock and sand were brought in by barge and truck for fill (Dunn 1972). According to Richard Tregaskis, author of Southeast Asia: Building the Bases, to form the shallow-draft section of the port, 1,144 piles were driven. Some 500 of these piles averaged 135 feet deep. Newport is constructed from two million cubic yards of fill, of which about 3,000 cubic meters of this was delivered by sampans. 18,000 cubic yards of concrete was required for the staging deck, 4,050 steel piles, for a combined length of 107 miles and 35 miles of structural steel. There would be four deep draft berths with a combined length of 2,400 feet, the eight transit sheds have a total floor space of 192,000 square feet (Tregaskis, 1975). One of these berths would be able to handle roll-on and roll-off ships. Another draft would be able to handle container ships plus facilities to include two ramps for landing LST's, a wharf to handle up to seven barges, and a landing craft ramp. There would be warehouses and open storage behind each pier. The port also featured a 100-ton floating crane anchored on a barge. A large parking space for containers would also be available.
In April of 1967 the first deep draft vessel would be discharged at Newport. The first container ship to unload at Newport would not be until October, 1967 (Fuson 1994).
Newport would be commanded by the 71st Transportation Terminal Service Battalion. According to the written history on the 71st Transportation Battalion, which was normally known as the "EXPEDITERS", arrived in Vietnam from Fort Story, Virginia during August, 1966. The battalion had attached the 154th, 368th, 551st, 561st and 567th Terminal Service Companies; 372nd Terminal Transfer Company; and the U.S. Army Harborcraft Company (Provisional). The base headquarters and company camp was located at Long Binh known as 'CAMELOT' which was about 23 miles to the north from Newport. Camelot base camp was originally built as a tent encampment, but by 1967, aluminum prefab 20' by 60' Adam huts were built to house troops.
As a matter of note, regarding the immensity of Long Binh complex, the Long Binh post included depot facilities that provided 1,869,000 square feet of black-topped hardstand and 1,458,000 square feet of covered storage. By comparison, the depot facilities at the Fishmarket in Saigon had a total of only 670,000 square feet of covered storage space as late as March, 1967 (according to Joseph M. Heiser, Jr. who stated in his writing Logistic Support, Vietnam Studies on The Logistics Environment in Vietnam).
Newport operated with two twelve hour shifts. Stevedoers and administrative troop personnel were transported by truck from Camp Camelot at Long Binh to Newport. During the second night of the Tet Offensive of 1968, the 71st engaged the Vietcong (third battalion of the 273 VC Regiment) as they were trying to take control of the Newport Bridge (Bien Hoa highway bridge), but with assistance of the infantry, helicopter gun ships and armored vehicles, the Vietcong were repelled and unsuccessful in their mission.
The 71st earned two Meritorious Unit Commendations while serving in Vietnam. They were for periods 1968-1969 and the year 1972 (Lineage and Honors). The 71st Transportation Battalion departed Vietnam on August 20, 1972. The 71st supported variou s operations, including Operation Oregon and the retrograde program and was also involved with civic action at Hamlet An Hoa Houng.
As defined by the U.S. Army Transportation School in 1966, the mission of a terminal service battalion such as the 71st Transportation Battalion is to provide command and administrative supervision to terminal service companies who handle the load of cargo on vessels, discharge cargo from vessels and clear it from shipside, transfer cargo from one mode of transport to another and prepare the necessary documentation to account for and record movement of this cargo. Each terminal service company, also known as stevedore companies, would number from 250 to 325 men. By 1967, the total strength of the 71st stood as follows: 39 officers, 3 warrant officers and 1,661 enlisted men, but by October of 1969, the 71st headquarters attachment and its three terminal service companies had an authorized strength of 1,045 men but actual assignment totaled 644.
The 71st Transportation Terminal Service Battalion reported to the 4th Transportation Command, Saigon. The 4th TC arrived in South Vietnam on August 12, 1965. It was given the mission of assisting Headquarters Support Activity Saigon in U.S. port operations. In early 1966, the 4th's new mission was to operate the Saigon Port Complex, a sub-port at Vung Tau and various ammunition distribution sites. In 1967 the command was officially assigned to the U.S. Army Support Command, Saigon which included overseeing the operation at Newport.
Tonnage figures were kept on a daily basis, recapping statistical information on ships, barges, landing ship tanks, etc. Nightly, these reports were driven to Saigon port and presented to the 4th Transportation Command for compilation with the rest of the Saigon Port Complex figures. Although it is difficult to know total tonnage of cargo handled by Newport involving unloading of ships, barges, landing ship tanks, landing craft and roll on/off during its term of operation in Vietnam, some statistics can be offered with this writing. For instance, between October, 1968 to June, 1969, 1,034,340 tons of cargo was unloaded (Commanders Monthly Review, 4th T.C., June 1969).
If this figure would be annualized, it would come to an average of 1,379,124 tons of cargo handled for that twelve month period. According to Richard Tregaskis who wrote Southeast Asia: Building the Bases, the port had the capability to handle 150,000 tons per month which, annualized, would come to 1,800,000 tons for a twelve month period.
Primarily, United States military cargo was unloaded and loaded at Newport which included military vehicles, general military cargo, repair parts, food products, etc. Except for vehicles, the mentioned cargo was packed in conex containers and later ocean containers
The 34th Red Bull Infantry Division transitioned to a new commander at a Change of Command Ceremony at the National Guard armory in Rosemount, Minnesota Dec. 7. Brig. Gen. Neal Loidolt took over command of the division from the outgoing commander Maj. Gen. David Elicerio. In addition, the official party included the tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Vessey and Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Richard Nash. Attending the event was First Army Commander Lt. Gen. Michael Tucker, Maj. Gen. Harry Sieben, Maj. Gen. Jerry Lang, representatives for U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, Minn. Sec. of State Mark Ritchie and Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste.
U.S. National Guard photo by Army Master Sgt. Daniel Ewer.
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A UH-60 Black Hawk takes off as Army National Guard - Helicopter Task Force participates in fast rope insertion/extraction system training at the Oberdachstetten Range MOUT site near Ansbach, Germany, July 26, 2016. ARNG-HTF is deployed for three months in support of Special Operation Command Europe.
U.S. Army Sgt. Cameron Wilson, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter repairer representing the Marietta-based 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia Army National Guard, fires a M110A1 Squad Designated Marksman Rifle during the sniper event of the 2023 Georgia National Guard State Best Warrior Competition held on Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 9, 2023. The competition tested readiness and adaptiveness of Georgia's best Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kayden Reed)