View allAll Photos Tagged Fastest
397: The SR 71 set the world's top speed and fastest times. London to New York 2 hours just for a warm up. Spectacular plane.
This was the fastest fish in the tank, took me about 20~25 shots to get it in focus while following that fish in my viewfinder !
Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30) < 1/50 -- on AF-C
Focal Length 48 mm
Aperture f/4.8
ISO Speed 800
NOTE: All of the photographs I post on Flickr are Copyrighted, if you need to use them in any way please send me a request by Flickr Mail.
copyrighted © Marzouq Almosawy
All images appearing in the Almosawy Photostream are the exclusive property of him and may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of Marzouq Almosawy.
When I heard a Ferrari 599 GTO was going to be delivered to our door I was filled with anticipation. I had read this is the ultimate road-going Ferrari, no less than the fastest, baddest, most powerful, road-going Ferrari ….ever!
This is the sort of car dreams are made of! Who hasn’t fantasized what they would buy if they won the Lottery jackpot? Who hasn’t savoured the moment in a daydream when they walk into a glitzy Ferrari showroom and tell the amazed salesman they’ll have ‘that’ one? It’s only the most expensive, most fabulous motor car in the place, but, no! They’ll have that one AND that one over there that they also rather like! This is the sort of car they see themselves in, having magically and sensationally gained film star attractiveness because they’ve won the Lottery. They glance at themselves in the mirror through designer shades, being careful to casually observe how attractive they look. Their skin glows with a healthy tan, contrasting strongly with the bright designer fashion wear picked up from an upmarket boutique. They look cool, vibrant, gorgeous, surely the centre of attention as they trundle down their local high street in the sunshine with a smile of delighted smugness.
In their dreams. In reality this car can only be for the vain. It tries to impress in the only way it can with looks and performance. One might think with 0 – 62 mph in 3.35 seconds, 0 – 124 mph in 9.8 seconds, 661 brake horsepower and a top speed in excess of 208 mph, that might do it. And it’s got a voluptuous curvy body too. But Lottery win and money alone won’t be enough to get your hands on a GTO even if you have got the £ 305,000 asking price. Because with only 599 chassis to be completed you’ll find you may have to wait for ever to find one that is actually for sale.
So I was especially ‘lucky’ to be passed the keys to a new Ferrari 599 GTO as it was prepared by TQ Express for a flight from Manchester airport to a new owner in Thailand. I had always sworn that given the keys to a supercar I would take my chance and ‘open her up, and see what she could do’. If that meant finding a quiet bit of motorway early in the morning during the summer I wouldn’t stop until I had maxxed out (You’re a long time dead so take your chance while you can!)
Visually it’s an impressive beast. In Rosso red it’s best angle is from the front and side. That front mounted V12 means a long bonnet and proportions similar to a Dodge Viper. But the difference is that it’s smoother, classier, better finished than any Dodge could be. A bystander might well compliment you with “Nice wheels” referring to the car as a whole, but if he purely meant the round things with rubber on them I would disagree. I’ve never seen a Ferrari with wheels that are a work of art in themselves in the way that Lamborghini wheels are. Beautiful as the 599 is, especially in that shade of red, I feel it deserves more exotic rims. I fancy gloss black.
Climbing into the seat I was amazed. There was a sea of grey and a consol that hardly looked more impressive than my daughters 1999 954cc VW Lupo. There was an Engine start button on the steering wheel and one knob. Two carbon paddles behind the wheel were barely visible in the greyness. In the centre of the consol was what at first glance appeared to be a basic radio-cassette. And below it a few basic heater /ventilation knobs. Down near the conventional handbrake I found grey push buttons for “Launch”, “Reverse” and “Auto”. And that was almost it apart from petrol cap, boot release and windows buttons. Yes, I was amazed at the lack of something special for £ 305,000. My amazement on sitting in my dream car was that I was utterly uninspired.
I put the conventional seat belt on. I paused and took stock of the car around me. I was about to drive the fastest, most powerful road going Ferrari ever. This was my chance to live my dream.
I turned the key, and the engine whirred over a few times on the starter before it caught and there was an ear-splitting barking, shattering sound as the engine banged into life. That woke everyone in the area up and immediately I am the centre of attention. Now 50 heads turned to watch as I press the grey button with ‘R’ on it to select reverse, take the handbrake off as I would do in my ordinary car, and gently tease the accelerator to reverse out of the space. There’s no reversing camera, and no parking sensors, and I really don’t want to wedge that plump rear end under the back of one of the trucks behind me. I’ve just been informed the rear valance of the car costs £ 37,500 as just one spare part….without fitting charges.
I’ve reversed back and am clear for take off. I pull the flappy thing behind the wheel and I see ‘1’ come up on the display by the speedo. That must mean I’m in First gear, so again I tickle the right pedal and swing the car onto the concourse. Now there are even more faces looking my way so I do what everyone in such a car has to do: I flatten the accelerator as if I'm stamping on a bug that has crossed the garden path ahead of me. Immediately there was that ripping, howling, banshee of a noise from behind me and I hurtled forward for a second or two before I moderated my progress with a dab on the brake. And a bit further down the road more faces came out from behind trucks and vans to stare and I felt obliged once more to stamp on that imagined insect on the floor in front of me. And again I leapt ahead 100 yards completely unable to register what effect the sight and sound of the fastest, most powerful road going Ferrari (ever) was leaving on those mere mortals stood each side who could only dream of driving such a car. Did they notice I was bald, middle aged and overweight or did they think, “Wow, awesome, what a cool dude?” Did the girls in the offices who might have heard the sound and rushed to the window think, “Wow, awesome, what a cool sexy dude? I wish I was in that amazing car (is it a Porsche or sumink?) with him?”
I did see some ugly, overweight truck drivers and warehousemen move a little closer for a better view as I turned at the end of the road for the run home. Once more I felt pressured to perform for them and once again mashed the loud pedal before I felt faintly stupid, driving in a stop go manner just to make a noise. Honestly, I have felt more comfortable, and thought it more entertaining, to fart loudly in front of friends than drive this car.
And so I reluctantly returned to base, reluctant only because I was permanently on show when I was in this car. My colleagues were gathered round as I came back in. “How fast did you go? Craig sarcastically said. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement in a negative sense. He might have said, “Couldn’t you have gone any slower?”
Did I get above 20 mph? Or did I max at 40mph? I don’t know. I don’t care because I was so uninspired I wasn’t interested in anything other than parking the car. Am I the only one to think, “What is the point of this thing?” My bucket list just got one line shorter.
My dream to drive an ultimate supercar had just become reality. I didn’t get out of First gear and will probably go down in history as the slowest driver ever of the fastest, most powerful, road going Ferrari ever!
I don’t want to be stared at. I don’t want to have to perform. I just want to be normal. Well, normal enough to dream of having a Nissan GTR…that’s a whole lot more sensible!
Read www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1346209/Ferrari-...
Spirit of Australia is a speed boat built by Ken Warby that broke and set the world water speed record on 8 October 1978. It is still the fastest boat!
If you want to see more micro-MOC (with instructions), check out the following book, for which I contributed some models:
Tiny LEGO Wonders - www.nostarch.com/tinylegowonders
Or check out my rebrickable page:
See this one Large! www.flickr.com/photos/jungle_mama/4648945376/sizes/l/
About 10 years ago, a neighbor gave me a 2 gallon can with a scrawny, leggy plant in it and predicted great things. Sounded like a Jack-in-the-Bean-Stalk story at the time but now I believe his outlandish tale. My Silk Floss quickly started growing and growing. And today it's 60 feet high!
The thick green trunk is covered with big fiercely strong, sharp spines. Locals here call it Monkey Tree because they say only monkeys can climb it. The spines break off, wear down and turn gray as the tree ages. Silk Floss trees grow so rapidly that they get bright green stretch marks! Some experts say it's the fastest growing tree in the world... and based on my experience... I think they may be right!
When Silk Floss trees mature, they shed their leaves in September and, all bare, break into a glorious display of gorgeous pink or purple five-petaled flowers. The flowers are followed by pear-shaped capsules filled with seeds embedded in silky white floss. The floss, or Kapok, extracted from the pods is a cotton-like substance with smooth fibers – too smooth for textile thread – that's used to stuff life preservers, saddles, cushions and mattresses. The primary use is for life preservers as the floss can support 30 times its own weight in water!
Another view Large...
www.flickr.com/photos/jungle_mama/4648944950/sizes/l/
Silk Floss Tree, Ceiba speciosa, palo borracho (in Spanish literally "drunken tree", Malvaceae
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The Peregrine Falcon has the highest recorded speed
while in a hunting dive at : 242 MPH. Fastest on earth!
23rd Annual Florida Renaissance Festival
Winter 2015 ~ Deerfield Beach, Florida U.S.A.
(one more photo of this falcon in the comments)
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The peregrine falcon is a large, crow-sized falcon, and has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "mustache".
It is renowned for its speed, reaching over 200 mph during its characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program its highest speed was measured at 242 mph!
flight speeds: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_flight_speed
{FYI: The peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 200 mph, hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but small bony tubercles on the falcon's nostrils guide the powerful airflow away from the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. To protect their eyes, the falcons use their third eyelids to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision.]
The peregrine falcon has been a well respected falconry bird for more than 3000 years due to its strong hunting ability, high train-ability, versatility, and in recent years availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species from small to large. While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects.
Check out my 2015 Renaissance Festival album if you have time:
www.flickr.com/photos/pelicanpetesphotos/sets/72157651123...
some call him the flying wombat
say his strength is in his moustache
and their golden locks of whisper
either or, he's one of the best,
and i'll be damned if he aint
the faster man i ever saw...
See more photos of this, and the Wikipedia article.
Details, quoting from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.
This Blackbird accrued about 2,800 hours of flight time during 24 years of active service with the U.S. Air Force. On its last flight, March 6, 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida set a speed record by flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging 3,418 kilometers (2,124 miles) per hour. At the flight's conclusion, they landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and turned the airplane over to the Smithsonian.
Transferred from the United States Air Force.
Manufacturer:
Designer:
Date:
1964
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)
Materials:
Titanium
Physical Description:
Twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic strategic reconnaissance aircraft; airframe constructed largley of titanium and its alloys; vertical tail fins are constructed of a composite (laminated plastic-type material) to reduce radar cross-section; Pratt and Whitney J58 (JT11D-20B) turbojet engines feature large inlet shock cones.
Long Description:
No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71 Blackbird. It is the fastest aircraft propelled by air-breathing engines. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War. The airplane was conceived when tensions with communist Eastern Europe reached levels approaching a full-blown crisis in the mid-1950s. U.S. military commanders desperately needed accurate assessments of Soviet worldwide military deployments, particularly near the Iron Curtain. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's subsonic U-2 (see NASM collection) reconnaissance aircraft was an able platform but the U. S. Air Force recognized that this relatively slow aircraft was already vulnerable to Soviet interceptors. They also understood that the rapid development of surface-to-air missile systems could put U-2 pilots at grave risk. The danger proved reality when a U-2 was shot down by a surface to air missile over the Soviet Union in 1960.
Lockheed's first proposal for a new high speed, high altitude, reconnaissance aircraft, to be capable of avoiding interceptors and missiles, centered on a design propelled by liquid hydrogen. This proved to be impracticable because of considerable fuel consumption. Lockheed then reconfigured the design for conventional fuels. This was feasible and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), already flying the Lockheed U-2, issued a production contract for an aircraft designated the A-12. Lockheed's clandestine 'Skunk Works' division (headed by the gifted design engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson) designed the A-12 to cruise at Mach 3.2 and fly well above 18,288 m (60,000 feet). To meet these challenging requirements, Lockheed engineers overcame many daunting technical challenges. Flying more than three times the speed of sound generates 316° C (600° F) temperatures on external aircraft surfaces, which are enough to melt conventional aluminum airframes. The design team chose to make the jet's external skin of titanium alloy to which shielded the internal aluminum airframe. Two conventional, but very powerful, afterburning turbine engines propelled this remarkable aircraft. These power plants had to operate across a huge speed envelope in flight, from a takeoff speed of 334 kph (207 mph) to more than 3,540 kph (2,200 mph). To prevent supersonic shock waves from moving inside the engine intake causing flameouts, Johnson's team had to design a complex air intake and bypass system for the engines.
Skunk Works engineers also optimized the A-12 cross-section design to exhibit a low radar profile. Lockheed hoped to achieve this by carefully shaping the airframe to reflect as little transmitted radar energy (radio waves) as possible, and by application of special paint designed to absorb, rather than reflect, those waves. This treatment became one of the first applications of stealth technology, but it never completely met the design goals.
Test pilot Lou Schalk flew the single-seat A-12 on April 24, 1962, after he became airborne accidentally during high-speed taxi trials. The airplane showed great promise but it needed considerable technical refinement before the CIA could fly the first operational sortie on May 31, 1967 - a surveillance flight over North Vietnam. A-12s, flown by CIA pilots, operated as part of the Air Force's 1129th Special Activities Squadron under the "Oxcart" program. While Lockheed continued to refine the A-12, the U. S. Air Force ordered an interceptor version of the aircraft designated the YF-12A. The Skunk Works, however, proposed a "specific mission" version configured to conduct post-nuclear strike reconnaissance. This system evolved into the USAF's familiar SR-71.
Lockheed built fifteen A-12s, including a special two-seat trainer version. Two A-12s were modified to carry a special reconnaissance drone, designated D-21. The modified A-12s were redesignated M-21s. These were designed to take off with the D-21 drone, powered by a Marquart ramjet engine mounted on a pylon between the rudders. The M-21 then hauled the drone aloft and launched it at speeds high enough to ignite the drone's ramjet motor. Lockheed also built three YF-12As but this type never went into production. Two of the YF-12As crashed during testing. Only one survives and is on display at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The aft section of one of the "written off" YF-12As which was later used along with an SR-71A static test airframe to manufacture the sole SR-71C trainer. One SR-71 was lent to NASA and designated YF-12C. Including the SR-71C and two SR-71B pilot trainers, Lockheed constructed thirty-two Blackbirds. The first SR-71 flew on December 22, 1964. Because of extreme operational costs, military strategists decided that the more capable USAF SR-71s should replace the CIA's A-12s. These were retired in 1968 after only one year of operational missions, mostly over southeast Asia. The Air Force's 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (part of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) took over the missions, flying the SR-71 beginning in the spring of 1968.
After the Air Force began to operate the SR-71, it acquired the official name Blackbird-- for the special black paint that covered the airplane. This paint was formulated to absorb radar signals, to radiate some of the tremendous airframe heat generated by air friction, and to camouflage the aircraft against the dark sky at high altitudes.
Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying the SR-71 safely required two crew members, a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). The RSO operated with the wide array of monitoring and defensive systems installed on the airplane. This equipment included a sophisticated Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) system that could jam most acquisition and targeting radar. In addition to an array of advanced, high-resolution cameras, the aircraft could also carry equipment designed to record the strength, frequency, and wavelength of signals emitted by communications and sensor devices such as radar. The SR-71 was designed to fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude. It could operate safely at a maximum speed of Mach 3.3 at an altitude more than sixteen miles, or 25,908 m (85,000 ft), above the earth. The crew had to wear pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts. These suits were required to protect the crew in the event of sudden cabin pressure loss while at operating altitudes.
To climb and cruise at supersonic speeds, the Blackbird's Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines were designed to operate continuously in afterburner. While this would appear to dictate high fuel flows, the Blackbird actually achieved its best "gas mileage," in terms of air nautical miles per pound of fuel burned, during the Mach 3+ cruise. A typical Blackbird reconnaissance flight might require several aerial refueling operations from an airborne tanker. Each time the SR-71 refueled, the crew had to descend to the tanker's altitude, usually about 6,000 m to 9,000 m (20,000 to 30,000 ft), and slow the airplane to subsonic speeds. As velocity decreased, so did frictional heat. This cooling effect caused the aircraft's skin panels to shrink considerably, and those covering the fuel tanks contracted so much that fuel leaked, forming a distinctive vapor trail as the tanker topped off the Blackbird. As soon as the tanks were filled, the jet's crew disconnected from the tanker, relit the afterburners, and again climbed to high altitude.
Air Force pilots flew the SR-71 from Kadena AB, Japan, throughout its operational career but other bases hosted Blackbird operations, too. The 9th SRW occasionally deployed from Beale AFB, California, to other locations to carryout operational missions. Cuban missions were flown directly from Beale. The SR-71 did not begin to operate in Europe until 1974, and then only temporarily. In 1982, when the U.S. Air Force based two aircraft at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall to fly monitoring mission in Eastern Europe.
When the SR-71 became operational, orbiting reconnaissance satellites had already replaced manned aircraft to gather intelligence from sites deep within Soviet territory. Satellites could not cover every geopolitical hotspot so the Blackbird remained a vital tool for global intelligence gathering. On many occasions, pilots and RSOs flying the SR-71 provided information that proved vital in formulating successful U. S. foreign policy. Blackbird crews provided important intelligence about the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and its aftermath, and pre- and post-strike imagery of the 1986 raid conducted by American air forces on Libya. In 1987, Kadena-based SR-71 crews flew a number of missions over the Persian Gulf, revealing Iranian Silkworm missile batteries that threatened commercial shipping and American escort vessels.
As the performance of space-based surveillance systems grew, along with the effectiveness of ground-based air defense networks, the Air Force started to lose enthusiasm for the expensive program and the 9th SRW ceased SR-71 operations in January 1990. Despite protests by military leaders, Congress revived the program in 1995. Continued wrangling over operating budgets, however, soon led to final termination. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration retained two SR-71As and the one SR-71B for high-speed research projects and flew these airplanes until 1999.
On March 6, 1990, the service career of one Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird ended with a record-setting flight. This special airplane bore Air Force serial number 64-17972. Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and his RSO, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Vida, flew this aircraft from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds, averaging a speed of 3,418 kph (2,124 mph). At the conclusion of the flight, '972 landed at Dulles International Airport and taxied into the custody of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. At that time, Lt. Col. Vida had logged 1,392.7 hours of flight time in Blackbirds, more than that of any other crewman.
This particular SR-71 was also flown by Tom Alison, a former National Air and Space Museum's Chief of Collections Management. Flying with Detachment 1 at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Alison logged more than a dozen '972 operational sorties. The aircraft spent twenty-four years in active Air Force service and accrued a total of 2,801.1 hours of flight time.
Wingspan: 55'7"
Length: 107'5"
Height: 18'6"
Weight: 170,000 Lbs
Reference and Further Reading:
Crickmore, Paul F. Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1996.
Francillon, Rene J. Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987.
Johnson, Clarence L. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985.
Miller, Jay. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. Leicester, U.K.: Midland Counties Publishing Ltd., 1995.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird curatorial file, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum.
DAD, 11-11-01
A Guinness World record holder
76.625 kph or 47.64 mph
The Cedar Rocket, is a 240-year-old cedar tree, felled and mounted on the chassis of a Mazda RX-8. Power comes from an electric engine attached directly to the rear differential, with a couple of electric turbofans added because they look kinda neat. - See more at: www.nsnews.com/braking-news-world-s-fastest-log-car-made-...
2017 Vancouver International Auto Show
The fastest land animal in the world, the cheetah is a marvel. The cheetah's slender, long-legged body is built for speed. Cheetahs are tan in color with black spots all over their bodies. They can also be distinguished from other big cats by their smaller size, spotted coats, small heads and ears and distinctive "tear stripes" that stretch from the corner of the eye to the side of the nose.
In 1900, there were over 100,000 cheetahs across their historic range. Today, an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs remain in the wild in Africa.
Historically cheetahs were found throughout Africa and Asia from South Africa to India. They are now confined to parts of eastern, central and southwestern Africa and a small portion of Iran.
Found mostly in open and partially open savannah, cheetahs rely on tall grasses for camouflage when hunting. They are diurnal (more active in the day) animals and hunt mostly during the late morning or early evening.
No post-processing other than a crop.
WFS - "worlds fastest stock car" advertised in 1935, the Auburn Speedster, a remarkable beauty enjoying the 2017 beach of Malibu
EVS2-01 "Sapsan" (Siemens Velaro RUS) heading to Moscow from St. Petersburgh during its certification tests.
Oktyabrskaya railway, Main line, Moscow region, near Firsanovka platf.
1988 Jaguar XJ 220 concept car...only 281 of these were produced from 1992-4 with an initial pricetag of £400,000...213 mph was clocked making it the fastest production car at the time...Gaydon...Aug 23 2015.
Took a shot of the start of the mens "flags" final and was amused by the mixture of expressions on show here.Actually it's more interesting than the close-ups ,in my opinion but not everyone would agree, I suspect :-) .
The Postcard
A postally unused Peacock Autochrom Series postcard that was produced and published prior to 1918 by the Pictorial Stationery Co. Ltd. of London. The card was printed in Saxony.
On the divided back they inform the reader:
'Quadruple Screw Turbine Steamer.
Shares with her sister ship the
Lusitania the distinction of being
the largest and fastest vessel in
the world'.
Note that ocean liners in those days didn't have the vast superstructures that exist today in order to cram as many passengers as possible on to the ship.
The RMS Mauretania
The RMS Mauretania was launched on the 20th. September 1906 by the Duchess of Roxburghe. The ship was built by John Wigham Richardson and Swan Hunter, of Northumberland, England.
The Mauretania's maiden voyage took place on the 16th. November 1907. She was running mate and sister ship to RMS Lusitania and RMS Aquitania.
The RMS Mauretania - The Early Years
RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett for the British Cunard Line, and launched on the afternoon of the 20th. September 1906. She was the world's largest ship until the launch of RMS Olympic in 1910.
Mauretania became a favourite among her passengers. She captured the Eastbound Blue Riband on her maiden return voyage in December 1907, then claimed the Westbound Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing during her 1909 season. She held both speed records for 20 years.
The Mauretania in the Great War
Shortly after Great Britain declared war on Germany on the 4th. August 1914, Mauretania made a dash for safety in Halifax, arriving on the 6th. August.
Shortly after, she and Aquitania were requested by the British government to become armed merchant cruisers, but their huge size and massive fuel consumption made them unsuitable for the duty, and they resumed their civilian service on 11 August. Later, due to lack of passengers crossing the Atlantic, Mauretania was laid up in Liverpool until the 7th. May 1915 at the time that Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat.
Mauretania was about to fill the void left by Lusitania, but she was ordered by the British government to serve as a troop ship to carry British soldiers during the Gallipoli Campaign. She avoided becoming prey for German U-boats because of her high speed and the seamanship of her crew. As a troopship, she was painted in dark greys with black funnels, as were her contemporaries.
When combined forces from the British Empire and France began to suffer heavy casualties, Mauretania was ordered to serve as a hospital ship, along with the Aquitania and White Star's Britannic, to treat the wounded until the 25th. January 1916.
In medical service the vessel was painted white with buff funnels and large medical cross emblems surrounding the vessel and illuminated signs starboard and port.
Seven months later, Mauretania once again became a troop ship when requisitioned by the Canadian government to carry Canadian troops from Halifax to Liverpool.
When the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, she carried thousands of American troops. The ship was known by the Admiralty as HMS Tuberose until the end of the war, but the vessel's name was never changed by Cunard.
Starting in March 1918, Mauretania received two forms of dazzle camouflage, a type of abstract colour scheming designed by Norman Wilkinson in 1917 in an effort to confuse enemy ships. The first camouflage scheme, applied early in March 1918, was curvilinear in nature and largely broad areas of olive with blacks, greys and blues.
The second scheme was the more geometric design commonly referred to as "dazzle"; this design, applied by July 1918, was mostly several dark blues and greys with some black. After her war service, she was repainted in a drab grey scheme, and finally full Cunard livery by the middle of 1919.
The Mauretania's Post-War Career (1919–1934)
Mauretania returned to civilian service on the 21st. September 1919. Her busy sailing schedule prevented her from having the extensive overhaul scheduled in 1920. However, in 1921 Cunard Line removed her from service when fire broke out on E deck and decided to overhaul the ship.
She returned to the Tyne shipyard where she was built, where her boilers were converted from coal to oil, and returned to service in March 1922. However Cunard noticed that Mauretania struggled to maintain her regular Atlantic service speed - although the ship's speed had improved and it now burned only 750 short tons of oil per 24 hours, compared to 1,000 short tons of coal previously, she was not operating at her pre-war service speeds.
On one crossing in 1922, the ship managed an average speed of only 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Cunard decided that the ship's once-revolutionary turbines were in desperate need of an overhaul. In 1923, a major refitting was begun in Southampton.
Mauretania's turbines were dismantled, but halfway through the overhaul, the shipyard workers went on strike and the work was halted, so Cunard had the ship towed to Cherbourg, where the work was completed. In May 1924, the ship returned to Atlantic service.
In 1928 Mauretania was refurbished with a new interior design, and in the next year her earlier speed record was broken by a German liner, Bremen, with a speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).
On the 27th. August 1929, Cunard permitted the Mauretania to have one final attempt to recapture the record from the newer German liner. She was taken out of service and her engines were adjusted to produce more power to give a higher service speed; however, this was still not enough.
Bremen simply represented a new generation of ocean liners that were far more powerful and technologically advanced than the aging Cunard liner. However, even though Mauretania did not beat her German rival, the ship lost by just a fraction after decades of design improvement, and beat all her own previous speed records both east and westbound.
In 1929 Mauretania collided with a train ferry near Robbins Reef Light. No one was killed or injured, and her damage was quickly repaired.
In 1930, with a combination of the Great Depression and newer competitors on the Atlantic run, Mauretania became a dedicated cruise ship, running six-day cruises from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
On the 19th. November 1930, Mauretania rescued 28 people and the ship's cat from the Swedish cargo ship Ovidia which foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 400 nautical miles south east of Cape Race, Newfoundland.
In June 1933, she was painted white for cruise service.
The Retirement and Scrapping of RMS Mauretania
When Cunard Line merged with White Star Line in 1934, Mauretania, along with Olympic, Homeric, and other ageing ocean liners, were deemed surplus to requirements and withdrawn from service.
Cunard White Star withdrew Mauretania from service following a final crossing from New York to Southampton in September 1934. The voyage was made at an average speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph), equalling the original contractual stipulation. She was then laid up at Southampton, her twenty-eight years of service at a close.
In May 1935 her furnishings and fittings were put up for auction, and on the 1st. July that year she departed Southampton for the last time to Metal Industries shipbreakers at Rosyth.
One of her former captains, the retired commodore Sir Arthur Rostron, captain of RMS Carpathia during the Titanic rescue, came to see her on her final departure from Southampton. Rostron refused to go aboard Mauretania before her final journey, stating that he preferred to remember the ship as she was when he commanded her.
The demise of the beloved Mauretania was protested by many of her loyal passengers, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wrote a private letter against the scrapping.
En route to Rosyth, Mauretania stopped at her birthplace on the Tyne for half an hour, where she drew crowds of sightseers. Rockets were fired from her bridge, messages relayed, and she was boarded by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle. The mayor bade her farewell from the people of Newcastle, and her last captain, A. T. Brown, then resumed his course for Rosyth.
Approximately 30 miles north of Newcastle is the small seaport of Amble, Northumberland. The local town council sent a telegram to the ship stating, "Still the finest ship on the seas." To which Mauretania replied with:
"To the last and kindliest port in
England, greetings and thanks."
Amble, to this day, is still known as 'Amble, the Friendliest Port', and this is still seen on signs when entering the town. With masts cut down to fit, the ship passed under the Forth Bridge and was delivered to the breakers.
Mauretania arrived at Rosyth in Scotland at about 6 am on the 4th. July 1935 during a half-gale. By 6:30 am she passed the entrance to the Metal Industries' yards. A lone kilted piper was present at the quayside, playing a funeral lament for the popular vessel.
It was reported that upon the final shut-down of her great engines, she gave a dark "final shudder...".
Mauretania had her last public inspection on the 8th. July, a Sunday with 20,000 in attendance, with the monies raised going to local charities. Scrapping began shortly after, and with great rapidity.
Unusually, she was cut up afloat in drydock, with a complex system of wooden battens and pencil marks to monitor her balance. In a month her funnels were gone. By 1936 she was little more than a hulk; she was beached at the tidal basin at Metal Industries, and her remaining structure was scrapped by 1937.
To prevent a rival company using the name and to keep it available for a future Cunard White Star liner, arrangements were made for the Red Funnel Paddle Steamer Queen to be renamed Mauretania in the interim before the launch of the new RMS Mauretania in 1938.
Post Scrapping of the Mauretania
Some of the furnishings from Mauretania were installed in a bar/restaurant complex in Bristol called the Mauretania Bar (now Java Bristol), situated in Park Street. The bar was panelled with great quantities of richly carved and gilt old growth African mahogany, which came from her first class lounge.
The neon sign made for the 1937 opening on the south wall still advertises Mauretania, and her bow lettering was used above the entrance.
Additionally, nearly the complete first class reading-writing room, with the original chandeliers and ornate gilt-grilled bookcases, has been serving as the boardroom at Pinewood Studios, west of London. The colour is no longer shimmering silver sycamore – it has been altered over the years to an amber.
According to a Channel 4 programme about coastal properties, the whole of the Second Class drawing room from the ship form the interior of a white and blue house overlooking Poole Harbour. The drawing room is overlooked by a balustraded circular veranda which is also original.
Other panels and fittings were used to decorate the foyer and auditorium areas of the now defunct Windsor Cinema in Carluke.
Some of the timber panelling was also used in the extension (completed in 1937) of St John the Baptist's Catholic Church in Padiham, Lancashire.
An original model of the Mauretania is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. after a long stay on the retired Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. A gift from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it was repainted white and green in the 1930's.
The ship's bell is currently located in the reception of the Lloyds Registry of Shipping, Fenchurch Street, London. Annually for Remembrance Day, Lloyds Register observe two minutes of silence and lay a wreath at its base in honour of fallen servicemen and women.
A large builder's model, showing Mauretania in her white cruising paint scheme, is displayed in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's Cunard exhibit in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Originally a model of Lusitania, it was converted to represent Mauretania after Lusitania was torpedoed.
Another large builder's model is situated aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2, currently located in Dubai. This model was also originally Lusitania, and, like the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's model, it was converted into Mauretania after Lusitania was lost.
When inspecting the model, one can tell it was originally Lusitania by examining the different boom crutches and bridge front, which is on the boat deck level.
A model of the vessel which was originally commissioned by Cunard is now held in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
In 2010, a complete African mahogany pilaster from the first class lounge, fluted with an intricate gilt acanthus motif and intact rams head capital, was discovered and restored to its former glory.
Since 2012, it has been on permanent display in the Discovery Museum's Segedunum Annex at Wallsend, just a few hundred yards from where it was carved and installed in the Swan Hunter fitting out basin, over a century earlier.
Many examples of the liner's fixtures and fittings exist in private collections as well, including large sections of moulding, panelling, ceilings, samples of her turbine blades and much more.
Mauretania is mentioned in Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Secret of the Machines":
'The boat-express is waiting your command!
You will find the Mauretania at the quay,
Till her captain turns the lever 'neath his hand,
And the monstrous nine-decked city goes to sea.'
The historical novel Maiden Voyage by British writer Roger Harvey set in Newcastle in the 1900's gives an accurate account of the building of Mauretania, and features characters involved with her turbine engines. The climax of two love stories and a thriller comes as the ship approaches New York on her maiden voyage.
Spirit of Australia is a speed boat built by Ken Warby that broke and set the world water speed record on 8 October 1978. It is still the fastest boat!
If you want to see more micro-MOC (with instructions), check out the following book, for which I contributed some models:
Tiny LEGO Wonders - www.nostarch.com/tinylegowonders
Or check out my rebrickable page:
Fastest Train Of India Gatimaan Express which runs between Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra, speeds past through isolated station at its top speed, unleashing dust trail.
Watch On You Tube:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7W9NmNb2mQ
Spirit of Australia is a speed boat built by Ken Warby that broke and set the world water speed record on 8 October 1978. It is still the fastest boat!
If you want to see more micro-MOC (with instructions), check out the following book, for which I contributed some models:
Tiny LEGO Wonders - www.nostarch.com/tinylegowonders
Or check out my rebrickable page:
The fastest animal on Earth running.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) facts:
Top Speed: 120 km/h (75 mph).
Acceleration: 0 to 103 km/h (64 mph) in 3 seconds (faster than most Super Cars).
Best viewed LARGE.
Martin
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The Bristolian : Triumphantly re-enacts Britain's fastest express train of the 1950's 17 April 2010, and receives 2010 "Railtour of the Year" award.
The Pride of Swindon : Stunningly hauls 10 bogies plus a 'dead weight' class 47 diesel over Ais Gill on 16 October 2010, and receives 2010 "Performance of the Year " award.
Locomotive of the Year : Receives SR / Mike Notley 2010 award.
In 1923, C.B.Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR introduced a new express passenger locomotive for the Great Western, the Castle class locomotive. A 4-6-0 design, with four cylinders, superheated Swindon no.8 boiler and larger cab, the first of the class, 4073 'Caerphilly Castle' soon set records on the GWR, hauling heavier loads at higher speeds than its predecessors of the 'Star' class.
Production of more Castle class locomotives followed and in March 1936 number 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' was out shopped from Swindon works at a cost of £4,848 for the locomotive and £953 for the Collett designed 4000 gallon tender. Originally 5043 was given the name 'Barbury Castle', after an iron age hilltop fort, five miles south of Swindon. It frequently hauled the GWR's 'Cheltenham Flyer', which was then the fastest train in the world.
In 1937, 5043 was renamed 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' after a GWR Director and it gained a reputation for being an excellent performer on the mainline. Based at London’s Old Oak Common, 5043 was used on trains serving locations such as Devon, Cornwall, the Midlands and the North, and became a favourite amongst the Great Western’s London footplate men.
Six years after nationalisation 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' had spells at Carmarthen and Landore over a four year period away from Old Oak Common, during which time it worked London trains such as the 'Pembroke Coast Express' and 'The Red Dragon'. The engine was by this time paired with a Hawksworth flat sided tender.
In the late 1950’s, 5043 was moved back to Old Oak Common for the twilight years of Western Region steam. In May 1958, it was fitted with a double chimney and revised draughting arrangements, which much improved the engine’s efficiency. During this year it was recorded as reaching 98 mph on the up 'Bristolian' express on 5th June 1958.
'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' received its last heavy overhaul at Swindon in February 1962, and with the ending of steam in the London area, moved to Cardiff Canton shed where work still remained for steam. In September 1962 Canton closed to steam, and 5043 was moved to Cardiff East Dock with the remaining Cardiff locomotives where it remained in service until December 1963.
Once withdrawn, 5043 was stored until the following Spring when it was sold for scrap to Woodham Brothers scrap yard at Barry Island, South Wales. This was going to be the end of the line.
A partial reprive came in September 1973 when 7029 Clun Castle Limited purchased 5043 to be a source of spares for 7029 'Clun Castle'. It was moved to Tyseley where many parts were removed for safekeeping and the locomotive 'hulk' was stored awaiting its eventual demise.
In the ensuing years seemingly hopeless steam locomotive restoration projects had by then become realistic and achievable. Tyseley Locomotive Works had developed the skills to undertake such massive restoration projects and a study into the feasibility of restoring 5043 to mainline condition was undertaken.
In 1997,Birmingham Railway Museum Trust announced a project to restore Great Western Castle class 4-6-0 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' to main line running condition. Specifications required that the locomotive should be in late 1950's condition with Hawksworth tender and BR double chimney. The 5043 Restoration Fund was set up to finance the work and 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' was finally reprived from the death sentence!
With the decision having been made in 1997, planning commenced for the repair of the locomotive. A Hawksworth tender tank was manufactured and Hawksworth tender frames acquired for use with 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe.
In 1998, the Friends of Birmingham Railway Museum (the former name for Vintage Trains Society) donated £10,000 towards the restoration of 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe'. The boiler was removed from the frames and prepared for inspection. Specialist welding work was completed on the boiler barrel by Babcock boiler specialists.
In 1999 descaling commenced for the front end of the frames in preparation for repair. The 5043 Restoration Fund stood at £31,000 and was rising! Nameplate backing boards were manufactured and letters cast ready for finishing and polishing. Axleboxes were removed and examined, and found to be in excellent condition and required only examination, repair and cleaning.
In 2000 5043 was moved into Tyseley Locomotive Works. The majority of the components, especially footplating, were removed and put into store, and wheelsets removed so that cleaning of the frames could commence. The cab sides, which were beyond repair, were removed and were to be retained until new cab sides had been manufactured and fitted. The engineering team scraped down the frames and removed thirty years worth of grime, in order to examine the frames. Once completed the frames were given a coat of anti-corrosive green paint, which smartened up their appearance! Examination of the frames showed them to be in good condition. Parts for the rear dragbox renewal were manufactured and ready for fitting. The usual pitting on parts of the frames caused by exposure to the sea air at Barry was found, but this could be smoothed down and repaired to prevent further corrosion and to improve appearances.
In 2001 expired platework on the Hawksworth tender frames was removed and new platework fitted and painted. The new rear dragbox was riveted into place. The bushes for the coupling rods were cast, machined and fitted. Whilst the inside motion was being prepared the frames were painted in black (exterior) and red (interior). New valve rings were manufactured ready for fitting.The slidebars were reground. Whilst checking the inside crossheads for repair and refitting something interesting was found. It was common for inside crossheads to be fitted to various members of the fleet, but 5043's inside crossheads, on closer inspection, seem to have been fitted at one time to sister locomotive, Tyseley's GWR Castle 5080 'Defiant'! The slidebars were prepared for refitting. New manufactured splashers were fitted to the locomotive frames along with footplating and were painted in anti corrosive paint. The bogie was repaired and repainted in preparation for refitting. The wheelsets were prepared for cleaning and refitting.
In 2002 further repainting of the frames, cleaning and preparation for reconstruction of tender, work continued on wheelsets and axleboxes in preparation for rewheeling. The tender frames were repainted in preparation for fitting of the tender tank, and numerous ancillary parts were manufactured in readiness for reconstruction.
In 2003, axlebox repairs were completed and coupled wheels refitted. The tender was assembled and was substantially complete. Valve motion was completed and awaited assembly. TPWS equipment was acquired. Repairs to the reversing gear were completed. The engine's brake gear was overhauled and fitted. The engine spring gear was reassembled.
During 2004-6 the tender was largely completed and much work carried out on the rolling chassis.
During 2007 the boiler was hydaulically and steam tested and returned to the frames and cladding commenced. The first fire having been lit for 44 years!
In 2008 further assembly work was done and 5043 was exhibited in nearly complete form at the Tyseley 100 Open Weekend. Following the event the final stages of assembly, painting and lining were undertaken.
On 3rd October 2008, 5043 returned to steam and moved under its own power again after almost 45 years! 5043 returned to the mainline on 16th October 2008, including a light engine run to Shirley. On 19th October 2008, 5043 made a loaded trip from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford but on the return trip it was removed from the train at Tyseley as the engineering staff were concerned about a warm axlebox. This problem was attended to in time for 'The Earl' to appear in steam, in action as the star of the show at the Tyseley Open Day and its public re-commissioning on 26th October 2008.
Since then the 'The Earl' made three mainline appearances in 2008 - to Didcot with stable-mate 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, then solo to Melton Mowbray and then to London Kensington Olympia (and even Clapham Junction!).
An exciting mainline career now beckons for 'The Earl'. Trips in 2009 completed : along the Midland route to York, part of the West Coast mainline then the North Wales Coast to Llandudno Junction, the Welsh Marches route and the West Coast mainline from Crewe over Shap to Carlisle, the Chiltern line from Marylebone to Stratford. Follow that by 2010 trips : Tyseley to Gloucester, Midlands Circular, along the Golden Valley line to Didcot, Solihull to Salisbury, Solihull to Didcot, Bristol to Plymouth and Paddington to Bristol.
We believe that 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe will become the best surviving example of the famous GWR Castle class. There may be other Castles working but none of them have the pedigree of 5043 with its long association with the Cheltenham Flyer, the Bristolian and with Old Oak Common shed.
To celebrate 175 years of the Great Western Railway, on 17 April 2010, 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe triumphantly headed both down and up Bristolian trains running non-stop between Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. A complete re-enactment of the "The Bristolian" in Western Region days. Read The Bristolian performance notes.
One lucky photo of many tries. My old d70 is perhaps not the fastest camera. No photoshopping besides some adjustments to the levels.
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