An anti-lock braking system, is a safety system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking.

 

A rotating road wheel allows the driver to maintain steering control under heavy braking, by preventing a locked wheel or skid, and allowing the wheel to continue to forward roll and create lateral control, as directed by driver steering inputs. Disadvantages of the system include increased braking distances under some limited circumstances (ice, snow, gravel, steel bridges, anything other than dry tarmac) and the creation of a "false sense of security" among drivers who do not understand the operation, and limitations of ABS.

In dieser Saison verkehrt wieder ein Turnuszug im Ennstal. Der D 13187 aus Den Haag wird über Bischofshofen hinaus bis nach Schladming verlängert. Für die Traktionierung ist nach wie vor Lokomotion zuständig und so ist für Abwechslung beim Triebfahrzeugeinsatz gesorgt. Am 28. Januar 2017 kam ein Tandem - bestehend aus 139 555 und 193 772 - zum Einsatz. Die Doppeltraktion war sicherlich nicht aus Lastgründen erforderlich. Vermutlich wurde getestet, wie sich die Steuerungen der Einheits-E-Lok und des nagelneuen Vectron beim gemeinsamen Einsatz verhalten. Bei Niedernfritz erwarteten neben mir zahlreiche Fotografen den Zug.

 

Since this year you find this seasonal chartered train at the valley of the Enns river in Austria: D 13187 from Den Haag in the Netherlands has its final destination now in Schladming - a location for winter sports with a long tradition. This train is hauled between Wörgl and Schladming by engines of the private train company of Lokomotion - so you will find a wide variety of locomotive types in front of this train. At the 28th of January 2017 it was the job of 139 555 and 193 772 to bring the tourists to their holiday resorts. Near the village of Niedernfritz I waited for this train together with many other railway enthusiasts. Normally one engine is sufficient to haul the train over the ramps of this track - I guess Lokomotion tested how the steering controls of the old engine and the brand new Vectron work together.

I recently posted photos of paramotor ultralight pilots suspended under fabric wings. This shows the equipment they wear on their backs for propulsion, including a motor, gas tank, steering controls, and propeller. The location is the north end of Bear Lake, Idaho. The lake has been drawn down for irrigation, leaving pools behind sand bars at the beach. The aviators have so much control that they like to drag their feet through the pools.

After a few hours of walking the beaches and buildings of Ft. Pickens Florida, it was time to head back to camp and participate in the day’s activities. While driving the winding two lane road home, this adult eagle flying low caught the corner of my eye. Being totally caught off guard sometimes requires one to do stupid things, a mental state I visit without hesitation.

 

Punching the gas with my right foot, maintaining steering control with my left knee all the while trying to maneuver my nearly three-foot-long big glass lens and camera from the passenger seat…not easy while attached to a 20-inch monopod with both arms. I surely resembled a tangled-up puppet to any observer.

 

Matching the eagles speed on a winding road was no small feat, getting a shot between sand dunes and sea grasses and oats proved to be very frustrating. The session didn’t last long as handholding my lens out the window with oncoming RV traffic spurred a moment of seldom seen maturity, requiring me to take proper control of my car. At this point I just assumed I didn’t get a single shot of a favorite subject.

 

It was nearly a month later that I reached this area of captures for editing. Of sixteen photos taken, two were in focus. This one is my favorite of the two as it has a bokeh background of the USCG Medium Endurance Cutter Decisive, WMEC-629 moored across the bay in Pensacola.

 

Being a Navy man, I respect our little brothers, especially my fellow chiefs in the Coast Guard.

 

Irresponsible driving while taking eagle photos before dementia!

 

If that F4U Corsair in the foreground looks sort of out of place it might be because it’s a 1/5 scale radio controlled model.

 

Definitely not a historic scene. Quite sure there were no Marine Corps Corsairs on the deck of the Franklin.

  

USS Franklin (CV-13)

 

Off the coast of Okinawa, the morning of 19 March 1945, USS Franklin received an urgent message from USS Hancock (CV-19) that a twin engine enemy plane was closing in on “Big Ben” (affectionally nicknamed by the Franklin crew). Minutes later, a Japanese bomber emerged from a bank of clouds. Despite the gunners’ efforts, the plane managed to hit Franklin with both of its 550-pound, semi-armor piercing bombs. One of the bombs hit the flight deck and penetrated through to the hanger deck where it exploded on impact. The explosion, tragically, instantly killed all the crewmembers located at the forward part of the hanger deck. The second bomb struck the flight deck, which started a series of uncontrollable fires that ignited multiple planes in the process of taking off. The initial explosions were followed by five-hours of heavier detonations that “turned up five bombers, 14 torpedo planes and 12 fighters,” all loaded with medium load, general purpose bombs and “Tiny Tim” rockets. Although the ship’s commander was advised to “abandon ship,” he did not take action, because he believed his crew could save the ship. By 9 a.m., the task group commander and his staff were evacuated from Franklin. Shortly thereafter, the light cruiser USS Santa Fe (CL-60) came alongside Franklin and began removing injured Sailors. In addition to the 103 wounded, nearly 795 other Sailors were evacuated. The carrier took on a list of about three degrees to starboard and lost all headway as it lay dead in the water. Meanwhile, USS Hickox (DD-673) and USS Miller (DD-535) assisted in picking up hundreds of other survivors that had been either driven or blown overboard by the explosions and fires. Despite the evacuations and casualties, 106 officers and 604 enlisted Sailors remained onboard Franklin in the fight to keep her afloat.

 

Later that day, heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) “shackled a towing wire to the outboard end of Franklin’s starboard anchor chain,” and Hellcats from Enterprise provided air cover. Although most of the fires were under control, Franklin developed a 13-degree list to her starboard. Struggling through the water, then just 50 miles off the coast of Japan, Franklin remained in great danger. In fact, only two hours into her tow, she was attacked by a Japanese Judy, which fortunately, was driven off by anti-aircraft fire. Through the crew’s valiant efforts to save the ship, quite fittingly, she thereafter became known as “The Ship That Wouldn’t Die.” Nonetheless, Franklin’s tragic bombing resulted in a devastating number of casualties—796 killed and another 265 wounded. Eventually, Franklin regained steering control and was able to make it to Ulithi Lagoon on 24 March before she returned to the United States, arriving at the New York Navy Yard on 28 April.

 

A number of the crew distinguished themselves during the tumultuous 19 March attack. Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O’Callahan, the ship’s Roman Catholic chaplain, consoled many of the dying men and encouraged others to fight the fires and save the ship. Lieutenant (j.g.) Donald A. Gary managed to lead 250–300 crewmembers to safety, who were trapped below deck. Both O’Callahan and Gary later received the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions on that day. The following month, the first awards for valor were presented to the crew of the ship. As a whole, Franklin’s Sailors became one of the most decorated crews in U.S. Navy history. Collectively, in addition to the two Medals of Honor, they received 19 Navy Crosses, 22 Silver Stars, 116 Bronze Stars, 235 Letters of Commendation, and more than 1,100 Purple Hearts.

 

Source: Naval History and Heritage Command

  

May I point out that this picture is Copyright protected under U.S. copyright law.

 

U.S. copyright law protects creators of original, creative works from having their intellectual property used by others. Copyright infringement is the reproduction, distribution, or alteration of a creative work without the owner’s permission. Common examples of copyright infringement against you might include:

 

• Uploading your photos to the internet,

• Stealing licensed software from your website,

• Plagiarizing your written text, and

• Using substantial parts of your song in a new recording   

without attributing you.

Porsche designers decided to build the 356's air-cooled pushrod OHV flat-four around the engine case they had originally designed for the Volkswagen Beetle. The 356 is a lightweight and nimble-handling, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door available both in hardtop coupé and open configurations.

Scud Transporter-Erector-Launcher, designed in LDraw and features:

 

• Spring-loaded & pneumatically-dampened missile raising mechanism.

• 4-Wheel steering (controlled from rear).

• Opening doors, roof sections, storage hatches, and engine cover.

• Functioning rear stabilizers.

• Missile launch control (left side) and crew rest quarters (right side).

Sunset at Curtis Wharf, Guemes Channel.

On the 30th of Juli, we lost a good friend and brilliant Lego builder, Ingmar Spijkhoven. He suffered from the incurable disease ALS. Due to his illness, he was not able to attend the events that we as a small group of scale model builders in the Netherlands attend.

 

Therefore we decided that each of us would build a tribute to show at LegoWorld Utrecht. I decided to take his T12 truck and finish his snowplough prototype as shown on his Instagram. In true Ingmar style, the truck is packed with features: RC drive and steering controlled by Sbrick, automated compressor reacting to 2 servo-controlled valves, a turning salt-spreader that only functions when driving forwards and full-suspension on all axles.

 

The nose of the T12 truck is slightly altered to the in my mind more appealing nose of his T15 prototype trucks.

1931 BMW R2 Serie 1 - 198cc - 1 cylinder - overhead valve four-stroke engine - air-cooled - three-speed gearbox - 6 bhp / 3.500 rpm - SUM carburettor - 11 liter fuel tank - 110 kg - 95 km/h - curb weight 110 kg

 

- Serie 1 (1931): the only model to feature exposed valve springs on the top of the finned cylinder head.

- Serie 2A (1932): the previously exposed valve springs were covered.

- Serie 2/33 (1933): the option of the British Amal (as opposed to the German Sum) carburetor was offered (around 80 units were sold with this specification) and (from June 1933) a friction damper was introduced for improved steering control whilst riding.

- Serie 3 (1934): the Sum carburetor was withdrawn as an option, replaced by the British Amal, which increased the power output from 6 to 8 hp

- Serie 4 (1935): smaller tank and modified headlight.

- Serie 5 (1936): changed ratio of the shaft drive and wider rear fender with license plate holder.

U.S. Army Jupiter C Rocket, Mercury-Redstone Rocket, U.S. Army Redstone Rocket, U.S. Army Juno II Rocket, and U.S. Army Jupiter Rocket

 

U.S. Army Jupiter-C

 

This historic vehicle was actually a modified Redstone rocket with three added upper stages. It was designed as a satellite launcher. On January 31, 1958, a Jupiter-C launched the first U.S. Satellite, Explorer I indicated that Earth is surrounded by zones of radiation and charged particles: the Van Allen Belts.

 

Mercury-Redstone Rocket

 

The Mercury-Redstone Rocket was the first manned launch vehicle to be developed by the United States. The rocket was derived from the Redstone ballistic missile and the first stage of the Jupiter C rocket. It was used to launch the sub-orbital flights of Project Mercury. The launch of Mercury-Redstone 3, on May 5, 1961 was the first U.S. manned space flight piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard.

 

U.S. Army Redstone.

 

First test-lauched in August, 1953, the Redstone medium-range ballistic missile evolved from a five year Army research and development program. Named for Redstone Arsenal - where it was developed - this vehicle played a crucial role in the U.S.'s defense capability. The Redstone was a mobile missile that could be launched on the battlefield by combat-ready soldiers. In June, 1958 Redstones were put into service with U.S. Army units stationed in Germany. Because of its proven reliability, the Redstone rocket fulfilled a number of additional roles. In January, 1958, a modified Redstone (renamed Jupiter-C) launched the first U.S. satellite (Explorer I) into Earth orbit. By 1960, NASA had modified the vehicle for launching America's first manned spacecraft (Project Mercury).

 

U.S. Army Juno II

 

The Juno II was a modified Jupiter rocket with upper stages and payload sections. Its single engine - just like the Jupiter's - could be gimbaled during launch for steering control. Juno II played an important role in the history of space flight. In March 1959 the vehicle launched Pioneer IV on America's first successful lunar flyby mission. Pioneer IV was also the first U.S. probe to go into orbit around the sun. This vehicle launched a number of satellites into Earth orbit, including Explorer VII (October, 1959), which measured X-rays from the sun, and Explorer XI (April, 1961), the first gamma ray satellite.

 

U.S. Army Jupiter Rocket

 

America's first intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), the Jupiter rocket was an outgrowth of Redstone rocket technology. It was developed at Redstone Arsenal under the technical guidance of German rocket engineers. First test-launched in March, 1957, the Jupiter was delivered to the U.S. Ari Force in August, 1958 and played an important role in preserving peace. In addition to testing nose cone materials, the Jupiter launched two monkeynauts - Able and Baker - into space in May, 1959. Achieving an altitude of 480km (300mi), Able and Baker were the first living creatures to be launched and successfully recovered, helping pave the way for humans. After her retirement from the space program, Miss Baker lived out her years at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

 

U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Huntsville, Alabama.

www.spacecamp.com

Re-issue of Corgi Toys VW Beetle Politie (Dutch police) with steering controlled by the roof beacon, and with opening boot and bonnet.

The more common Polizei version (as shown on the box) was an earlier release: www.flickr.com/photos/adrianz-toyz/52989550964

This is the 53rd vehicle in the series, model made in China.

DCI Drydock. Guemes Channel.

The Sludge Puppy uses hazerdous waste as a weapon. It comes complete with 4 wheel steering controled by the bley knob on the back.

 

www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=269249

David M. Densford, Chinook pilot with 4,000 flight hours and 24 years in the CH-47 models A thru F, has compiled the following 14 amazing facts on this legendary helicopter based on his experiences (found on theaviationgeekclub.com/did-you-know-that-ch-47-crew-can-... ):

 

1. Originally the A-model fuel system consisted of 550 gallons of Jet A split between 2 main tanks bolted to the side without a self-sealing internal rubber bladder. When we dropped the tanks for airframe inspections we had to put a LOT of goop around the edges when we reinstalled them and then pressure test them for leaks. As a result, they made a huge mess if any of the mount bolts failed during the pressure test.

2. The A-models also started life with L-7 turbines that only put out 1,300 shp each.

3. Max gross weight was 33,000 lbs

4. It originally had a single center hook and could lift a whopping 10,000 lbs. When conditions were right and we got the load off the ground the airframe shook uncontrollably.

5. With the L7 and later L11 engines and improved self-sealing fuel tanks we had a flight time of about 1.5 hours before needing to look for a landing spot.

6. The old rotor system (including the swashplate) was filled with mil-l-7808 light oil which needed constant servicing. Centrifugal force would sling oil everywhere, which is why old CH-47's look so stained in old photographs.

7. The old asymmetric metal rotor blades were prone to failure and would shake the dental work out of your mouth before you could get on the ground.

8. And we were fast! Take the old girl up, point her nose down, pull back on the RRPM and she could do 190 knots!

9. Engine failures were not to be feared since at 5,000 ft we could glide for 5 miles looking for suitable landing area.

10. The tandem rotors are synchronized by a long aluminum 7-section drive shaft running along the top. The airframe was designed to flex so the shafting had to flex as well. Each section was held in place in brackets and supported by aluminum vibration absorbing “Lord” mounts. We had to go up top and inspect those metal springs after every flight because the metal would fatigue fail which could leave pieces up there that might cut the shaft. Then the forward and aft blades would collide, pretty much ripping one or both pylons off the airframe.

11. We could land on water, shut down, climb up on top for a photo, then get back in, start up and take off.

12. On a B-model we even landed in the Panama Canal and used the hydraulic wheel steering control like a rudder for turning.

13. Rumor is that during the evacuation at the end of Vietnam, one CH-47 took off with 100 souls on board but landed with 101 as a lady gave birth during flight. During the Desert Storm cleanup, I was able to pack 65 standing room only Iraqi POWs in my cabin. Thank God they were docile as we were only issued a .38 and one Barney Fife bullet.

14. The old floors were held down with hundreds of stupid #2 Philip’s head screws. We had to pull the floors every 30 days to inspect “the bilge” for cracks and mildew. This was in the days before cordless drills and many of those stupid shallow headed screws stripped out. In the early 80s, I took it upon myself to switch the screws to bolts and used a socket. Then I went to Sears and bought myself one of those new 6-volt battery powered screwdrivers and a socket adapter. Afterward, the Quality Control department went off on me for making an unauthorized modification to the airframe and using an unauthorized tool to do it. They made me take every bolt out and put the screws back in. A month later, the Army authorized the modifications and I ordered enough bolts for our whole fleet in Panama.

 

This photo was taken in 2013 during my previous Project 365…please visit my album for this “REMASTERED” Project 365 as I revisit each day of 2013 for additional photos to share!!

 

Technical Information (or Nerdy Stuff):

Camera - Nikon D5200 (handheld)

Lens – Nikkor 18-300mm Zoom

ISO – 250

Aperture – f/5.6

Exposure – 1/1000 second

Focal Length – 250mm

 

The original RAW file was processed with Adobe Camera Raw and final adjustments were made with Photoshop CS6.

 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

 

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the link below: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Challenger MT 775E tracked tractor (steering controlled by Trimble Autopilot) with the Lemken Solitair 9 seed drill

 

You can follow us:

• Facebook - DYNASTYphotography

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• my personal Instagram

• YouTube Channel

Re-issue of Corgi Toys 492 VW Beetle Politie (Dutch police) with steering controlled by the roof beacon, and with opening boot and bonnet.

The more common Polizei version (as shown on the box) was an earlier release: www.flickr.com/photos/adrianz-toyz/52989550964

This is the 53rd vehicle in the series, model made in China.

Re-issue of Corgi Toys 492 VW Beetle Polizei with steering controlled using the blue light. This is the 27th vehicle in the series, made in China. It uses the same casting as thr previous release of the safari version 256: www.flickr.com/photos/adrianz-toyz/52351911189

My take on the ISP from Star Wars. And when I say "take", I mean it's my seventh attempt at the darn thing. I was always drawn towards it ever since it first appeared in the 2005 Wookie Catamaran set, and for years I wanted those green marking clones that came with it. Interestingly enough, the ISP was also the first vehicle I built after emerging from my dark ages back in 2017. So i've always loved this vehicle, and i'm glad i've come up with a build for it that i'm finally happy with. Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. Enjoy!

 

Ladner, BC Canada

 

Year built: 1917

L.o.a.: 53'

Beam: 13'

Draft: 8'

Displacement: 28.10 Gross tons, 19.11 net registered tons

 

VESSEL DESCRIPTION

Ocean Belle originally “J.C.G.” was built in Port Alberni, BC by Builder/Captain James Alexander Croll. In 1937 she was purchased by James Oprang Towing Co. Ltd of Vancouver and was repowered in 1945. In 1948 she was purchased by Vancouver Tug and Barge Co., Ltd. and was renamed “La Rose” and spent the next 14 years operating in the Gulf of Georgia and Johnstone Straits.

 

In 1961 La Rose was decommissioned by Capitol Iron & Metals of Victoria and was converted to a pleasure craft purchased privately and renamed “Ocean Belle” in 1965. It was purchased by the current owners in 2003 and has undergone extensive restorations and improvements.

 

This is a single screw, diesel powered ex-tugboat of carvel planked wood construction (hull) having a plumb bow, round bilges to a long keel and a fantail stern. The hull and deck are white coloured with blue trim, the deck profile comprising a low trunk cabin forward, followed by the wheelhouse, then a full-height main house extending aft to a partially covered cockpit at the stern.

 

The main deck interior incorporates the steering/control station and a pilot berth forward. Step down to the main cabin with an enclosed head, lockers, a U-galley and dinette. Below decks is a tub/shower compartment in the foc's'le with an access hatch to the forepeak. Next aft is a foredeck access ladder followed by the machinery space. The machinery space is entered from a hatch in the dinette area. The lazarette is accessed through a raised hatch in the cockpit.

 

Online References: agboats.com/forsale/ocean-belle; vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/boa/d/delta-central-1917-westcoast-tugboat/7377043929.html

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and please know that any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sonja

The captain using the port steering controls positioning his ship to inches from the side of GABCIKOVO lock.

I feel like I want to make Paradox Force Issue 3 today, instead of next week, so Issue 4 will be released next Monday or Tuesday. This pic is reused, so just consider it a variant cover.

 

Nightmares. That's when sometimes I can't sleep at midnight. On occassions, I don't know what happens to me. A really bad dream, a state of trance, I don't know. My powers, till this day, makes me feel guilty sometimes. Marc snores sometimes, or when he doesn't, he's always sleeping good. I see him drooling sometimes when I go to the bathroom when he leaves his door open. He's like my opposite, especially when it comes to sleeping.

 

I try focusing on my mission. I was at the back of the hangar, and getting ready for gear. The distance from our base to P.E.'s takes at least an hour there. Although Marc could teleport us there, it may be a little bit slow. We already have a mini jet ready. It was sitting there, the sound of engines fuming. The jet was crafted and built by Blazefire and some of his friends. Most of the other stuff were also built by him, but we managed our things by ourselves, and its certainly nice for him to give improvements and etc to our gear.

 

I take the jet's main steering control, with Marc behind me on the controls. Trent is fixing the maintenance but it won't affect the flight. Noriko sits next to me as my co pilot. In a few minutes, we get off quick, and luckily where our aircraft goes off, no can see it because of the secret runway and we go invisible sometimes with the tech.

 

*An hour later

 

We arrive in front of a regular looking door. Marc tries knocking the front door.

 

Marc: What the hell does this thing do? I mean, I haven't been here for a while since....

Trent: Yeah I know, ever since you dropped that guy out of mid air and he nearly landed on the roof of P.E's base here.

Marc: We're not gonna go there.

 

A woman's voice comes in through the comms. "You may come in," it says.

Marc: Should I tell her that we're here to see Mr. Grey? You know what I mean? You get it?

Adrian/Trent/Noriko: *head shrugs* *nods* *annoyed look* *Adrian sighs*

Adrian: Can you just stop talking for a while? You've been talking quite a lot since yesterday. I mean, save the words till we meet the boss man.

Marc: Whatever you say, boss.

 

*Door on front opens*

 

We walk through and are being brought into a big, soundproof room The boss man is already sitting there to greet us.

Boss Man: Considered our "offer" yet?

Adrian: You bet.

Boss Man: And the datapad?

Trent: Here.

Boss Man: *datapad is handed to him from one of his agents* Very well. And here's the agent.

Noriko: So, what did you shake him out off this time?

Boss Man: Couldn't get much, but I bet your team did, always a step ahead of us....

Noriko: Well I guess that's us, we're a team, that's what we do.

Adrian: What's the offer?

Boss Man: Simple. I "divided" it into several missions. You'll get a hold of....

 

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the sudden crash of window broken. We run outside to seen what's happening.

 

Marc: *grabs guns and shouts* F***! It's the Exiled Sentinels Squad!

Adrian: Shoot em'!

 

Noriko quickly jumps with her twin sais in and slices a few of the soldiers' throats. These guys also have powers too. I quickly dispatch them using some of my energy fists. Trent throws an taser bomb that shocks a few of the soldiers. More of them come in. Marc is teleporting everywhere and already killing those a-holes.

 

Marc: *teleports* Hey, Grey Cop, your weapons!

Adrian: *catches guns* Go! Take those guys out. Look for the east side! Hurry!

Noriko: I'll check out the rest on the south and the north.

Adrian: Be careful of your surroundings.

Noriko: No problem.

 

As Noriko and Marc have left, me and Trent continue to shoot and use our powers. Trent knocks out two soldiers with his fire, in the form of a tiger. I try shooting the soldiers in the legs, disarming them, giving one nearby a roundhouse kick. Some agents assist us. The Boss Man is not to be seen.

 

*Meanwhile...*

 

Marc: *through headcomms*Boss, they got a lot of them! I've cleared the east, but not the west! I'll go help Noriko!

Adrian: Find her. See if she's doing alright.

Marc: Yeah.

Marc: Boss, she's doing fine. Real savage there.

Noriko: *Doing MMA and ninjutsu combined with her sais* Wanna lend me a hand?

Marc: My pleasure.

 

*Back to Grey Cop and Blazefire*

 

Almost all of the soldiers are taken down since we killed them or knocked out. Marc teleports back with Noriko and shoots the last one trying to run away in the head. All of them are down. Some agents start to clear the facility.

Trent: Impossible. This might have been a set up. When he was trying to tell us something, we got interrupted.

Adrian: And I don't see him around.

Noriko: Weird, same here.

Marc: Must be a p***y. He's probably busy sucking someone's c**k elsewhere.

 

Our breaths heave a little. We wait for a while in another nearby room. Then we hear footsteps. I move out. The Boss Man, with a big coat draped over him...was standing there, with a grin on his face.

 

Adrian: You were hiding. You planned this.

Boss Man: *sly tone* As a matter of fact yes, but indirectly. You'd figure it our yourselves.

Trent: And those agents?

Boss Man: Not everyone here knows about it....

Marc: *swears a lot* What the f***! So you're working with these guys already. You've gotta be f***ing kiddin' me man, you motherf***ker!

Boss Man: Please restrain yourself a little, Teleshift. Yes. The offer, it was a ruse. We had no choice.

Adrian: You trusted them, on behalf of a lame excuse? Did they bribe you? Gave you something better?

Boss Man: As a matter of fact, no. This was a truce between us. But not on purpose. I won't be saying why...

Noriko: And the offer, it's the truce. For the three sides, us, P.E., and the E.S.S.

Boss Man: Absolutely correct, Spectre Blade....

Marc: *pulls gun out and points it at boss man* You know what? I've just had enough of this. You were lying. All the time. A trap we all had mistakenly walked into. I'm quitting. F*** this shit!

 

Some agents pull out guns at us.

 

Boss Man: Please, there is no need for violence now..

Boss Man: Anyways to answer your question, I'm sorry, there is no turning back now. You accepted an offer, to be part of a truce. Now, are you going to agree, on behalf of terms and condtions?.....

Marc: No! Damn you and your f***ing agency! I don't give a s*** about it. And what if we expose your agency and your life, I do know about it, Mr. Boss Man.

Boss Man: Are you trying to threaten me?

Marc: Well, I guess, yeah.

 

I see Marc secretly taking a grenade from his belt and flips the switch. in his hand Trent and Noriko try talking to the Boss Man a little. No one sees it except me. But then, he holds it up.

 

Adrian: NO!

Boss Man: What do you think you are trying to do?

Marc: Boom. That's one for you, you son of a b----

  

*room explodes*

 

Marc teleports out of here before the grenade explodes, a split second before all four of us could die. We see the base in flames, and I here citizens screaming and running, lots of noises...

 

Trent: Oh no. This is really gonna be burnt toast....

 

*Story ends from here, cliffhanger...*

 

Stay tuned for #4!

Guemes Channel, Dakota Creek Industries Drydock.

On the 30th of Juli, we lost a good friend and brilliant Lego builder, Ingmar Spijkhoven. He suffered from the incurable disease ALS. Due to his illness, he was not able to attend the events that we as a small group of scale model builders in the Netherlands attend.

 

Therefore we decided that each of us would build a tribute to show at LegoWorld Utrecht. I decided to take his T12 truck and finish his snowplough prototype as shown on his Instagram. In true Ingmar style, the truck is packed with features: RC drive and steering controlled by Sbrick, automated compressor reacting to 2 servo-controlled valves, a turning salt-spreader that only functions when driving forwards and full-suspension on all axles.

 

The nose of the T12 truck is slightly altered to the in my mind more appealing nose of his T15 prototype trucks.

Oooops, I did it again! In a Lego Star Wars world of X-Wings and Millennium Falcons, I like to geek out over the lesser known, underappreciated ships, as evidenced by my A-Wing and The IG-2000. Now, I have crafted a UCS model of arguably the most mundane, underwhelming ship of the Star Wars universe, the Storm IV Twin Pod Cloud Car. Even the Kenner toy didn’t sell well as it boasted opening canopies and…um…well, that’s about it. Mine has opening canopies and as I wanted to work in some kind of greebling I made retractable landing gear and an opening engine compartment. Both cockpit interiors are detailed…one houses steering controls for the driver and the other seats the gunner who operates a joystick.

 

For such a smallish model, this was surprisingly parts intensive. Its double hull configuration demanded (amongst too many other things) 20 brown cheese wedges and 40 in red, 8 1x4 studless curved slopes, 52 1x3 curved arches and a staggering 120 1x3 studless curved slopes! In the end I think it was all worth it and hopefully you think so too.

Saturday we hosted a private lesson at the stables. We went over general horse knowledge & safety before getting into our riding lesson where we covered gait changes, steering controls and then turned the kids loose on some jumps! 🐴

 

🍎Barn Links

Landmark: Click to Visit Evergarden!

Discord: discord.gg/evergarden

Place Gilbert-Gaillard 11/04/2016 15h30

A Translohr tram glides along space invader CLR_29 during a walk through the city after having flashed and photographed all possible space invaders in this city.

 

Clermont-Ferrand has one tramline, a so-called Translohr, which is in fact a guided bus system manufactured by Lohr Industrie of France. This bus (or call it tram like they like to do in France) runs on rubber tires and a guided by a single central rail. The Translohr system is intended to probide a much more light rail-like experience than that provided by buses. Unlike other guided bus systems (including the similar but incompatible Guided Light Transit system developed by Bombardier Transportation), Translohr can run only where there is a guide rail in place as there are no steering controls. Like a conventional tram, power is provided by overhead wires and collected with a pantograph, although the vehicle can also run on internal batteries (arranged in packs) on sections of the route where overhead wires are deemed to be undesirable. Because Translohr LRVs cannot run without a guide rail they are not classified as a street-running bus, hence the vehicles that are used on the Clermont-Ferrand network are not equipped with licence plates.

[ More information about the system: Wikipedia - Translohr ]

 

Tramway de Clermont-Ferrand

Opening of the system: 13/11/2006

Length of the network: 15.7 km

Lines: 1

Stations: 34

Number of passengers: 65,000 a day

Owner: SMTC

Exploitant/Operator: T2C

Average Speed: 20 km/h

Maximum Speed: 70 km/h

Park: 20 trams type STE4

[ More: Wikipedia - Tramway Clermont-Ferrand ]

Instruction RC version: download here

Instruction Static version: download here

Follow me on Instagram: anton.kablash

 

Dimensions: 38 x 15 x 16 stud (without wheels)

Weight: 560g (without batteries)

Functions:

1) Steering Control+ L motor or HoG (removable)

2) Drive Control+ L motor

3) Front independent suspension

4) Rear 3 link suspension

5) Openable doors, hood, trunk

6) Detailed exterior

7) Modular building

8) Quick access to the battery box for batteries replacement

 

On the 30th of Juli, we lost a good friend and brilliant Lego builder, Ingmar Spijkhoven. He suffered from the incurable disease ALS. Due to his illness, he was not able to attend the events that we as a small group of scale model builders in the Netherlands attend.

 

Therefore we decided that each of us would build a tribute to show at LegoWorld Utrecht. I decided to take his T12 truck and finish his snowplough prototype as shown on his Instagram. In true Ingmar style, the truck is packed with features: RC drive and steering controlled by Sbrick, automated compressor reacting to 2 servo-controlled valves, a turning salt-spreader that only functions when driving forwards and full-suspension on all axles.

 

The nose of the T12 truck is slightly altered to the in my mind more appealing nose of his T15 prototype trucks.

This Model was quite fast to revamp I must admit, I managed to complete it before going to work yesterday. The Helicopter skids of the original set reminded me of a pontoon boat so that was I based the revamped version on, the propulsion system retained the original jet intakes but now include steering/cooling elements. The inspiration for the latter come from the RDA's PBR Mark IV (Patrol Boat River) . The revamp now also features a windscreen/ HUD screen and a seat with steering controls.

Guemes Channel.

USS William B. Preston (DD-344/AVP-20/AVD-7) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was named for United States Secretary of the Navy and United States Senator William B. Preston.

 

Bombing of Darwin, NT, Australia.

 

The ship arrived at Darwin, Australia, on the day after New Year's Day 1942 and soon received orders to provision to capacity and take on large stocks of spare parts, food, and replacement crews for the decimated ranks of personnel in PatWing 10. The ship then proceeded north for Ambon, in the Dutch East Indies, crowded with 100 extra men and much topside freight.

 

Upon her arrival at Ambon, the destroyer-seaplane tender found sister ship Childs and passed that ship enough fuel to enable her to reach Darwin. After delivering her embarked men and cargo, William B. Preston proceeded to Kendari, where she was camouflaged to blend in with the verdant hillside to which she was moored - in fact, she was so well camouflaged that her PBYs had trouble locating her when they returned to their base.

 

For the remainder of January and into February, the ship continued her tending operations as the forces combating the Japanese rapidly dwindled. On 12 February 1942, William B. Preston dropped anchor at Darwin to commence tending PBYs from that base in northern Australia. In about a week, her fuel began running low, forcing Lt. Comdr. Grant to go ashore to arrange for a delivery of much-needed fuel and gasoline to the ship.

 

At 0955, lookouts called down "large formations of planes approaching" and the ship went to general quarters. Within minutes, the ship was underway. Zigzagging her way through the crowded harbor, William B. Preston made for the open sea.

 

The first wave of planes attacked the town and its nearby fuel dumps and docks; the second wave went after the ships in the harbor, with transports and cargo ships as the primary objectives. Within minutes of each other, transports Tulagi and Meigs took hits; and ships alongside the docks were heavily hit as bombs rained indiscriminately on the port area.

 

Four bombs exploded off William B. Preston's bow, breaking bridge windows. The .30- and .50-caliber antiaircraft fire forced some of the attackers to keep their distance, but others pressed the attack with vigor. Peary, slower in getting underway, was enveloped in bomb splashes as Japanese accuracy marked the ship for destruction. Heavily hit, Peary burst into flames and rapidly became an inferno as bomb after bomb tore the ship apart and sank her down by the stern.

 

The Preston's turn was next, however; and she was hit aft, just forward of the after deckhouse. The ship lost steering control forward; and, in the interim period between regaining control by hand-steering aft, Lt. Wood conned and steered the ship using her engines and, despite a jammed rudder, succeeded in making for an opening in the harbor boom. Negotiating it by "judicious use of engines and slight assistance from the rudder with direct hand steering," William B. Preston escaped the inferno that left Darwin shattered and ruined as a base of operations for the Allies.

 

Heading south down the western coast of Australia, the ship took stock of her damage. Eleven men were killed, two missing, and three wounded by the bomb hit aft.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

History

United States

Name:Atlanta

Namesake:City of Atlanta, Georgia

Builder:Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey

Laid down:22 April 1940

Launched:6 September 1941

Sponsored by:Margaret Mitchell

Commissioned:24 December 1941

Struck:13 January 1943

Identification:Hull symbol:CL-51

Honors and

awards:

Silver-service-star-3d.png 5 × battle stars

Presidential Unit Citation

Fate:Scuttled after severe damage in Naval Battle of Guadalcanal by friendly fire from USS San Francisco, 13 November 1942

Notes:Approximate location of sinking: 9°23′S 159°58′E

General characteristics (as built)[1][2]

Class and type:Atlanta-class light cruiser

Displacement:

6,718 long tons (6,826 t) (standard)

8,340 long tons (8,470 t) (max)

Length:541 ft 6 in (165.05 m) oa

Beam:53 ft (16 m)

Draft:

20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) (mean)

26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) (max)

Installed power:

4 × Steam boilers

75,000 shp (56,000 kW)

Propulsion:

2 × geared turbines

2 × screws

Speed:32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)

Complement:673 officers and enlisted

Armament:

16 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber Mark 12 guns (8×2)

12 × 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 anti-aircraft guns (3×4)

8 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons

8 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Armor:

Belt: 1.1–3 3⁄4 in (28–95 mm)

Deck: 1 1⁄4 in (32 mm)

Turrets: 1 1⁄4 in (32 mm)

Conning tower: 2 1⁄2 in (64 mm)

USS Atlanta (CL-51) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of the Atlanta class of eight light cruisers. She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Designed to provide anti-aircraft protection for US naval task groups, Atlanta served in this capacity in the naval battles Midway and the Eastern Solomons. Atlanta was heavily damaged by Japanese and friendly gunfire in a night surface action on 13 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The cruiser was sunk on her captain's orders in the afternoon of the same day.

 

Atlanta, in some works, is designated CLAA-51 because of her primary armament as an anti-aircraft cruiser. Hence, all of the Atlanta-class ships are sometimes designated as CLAA. However, her entire battery of 5-inch (127 mm) guns were dual-purpose (DP) guns, and were capable of being used against both air and surface targets, able to fire anti-aircraft, high-explosive and armor-piercing shells.

 

The Atlanta-class ships were lightly armored, making them poor surface combatants compared to a typical light cruiser. In terms of armament, the Atlanta class was closer to a destroyer, being armed with 5-inch guns, than a light cruiser, which were generally equipped with 6-inch guns; but at well over 500 feet (152 m) in length, and combined with their large battery of sixteen 5-inch (127 mm) guns (reduced to twelve in number for later ships of the class), they were designated as light cruisers. Typical destroyers of the time only carried five or six 5-inch guns.[citation needed] Despite being under-armored for light cruisers, they had thicker armor than destroyers, which were notoriously underprotected.

 

Construction and commissioning

The first of the new class of ships was laid down on 22 April 1940 at Kearny, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., launched on 6 September 1941, sponsored by Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone with the Wind), and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 24 December 1941, Captain Samuel P. Jenkins in command.[3]

 

Armament

Atlanta was fitted with eight twin 5-inch gun turrets, placed in a unique configuration. She had three forward turrets and three aft turrets, mounted inline and increasing in height toward the midships, giving her a symmetrical appearance, with a "gap" in the middle superstructure. In addition, the aft battery also had one "wing-mounted" turret on each side, for a total of 16 five-inch guns. The firing arcs of the forward and aft batteries intersected at a very limited angle, giving her an arc of 60° in which she could fire all of her guns broadside (excluding the wing turrets). Because Atlanta was able to bring all her guns to bear only within that narrow arc, her ability to engage surface targets was limited. Her firing arcs were ideally suited to bringing her guns to bear on an aircraft, however, with a minimum of six guns available from any angle.

 

Service history

After fitting out, Atlanta conducted shakedown training until 13 March 1942, first in Chesapeake Bay and then in Maine's Casco Bay, after which she returned to the New York Navy Yard for post-shakedown repairs and alterations. Adjudged to be "ready for distant service" on 31 March, the new cruiser departed New York for the Panama Canal Zone on 5 April. She reached Cristobal on 8 April. After transiting the isthmian waterway, Atlanta then cleared Balboa on 12 April with orders to reconnoiter Clipperton Island, a tiny barren, uninhabited atoll about 670 mi (1,080 km) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, in the course of her voyage to the Hawaiian Islands, for any signs of enemy activity. Finding none, she ultimately reached Pearl Harbor on 23 April.[3]

 

Battle of Midway

 

Punctuating her brief stay in Hawaiian waters with an antiaircraft practice off Oahu on 3 May, Atlanta, in company with McCall, sailed on 10 May as escort for Rainier and Kaskaskia, bound for Nouméa, New Caledonia. On 16 May, she joined Vice Admiral William F. Halsey's Task Force 16 (TF 16), formed around the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Hornet, as it steamed back to Pearl Harbor, having been summoned back to Hawaiian waters in response to an imminent Japanese thrust in the direction of Midway Atoll. TF 16 arrived at Pearl on 26 May.[3]

 

Atlanta again sailed with TF 16 on the morning of 28 May. Over the days that followed, she screened the carriers as they operated northeast of Midway in anticipation of the enemy's arrival. At the report of Japanese ships to the southwest, on the morning of 4 June, Atlanta cleared for action as she screened Hornet. Squadrons from the American carriers sought out the Japanese, and during that day, planes from Yorktown and Enterprise inflicted mortal damage on four irreplaceable enemy aircraft carriers. Japanese planes twice hit TF 17, and it took the brunt of the enemy attacks. Over the days that followed the Battle of Midway, Atlanta remained in the screen of TF 16 until 11 June, when the task force received orders to return to Pearl Harbor.[3]

 

Reaching her destination on 13 June, Atlanta, outside brief periods of antiaircraft practice on 21 and 25–26 June, remained in port, taking on stores and provisions and standing on 24-hour and then 48-hour alert into July 1942. Drydocked on 1–2 July so that her bottom could be scraped, cleaned and painted, the cruiser completed her availability on 6 July and then resumed a busy schedule of gunnery practice with drone targets, high-speed sleds, and in shore bombardment in the Hawaiian operating area.[3]

 

On 15 July 1942, Atlanta, again in TF 16, sailed for Tongatapu. Anchoring at Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on 24 July, where she fueled Maury and then took on fuel from Mobilube, the light cruiser pushed on later the same day and overtook TF 16. On 29 July, as all preparations proceeded for the invasion of Guadalcanal, Atlanta was assigned to TF 61.[3]

 

Screening the carriers as they launched air strikes to support the initial landings on 7–8 August, Atlanta remained there until the withdrawal of the carrier task forces on 9 August. For the next several days, she remained at sea, replenishing when necessary while the task force operated near the Solomons.[3]

 

Battle of the Eastern Solomons

Further information: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

As the Americans consolidated their gains on Guadalcanal, the critical need for reinforcements prompted Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to send the Combined Fleet south to cover a large troop convoy. American scout planes spotted the Japanese forces on the morning of 23 August. With the enemy reported to the northwest, Enterprise and Saratoga launched search and attack planes, but they failed to make contact because of deteriorating weather and the fact that the Japanese, knowing that they had been spotted, reversed course.[3]

 

Throughout the day on 24 August, Atlanta received enemy contact reports and screened Enterprise as she launched a strike group to attack the Japanese carriers. The sighting of an enemy "snooper" at 1328 sent Atlanta's sailors to general quarters, where they remained for the next 5½ hours. At 1530, the cruiser worked up to 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) as TF 16 stood roughly north-northwestward "to close [the] reported enemy carrier group." At 1637, with unidentified planes approaching, Atlanta went to 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h). Enterprise then launched a strike group shortly thereafter, completing the evolution at 1706.[3]

 

In the meantime, the incoming enemy bombers and fighter aircraft from Shōkaku and Zuikaku prompted the task force to increase speed to 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h), shortly after Enterprise completed launching her own aircraft, the Japanese raid, estimated by Captain Jenkins to consist of at least 18 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, came in from the north northwest at 1710. Over the next 11 minutes, Atlanta's 5 in (127 mm), 1.1 in (27.9 mm) and 20 mm batteries contributed to the barrage over Enterprise, as the light cruiser conformed to Enterprise's every move as she maneuvered violently to avoid the dive bombers.[3]

 

Despite the heavy antiaircraft fire, Enterprise took one hit and suffered some shrapnel damage from an estimated five near hits. Captain Jenkins later reported that his ship may have shot down five of the attackers.[3] Atlanta was not damaged in the engagement.[3]

 

Reporting to TF 11 for duty the following day, Atlanta operated with that force, redesignated TF 61 on 30 August, over the next few days. When I-26 torpedoed Saratoga on 31 August, the light cruiser screened the stricken flagship as Minneapolis rigged a towline and began taking her out of danger. The force ultimately put into Tongatapu on 6 September, where Atlanta provisioned ship, fueled from New Orleans, and enjoyed a period of upkeep.[3]

 

Underway on 13 September, the light cruiser escorted Lassen and Hammondsport on 15 September. After seeing her charges safely to their destination at Dumbea Bay, Nouméa, on 19 September, Atlanta fueled, took on stores and ammunition, and sailed on 21 September as part of Task Group 66.4 (TG 66.4). Becoming part of TF 17 on 23 September, the light cruiser was detached the following day to proceed in company with Washington, Walke and Benham to Tongatapu, which she reached on 26 September.[3]

 

Underway with those same ships on 7 October, Atlanta briefly escorted Guadalcanal-bound transports from 11–14 October, before putting into Espiritu Santo for fuel on the afternoon of the 15th. Assigned then to Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee's TF 64, the ship sailed after dark that same day to resume operations covering the ongoing efforts to secure Guadalcanal. Returning briefly to Espiritu Santo for fuel, stores and provisions, the warship stood out from Segond Channel on the afternoon of 23 October.[3]

 

Two days later, with a Japanese Army offensive having failed to eject the Americans from Guadalcanal, Admiral Yamamoto sent the Combined Fleet south in an attempt to annihilate the American naval forces doggedly supporting the marines. Atlanta operated in TF 64, along with Washington, San Francisco, Helena and two destroyers, as the opposing forces engaged in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October. That day, Atlanta patrolled astern of the fueling group supporting the two American carrier task forces. On 27 October, when I-15 attacked TF 64, the force maneuvered at high speed to clear the area.[3]

 

On the morning of 28 October, Atlanta brought on board Rear Admiral Norman Scott from San Francisco, and became the flagship of the newly designated TG 64.2. After fueling from Washington, Atlanta, screened by four destroyers, headed northwest to shell Japanese positions on Guadalcanal. Reaching the waters off Lunga Point on the morning of 30 October, Atlanta embarked Marine liaison officers at 0550, and then steamed west, commencing her bombardment of Point Cruz at 0629 while the destroyers formed a column astern. Provoking no return fire, TG 64.2 accomplished its mission and returned to Lunga Point, where Atlanta disembarked the liaison officers. She then proceeded, in company with her screen, to Espiritu Santo, where she arrived on the afternoon of 31 October.[3]

 

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Main article: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Convoy escort

 

Atlanta on 25 October 1942.

Atlanta served as Admiral Scott's flagship as the light cruiser, accompanied by four destroyers, escorted Zeilin, Libra and Betelgeuse to Guadalcanal. The cruiser and her consorts continued to screen those ships, designated TG 62.4, as they lay off Lunga Point on 12 November unloading supplies and disembarking troops.[3]

 

At 0905, the task group received a report that nine bombers and 12 fighters were approaching from the northwest, and would reach their vicinity at about 0930. At about 0920, Atlanta led the three auxiliaries to the north in column, with the destroyers spaced in a circle around them. 15 minutes later, nine "Vals" from Hiyō emerged from the clouds over Henderson Field, the American airstrip on Guadalcanal. The American ships opened fire soon after, putting up a barrage that downed "several" planes. Fortunately, none of the primary targets of the attack, Zeilin, Libra and Betelgeuse, suffered more than minor damage from several close calls, though Zeilin sustained some flooding. The three auxiliaries returned to the waters off Lunga Point as soon as the attack ended and resumed working cargo and disembarking troops.

 

A little over an hour later, at 1050, Atlanta received word of another incoming Japanese air raid. 15 minutes later, Atlanta led the three auxiliaries north with the destroyers in a circle around the disposition. The "bogeys", 27 Mitsubishi G4M "Bettys" from Rabaul, closed, sighted bearing west by north, approaching from over Cape Esperance in a very loose "V" formation. Although the destroyers opened fire, the planes proved to be out of range and the ships checked fire. The "Bettys", for their part, ignored the ships and continued on to bomb Henderson Field. Upon the disappearance of the planes, TG 62.4 resumed unloading off Lunga Point.[3]

 

On 12 November, Atlanta was still off Lunga Point, screening the unloading, as part of TF 67 under Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan in San Francisco. At about 1310, Atlanta received a warning that 25 enemy planes were headed for Guadalcanal, slated to arrive within 50 minutes. The light cruiser went to general quarters at 1318 and received the signal "prepare to repel air attack...."[3]

 

Within six minutes, Atlanta and the other combatants of the support group formed a screen around the transport group (TG 67.1), and the two groups steamed north together at 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h). At about 1410, the Americans sighted the incoming raid, consisting of what appeared to be 25 twin-engined bombers ("Bettys") which broke up into two groups after clearing Florida Island, and came in at altitudes that ranged from 25 to 50 ft (8 to 15 m). Juneau opened fire at 1412. Atlanta did so a minute later, training her guns at planes headed for the gap in the screen between San Francisco and Buchanan. Atlanta claimed to have shot down two "Bettys", just after they dropped their torpedoes, at about 1415, only three minutes before the attack ended. Once the last Japanese plane had been splashed, the work of unloading the transports and cargo ships resumed. One "Betty", crippled by antiaircraft fire, crashed into the after superstructure of San Francisco, inflicting the only damage on the force.[3]

 

Night attack

The abrupt end of the air attack gave Atlanta and her colleagues only a brief respite, however, for trouble approached from yet another quarter. A Japanese surface force, made up of two battleships, one cruiser and six destroyers, was detected steaming south toward Guadalcanal to shell Henderson Field. Admiral Callaghan's support group was to "cover [the retiring transports and cargo vessels] against enemy attack." TG 67.4 departed Lunga Point about 1800 and steamed eastward through Sealark Channel, covering the withdrawal of TG 67.1. An hour before midnight, Callaghan's ships reversed course and headed westward.[3]

 

Helena's radar picked up the first contact at a range of 26,000 yd (13 nmi). As the range closed, Atlanta's surface search radar, followed by her gunnery radars, picked up a contact on the enemy ships.[3]

 

Admiral Callaghan's order for a course change caused problems almost at once, as Atlanta had to turn to port (left) immediately to avoid a collision with one of the four destroyers in the van, the latter having apparently executed a "ships left" rather than "column left" movement.[3] As Atlanta began moving to resume her station ahead of San Francisco, the Japanese destroyer Akatsuki illuminated the light cruiser; and immediately suffered the consequences. Atlanta shifted her main battery to fire at the enemy destroyer, opening fire at a range of about 1,600 yd (1,463 m) and, along with other US ships that concentrated on Akatsuki's searchlights, simply overwhelmed the hapless destroyer.[4]

 

As two other Japanese destroyers crossed her line, Atlanta engaged both with her forward 5-inch (127 mm) mounts, while her after mounts continued to blast away at the illuminated ship. An additional, unidentified assailant also opened up on the light cruiser from the northeast.[3] At about that time, at least one torpedo plowed into Atlanta's forward engine room from the port side, fired almost certainly by either Inazuma or Ikazuchi[5] (Akatsuki's destroyer consorts). Atlanta lost all but auxiliary diesel power, suffered the interruption of her gunfire, and had to shift steering control to the steering engine room aft. Meanwhile, Akatsuki drifted out of the action and soon sank with heavy loss of life. Michiharu Shinya, Akatsuki's Chief Torpedo Officer, one of her few survivors, was rescued the next day by US forces and spent the rest of the war in a New Zealand prisoner of war camp.[6] He later stated unequivocally that Akatsuki had not been able to fire any torpedoes that night before being overwhelmed by gunfire.[7]

 

Soon after being torpedoed, Atlanta was then hit by an estimated nineteen 8-inch (203 mm) shells when San Francisco, "in the urgency of battle, darkness, and confused intermingling of friend or foe", fired into her. Though almost all of the shells passed through the thin skin of the ship without detonating, scattering green dye, fragments from their impact killed many men, including Admiral Scott and members of his staff. Atlanta prepared to return fire on her new assailant, but San Francisco's own gun flashes disclosed a distinctly "non-Japanese hull profile" that resulted in a suspension of those efforts.[3] San Francisco's shells, which passed high through Atlanta's superstructure, may have been intended for a Japanese target further beyond her from San Francisco's perspective.[8]

 

After the 8-inch (203 mm) fire ceased, Atlanta's Captain Jenkins took stock of the situation, and, having only a minor foot wound, made his way aft to Battle II. His ship was badly battered, largely powerless, down by the head and listing slightly to port, and a third of his crew was dead or missing. As the battle continued, the light cruiser's men began clearing debris, jettisoning topside weight to correct the list, reducing the volume of sea water in the ship, and succoring the many wounded.[3]

 

Sinking

Daylight revealed the presence nearby of three burning American destroyers, the disabled Portland, and the abandoned hulk of Yūdachi, which Portland summarily dispatched with three salvoes. Atlanta, drifting toward the enemy-held shore east of Cape Esperance, dropped her starboard anchor, and her captain sent a message to Portland explaining the light cruiser's condition. Boats from Guadalcanal came out to take her most critically wounded. By mid-morning, all of those had been taken off the ship.[3]

 

Bobolink arrived at 09:30 on 13 November, took Atlanta under tow, made harder by the cruiser's still lowered anchor, and headed toward Lunga Point. During the voyage, a "Betty" bomber neared the disposition, and one of the two surviving 5 in (127 mm) mounts—which was powered by a diesel generator—fired and drove it off. The other manually-rotated mount could not be trained on the target in time.[3]

 

Atlanta reached Kukum about 14:00, at which point Captain Jenkins conferred with his remaining officers. As Jenkins, who was later awarded a Navy Cross for his heroism during the battle, later wrote, "It was by now apparent that efforts to save the ship were useless, and that the water was gaining steadily." Even had sufficient salvage facilities been available, he allowed, the severe damage she had taken would have made it difficult to save the ship. Authorized by Commander, South Pacific Forces, to act at his own discretion regarding the destruction of the ship, Jenkins ordered that Atlanta be abandoned and sunk with a demolition charge.[3]

 

Accordingly, all remaining men except the captain and a demolition party boarded Higgins boats sent out from Guadalcanal for the purpose. After the charge had been set and exploded, the last men left the battered ship. Ultimately, at 20:15 on 13 November 1942, Atlanta sank 3 mi (5 km) west of Lunga Point in about 400 ft (120 m) of water. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 January 1943.[3]

 

Exploration of the wreck

The wreck of USS Atlanta was discovered in 1992 by an expedition led by Dr. Robert Ballard using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, (ROV). Dr. Ballard was famous for leading the expeditions that discovered RMS Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. Unfortunately, strong ocean currents and poor visibility prevented the expedition from thoroughly exploring Atlanta. In 1994, two Australian technical divers Rob Cason and Kevin Denlay travelled to Solomon Islands with the intention of being the first scuba divers to dive Atlanta but this was unsuccessful because of the lack of a suitable surface support vessel and strong surface currents; this was also the first mixed gas scuba diving expedition to Guadalcanal. However, they did manage to dive one of the two other, deepest diveable wrecks; the Japanese transport Azumasan Maru, which is almost 90 m (295 ft) deep at the stern and Sasako Maru, which Denlay dived in 1995 at over 90 m (295 ft) in the collapsed debris field of the bridge. Many other World War II wrecks discovered by Dr. Ballard in Iron Bottom Sound are beyond the current technical limit for scuba and are only accessible by ROVs or submersibles. Dr Ballard gives an account of this in his book The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal. In the same year, Denlay returned with American Terrance Tysall and made the first successful scuba dive on USS Atlanta, which was at the time the deepest wreck dive by free swimming divers in the southern hemisphere.[citation needed]

 

In the following years, Denlay and Tysall mounted several larger expeditions to survey Atlanta, exploring and videoing the wreck in detail to a depth of 130 m (427 ft) at the bow.[9] The civil unrest in Solomon Islands from late 1998 prevented further diving around Guadalcanal for several years. However, on the final expedition that year, the then deepest wreck dive by a woman was made by Kevin's wife, Mirja, on Atlanta. Denlay's last visit to the wreck was in 2002 using a closed circuit rebreather or CCR, the first CCR dive on Atlanta.[10] Since then, very few dives have been conducted on Atlanta, although in May 2011 a very experienced deep diving team from Global Underwater Explorers successfully videoed the wreck for documentary purposes, the first survey of the wreck since Denlay's expeditions up to 1998.[11]

 

Awards

Atlanta was awarded five battle stars for her World War II service and a Presidential Unit Citation for her "heroic example of invincible fighting spirit" in the battle off Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.[3]

Guemes Channel. Curtis Wharf.

Built in 1996, by Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders of Freeland, Washington.

Instruction RC version: download here

Instruction Static version: download here

Follow me on Instagram: anton.kablash

 

Dimensions: 38 x 15 x 16 stud (without wheels)

Weight: 560g (without batteries)

Functions:

1) Steering Control+ L motor or HoG (removable)

2) Drive Control+ L motor

3) Front independent suspension

4) Rear 3 link suspension

5) Openable doors, hood, trunk

6) Detailed exterior

7) Modular building

8) Quick access to the battery box for batteries replacement

 

Guemes Channel. DCI Drydock. 9:27 PM PDT, 33 minutes after sunset.

Chief was built in 1999 by Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders of Freeland, Washington.

Today's story and sketch "by me" in the sky you see the "EBRA" #87 race blimp, the entry

from Freemantle Australia, with the Wally the Vegemite moon Pie Wallaby logo on it's side.

Piloting the Blimp is a very upset Quevos Gofish, who has been flying in a big circle

for almost 10 days, after being hit by an Electron Magnetic Disruptor Pulse Weapon,

the Pulse disruptor disabled all of the steering controls which has them only able

to make left hand turns, and no up or down control, the beam was fired at them by another

Competitor, No team has been found with a "FMDPW" weapon, but that investigation is continuing.

The dirty tricks are getting much worse as we near the halfway point in this around the

Earth Race Blimp Race. And below you see Footy Gofish from Freemantle, the teams

Blimp Builder and Mobil mechanic, who has finally caught up with the wayward blimp,

and will try a dangerous maneuver to climb up a rope dangling from the blimp with his

tool kit. We should inform our readers we spoke to Footy before the #87 came into view,

and he is very concerned about the safety of the climb up to the blimp, and how he

may or may not be able to do the repairs, but always the professional promoter asked me

to tell our readers about the Vegemite Moon Pies, (we believe Footy is a major share holder

of Vegemite Moon Pies inc,) they are a favorite only in Australia,

In fact many countries food police, have outlawed the import of the Vegemite Pies, saying

they taste like a bad batch of cabbage between two Sponge cake cookies coated with fruity

frosting. But after tasting one myself, I must say it has to be an acquired taste, or

they may be the OK ,if they are the last thing on Earth to Sustain Life.

But that is a story for another time, till then taa ta the Rod Blog.

“A desire to keep a west-coast shipyard busy during the seven idle months of the year has resulted in the invention of an unusual boating novelty. It isn’t a boat. It isn’t an airplane. But it combines the thrill of both. This latest water thriller, the invention of Russell and Milton Robertson of Alameda, Calif., is a waterplane. Observation of outboard racing craft with their prows rearing out of the water as the powerful little motor at the stern pushes them up along the surface at high speeds gave them the idea. Why not put wings to the craft and lift it completely out of the water? After six months of experiment, the brothers built a craft that actually flew – that raised itself by its own wind resistance ten feet into the air – attached, however, to the outboard motor on pontoons at the water level.

 

“This unusual boat novelty was built from two pontoons, one supporting the fuselage, the other carrying the outboard motor. Water and aircraft features were combined. Both pontoons are connected in tandem with parallel stringers working in swivels. This allows the forward pontoon to take to the air. A thirty-two-foot wing is carried on the forward pontoon as well as the complete fuselage, and motor and steering controls. The waterplane is controlled similarly to an airplane. A ‘joystick’ operates the ailerons and elevators. A rudder for steering is under each pontoon and is operated by foot controls. When the motor is started, the plane travels about twenty-five feet before attaining planing speed, and in a hundred feet more the forward pontoon lifts out of the water. The thrill of zooming from the water at a sustained speed of forty to fifty miles an hour marks a new era in boating.” [Text from the accompanying article]

 

Guemes Channel. DCI Floating Drydock DD1.

Powered by two, six cylinder, Caterpillar 3606 DITA diesel engines. With two, Voith-Schneider cycloidal drives, for a rated 5,500 horsepower.

Today's story and sketch "by me" we are at Lost Lake here in Wonder World Florida.

Lost Lake is not open to the public, in fact it has just become known to us here at

the Rod Blog, after following Knobby Gofish here, to one of his 27 hide aways

throughout the Galaxy. And we find out from Caprio Gofish seen in this sketch driving the

Marscat 440 Lake Digger, the wonderful piece of machinery

he's used to dig out this man made (20,000 acre Lake and Gator Refuge), where all

of the captured 23,713 gators were relocated when reclaiming this Florida Swamp, which has

become Wonder World, the Greatest theme Park in the Galaxy. Caprio has told me this will be

Theme Park #24 "The Lost Lake Gator Park" featuring Gators performing amazing synchronized

swimming routines with elaborate Gymnastic moves in the water, with music

by Knobby's favorite band Steely Dan.

Knobby has hired the best Gator Trainers from the Black Lagoon Moon,

near Saturn, known for it's (Reptilian Gymnasts and Dancers), but those are stories

for another time.

Overhead you will see "JB" in the Bent Arrow Bounty Hunter Chopper, he is watching Caprio,

seems he may possibly not be Caprio at all, just maybe he is Buzz Gofish an escaped convict from

The Flip Flop Resort on Lippo (The blue Moon), JB is waiting for the right moment to drop

down and get a perspiration "DNA" swab from the steering controls.

It is nearly impossible to tell one Gofish Grey Alien from another, unless you are a

Gofish Grey Alien, we are not holding out much hope for JB on that swab either, Grey Aliens

are not know to Perspire, but that is also a story for anther time.

There are no facial recognition meters allowed at Wonder World, If there were

it would be bad for the moral of the employees, seems there are a large number of

Parolees, or those on Work Furlough (1,277 currently), Knobby likes to hire from the

Flip Flop Resort, many are his family members who've been busted for overdue parking

violations, and many for unsafe piloting while traveling behind slow pokes in worm holes,

and received extended vacation "incarceration" time at the Flip Flop Facility.

But those incarceration's are a story for another time

till then taa ta the Rod Blog.

Guemes Channel. DCI Floating Drydock DD1.

Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps

 

The 2K22 Tunguska (Russian: 2К22 "Тунгуска"; English: Tunguska) is a Russian tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon armed with a surface-to-air gun and missile system. It is designed to provide day and night protection for infantry and tank regiments against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles in all weather conditions. Its NATO reporting name is SA-19 "Grison".

Development of the system started on 8 June 1970, at the request of the Soviet Ministry of Defence the KBP Instrument Design Bureau in Tula under the guidance of the appointed Chief Designer AG Shipunov started work on a 30 mm anti-aircraft system as a replacement for the 23 mm ZSU-23-4.

The project which was given the designation "Tunguska" was a response to the observed shortcoming of the ZSU-23-4 (short range and no early warning) and a counter to new ground attack aircraft in development such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II which was designed to be highly resistant to 23 mm cannons. Studies were conducted and demonstrated that a 30 mm cannon would require two-to-three times fewer shells to destroy a given target than the 23 mm cannon of the ZSU-23-4, and that firing at a MiG-17 (or similarly at, in case of war, NATO's Hawker Hunter or Fiat G.91) flying at 300 m/s, with an identical mass of 30 mm projectiles would result in a kill probability of 1.5 times greater than with 23 mm projectiles. An increase in the maximum engagement altitude from 2,000 to 4,000 m and increased effectiveness when engaging lightly armoured ground targets were also cited.

The initial requirements set for the system were to achieve twice the performance in terms of range, altitude and combat effectiveness than the ZSU-23-4, additionally the system should have a reaction time no greater than 10 seconds. Due to the similarities in fire control of artillery and missiles it was decided that Tunguska would be a combined gun and missile system. By combining guns and missiles, the system is more effective than the ZSU-23-4, engaging targets at long-range with missiles, and shorter range targets with guns.

In addition to KBP as the primary contractor other members of the Soviet military industrial complex were involved in the project, the chassis were developed at the Minsk tractor factory, the radio equipment at the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Factory Ulyanovsk, guidance and navigational systems by VNII "Signal" and optics were developed by the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association LOMO.

However development was slowed between 1975 and 1977 after the introduction of the 9K33 Osa missile system, which seemed to fill the same requirement but with greater missile performance. After some considerable debate it was felt that a purely missile based system would not be as effective at dealing with very low flying attack helicopters attacking at short range with no warning as had been proven so successful in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Since the reaction time of a gun system is around 8–10 seconds, compared to the reaction time of missile-based system, approximately 30 seconds, development was restarted.

The initial designs were completed in 1973 with pilot production completed in 1976 at the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Factory. System testing and trials were conducted between September 1980 and December 1981 on the Donguzskom range. It was officially accepted into service on 8 September 1982 and the initial version designated 2K22/2S6, with four missiles in the ready to fire position (two on each side). The Tunguska entered into limited service from 1984 when the first batteries were delivered to the army.

After a limited production run of the original 9K22, an improved version designated 2K22M/2S6M entered service in 1990. The 2K22M featured several improvements with eight ready-to-fire missiles (four on each side) as well as modifications to the fire control programs, missiles and the general reliability of the system.

 

Tunguska underwent further improvement when in 2003 the Russian armed forces accepted the Tunguska-M1 or 2K22M1 into service. The M1 introduced the new 9M311-M1 missile which made a number of changes allowing the 2K22M1 to engage small targets like cruise missiles by replacing the eight-beam laser proximity fuze with a radio fuse. Additional modification afforded greater resistance to infrared countermeasures by supplementing the missile tracking flare with a pulsed IR beacon. Other improvements included an increased missile range to 10 km, improved optical tracking and accuracy, improved fire control co-ordination between components of a battery and the command post. Overall the Tunguska-M1 has a combat efficiency 1.3–1.5 times greater than the Tunguska-M.

 

The Tunguska family was until recently a unique and highly competitive weapons system, though in 2007 the Pantsir gun and missile system entered production at KBP—a descendant of the Tunguska, the Pantsir system offers even greater performance than its predecessor.

 

Type Surface-to-air missile

   

Place of origin- Soviet Union

Service history-In service 1982–present

Used by Belarus, India, Morocco, Myanmar, Russia, former Soviet Union, Ukraine

Production history

Designer - KBP Instrument Design Bureau

Designed 1970–1980

Manufacturer KBP Instrument Design Bureau

Produced - 1976–present

Variants: 9M311, 9M311K, 9M311-1, 9M311M, 9M311-M1, 57E6

Specifications (9M311)

Weight -57 kg

Length - 2560 mm

Warhead - Continuous-rod and steel cubes

Warhead weight - 9 kg

Detonation mechanism - Laser fuze (Radio fuze 9M311-M1)

Propellant - Solid-fuel rocket

Operational range 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) (10 kilometres (6.2 mi) 9M311-M1)

Flight altitude - 3,500 metres (11,500 ft)

Boost time - 2 stages: boost to 900m/s, then sustained 600m/s stage to range

Speed - 900 m/s

Guidance system - Radio Command SACLOS

Steering system: rocket motor with four steerable control surfaces

Accuracy - 5 m

Launch platform - 2S6 combat vehicle

The system uses the same 9M311 (NATO: SA-19/SA-N-11)

 

DUKW Albert Dock/Salthouse Dock Liverpool June 2003.

 

Since the turn of the century several of the refurbished machines operated a tourist services on, in and around the River Thames in central London and the Albert Dock/Salthouse Dock area in Liverpool. Acquired by enterprising entrepreneurs who saw a gap in the respective lucrative markets, they operated in a bright yellow livery and provided very much an alternative to the usual tourist trails This alternative was provided by a period of time spent on (or in), the River Thames or the Albert Dock, being as these vehicles floated on water due to their amphibious capabilities.

 

Universally known as the DUCK this amphibious truck made its first appearance in 1942 being a version of the standard American produced GMC 6X6 truck and fitted with a boat-like hull to provide buoyancy. The name was derived from the GMC model designation system. D indicated it being built in 1942; U for it being amphibious, K for it being an all wheel drive model and W denoted twin rear wheels. From this came DUKW this subsequently being shortened to Duck.

The Duck was produced profusely with 21,147 having been built by the end of the Second World War. The US Army, the British and many other allied armed forces used the vehicle type. Being based on a widely used truck chassis it was a simple amphibious vehicle to maintain and operate. Its performance was such that it could be driven over most types of terrain.

In water a single propeller at the rear was driven from the engine and propelled the duck with steering using a rudder behind the propeller. Extra steering control could be achieved by making use of the front wheels.

The driver was seated in front of the main cargo compartment, this being spacious enough to carry loads such as light artillery weapons. It was capable of firing some weapons during runs onto beaches. The driver was seated behind a folding windscreen and a canvas cover could be erected over the cargo area. For driving over soft areas such as beaches the six wheels used a central tyre pressure control system.

The duck was intended for carrying supplies from ships over beaches, but it was also used for many other purposes. One advantage was that it did not always have to unload its supplies directly onto the beach and was also able to be driven with its load well forward to where the goods were required and then retreat.

Many were used as troop transports. Some were fitted with special weapons and some were armed with heavy machine guns for self-defence or anti-aircraft use. A tow hook was fitted at the rear and some models also had a self-recovery winch. Twin bilge pumps were fitted as standard.

Many Ducks were sent to the USSR and the type so impressed the Soviet Army that the USSR produced its own copy known as the BAV-485. This differed from the original by having a small loading ramp at the rear of the cargo area. Many of these BAV-485's are still in use by the Warsaw Pact Nations and the DUKW still serves on with a few Western Armed forces. The British Army did not pension off their Ducks until the late 70's.

The Duck has given good service wherever it was used. It had some limitations in that the load carrying capacity was rather light and performance in rough water left something to be desired, but the Duck was a good sturdy vehicle that was well liked by all who came into contact with it.

 

Specifications: Crew 1 + 1

Weights: Unloaded 6750Kg (14880 LBS) Loaded 9097 Kg (20055 Lbs.) Payload 2347 Kg (5175 Lbs)

Powerplant 1 GMC Model 270 Engine developing 68.2 KW (91.5 bhp)

Dimensions Length 9.75 m (32.0 Ft) Width 2.51 m (8 Ft-2.9") height 2.69 m (8'-10")

Performance Maximum land speed 80 km/h (50mph) Maximum water speed 9.7 km/h (6 mph).

 

Guemes Channel. DCI Drydock.

The Pontiac Cirrus was one of the stars at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, but at that time it was called the non marque-specific “GM-X.”

 

Passengers entered through a rear hatch and passed between the aircraft-style bucket seats. Once inside, the driver was treated to an aircraft-style steering controls, which featured thumb buttons to activate the horn and turn signals. A total of 31 indicator lights, 29 toggle switches and 4 control levers were distributed between the dash and overhead console. Its overall effect was a bit overwhelming, though very much in keeping with the show-biz nature of GM’s Dream Cars. If James Bond were ever to turn in his Aston Martin on something a bit more high-tech, the GM-X would no doubt have been at the top of his short list.

This photograph shows the U-Boat 110, a German Submarine that was sunk and risen in 1918. This photograph shows the Control Room, showing the Submarine's Gyro compass, steering control shaft, engine telegraphs and voice pipes.

 

Reference: DS.SWH/5/3/2/14/1/31

 

This image is taken from an album of photographs found in the Swan Hunter shipbuilders collection at Tyne & Wear Archives. The album is from 1918 and documents the U.B. 110 before she was scrapped on the dry docks of Swan Hunter Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend.

 

The twin-screw German submarine U.B. 110 was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg.

 

On the 19th July 1918, when attacking a convoy of merchant ships near Hartlepool, she herself was attacked by H.M. Motor-Launch No. 263 and suffered from depth charges. Coming to the surface she was rammed by H.M.S. Garry, a torpedo boat destroyer, and sunk.

 

In September she was salvaged and placed in the admiralty dock off Jarrow slake. She was then berthed at Swan Hunter's dry docks department with an order to restore her as a fighting unit.

 

The Armistice on 11th November 1918 caused work on her to be stopped. She was towed on the 19th December 1918 from Wallsend to the Northumberland Dock at Howdon and was subsequently sold as scrap.

 

The album of photographs, taken by Frank & Sons of South Shields, documents the U.B. 110 in extensive detail. The photographs provide a rare glimpse into the mechanics and atmosphere of the raised German submarine.

 

More images of the U-Boat 110 can be viewed here.

 

(Copyright) We're happy for you to share these digital images within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

History

United States

Name:Astoria

Namesake:City of Astoria, Oregon

Ordered:13 February 1929

Awarded:

12 July 1929 (date assigned to ship yard)

2 June 1930 (beginning of construction period)

Builder:Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington

Cost:$11,951,000 (limit of price)

Laid down:1 September 1930

Launched:16 December 1933

Sponsored by:Miss Leila C. McKay

Commissioned:28 April 1934

Reclassified:CA-34, 1 July 1931

Identification:

Hull symbol: CL-34

Hull symbol: CA-34

Nickname(s):"Nasty Asty"[1]

Honors and

awards:Bronze-service-star-3d.png 3 × battle stars

Fate:Sunk during the Battle of Savo Island 9 August 1942

General characteristics (as built)[2]

Class and type:New Orleans-class cruiser

Displacement:9,950 long tons (10,110 t) (standard)

Length:

588 ft (179 m) oa

574 ft (175 m) pp

Beam:61 ft 9 in (18.82 m)

Draft:

19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) (mean)

23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) (max)

Installed power:

8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers

107,000 shp (80,000 kW)

Propulsion:

4 × Westinghouse geared turbines

4 × screws

Speed:32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h)

Capacity:Fuel oil: 1,650 tons

Complement:104 officers 795 enlisted

Armament:

9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3)

8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns

2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns

8 × caliber 0.50 in (13 mm) machine guns

Armor:

Belt: 3–5 in (76–127 mm)

Deck: 1 1⁄4–2 1⁄4 in (32–57 mm)

Barbettes: 5 in (130 mm)

Turrets: 1 1⁄2–8 in (38–203 mm)

Conning Tower: 5 in (130 mm)

Aircraft carried:4 × floatplanes

Aviation facilities:2 × Amidship catapults

General characteristics (1942)[3]

Armament:

9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3)

8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns

2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns

12 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons

4 × quad 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 caliber anti-aircraft guns

The second USS Astoria (CL/CA-34) was the lead ship of the Astoria-class of heavy cruisers (later renamed the New Orleans-class) of the United States Navy that participated in both the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, but was then sunk in August 1942, at the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was the first ship of the Astoria-class of cruisers to be laid down, but received a hull number higher than New Orleans because she was launched second.

 

Immediately after the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign ended in February 1943, the remaining ships of the class would go through major overhauls to lessen top-heaviness due to new electrical and radar systems and advanced anti-aircraft weaponry. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge, becoming known as the New Orleans-class.[4]

  

Construction and commissioning

Astoria was laid down on 1 September 1930, at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement and 8-inch calibre main guns may be referred to as "treaty cruisers." Originally classified a light cruiser, because of her thin armor, she was reclassified, after being laid down, a heavy cruiser, because of her 8-inch guns. The term "heavy cruiser" was not defined until the London Naval Treaty in 1930. Launched on 16 December 1933, sponsored by Miss Leila C. McKay (a descendant of Alexander McKay, a member of the John Jacob Astor expedition that founded Astoria, Oregon), and commissioned on 28 April 1934, Captain Edmund S. Root in command.

 

During the summer of 1934, Astoria conducted a lengthy shake-down cruise in the course of which she voyaged extensively in the Pacific. In addition to the Hawaiian Islands, the heavy cruiser also visited Samoa, Fiji, Sydney Australia, and Nouméa on the island of New Caledonia. She returned to San Francisco on 26 September 1934.

 

Inter-war period

Between the fall of 1934 and February 1937, she operated as a unit of Cruiser Division 7 (CruDiv 7), Scouting Force, based at San Pedro, California. In February 1937, the warship was reassigned to CruDiv 6, though she continued to serve as an element of Scouting Force based at San Pedro. In both assignments, she carried out normal peacetime maneuvers, the culmination of which came in the annual fleet problem that brought the entire United States Fleet together in a single, vast exercise.

 

Special duty: Hiroshi Saito's ashes

At the beginning of 1939, Fleet Problem XX concentrated the fleet in the West Indies, and at its conclusion Astoria, Richmond Kelly Turner commanding, made a hasty departure from Culebra Island on 3 March 1939 and headed for Chesapeake Bay. After taking on a capacity load of stores and fuel at Norfolk, Virginia, the heavy cruiser proceeded north to Annapolis, Maryland, where she embarked the remains of the former Japanese Ambassador to the United States, the late Hiroshi Saito, for the voyage to Japan, a gesture that expressed America's gratitude to the Japanese for returning the body of the late United States Ambassador to Japan, Edgar Bancroft, in the cruiser Tama in 1926. Astoria sailed from Annapolis on 18 March 1939, accompanied by Naokichi Kitazawa, Second Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Washington.

 

Arriving in the Panama Canal Zone soon thereafter, where "various high officials and a delegation from the Japanese colony in Panama paid their respects to Saito's ashes," Astoria got underway for Hawaii on 24 March. She moored at Honolulu on 4 April, the same day that Madame Saito and her two daughters arrived on board the passenger liner Tatsuta Maru. Two days later, the heavy cruiser proceeded westward across the Pacific.

 

Accompanied by the destroyers Hibiki, Sagiri, Akatsuki, Astoria steamed slowly into Yokohama harbor on 17 April, United States ensign at half-staff and the Japanese flag at the fore. The warship fired a 21-gun salute which was returned by the light cruiser Kiso. American sailors carried the ceremonial urn ashore that afternoon, and funeral ceremonies took place the following morning.

 

After the solemn state funeral, the Japanese showered lavish hospitality on the visiting cruiser and her men. Captain Turner, for his part, pleased Ambassador to Japan Joseph C. Grew by his diplomatic role in the proceedings; the naval attaché in Tokyo, Captain Harold Medberry Bemis, later recorded that the choice of Turner for that delicate mission was "particularly fortunate...." In grateful appreciation of American sympathy and courtesy a pagoda was later presented by Hirosi Saito's wife and child. That pagoda is located in front of Luce Hall at the United States Naval Academy.

 

Astoria sailed for Shanghai, China on 26 April, and reached her destination on the morning of the 29th. She remained at Shanghai until 1 May. After receiving Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, on board for a courtesy call that morning, Astoria put to sea for Hong Kong in the afternoon. Following the visit to Hong Kong, Astoria stopped briefly in the Philippines before continuing on to Guam. When she arrived at Guam early on the morning of 21 May, the heavy cruiser was called upon to assist Penguin and Robert L. Barnes in their successful effort to refloat the grounded Army transport U. S. Grant. Soon thereafter, Astoria joined the search for the noted author and adventurer Richard Halliburton, and the companions with whom he had attempted the voyage from Hong Kong to San Francisco in his Chinese junk, Sea Dragon. The cruiser combed more than 162,000 sq mi (420,000 km2) of the Pacific, without success, before she discontinued the search on 29 May.

 

Reassigned to Pearl Harbor

Main article: Pearl Harbor

Assigned to the Hawaiian Detachment in October 1939, Astoria changed home ports from San Pedro to Pearl Harbor. The following spring, she participated in Fleet Problem XXI, the last of those major annual exercises that brought the entire United States Fleet together to be conducted before World War II engulfed the United States. The maneuvers took place in Hawaiian waters, and, instead of returning to the west coast at their conclusion, the bulk of the fleet joined Astoria and the Hawaiian Detachment in making Pearl Harbor its base of operations.

 

On 2 April 1941, Astoria departed Pearl Harbor for the west coast of the United States. She reached Long Beach, California on 8 April and entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on the 13th. During her refit, she received quadruple-mount 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 cal anti-aircraft guns and a pedestal fitted at her foremast in anticipation of the imminent installation of the new air-search radar. Emerging from the yard on 11 July 1941, the heavy cruiser sailed for Long Beach on the 16th. Later shifting to San Pedro, Astoria sailed for Pearl Harbor on 24 July 1941.

 

Following her return to Hawaii on 31 July, Astoria operated between Oahu and Midway through early September. That autumn, the specter of German raiders on the prowl in the Pacific prompted the Navy to convoy its ships bound for Guam and the Philippines. Astoria escorted Henderson to Manila and thence to Guam, before returning to Pearl Harbor on 29 October. Local patrols and training, alternated with upkeep in port, occupied Astoria during the final five weeks of peace.

 

World War II

After rising tensions in the Pacific intensified his concern over the defenses of his outlying bases at the beginning of December 1941, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet/United States Fleet, ordered reinforcements, in the form of Marine Corps planes, to be ferried to Wake Island and Midway. Astoria put to sea on 5 December in the screen of Rear Admiral John H. Newton's Task Force 12 (TF 12) built around Lexington. Once the task force reached open sea, Lexington's air group and the 18 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicators from Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 231 (VMSB-231) bound for Midway landed on the carrier's flight deck.

 

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December, Astoria was some 700 mi (1,100 km) west of Hawaii steaming toward Midway with TF 12. At 0900 the following day, the heavy cruiser Indianapolis, flagship of Vice Admiral Wilson Brown, Commander, Scouting Force, joined up with TF 12, and Brown assumed command. Its ferry mission canceled, TF 12 spent the next few days searching an area to the southwest of Oahu, "with instructions to intercept and destroy any enemy ship in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor...."

 

The cruiser reentered Pearl Harbor with the Lexington force on 13 December, but she returned to sea on the 16th to rendezvous with and screen a convoy, the oiler Neches and the seaplane tender Tangier — the abortive Wake Island relief expedition. When that island fell to the Japanese on 23 December, however, the force was recalled. Astoria remained at sea until the afternoon of 29 December, when she arrived back at Oahu. When Astoria was moored in Pearl Harbor, she had about 40 sailors from the battleship California transferred to her ranks. They were survivors of 7 December, when California was sunk at Berth F4 on Battleship Row.

 

Astoria departed Pearl Harbor again on the morning of 31 December with TF 11, formed around Saratoga, and remained at sea into the second week of January 1942. On 11 January, the Japanese submarine I-6 torpedoed the carrier, forcing her retirement to Pearl Harbor. Astoria and her colleagues in the task force saw the crippled carrier safely into port on the morning of 13 January 1942.

 

After a brief respite at Pearl Harbor, Astoria returned to sea on 19 January with TF 11 – the carrier Lexington, escorted by heavy cruisers Chicago and Minneapolis, and nine destroyers – to "conduct an offensive patrol northeast of the Kingman Reef-Christmas Island line." On the afternoon of the 21st, however, TF 11 received orders to rendezvous with Neches, and then to conduct an air raid on Wake Island, followed by a surface bombardment "if practicable." Dispatches intercepted on the 23rd, however, revealed that Neches had fallen victim to a Japanese submarine, identified later as I-17. Without the oiler's precious cargo of fuel, TF 11 could not execute the planned strike. Ordered back to Oahu, the task force reentered Pearl Harbor on the morning of 24 January.

 

Southwestern Pacific cruise: TF 17 (USS Yorktown)

On 16 February, Astoria put back to sea for what proved to be an extended cruise in the southwestern Pacific with TF 17, built around the carrier Yorktown and comprising the heavy cruiser Louisville, destroyers Sims, Anderson, Hammann and Walke, and the oiler Guadalupe, all under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. Initially, TF 17's orders called for operations in the vicinity of Canton Island. However, after the Japanese discovered TF 11 on its way to attack their important new base at Rabaul and sent a determined raid which hit the Lexington task force off Bougainville on 20 February, Vice Admiral Brown asked for a second carrier to strengthen his force for another crack at Rabaul. Accordingly, TF 17 received orders to aid Brown in that attempt, and Astoria steamed with Yorktown to a rendezvous with TF 11 that took place southwest of the New Hebrides on 6 March.

 

The combined force, under Brown, stood toward Rabaul until the Japanese landings at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea prompted a change of plans. Late on 8 March, Brown and his staff decided to shift objectives and attack the two new enemy beachheads by launching planes from the Gulf of Papua in the south and sending them across the width of New Guinea to the targets on the northern coast. Astoria, meanwhile, joined a surface force made up of heavy cruisers Chicago, Louisville, and HMAS Australia, and destroyers Anderson, Hammann, Hughes, and Sims under the command of Rear Admiral John G. Crace, that Brown detached to operate in the waters off Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago. The heavy cruiser and the other warships of that force carried out a threefold mission. They secured the carriers' right flank during their operations in the Gulf of Papua; they shielded Port Moresby from any new enemy thrust; and they covered the arrival of Army troops at Nouméa.

 

The raids on Lae and Salamaua, conducted by 104 planes from Yorktown and Lexington on 10 March 1942 proved devastating to the Japanese, causing heavy damage to their already depleted amphibious forces by sinking three transports and a minesweeper, as well as damaging a light cruiser, a large minelayer, three destroyers and a seaplane carrier. More importantly, the attack delayed the Japanese timetable for conquest in the Solomons and prompted them to send aircraft carriers to cover the operation. The delay, which also allowed the United States Navy time to marshal its forces, coupled with the dispatch of Japanese carriers led to the confrontation in the Coral Sea.

 

Battle of the Coral Sea

Astoria rejoined TF 17 on 14 March and patrolled the Coral Sea for the rest of March. At sea continuously since 16 February, Astoria began to run low on provisions, so Rear Admiral Fletcher detached her to replenish from Bridge at Nouméa along with Portland, Hughes and Walke. Arriving on 1 April, the cruiser remained there only briefly, returning to sea the following day. The warship marched and counter-marched across the Coral Sea for two weeks before TF 17 headed for Tongatapu, where she and the Yorktown force spent the week of 20–27 April.

 

About this time, intelligence reports convinced Admiral Chester Nimitz that the enemy sought to take Port Moresby, on the southeastern coast of New Guinea, and he resolved to thwart those designs. He sent TF 11, built around a refurbished Lexington and led by a new commander, Rear Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch, to join Fletcher's TF 17 in the Coral Sea. Astoria returned to sea with TF 17 on 27 April to rendezvous with TF 11. The two carrier task forces met in the eastern Coral Sea early on the morning of 1 May.

 

Late in the afternoon of 3 May, Rear Admiral Fletcher received word of the Japanese occupation of Tulagi in the Solomons. Astoria screened Yorktown the following day as the carrier launched three raids on the enemy ships off Tulagi. Admiral Fletcher first considered sending Astoria and Chester to finish off the crippled ships at Tulagi with surface gunnery, but demurred and kept his force concentrated in anticipation of further action.

 

Next came a two-day lull on 5–6 May, during which TF 17 fueled in preparation for the impending battle. Astoria screened Yorktown on the 7th as her planes joined those from Lexington in searches and strikes that located and sank the Japanese carrier Shōhō. Japanese planes, however, located and sank the oiler Neosho and her escort, Sims.

 

Fletcher's carriers launched aircraft again early on the morning of 8 May, while Astoria and the other units of the screen prepared their antiaircraft batteries to meet the retaliation expected from Japanese carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku. Enemy planes found TF 17 just before 1100 that morning and quickly charged to the attack. Almost simultaneously, planes from Yorktown and Lexington deployed to attack the enemy task force.

 

The Japanese aviators concentrated almost exclusively on the American carriers as the two drew apart with their respective screening ships, ultimately putting some 6 to 8 mi (9.7 to 12.9 km) of ocean between them by the end of the battle. Torpedo bombers opened the first phase of the attack, while torpedo and dive bombers coordinated attacks in the second phase.

 

The battle action on 8 May, as Astoria's executive officer, Commander Chauncey R. Crutcher, recounted, "was short and was accompanied by intense anti-aircraft fire against a determined enemy...." Astoria assisted in putting up a protective barrage over Lexington at the outset, and after the task forces separated, she shifted to the anti-aircraft umbrella over Yorktown. Her gunners claimed to have splashed at least four enemy planes in the attack that "seemed to end as suddenly as it had started."

 

At about 1245, Lexington — heavily damaged though apparently in satisfactory condition afloat and underway – suffered severe internal explosions that rang her death knell. Fires raged out of control and, by 1630, her engines stopped. Ninety minutes later, Captain Frederick C. Sherman ordered the ship abandoned. Once rescue operations were completed, and Lexington's end was hastened by torpedoes from Phelps, TF 17 began a slow retirement from the Coral Sea, having suffered heavy losses but also having inflicted a decisive strategic defeat on the Japanese by barring the Port Moresby invasion.

 

Astoria set course for Nouméa along with Minneapolis, New Orleans, Anderson, Hammann, Morris, and Russell. That force reached its destination on 12 May but remained only overnight. On the 13th, she and the other warships got underway for Pearl Harbor, via Tongatapu, and arrived at Oahu on 27 May.

 

Battle of Midway

The heavy cruiser remained in Pearl Harbor only until the 30th. On that day, she returned to sea with the hastily repaired Yorktown to prepare to meet yet another major thrust by the Japanese fleet – this one aimed at Midway. Air searches from that island spotted the enemy's Midway Occupation Force — made up of transports, minesweepers, and two seaplane carriers – early on 3 June, but the enemy carrier force eluded detection until early in the morning of the 4th. The heavy cruiser screened Yorktown as the carrier began launching strike aircraft at about 0840. While the planes droned off to make their contribution to the destruction of the Japanese carrier force, Astoria and her colleagues prepared for the inevitable Japanese reply.

 

The counterstroke, however, did not come until a few minutes before noon as Yorktown's victorious aviators began to return to their ship. 18 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers came in to attack the carrier. Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters from Fighting Squadron 3 (VF-3) accounted for 10 of the intruders, but the remaining eight managed to penetrate the combat air patrol (CAP). Astoria teamed up with Portland and the screening destroyers to splash another two of the attackers. The remaining six, however, succeeded in attacking Yorktown, and three of those scored hits. One of the three hit the carrier's stack, causing fires in her uptakes that literally smoked Rear Admiral Fletcher and his staff out of flag plot. At about 1310, he shifted his flag to Astoria.

 

Yorktown's damage control parties worked feverishly, and by 1340 she was again underway under her own power, albeit at only 18 to 20 kn (21 to 23 mph; 33 to 37 km/h). At about 1430, the second attack – composed of 10 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers escorted by six Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters – came in and eluded the weak CAP. Astoria and the other ships of the screen attempted to discourage attacks from four different directions by bringing every gun to bear and firing them into the sea to throw curtains of water into the path of the attackers. Nevertheless, four of the "Kates" made good their attack and released their torpedoes within 500 yd (460 m). Yorktown dodged two, but the other two scored hits which stopped the ship again. By 1500, the order to abandon ship went out. Astoria called away lifeboats to assist in the rescue of Yorktown's survivors. That night, the heavy cruiser retired east ward with the rest of the task force to await dawn, while a single destroyer, Hughes, stood by the stricken carrier.

 

The following day broke with Yorktown still afloat, and efforts began to salvage the battered warship. Though the Japanese had abandoned the Midway attack and had begun retiring toward Japan, submarine I-168 had been given orders to sink Yorktown. After a 24-hour search, the enemy submarine found her quarry on the 6th and attacked with a spread of four torpedoes. One torpedo missed completely, two passed under destroyer Hammann alongside the carrier and detonated in Yorktown's hull, while the fourth broke Hammann's back. The destroyer sank in less than four minutes. The carrier remained afloat until early on the morning of the 7th. At about dawn, she finally rolled over and sank.

 

Astoria remained as flagship for TF 17, as it operated north of Midway, until shortly after midday on 8 June when TF 11 arrived on the scene, and Rear Admiral Fletcher transferred his flag to Saratoga, On 11 June, Admiral Nimitz – satisfied that the major Japanese thrust had been thwarted – ordered his carrier task forces back to Hawaii, and Astoria reentered Pearl Harbor with them on 13 June. During the early summer of 1942, she completed repairs and alterations at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard and carried out training in the Hawaiian operating area.

 

The Solomons (Battle of Savo Island)

 

USS Astoria on 8 August 1942.

By the beginning of August, Astoria had been reassigned to Task Group 62.3 (TG 62.3), Fire Support Group L, to cover the Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings. Early on the morning of 7 August, the heavy cruiser entered the waters between Guadalcanal and Florida Islands in the southern Solomons. Throughout the day, she supported the Marines as they landed on Guadalcanal and several smaller islands nearby. The Japanese launched air counterattacks on the 7th–8th, and Astoria helped to defend the transports from those attacks.

 

On the night of 8/9 August, a Japanese force of seven cruisers and a destroyer under Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sneaked by Savo Island and attacked the American ships. At the time, Astoria had been patrolling to the east of Savo Island in column behind Vincennes and Quincy. The Japanese came through the channel to the west of Savo Island and opened fire on Chicago – HMAS Canberra force first at about 0140 on the morning of the 9th, hitting both cruisers with torpedoes and shells. They then divided – inadvertently – into two separate groups and turned generally northeast, passing on either side of Astoria and her two consorts. The enemy cruisers began firing on that force at about 0150, and the heavy cruiser began return fire immediately. She ceased fire briefly because her commanding officer temporarily mistook the Japanese force for friendly ships but soon resumed shooting. Astoria took no hits in the first four Japanese salvoes, but the fifth ripped into her superstructure, turning her into an inferno amidships. In quick succession, enemy shells put her No. 1 turret out of action and started a serious fire in the plane hangar that burned brightly and provided the enemy with a self-illuminated target.

 

From that moment on, deadly accurate Japanese gunfire pounded her unmercifully, and she began to lose speed. Turning to the right to avoid Quincy's fire at about 0201, Astoria reeled as a succession of enemy shells struck her aft of the foremast. Soon thereafter, Quincy veered across Astoria's bow, blazing fiercely from bow to stern. Astoria put her rudder over hard left and avoided a collision while her battered sister ship passed aft, to starboard. As the warship turned, Kinugasa's searchlight illuminated her, and men on deck passed the order to No. 2 turret to shoot out the offending light. When the turret responded with Astoria's 12th and final salvo, the shells missed Kinugasa but struck the No. 1 turret of Chōkai.

 

Astoria lost steering control on the bridge at about 0225, shifted control to central station, and began steering a zig-zag course south. Before she made much progress, though, the heavy cruiser lost all power. Fortunately, the Japanese chose that exact instant to withdraw. By 0300, nearly 400 men, including about 70 wounded and many dead, were assembled on the forecastle deck.

 

Suffering from the effects of at least 65 hits, Astoria fought for her life. A bucket brigade battled the blaze on the gun deck and the starboard passage forward from that deck, and the wounded were moved to the captain's cabin, where doctors and corpsmen proceeded with their care. Eventually, however, the deck beneath grew hot and forced the wounded back to the forecastle. The bucket brigade made steady headway, driving the fire aft on the starboard side of the gun deck, while a gasoline handy-billy rigged over the side pumped a small stream into the wardroom passage below.

 

Bagley came alongside Astoria's starboard bow and, by 0445, took all of the wounded off the heavy cruiser's forecastle. At that point, a small light flashed from Astoria's stern, indicating survivors on that part of the ship. Signaling the men on the heavy cruiser's stern that they had been seen, Bagley got underway and rescued men on rafts – some Vincennes survivors – and men who had been driven overboard by the fires blazing aboard Astoria.

 

With daylight, Bagley returned to the heavy cruiser and came alongside her starboard quarter. Since it appeared that the ship could be saved, a salvage crew of about 325 able-bodied men went back aboard Astoria. Another bucket brigade attacked the fires while the ship's first lieutenant investigated all accessible lower decks. A party of men collected the dead and prepared them for burial. Hopkins came up to assist in the salvage effort at about 0700. After securing a towline, Hopkins proceeded ahead, swinging Astoria around in an effort to tow her to the shallow water off Guadalcanal. A second gasoline-powered handy-billy, transferred from Hopkins, promptly joined the struggle against the fires. Wilson soon arrived on the scene, coming alongside the cruiser at about 0900 to pump water into the fire forward. Called away at 1000, Hopkins and Wilson departed, but the heavy cruiser received word that Buchanan was on the way to assist in battling the fires and that Alchiba was coming to tow the ship.

 

Sinking

Nevertheless, the fire below decks increased steadily in intensity, and those topside could hear explosions. Her list increased, first to 10° and then 15°. Her stern lowered in the dark waters, and her bow was distinctively rising. All attempts to shore the shell holes – by then below the waterline due to the increasing list – proved ineffective, and the list increased still more. Buchanan arrived at 11:30, but could not approach due to the heavy port list. Directed to stand off the starboard quarter, she stood by while all hands assembled on the stern, which was now wet with seawater. With the port waterway awash at noon, Commodore William G. Greenman gave the order to abandon ship.

 

Astoria turned over on her port beam, rolled slowly, and settled by the stern, disappearing completely by 12:16. Buchanan lowered two motor whaleboats and, although interrupted by a fruitless hunt for a submarine, came back and assisted the men in the water. Alchiba, which arrived on the scene just before Astoria sank, rescued 32 men. Not one man from the salvage crew lost his life. Officially, 219 men were reported missing or killed.[5]

 

Rediscovery

The wreck of USS Astoria was discovered in early 2015 during a sonar mapping project of Iron Bottom Sound led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The wreck lies upright in[6] roughly 860 meters (2,820 ft) of water with its bow missing and "A" turret pointing aft.[7]

Ladner, BC Canada

 

Year built: 1917

L.o.a.: 53'

Beam: 13'

Draft: 8'

Displacement: 28.10 Gross tons, 19.11 net registered tons

 

VESSEL DESCRIPTION

Ocean Belle originally “J.C.G.” was built in Port Alberni, BC by Builder/Captain James Alexander Croll. In 1937 she was purchased by James Oprang Towing Co. Ltd of Vancouver and was repowered in 1945. In 1948 she was purchased by Vancouver Tug and Barge Co., Ltd. and was renamed “La Rose” and spent the next 14 years operating in the Gulf of Georgia and Johnstone Straits.

 

In 1961 La Rose was decommissioned by Capitol Iron & Metals of Victoria and was converted to a pleasure craft purchased privately and renamed “Ocean Belle” in 1965. It was purchased by the current owners in 2003 and has undergone extensive restorations and improvements.

 

This is a single screw, diesel powered ex-tugboat of carvel planked wood construction (hull) having a plumb bow, round bilges to a long keel and a fantail stern. The hull and deck are white coloured with blue trim, the deck profile comprising a low trunk cabin forward, followed by the wheelhouse, then a full-height main house extending aft to a partially covered cockpit at the stern.

 

The main deck interior incorporates the steering/control station and a pilot berth forward. Step down to the main cabin with an enclosed head, lockers, a U-galley and dinette. Below decks is a tub/shower compartment in the foc's'le with an access hatch to the forepeak. Next aft is a foredeck access ladder followed by the machinery space. The machinery space is entered from a hatch in the dinette area. The lazarette is accessed through a raised hatch in the cockpit.

 

Online References: agboats.com/forsale/ocean-belle; vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/boa/d/delta-central-1917-westcoast-tugboat/7377043929.html

 

DELTA LIFEBOAT:

 

The Delta Lifeboat has a long history of service in the maritime community. Designed by the US Navy as an Admiral’s Barge, and reportedly used by Admiral Nimitz as his launch at one time, it was built in 1944 in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Following naval service transporting flag officers moving between warships, she passed into private hands and was modified for use as a recreational vessel.

 

Previously known as Artist’s Life, in 1988 this classic wooden vessel was purchased by marine artist and official Canadian naval war artist, John Horton and renamed Steveston Lifeboat. This began her life-saving career, and she was updated for Maritime Search and Rescue. Changes ensured she was a secure platform for working alongside vessels in distress, and that she could safely undertake towing tasks; all while providing a safe environment for crew members during patrol and call-out activities. For many years she operated out of Steveston Harbour, working in support of the fishing industry in the Fraser Estuary and Gulf of Georgia.

 

While still registered as the Steveston Lifeboat, major repair and refit activities were completed in 2017. These included an update of navigation and communications equipment, a complete overhaul of the engine and related equipment, and minor structural changes to provide additional working space on the bridge.

 

The vessel is based in Ladner Harbour at the Ladner Lifeboat Station and renamed Delta Lifeboat, she serves under the flags of the CLI and the City of Delta. Manned by an all-volunteer crew, she is often seen on patrol, ready to provide assistance to fishing, commercial, and recreational vessels experiencing difficulties.

 

In Sep 2020, the Delta Lifeboat was graciously donated to the CLI by John and Mary Horton.

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and please know that any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sonja

 

youtu.be/LuAPtl77fYM

 

Instructions available here: youtu.be/1b5qFaAS2ME

My 2nd unofficial alternate model of LEGO Technic Dozer Compactor 42071. The monster truck features front wheel steering controlled via the knob on the roof, opening doors and working crane at the rear operated by menas of a worm gear mechanism. You can attach some load to the hook of the crane as well.

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Ladner, BC Canada

 

Year built: 1917

L.o.a.: 53'

Beam: 13'

Draft: 8'

Displacement: 28.10 Gross tons, 19.11 net registered tons

 

VESSEL DESCRIPTION

Ocean Belle originally “J.C.G.” was built in Port Alberni, BC by Builder/Captain James Alexander Croll. In 1937 she was purchased by James Oprang Towing Co. Ltd of Vancouver and was repowered in 1945. In 1948 she was purchased by Vancouver Tug and Barge Co., Ltd. and was renamed “La Rose” and spent the next 14 years operating in the Gulf of Georgia and Johnstone Straits.

 

In 1961 La Rose was decommissioned by Capitol Iron & Metals of Victoria and was converted to a pleasure craft purchased privately and renamed “Ocean Belle” in 1965. It was purchased by the current owners in 2003 and has undergone extensive restorations and improvements.

 

This is a single screw, diesel powered ex-tugboat of carvel planked wood construction (hull) having a plumb bow, round bilges to a long keel and a fantail stern. The hull and deck are white coloured with blue trim, the deck profile comprising a low trunk cabin forward, followed by the wheelhouse, then a full-height main house extending aft to a partially covered cockpit at the stern.

 

The main deck interior incorporates the steering/control station and a pilot berth forward. Step down to the main cabin with an enclosed head, lockers, a U-galley and dinette. Below decks is a tub/shower compartment in the foc's'le with an access hatch to the forepeak. Next aft is a foredeck access ladder followed by the machinery space. The machinery space is entered from a hatch in the dinette area. The lazarette is accessed through a raised hatch in the cockpit.

 

Online References: agboats.com/forsale/ocean-belle; vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/boa/d/delta-central-1917-westcoast-tugboat/7377043929.html

 

This image is best viewed in Large screen.

 

Thank-you for your visit, and please know that any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sonja