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The H-variant had the same crew and structural changes as the G-variant. The most significant upgrade was the switch to the TF-33P-3 turbofan engines, which provided better performance and fuel economy than the J57 turbojets. The ECM and avionics were updated, a new AN/ASG-21 fire control system was fitted, and the rear defensive armament was changed from machine guns to a single 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon. The final 18 aircraft were manufactured for the ADR-8 countermeasures rocket, which was later retrofitted to the remainder of the B-52G and B-52H fleet. A provision was made for four GAM-87 Skybolt missiles, but these weapons never made it into production.
Two types of external pylons can be fitted underneath the wings of the B-52H. The longer variety was originally used for carrying the AGM-28 Hound Dog cruise missile whereas the shorter one was designed for conventional weapons carriage, and known as the “stub” wing pylon.
The stub pylon was originally fitted with the I-beam rack adapter, which could carry up to 12 weapons on each pylon. Two MER-1-6 or -6As are attached and the B-52H can carry a wide variety of conventional weapons. Like the B-52G, the B-52H was provided with the AGM-69 Short-Range Attack Missile (SRAM) and the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). The B-52H could carry 12 AGM-86B missiles underwing, six on each of the ALCM long-variety underwing pylons. In addition, the B-52H can also carry 12 AGM-129A Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM), which is a stealthy version of the AGM-86. In the late 1980s, further modifications made it possible for the B-52H to carry eight more AGM-86B missiles internally in a Common Strategic Rotary Launcher (CSRL), which was not fitted to the B-52G.
The aircraft’s first flight occurred on 10 July 1960, and it entered service on 9 May 1961 with the 379th Bomb Wing at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. A total of 102 B-52Hs were built and it is the only variant still in use with the USAF, flying with the 2nd Bomb Wing and 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota. In this image, a CALCM-equipped B-52H of the 644th Bomb Squadron of the 410th Bomb Wing stationed at K.I. Sawyer AFB flies a practice penetration mission. Note the external CALCM pylon mounted on the wings.
California sea lions harness their collective strength, chaining themselves together to stabilize the pilings of the Santa Cruz wharf.
It's the first shot I post here from my vacation with my darling in Karlovy Vary [Carlsbad] , it's a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (80.78 miles) west of Prague. It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).
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Canon 50D
Canon 50mm f1.8II
Me on Facebook
There were many interesting exhibits; but they were impossible to photograph. As a result I'm sharing very few photos here.
This lovely International was part of the Structural Transport fleet when I photographed it at Aqua Chem Corp. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in September 1984.
I've always viewed competant muscle testing as asking a question of motor and sensory nerves. The question is: can you hold this position/angle of movement?
Answers include:
yes with gusto,
sorta but only with pain,
sorta for a only short time,
absolutely no,
not really because I braced elsewhere first,
and "that question is incomprehensible so I changed the question and did another movement entirely. "
Parsing out those answers and making the brain aware of the body's responses can instantly change ROM, pain, and coordination.
[Barbara Sharp LMT]
Stitched Panorama
Zubštejn is a gothic castle built on a rocky hill in the early 14th Century. It was a important strongpoint of the mighty Pernštejn family, intensively modernized and rebuilt, but the importance of old castles faded in the 16th Century. They were too isolated, uncomfortable and not representative enough in comparison with the great marble Pernštejn Castle and other city palaces. Zubštejn is counted as abandoned in 1596. In the early 20th Century illegal communists met in the castle, in WW2 the Czech resistance fighters. Today the castle is structurally secured and opened to public.
Wildland 1 has been delivered just in time for wildland fire season! This BME Type III is based off the CalFire Model 34 spec with Castle Beach modifications. This apparatus will be housed at Station 1 and staffed as needed. During strike team deployments, Wildland 1 can be assigned to a variety of tasks including structural protection or fire attack. The 4x4 chassis allows the rig to access places where regular Type 1 engines cannot go.
Technical specs:
International 7400 4 Door, Single Axle, 4×4 Chassis
Cummins L9, 330 HP / 1,000 LB FT
Allison 3000 Transmission
Darley JMP 500 gpm 2-Stage Pump
Darley 1-1/2 AGE Auxiliary Pump
Pump & Roll Capabilities
FoamPro 1601 Foam System
500 Gallon Poly Water Tank
20 Gallon Poly Foam Tank
Bumper mounted TFT Tornado Monitor
Battery operated Holmatro combi tool
400 ft of 4” LDH
250 ft of 1.75” attack hose
300 ft of 1.5” forestry hose
Credits:
James K, Sven, CC, and Abeed M for general inspiration
#QualityImpersonatedHashtagDuplicated #OftenImitatedNeverDuplicated
Very little texture in this one, and no references to the sea as I'm not looking to illustrate "Persuasion" but think instead of the society in which Jane lived... very structured and ordered. I've used a time line from left to right, so the colourful part of her life is on the right when her novels where published. Back to more Georgian colours.
This didn't grab me as a piece as it feels rather Oriental than Georgian.
Structural Steel Design Awards 2012. Jarrold Bridge by Ramboll. Commissioned to design over the river Wensum in Norwich, architect and structural engineer Ramboll took the long route, designing 80m long structure to cross the 35m wide span.
© ninaflynnphotograghy - www.ninaflynnphotography.com
Feel free to share but do not download, copy, manipulate or use in any other way.
Durante 41 años tuvo el record de la estructura más alta del mundo. Esto gracias, en parte, al sobredimensionamiento estructural con el que se diseñó. Sin embargo, es probablemente esta característica la que la hace tan atractiva y llamativa.
For 41 year it had the record of the tallest structure in the world. This is thanks, in part, because the structural oversizing with it was designed. However, this is probably the characteristic that makes it so attractive and appealing.
5 Image HDR/DRI 2 image stitched to relief spatial tension on right using black card technique + ND 0.9 for smoothed water and cloud effects. Art Science Museum @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
A scout around the area yield interesting compositions. I figured from this angle I might be able to see the sunrise at this time of the year. The camera was positioned nearly at the edge of the water!!
The Transamerica Pyramid rises here with a clarity that still feels quietly radical. Seen from the street, its geometry does the work: a disciplined taper, a relentless grid of windows, and a structural logic that reads cleanly even at full height. This view anchors the building where it meets the city—trees, pavement, and the human-scaled threshold—before letting the eye climb, uninterrupted, toward the pale San Francisco sky.
Designed to be read as much as experienced, the Pyramid rewards this straight-on, ground-up vantage. The repeating window bays become a measured rhythm rather than texture, emphasizing proportion over ornament. The flared base—often overlooked—reveals its role as a mediator between monument and neighborhood, opening space at street level while supporting the tower’s unmistakable silhouette above.
What’s striking today is how contemporary the building still feels. Against softer glass towers nearby, the Pyramid’s concrete discipline and precise geometry assert a different kind of confidence—less about spectacle, more about intent. The softened light here brings out subtle tonal shifts in the façade, while the trees frame the structure without competing with it, reinforcing a sense of calm rather than scale alone.
In a city defined by constant reinvention, the Transamerica Pyramid remains a fixed point of orientation—geographic, architectural, and emotional. It doesn’t ask for attention. It earns it, simply by standing exactly where it is, doing exactly what it was designed to do.
The Circ Hotel by Hosteeva, located in Downtown Hollywood, Florida, was a highly celebrated project that marked the first new hotel built in the city's downtown core in nearly 40 years. The property transitioned through multiple corporate structural changes—moving from its original lifestyle launch to being operated by Sonder and finally being managed under the Hosteeva banner.
2018: A Historic Grand Opening
The hotel officially celebrated its grand opening in June 2018. It was built as a primary anchor for the $200 million mixed-use Hollywood Circle development, a major revitalization project sitting right next to the ArtsPark at Young Circle. Developed by Hollywood Circle LLC (led by Charles "Chip" Abele Jr.) and funded partly by EB-5 investment, the 12-story, 111-room boutique hotel was widely praised as the catalyst designed to usher in a modern "lifestyle" renaissance for Hollywood's historic urban district.
At its debut, the hotel featured heavily publicized upscale concepts, including:
Olivia Restaurant & Bar: An authentic Italian eatery spearheaded by South Florida restaurateurs Piero Filpi and Marcello Sindoni.
The Muse Rooftop Bar & Lounge: A trendy pool-deck bar offering 360-degree panoramic views of the South Florida skyline.
Presto Market & Coffee Bar: A chic, ground-level neighborhood hub.
While the building originally operated under standard hospitality management agreements, the hotel landscape shifted with the rise of tech-driven corporate hospitality brands.
The Sonder Phase: For a period, the hotel was managed by the flexible-stay hospitality company Sonder, operating under an apartment-hotel style model.
The Shift to Hosteeva: Following Sonder's exit, management of the hotel rooms was taken over by Hosteeva. Under Hosteeva's tech-driven platform, the hotel rooms were adapted into modern boutique accommodations blending classic hotel amenities (like the 12th-floor rooftop pool, fitness center, and a newly established Melbean Coffee Shop) with seamless, contactless vacation rental conveniences.
Recent Real Estate Turbulence
In early 2024, the residential portion directly above the hotel (the 25-story Circ Residences tower) was converted from luxury rentals into individual condominiums. Following slow condo sales, the overarching development entity faced severe financial stress, resulting in a $133.4 million foreclosure lawsuit filed in mid-2026 against the developer's remaining unsold units. Despite the legal and financial restructurings occurring with the residential portion of the tower, the boutique hotel rooms managed by Hosteeva continue to actively welcome travelers visiting the Young Circle district.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.google.com/search?q=history+of+the+circ+hotel+by+host...
www.google.com/search?q=1780+polk+street+hollywood+fl+330...
www.google.com/search?q=how+many+floors+does+the+building...
therealdeal.com/miami/2019/06/19/eb-5-funded-project-in-d...
www.google.com/search?q=how+many+floors+does+1720+harriso...
www.google.com/search?q=what+is+the+height+in+feet+of+the...
www.google.com/search?q=circ+residences&sca_esv=e7211...
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First responders from across the country were in Virginia Beach for a massive structural collapse training exercise hosted by the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Virginia Task Force 2. The annual School was held at the sprawling complex of crawl spaces and staged disaster zones representing different scenarios – things first responders have seen and experienced first-hand. This course gives urban search and rescue teams a chance to practice their skills. More than 160 people took part in the hands-on training lasting for 8 days with students coming from as far as San Francisco, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware.
Photographs by Craig McClure
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© 2021
ALL Rights reserved by City of Virginia Beach.
Contact photo[at]vbgov.com for permission to use. Commercial use not allowed.
One of a series of sculptural abstract expressionist pieces created from a colour photograph of rusting metal. As in many other expressionist pieces of mine Rothko is a major influence here.
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years (MY) 1971–1980. The 1971 two-door sedan was followed by hatchback and wagon models for MY 1972. With over 3 million produced over a 10-year model run, the Pinto outproduced the combined totals of its domestic rivals, the Chevy Vega and the AMC Gremlin.
In 1977 controversy surrounding the Pinto erupted after revelations that its structural design allowed its fuel tank filler neck to break off and the fuel tank to be punctured in a rear-end collision, resulting in serious and potentially deadly fires from spilled fuel. A lawsuit was won in 1978 over the matter and the car was recalled the same year. The Pinto has been covered extensively since as a landmark case in business ethics.
A rebadged variant, the Mercury Bobcat, debuted in 1974 in Canada and in March 1975 in the US. The Pinto/Bobcat and the smaller, imported Ford Fiesta were ultimately replaced by the front-wheel-drive Ford Escort and Mercury Lynx. Pintos were manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario at St. Thomas Assembly; Edison, New Jersey at Edison Assembly; and in Milpitas, California at San Jose Assembly.
The nameplate "Pinto" derives from the distinctive white and solid pattern of coloration common in horses.
U.S. automakers had first countered imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle with compact cars including the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant, although these cars featured six-cylinder engines and comprised a larger vehicle class. As the popularity of smaller Japanese imports from Toyota and Datsun increased throughout the 1960s, Ford North America responded by introducing the Ford Cortina from Ford of Europe as a captive import. U.S. automakers would soon introduce their own subcompacts. The Pinto was in compliance with Japanese regulations concerning vehicle length and engine displacement, but exceeded width dimensions by 60 mm (2.4 in).
The Pinto was introduced on September 11, 1970. The AMC Gremlin was the first to arrive on the market six months before the Pinto, and the Chevrolet Vega was introduced the day before the Pinto. Both the Pinto and the Vega were new, but the Pinto used powertrains proven in Europe from the European Ford Escort, while the Vega's innovative aluminum engine would prove troublesome. The Gremlin was designed around a six-cylinder engine, and was derived largely by truncating the rear body from the compact-class AMC Hornet to achieve its short length.
Design
Ford President Lee Iacocca wanted a 1971 model that weighed less than 2,000 pounds and that would be priced at less than $2,000. A team of stylists at Ford was assigned to design the Pinto's exterior and interior instead of using the European Ford Escort. Robert Eidschun's design of the exterior theme was eventually chosen in its entirety. The clay models of the Pinto were finalized in December 1968 after which Eidschun left Ford to join Chrysler, as a studio Design Manager.
Ford North America's decision to create an all-new vehicle instead of integrating a design from international corporate resources paralleled GM North America's approach when creating the Chevrolet Vega — opting not to use the established Vauxhall Viva or Opel Kadett marketed at the time at GM dealerships in Canada, and USA Buick dealerships from 1967. Designers working on products intended for North America had more freedom with exterior dimensions and engine sizes in relation to Japanese counterparts, where those criteria were dictated by Japanese government regulations. Typically, Detroit manufacturers created products that emulated import aspects with market-driven improvements.
While the previously introduced Ford Maverick offered either straight-6 or V8 engine and a front bench seat, the Pinto offered an inline-4 engine, and bucket seats – more in keeping with small imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle, available since 1949, the Toyota Corolla, introduced to North America March 1968, and the newly introduced Datsun 1200 which appeared in 1970.
Compared with imports, seating was low to the floor. Styling somewhat resembled the larger Ford Maverick in grille and tail light themes, but with a fastback profile.
The car's mechanical design was conventional, with unibody construction, a longitudinally mounted engine in front driving the rear wheels through either a manual or automatic transmission and live axle rear end. Suspension was by unequal-length control arms with front coil springs; the live rear axle was suspended on leaf springs. The rack and pinion steering had optional power assist, as did the brakes.
Production history
After a 22-month development period, Ford introduced the Pinto under the tagline The Little Carefree Car.
After structural work on alternate body styles encountered obstacles, Ford offered the Pinto as a two-door sedan, with entry level models priced at around $1850, undercutting GM's Chevrolet Vega and directly targeting imported models — which included such new competitors as the Mazda 1200 in 1971, the Subaru DL in 1972, and the Honda Civic in 1973.
By January 1971, the Pinto had sold over 100,000 units and 352,402 for the entire 1971 production run. 1974 saw the most Pintos produced in a single model year with 544,209 units.
1979–1980
1979-1980 Ford Pinto coupe
For the 1979 model year, the Pinto saw its first significant styling update. Taking on square headlights, the Pinto shed its styling borrowed from the Maverick. Wearing larger taillights, the Pinto now wore a square, sloping grille.
1980 marked the end of the Pinto's production run. For 1980, the V6 engine was discontinued, leaving the 2.3L as the sole engine.
Fuel tank controversy
Controversy followed the Pinto after 1977 allegations that the Pinto's structural design allowed its fuel tank filler neck to break off and the fuel tank to be punctured in a rear-end collision, resulting in deadly fires from spilled fuel.
Design flaws and ensuing lawsuits
The Pinto's design positioned its fuel tank between the rear axle and the rear bumper. In a crash, the filler neck could tear away from the tank, spilling fuel beneath the car. The tank itself could also be punctured by the protruding bolts of the differential.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated complaints about the Pinto's fuel tank safety as early as 1974, taking action in 1977 — after an article in Mother Jones. The article said that Ford was aware of the design flaw, was unwilling to pay for a redesign, and decided it would be cheaper to pay off possible lawsuits. The magazine obtained a cost-benefit analysis that it said Ford had used to compare the cost of repairs (Ford estimated the cost to be $11 per car) against the cost of settlements for deaths, injuries, and vehicle burnouts . The document became known as the Ford Pinto Memo.
An example of a Pinto rear-end accident that led to a lawsuit was the 1972 accident resulted in the court case Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co., in which the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District upheld compensatory damages of $2.5 million and punitive damages of $3.5 million against Ford, partially because Ford had been aware of the design defects before production began but had decided against changing the design. The incident, and the Ford Pinto Memo in particular, has continued to be cited and debated as a major case in the study of business ethics.
Recall
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ultimately directed Ford to recall the Pinto. Initially, the NHTSA did not feel there was sufficient evidence to demand a recall due to incidents of fire. 27 deaths were attributed to Pinto fires (the same number of deaths attributed to a Pinto transmission problem) and in 1974 the NHTSA ruled that the Pinto had no "recallable" problem.
In 1978, Ford initiated a recall providing a plastic protective shield to be dealer-installed between the fuel tank and the differential bolts, another to deflect contact with the right-rear shock absorber, and a new fuel-tank filler neck that extended deeper into the tank and was more resistant to breaking off in a rear-end collision.
Schwartz paper
In a 1991 paper, "The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case", for the Rutgers Law Review, Gary Schwartz said the case against the Pinto was not clear-cut.
According to his study, the number who died in Pinto rear-impact fires was well below the hundreds cited in contemporary news reports and closer to the 27 recorded by a limited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 3 million built), this was not substantially worse than typical for the time. Schwartz said that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles, and that the supposed "smoking gun" document that plaintiffs said demonstrated Ford's callousness in designing the Pinto was actually a document based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations about the value of a human life — rather than a document containing an assessment of Ford's potential tort liability.
Schwartz's study said:
The Pinto Memo wasn't used or consulted internally by Ford, but rather was attached to a letter written to NHTSA about proposed regulation. When plaintiffs tried to use the memo in support of punitive damages, the trial judge ruled it inadmissible for that purpose (p. 1021, Schwartz study).
The Pinto's fuel tank location behind the axle, ostensibly its design defect, was "commonplace at the time in American cars" (p. 1027).
The precedent of the California Supreme Court at the time not only tolerated manufacturers trading off safety for cost, but apparently encouraged manufacturers to consider such trade-offs (p. 1037).
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
This Lego miniland scale Ford Pinto 3-Door Runabout ESS (1980) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 96th Build Challenge - The 8th Birthday, titled - 'Happy Crazy Eight Birthday, LUGNuts' - where all previous build challenges are available to build to. This model is built to the LUGNuts 10th Build Challenge, - "Sympathy for the Underdog" - a challenge to recreate a vehicle that had a hard time making friends (whether deserved on undeserved). The Ford Pinto is one of the industry text cases on Product Safety. Interestingly, the washup regarding the model was that it was no less safe than the competition, but you know, let the lawyers loose and anything can happen.
There are several parts of the Smithfield Street Bridge where you can shoot and not have to worry about heavy vibrations from bus and truck traffic. The Warren Pony Truss part of the Smithfield Street Bridge over the CSX (old P&LE) is about as solid a platform as you could ask for and one of my favorite spots to shoot from on the bridge. I once saw a kid ride his bicycle up over the top this arch one afternoon. On this foggy morning it's about the only thing is solid view as the Monongahela River shrouds the rest of the bridge in a thick fog. To learn more about this amazing bridge, visit pghbridges.com/pittsburghW/0584-4476/smithfieldpixA.htm
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Art washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.
- Henri Matisse
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Sculpture group Shoal Fly By (2003) by Bellemo & Cat at Docklands, Melbourne's precinct centre.
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NO GIFS AND ANIMATED ICONS, PLEASE!
Port closeup view of the hangar showing Hurricane class heavy shuttles and fighter/bomber.
Name: S.S. Bessemer
Registration Number: KCC-1894 (Kolter Construction Contract Number 1,894)
Affiliation: Kolter Mining, Refining, and Fuel.
Class Name: Bessemer class
Type: Deep Space Mining Operations Flagship
Commissioned: Circa late 2500’s, post recent major conflict
Specifications:
Length: 1,844 meters (184.4 studs, 58.1 inches, 4.83 feet, 147.5 cm model)
Width: 503 meters (50.3 studs, 15.8 inches, 40.2 cm model)
Height: 484 meters, 398 meters without dorsal comms array, (48.4 studs, 15.2 inches, 38.7 cm model)
Crew: 2,950 standard complement + capacity for crew families, as well as smaller guest quarters for up to 2,000 additional personnel to be moved to/from mining operations.
Armament: 1 super-heavy coaxial particle beam cannon, (primarily for asteroid mining, but also more than capable of defensive action,) 4 dual-mounted heavy particle cannon turrets, 8 dual-mounted medium particle cannon turrets, 2 coaxial fore medium particle cannons, 80 quad-mounted 80mm anti-fighter flak railgun turrets.
Defensive systems:
Hull: Super-heavy steel alloy hull with carbon nanotube/buckypaper composite layers as spall lining.
Armor plating: steel, titanium alloy, tungsten, ceramic, and carbon nanotube composite armor layers against asteroids/other space debris, kinetic weapons, kinetic spalling, particle, laser, and plasma fire. Thick composite armor provides excellent survivability, but with very high mass. Some battleships are less armored than this ship.
Bulkheads: Extensive titanium bulkhead support network.
Structural integrity field: High power system designed for significant cargo mass placing stress on the frame, or to withstand asteroid impacts to the hull.
Shielding: Internally housed high power adaptive particle field repulsing shielding system capable of surviving significant punishment. Some older battleships have less robust shielding.
Powerplant: 1 primary matter-antimatter reactor with extensive fuel reserves, 2 secondary fusion reactors with extensive fuel reserves. Multiple massive power capacitors. Extensive heatinks.
Propulsion: 1 massive primary fusion engine for sub-lightspeed travel, 1 internal FTL core capable of moderate FTL speed, long range travel, and 32 large reaction control thrusters for slow but dependable below light speed maneuvering.
Computer systems: Single supercomputer core with onboard Virtual Intelligence system.
Comms and Sensors: Local and FTL comms arrays. Radar, LIDAR, infrared, multi-spectral, and additional other local area sensors systems, along with extensive FTL sensors.
Additional Systems: High power artificial singularity for both artificial gravity generation and inertial dampening, allowing for 1G gravity even when hauling an entire cargo hold full of heavy-metal. 6 massive blast furnaces for refining metal ore, an enormous central cargo hold system, 4 fuel refining tanks, 4 massive fuel storage tanks, and an internal rail system for moving ore and personnel.
Embarked Craft: 2 Thunderbird class super-heavy cargo/personnel shuttles, 2 Hurricane class heavy cargo/personnel shuttles, 20 heavy mining drones, 24 medium mining drones, 2 gunships of variable class, 2 heavy fighter/bombers of variable class, potential for multiple additional light shuttles and fighters.
Background: After seeing both the devastation to outlying areas of space caused by the recent Great War, and the corruption within the Federal Defense Navy (working title) Admiralty, Captain David Courtland retired honorably from military service and went to helm his family’s generations old mining company, Kolter Mining, Refining, and Fuel; one of the largest mining companies in United Earth Federation space. (Working title.)
He wanted to take the company, already a reputable and successful business, in a new direction. That direction was the disputed, war-torn, no-man’s-waste-land of space known as The Divide, (working title) situated between the major powers of the galaxy. Life in The Divide was desperate, with little hope for the many people stranded in the ruins, poverty, and crime infested land. None of the major powers could intervene without starting another territorial war, and as such, pirates, gangs, and unscrupulous mega-corporations ruled supreme.
Courtland wanted to make a difference to this sorrowful place, and with trillions of credits and a Fortunes 1,000 company at his control, he had the means to at least begin; although even he lacked the ability to single-handedly remedy the myriad of woes The Divide faced.
David’s plan was simple, to move significant mining operations to The Divide, thus:
1: Creating new, safe, well-paying, good jobs for both an area and an industry that seldom offered such things.
2: Allowing for the placement of company security forces to deter pirate activity around major settlements.
3: Providing tax-free revenue to fund new schools, hospitals, food, water, shetler, and other charitable activities in The Divide.
But to do it, he required a new kind of mining vessel, as well as additional security forces. Thus he contacted Nelson Heavy Industries, who in turn partnered with AxonTech Interstellar Systems for some components, to place an order for a line of custom massive deep space mining operation flagships with enhanced combat capabilities and capable of operating in the remotest reaches of space for months or even years at a time. And so the Bessemer class was born.
The Bessemer class is unlike any mining vessel ever produced before it. Certainly significantly larger mining ships existed, but these were typically little more than unarmed, slow moving things with small engines; closer to a semi-mobile starbase than a combination frontier battleship/mining vessel. But Courtland required something unique. Something that could move faster, survive more punishment, and something that had teeth; not a fragile, barely moving thing that would only sit in safe areas of space. Courtland needed a mighty sheepdog in a world of sheep and wolves.
Bessemer class vessels are 1,844 meters long, and possess more armor, firepower, and shielding than many pre Great War battleship designs. Almost any pirate or local gang would be terrified of the sight of over a mile of steel and particle cannons; clad in Kolter white, green, and yellow.
But the Bessemer, and others of her class, are not merely warships masquerading as civilian craft. They are heavy mining machines that live up to their name; a steel producing process that revolutionized the industry of Earth some seven hundred years earlier. The Bessemer and her sister ships are capable of blasting metal-rich asteroids to bits with their coaxial mining particle beam cannon, and then having swarms of automated mining drones devour any valuable deposits within before unloading the materials into the Bessemer’s ore hold for the internal rail system to run any raw ore through her six corvette sized forges, and then having the refined metal shunted to her cavernous lower hold, while any waste material from the refining process is vented directly into space.
Ships of this class are outfitted with a sizable hangar, advanced sensor suite, extensive internal cargo bays, and large cargo pod clamps that allow it to act in the capacity of miner, defensive ship, operations command center, and even freighter and personnel carrier should usual shipping to outlying mining sites be disrupted.
But capable as they are, these are not the spartan mining vessels with unlivable working conditions that some shady companies have been known to operate. These space-faring cities of steel feature robust safety systems, spacious and comfortable crew quarters, multiple restaurants, multiple mess-halls, multiple shops for clothing, food, electronics, and other items, an arcade, multiple gyms with weights, various weight and cardio machines, martial arts areas, gymnastics equipment, along with a walking track, a small bowling alley, an olympic sized swimming pool, a multi-sport stadium, a greenhouse, hydroponics bays, a small stage/concert area, several computer labs, a library, a small movie theater, crew lounges and break areas, a salon/spa, a bar/club, chapels, classroom/daycare areas, office areas, as well as repair stations, enough dry and frozen storage to keep everyone fed for extended missions, advanced workshops, astrotography, laboratories, guest bunk-rooms, and a starbase grade medical center.
Not everyone is happy about Kolter Mining’s efforts, however. While Courtland founded the Kolter Foundation to aid those in need, he also lobbied for what came to be known as the Kolter Bill to be passed. Mining employees out in the colonies loved the added protections this afforded them. But the executives of Kolter’s rival mining companies operating out of Earth’s colony worlds quickly found themselves facing laws that favored the profits of Kolter and their already developed safety systems and excellent treatment of employees. What’s more, the Federal Defense Navy Admiralty have been continually frustrated that rather than helping to line their pockets as part of the military industrial complex, Courtland has been working tirelessly to reveal their corruption and hidden support of crime in outlying areas of space.
What’s more, there are even rumors that Courtland is now working with, and possibly even helping to fund, a mercenary vigilante unit out in The Divide known as the Phoenix Command Group, founded by Jonathan Scarlett, another former Federal Defense Navy Captain who ran afoul of the Admiralty.
The wealthy and corrupt among the Admiralty, military industrial complex, crime syndicates, and corrupt businesses running shady operations out in The Divide are deeply troubled by these rumors. But those who are now citizens of no nation, and who have known nothing but hopelessness and need for years, have a slight spark of hope rising like a Phoenix.
IRL info: This digital SHIP was made in Bricklink’s Studio software from September 11th to September 30th, 2021. I did not originally plan to participate in SHIPtember, but I couldn’t resist. It is 184 studs (58.1 inches) long, 50 studs wide, and 48 studs high. It is comprised of 23,470 pieces, which I believe makes it my highest piece-count SHIP to date, and means that the model itself has a mass of 973.502 ounces, or 60.843 pounds, or 27.597 kilograms, which most likely makes it my heaviest SHIP as well as my most piece intensive. (I really need to learn to build a little more hollow.) Note that it uses all real pieces/colors that are available for sale on Bricklink. (Albeit at a price that makes attempting to build it in physical bricks highly impractical.) It is 100% connected, and should be at least somewhat stable in real life. I would want to reinforce the fore-end with more Technic, and switch out the longest Lego Technic axle holding the engine for an aftermarket stainless steel version. I cannot guarantee that various sections built out from the main SNOT and Technic frame would be totally stable without slight redesign of a few bits. It would also require a hefty display stand of some kind.
The current pictures are WIP to show the completed status of the build itself. Better renders done by importing the Studio build into Mecabricks, replacing any pieces that fail to load or change position, and then exporting to Blender for higher quality rendering, and finally hopefully doing some cool backgrounds with GIMP, will hopefully follow before whatever October picture deadline is decided on. Please do not use these early pictures in the poster if time remains, as I hope to provide better ones. Thank you for reading this lengthy description. Have a cookie.
If this ship had a theme song, this magnificent piece by Clamavi De Profundis would be it: youtu.be/Xm96Cqu4Ils
A stylish hardback book illustrating the work of the United Steel Construction Co. Ltd., a branch of the United Steel Companies Ltd. that had been set up as an independent entity from the Constructional Department of the Appleby-Frodingham Iron & Steel Company of Scunthorpe. This had grown from its origins in 1903 and had evolved into a plant capable of fabricating, supplying and erecting steelwork for almost any branch of construction from domestic properties, through commercial buildings and up to and including complete factories, power stations and bridges. The Structural Company had a speciality in the form of the patent "Castella" beam, a form of lightweight structural unit.
The United Steel Companies, based in the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire area, were formed in 1918 by the amalgamation of Samuel Fox and Company of Stocksbridge; Steel, Peech and Tozer of Templeborough and Ickles in Rotherham and the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company of Scunthorpe. The company were also integrated in that they owned various collieries and traded in coal and coke by-products. The company was Nationalised in 1951 but rapidly returned to private ownership in 1954.
The book looks at a range of building types and illustrates them with drawings and photographs showing specific projects the United Structural Steel Co. Ltd. had been involved in. It is not dated but there is what is possibly a print code dating this to 1955. These pages show the construction of Keadby Power Station in Lincolnshire. The coal powered station was authorised in 1947 with work commencing in July 1948 under the then Central Electricity Authority. The first of six turbo-alternator sets was commissioned in 1952 and the station was fully commissioned by 1956. The architects were Farmer & Dark, the consulting engineers were Ewbank & Partners Ltd. and the construction was by Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons Ltd. The station was decommissioned in 1984.