Step one - remove roof!

Next phase of the Georgia Central-- GP38-2s a plenty. These had begun showing up a few months prior and mixing with the briefly present SD45Rs and then those behemoths found their way over to the Meridian & Bigbee.

 

Rewind to my marked out NS B32-8 leading L782 a couple of weeks ago and here's a previous version-- FURX 5568. Returned to First Union by NS due to their high lease rate and replaced with NS' own 5600/5800 series rebuilds performed in house, these 5500s found their way into a variety of leases (and still do today). I can't recall how many NS "bandits" there were on GC but I'm thinking two or three. At any rate, I immediately thought "Sigh...so this is how it's going to be." Turns out the GP38-2 era wouldn't be that long, either...

 

At any rate, this is the International Paper woodchip shuttle Y115, which makes a daily run out to Faulkville for woodchip loads to take to IP's Savannah paper mill. The haul is all of about 10 miles from the chip loadout to mill but keeps a lot of trucks off of busy and congested US 80 going into Savannah. A Class 1 wouldn't touch this traffic with a 10-foot pole.

 

Y115 has come west to the siding in Meldrim to run around their train and head back to Savannah. Operations on this train vary between a Meldrim run-around and double-ending the power to avoid the run-around. It just seems to vary by the day and probably whether there are two qualified engineers on the train any given day.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 16-Oct-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

This aircraft was delivered to British Airways, in full Caledonian Airways livery, as G-BPEA at the end of Mar-89. It was leased to Caledonian Airways in early Apr-89 (the later BA version of Caledonian, not the original Caledonian Airways which became B.Cal).

 

During it's time with Caledonian, the aircraft was wet-leased to many other airlines. to North American Airlines (Jan/Mar-90), El Al Israel Airlines (Mar/May-90), Nationair Canada (Dec-90/Mar-91), British Airways (Nov-91/Mar-92), Nationair Canada again (Dec-92/Mar-93), LAPA Argentina (Dec-93/Mar-94 and Dec-94/Mar-95).

 

It was returned to British Airways in Nov-95 and continued in service in full BA livery. The aircraft was sold to a lessor in May-97 and leased back to British Airways until it was returned to the lessor in Oct-00 and stored at Marana, AZ, USA.

 

It was moved to Tucson, AZ, USA in Mar-01 and was re-registered N903PG the following month. The aircraft remained stored until it was leased to Cebu Pacific Air (Philippines) as RP-C2714 in Feb-02.

 

In Feb-06 it was returned to the lessor and leased to Air Slovakia as OM-ASA in Mar-06. The aircraft was wet-leased to RAK Airways (Ras al Khaimah, UAE) between Jun/Jul-08. It returned to the lessor as N580SH in Oct-09 and was stored at Miama, FL, USA.

 

It remained stored until it was leased to SBA Santa Barbara Airlines (Venezuela) as YV-450T in Jan-11. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Mexico City, Mexico in Apr-17 and returned to the lessor as N635SH at the end of May-18.

 

The aircraft was permanently retired and broken up at Mexico City in 2019. Updated 13-Nov-21.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 30-Mar-20.

 

'Silver Bullet' livery.

 

First flown as a passenger aircraft with the Boeing test registration N5573B, this aircraft was delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways as VR-HIH in Apr-84.

 

It was converted into freighter configuration with a main deck side cargo door (SCD) in Jun-94 and transferred to Cathay Pacific Airways Cargo.

 

The aircraft was re-registered B-HIH in Jul-97 when Hong Kong became an autonomous region of China. After 25 years in service it was initially stored at Hong Kong in Jun-09.

 

It was sold to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N2868R in Aug-09 and ferried to Kemble, UK in Sep-09 where it was permanently retired and broken up in Feb-10.

Birdoswald Roman Fort was known as Banna ("horn" in Celtic) in Roman times, reflecting the geography of the site on a triangular spur of land bounded by cliffs to the south and east commanding a broad meander of the River Irthing in Cumbria below.

 

It lies towards the western end of Hadrian's Wall and is one of the best preserved of the 16 forts along the wall. It is also attached to the longest surviving stretch of Hadrian's Wall.

 

Cumbria County Council were responsible for the management of Birdoswald fort from 1984 until the end of 2004, when English Heritage assumed responsibility.

 

This western part of Hadrian's Wall was originally built using turf starting from 122 AD. The stone fort was built some time after the wall, in the usual playing card shape, with gates to the east, west and south.

 

The fort was occupied by Cohors I Aelia Dacorum and by other Roman auxiliaries from approximately AD 126 to AD 400.

 

The two-mile sector of Hadrian's Wall either side of Birdoswald is also of major interest. It is currently the only known sector of Hadrian's Wall in which the original turf wall was replaced, probably in the 130s, by a stone wall approximately 50 metres further north, to line up with the fort's north wall, instead of at its east and west gates. The reasons for this change are unclear, although David Woolliscroft (Woolliscroft, 2001) has plausibly suggested that it was the result of changing signalling requirements, whilst Stewart Ainsworth of Time Team suggested it was a response to a cliff collapse into the river. At any rate, this remains the only area in which both the walls can be directly compared.

 

As of 2005, it is the only site[citation needed] on Hadrian's Wall at which significant occupation in the post-Roman period has been proven. Excavations between 1987 and 1992 showed an unbroken sequence of occupation on the site of the fort granaries, running from the late Roman period until possibly 500AD. The granaries were replaced by two successive large timber halls, reminiscent of others found in many parts of Britain dating to the fifth and sixth centuries. Tony Wilmott (co-director of the excavations) has suggested that, after the end of Roman rule in Britain, the fort served as the power-base for a local warband descended from the late Roman garrison, possibly deriving legitimacy from their ancestors for several generations.

 

Inside were built the usual stone buildings, a central headquarters building (principia), granaries (horrea), and barracks. Unusually for an auxiliary fort, it also included an exercise building (basilica exercitatoria), perhaps reflecting the difficulties of training soldiers in the exposed site in the north of England.

 

Geophysical surveys detected vici (civilian settlements) of different characters on the eastern, western and northern sides of the fort. A bathhouse was also located in the valley of the River Irthing.

 

Approximately 600 metres east of Birdoswald, at the foot of an escarpment, lie the remains of Willowford bridge which carried Hadrian's Wall across the River Irthing. The westward movement of the river course over the centuries has left the east abutment of the bridge high and dry, while the west abutment has probably been destroyed by erosion. Nevertheless, the much-modified visible remains are highly impressive. Until 1996, these remains were not directly accessible from the fort, but they can now be reached by a footbridge.

 

The fort at Birdoswald was linked by a Roman road, sometimes referred to as the Maiden Way, to the outpost fort of Bewcastle, seven miles to the north. Signals could be relayed between the two forts by means of two signalling towers.

 

The fort has been extensively excavated for over a century, with twentieth century excavations starting in 1911 by F.G. Simpson and continuing with Ian Richmond from 1927 to 1933 .[6] The gateways and walls were then re-excavated under the supervision of Brenda Swinbank and J P Gillam from 1949 to 1950.

 

Extensive geophysical surveys, both magnetometry and earth resistance survey, were conducted by TimeScape Surveys (Alan Biggins & David Taylor, 1999 & 2004) between 1997 -2001. These surveys established that the sub-surface remains in the fort were well preserved.

 

An area between the fort and the escarpment was excavated by Channel 4's archaeological television programme Time Team in January 2000. The excavation detected signs of an extramural settlement (vicus), but the area is liable to erosion and the majority of the vicus could have fallen over the cliffs.

 

In 2021 Newcastle University, Historic England, and English Heritage launched a major new archaeological excavation at the site.

 

Today the fort's site is operated by English Heritage as Birdoswald Roman Fort. The visitor centre features displays and reconstructions of the fort, exhibits about life in Roman Britain, the site's history through the ages, and archaeological discoveries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can walk outside along the excavated remains of the fort.

 

Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of Britannia after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410.

 

Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 and 54 BC as part of his Gallic Wars. According to Caesar, the Britons had been overrun or culturally assimilated by the Belgae during the British Iron Age and had been aiding Caesar's enemies. The Belgae were the only Celtic tribe to cross the sea into Britain, for to all other Celtic tribes this land was unknown. He received tribute, installed the friendly king Mandubracius over the Trinovantes, and returned to Gaul. Planned invasions under Augustus were called off in 34, 27, and 25 BC. In 40 AD, Caligula assembled 200,000 men at the Channel on the continent, only to have them gather seashells (musculi) according to Suetonius, perhaps as a symbolic gesture to proclaim Caligula's victory over the sea. Three years later, Claudius directed four legions to invade Britain and restore the exiled king Verica over the Atrebates. The Romans defeated the Catuvellauni, and then organized their conquests as the province of Britain. By 47 AD, the Romans held the lands southeast of the Fosse Way. Control over Wales was delayed by reverses and the effects of Boudica's uprising, but the Romans expanded steadily northward.

 

The conquest of Britain continued under command of Gnaeus Julius Agricola (77–84), who expanded the Roman Empire as far as Caledonia. In mid-84 AD, Agricola faced the armies of the Caledonians, led by Calgacus, at the Battle of Mons Graupius. Battle casualties were estimated by Tacitus to be upwards of 10,000 on the Caledonian side and about 360 on the Roman side. The bloodbath at Mons Graupius concluded the forty-year conquest of Britain, a period that possibly saw between 100,000 and 250,000 Britons killed. In the context of pre-industrial warfare and of a total population of Britain of c. 2 million, these are very high figures.

 

Under the 2nd-century emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, two walls were built to defend the Roman province from the Caledonians, whose realms in the Scottish Highlands were never controlled. Around 197 AD, the Severan Reforms divided Britain into two provinces: Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior. During the Diocletian Reforms, at the end of the 3rd century, Britannia was divided into four provinces under the direction of a vicarius, who administered the Diocese of the Britains. A fifth province, Valentia, is attested in the later 4th century. For much of the later period of the Roman occupation, Britannia was subject to barbarian invasions and often came under the control of imperial usurpers and imperial pretenders. The final Roman withdrawal from Britain occurred around 410; the native kingdoms are considered to have formed Sub-Roman Britain after that.

 

Following the conquest of the Britons, a distinctive Romano-British culture emerged as the Romans introduced improved agriculture, urban planning, industrial production, and architecture. The Roman goddess Britannia became the female personification of Britain. After the initial invasions, Roman historians generally only mention Britain in passing. Thus, most present knowledge derives from archaeological investigations and occasional epigraphic evidence lauding the Britannic achievements of an emperor. Roman citizens settled in Britain from many parts of the Empire.

 

History

Britain was known to the Classical world. The Greeks, the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians traded for Cornish tin in the 4th century BC. The Greeks referred to the Cassiterides, or "tin islands", and placed them near the west coast of Europe. The Carthaginian sailor Himilco is said to have visited the island in the 6th or 5th century BC and the Greek explorer Pytheas in the 4th. It was regarded as a place of mystery, with some writers refusing to believe it existed.

 

The first direct Roman contact was when Julius Caesar undertook two expeditions in 55 and 54 BC, as part of his conquest of Gaul, believing the Britons were helping the Gallic resistance. The first expedition was more a reconnaissance than a full invasion and gained a foothold on the coast of Kent but was unable to advance further because of storm damage to the ships and a lack of cavalry. Despite the military failure, it was a political success, with the Roman Senate declaring a 20-day public holiday in Rome to honour the unprecedented achievement of obtaining hostages from Britain and defeating Belgic tribes on returning to the continent.

 

The second invasion involved a substantially larger force and Caesar coerced or invited many of the native Celtic tribes to pay tribute and give hostages in return for peace. A friendly local king, Mandubracius, was installed, and his rival, Cassivellaunus, was brought to terms. Hostages were taken, but historians disagree over whether any tribute was paid after Caesar returned to Gaul.

 

Caesar conquered no territory and left no troops behind, but he established clients and brought Britain into Rome's sphere of influence. Augustus planned invasions in 34, 27 and 25 BC, but circumstances were never favourable, and the relationship between Britain and Rome settled into one of diplomacy and trade. Strabo, writing late in Augustus's reign, claimed that taxes on trade brought in more annual revenue than any conquest could. Archaeology shows that there was an increase in imported luxury goods in southeastern Britain. Strabo also mentions British kings who sent embassies to Augustus, and Augustus's own Res Gestae refers to two British kings he received as refugees. When some of Tiberius's ships were carried to Britain in a storm during his campaigns in Germany in 16 AD, they came back with tales of monsters.

 

Rome appears to have encouraged a balance of power in southern Britain, supporting two powerful kingdoms: the Catuvellauni, ruled by the descendants of Tasciovanus, and the Atrebates, ruled by the descendants of Commius. This policy was followed until 39 or 40 AD, when Caligula received an exiled member of the Catuvellaunian dynasty and planned an invasion of Britain that collapsed in farcical circumstances before it left Gaul. When Claudius successfully invaded in 43 AD, it was in aid of another fugitive British ruler, Verica of the Atrebates.

 

Roman invasion

The invasion force in 43 AD was led by Aulus Plautius,[26] but it is unclear how many legions were sent. The Legio II Augusta, commanded by future emperor Vespasian, was the only one directly attested to have taken part. The Legio IX Hispana, the XIV Gemina (later styled Martia Victrix) and the XX (later styled Valeria Victrix) are known to have served during the Boudican Revolt of 60/61, and were probably there since the initial invasion. This is not certain because the Roman army was flexible, with units being moved around whenever necessary. The IX Hispana may have been permanently stationed, with records showing it at Eboracum (York) in 71 and on a building inscription there dated 108, before being destroyed in the east of the Empire, possibly during the Bar Kokhba revolt.

 

The invasion was delayed by a troop mutiny until an imperial freedman persuaded them to overcome their fear of crossing the Ocean and campaigning beyond the limits of the known world. They sailed in three divisions, and probably landed at Richborough in Kent; at least part of the force may have landed near Fishbourne, West Sussex.

 

The Catuvellauni and their allies were defeated in two battles: the first, assuming a Richborough landing, on the river Medway, the second on the river Thames. One of their leaders, Togodumnus, was killed, but his brother Caratacus survived to continue resistance elsewhere. Plautius halted at the Thames and sent for Claudius, who arrived with reinforcements, including artillery and elephants, for the final march to the Catuvellaunian capital, Camulodunum (Colchester). Vespasian subdued the southwest, Cogidubnus was set up as a friendly king of several territories, and treaties were made with tribes outside direct Roman control.

 

Establishment of Roman rule

After capturing the south of the island, the Romans turned their attention to what is now Wales. The Silures, Ordovices and Deceangli remained implacably opposed to the invaders and for the first few decades were the focus of Roman military attention, despite occasional minor revolts among Roman allies like the Brigantes and the Iceni. The Silures were led by Caratacus, and he carried out an effective guerrilla campaign against Governor Publius Ostorius Scapula. Finally, in 51, Ostorius lured Caratacus into a set-piece battle and defeated him. The British leader sought refuge among the Brigantes, but their queen, Cartimandua, proved her loyalty by surrendering him to the Romans. He was brought as a captive to Rome, where a dignified speech he made during Claudius's triumph persuaded the emperor to spare his life. The Silures were still not pacified, and Cartimandua's ex-husband Venutius replaced Caratacus as the most prominent leader of British resistance.

 

On Nero's accession, Roman Britain extended as far north as Lindum. Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, the conqueror of Mauretania (modern day Algeria and Morocco), then became governor of Britain, and in 60 and 61 he moved against Mona (Anglesey) to settle accounts with Druidism once and for all. Paulinus led his army across the Menai Strait and massacred the Druids and burnt their sacred groves.

 

While Paulinus was campaigning in Mona, the southeast of Britain rose in revolt under the leadership of Boudica. She was the widow of the recently deceased king of the Iceni, Prasutagus. The Roman historian Tacitus reports that Prasutagus had left a will leaving half his kingdom to Nero in the hope that the remainder would be left untouched. He was wrong. When his will was enforced, Rome[clarification needed] responded by violently seizing the tribe's lands in full. Boudica protested. In consequence, Rome[clarification needed] punished her and her daughters by flogging and rape. In response, the Iceni, joined by the Trinovantes, destroyed the Roman colony at Camulodunum (Colchester) and routed the part of the IXth Legion that was sent to relieve it. Paulinus rode to London (then called Londinium), the rebels' next target, but concluded it could not be defended. Abandoned, it was destroyed, as was Verulamium (St. Albans). Between seventy and eighty thousand people are said to have been killed in the three cities. But Paulinus regrouped with two of the three legions still available to him, chose a battlefield, and, despite being outnumbered by more than twenty to one, defeated the rebels in the Battle of Watling Street. Boudica died not long afterwards, by self-administered poison or by illness. During this time, the Emperor Nero considered withdrawing Roman forces from Britain altogether.

 

There was further turmoil in 69, the "Year of the Four Emperors". As civil war raged in Rome, weak governors were unable to control the legions in Britain, and Venutius of the Brigantes seized his chance. The Romans had previously defended Cartimandua against him, but this time were unable to do so. Cartimandua was evacuated, and Venutius was left in control of the north of the country. After Vespasian secured the empire, his first two appointments as governor, Quintus Petillius Cerialis and Sextus Julius Frontinus, took on the task of subduing the Brigantes and Silures respectively.[38] Frontinus extended Roman rule to all of South Wales, and initiated exploitation of the mineral resources, such as the gold mines at Dolaucothi.

 

In the following years, the Romans conquered more of the island, increasing the size of Roman Britain. Governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law to the historian Tacitus, conquered the Ordovices in 78. With the XX Valeria Victrix legion, Agricola defeated the Caledonians in 84 at the Battle of Mons Graupius, in north-east Scotland. This was the high-water mark of Roman territory in Britain: shortly after his victory, Agricola was recalled from Britain back to Rome, and the Romans initially retired to a more defensible line along the Forth–Clyde isthmus, freeing soldiers badly needed along other frontiers.

 

For much of the history of Roman Britain, a large number of soldiers were garrisoned on the island. This required that the emperor station a trusted senior man as governor of the province. As a result, many future emperors served as governors or legates in this province, including Vespasian, Pertinax, and Gordian I.

 

Roman military organisation in the north

In 84 AD

In 84 AD

 

In 155 AD

In 155 AD

 

Hadrian's Wall, and Antonine Wall

There is no historical source describing the decades that followed Agricola's recall. Even the name of his replacement is unknown. Archaeology has shown that some Roman forts south of the Forth–Clyde isthmus were rebuilt and enlarged; others appear to have been abandoned. By 87 the frontier had been consolidated on the Stanegate. Roman coins and pottery have been found circulating at native settlement sites in the Scottish Lowlands in the years before 100, indicating growing Romanisation. Some of the most important sources for this era are the writing tablets from the fort at Vindolanda in Northumberland, mostly dating to 90–110. These tablets provide evidence for the operation of a Roman fort at the edge of the Roman Empire, where officers' wives maintained polite society while merchants, hauliers and military personnel kept the fort operational and supplied.

 

Around 105 there appears to have been a serious setback at the hands of the tribes of the Picts: several Roman forts were destroyed by fire, with human remains and damaged armour at Trimontium (at modern Newstead, in SE Scotland) indicating hostilities at least at that site.[citation needed] There is also circumstantial evidence that auxiliary reinforcements were sent from Germany, and an unnamed British war of the period is mentioned on the gravestone of a tribune of Cyrene. Trajan's Dacian Wars may have led to troop reductions in the area or even total withdrawal followed by slighting of the forts by the Picts rather than an unrecorded military defeat. The Romans were also in the habit of destroying their own forts during an orderly withdrawal, in order to deny resources to an enemy. In either case, the frontier probably moved south to the line of the Stanegate at the Solway–Tyne isthmus around this time.

 

A new crisis occurred at the beginning of Hadrian's reign): a rising in the north which was suppressed by Quintus Pompeius Falco. When Hadrian reached Britannia on his famous tour of the Roman provinces around 120, he directed an extensive defensive wall, known to posterity as Hadrian's Wall, to be built close to the line of the Stanegate frontier. Hadrian appointed Aulus Platorius Nepos as governor to undertake this work who brought the Legio VI Victrix legion with him from Germania Inferior. This replaced the famous Legio IX Hispana, whose disappearance has been much discussed. Archaeology indicates considerable political instability in Scotland during the first half of the 2nd century, and the shifting frontier at this time should be seen in this context.

 

In the reign of Antoninus Pius (138–161) the Hadrianic border was briefly extended north to the Forth–Clyde isthmus, where the Antonine Wall was built around 142 following the military reoccupation of the Scottish lowlands by a new governor, Quintus Lollius Urbicus.

 

The first Antonine occupation of Scotland ended as a result of a further crisis in 155–157, when the Brigantes revolted. With limited options to despatch reinforcements, the Romans moved their troops south, and this rising was suppressed by Governor Gnaeus Julius Verus. Within a year the Antonine Wall was recaptured, but by 163 or 164 it was abandoned. The second occupation was probably connected with Antoninus's undertakings to protect the Votadini or his pride in enlarging the empire, since the retreat to the Hadrianic frontier occurred not long after his death when a more objective strategic assessment of the benefits of the Antonine Wall could be made. The Romans did not entirely withdraw from Scotland at this time: the large fort at Newstead was maintained along with seven smaller outposts until at least 180.

 

During the twenty-year period following the reversion of the frontier to Hadrian's Wall in 163/4, Rome was concerned with continental issues, primarily problems in the Danubian provinces. Increasing numbers of hoards of buried coins in Britain at this time indicate that peace was not entirely achieved. Sufficient Roman silver has been found in Scotland to suggest more than ordinary trade, and it is likely that the Romans were reinforcing treaty agreements by paying tribute to their implacable enemies, the Picts.

 

In 175, a large force of Sarmatian cavalry, consisting of 5,500 men, arrived in Britannia, probably to reinforce troops fighting unrecorded uprisings. In 180, Hadrian's Wall was breached by the Picts and the commanding officer or governor was killed there in what Cassius Dio described as the most serious war of the reign of Commodus. Ulpius Marcellus was sent as replacement governor and by 184 he had won a new peace, only to be faced with a mutiny from his own troops. Unhappy with Marcellus's strictness, they tried to elect a legate named Priscus as usurper governor; he refused, but Marcellus was lucky to leave the province alive. The Roman army in Britannia continued its insubordination: they sent a delegation of 1,500 to Rome to demand the execution of Tigidius Perennis, a Praetorian prefect who they felt had earlier wronged them by posting lowly equites to legate ranks in Britannia. Commodus met the party outside Rome and agreed to have Perennis killed, but this only made them feel more secure in their mutiny.

 

The future emperor Pertinax (lived 126–193) was sent to Britannia to quell the mutiny and was initially successful in regaining control, but a riot broke out among the troops. Pertinax was attacked and left for dead, and asked to be recalled to Rome, where he briefly succeeded Commodus as emperor in 192.

 

3rd century

The death of Commodus put into motion a series of events which eventually led to civil war. Following the short reign of Pertinax, several rivals for the emperorship emerged, including Septimius Severus and Clodius Albinus. The latter was the new governor of Britannia, and had seemingly won the natives over after their earlier rebellions; he also controlled three legions, making him a potentially significant claimant. His sometime rival Severus promised him the title of Caesar in return for Albinus's support against Pescennius Niger in the east. Once Niger was neutralised, Severus turned on his ally in Britannia; it is likely that Albinus saw he would be the next target and was already preparing for war.

 

Albinus crossed to Gaul in 195, where the provinces were also sympathetic to him, and set up at Lugdunum. Severus arrived in February 196, and the ensuing battle was decisive. Albinus came close to victory, but Severus's reinforcements won the day, and the British governor committed suicide. Severus soon purged Albinus's sympathisers and perhaps confiscated large tracts of land in Britain as punishment. Albinus had demonstrated the major problem posed by Roman Britain. In order to maintain security, the province required the presence of three legions, but command of these forces provided an ideal power base for ambitious rivals. Deploying those legions elsewhere would strip the island of its garrison, leaving the province defenceless against uprisings by the native Celtic tribes and against invasion by the Picts and Scots.

 

The traditional view is that northern Britain descended into anarchy during Albinus's absence. Cassius Dio records that the new Governor, Virius Lupus, was obliged to buy peace from a fractious northern tribe known as the Maeatae. The succession of militarily distinguished governors who were subsequently appointed suggests that enemies of Rome were posing a difficult challenge, and Lucius Alfenus Senecio's report to Rome in 207 describes barbarians "rebelling, over-running the land, taking loot and creating destruction". In order to rebel, of course, one must be a subject – the Maeatae clearly did not consider themselves such. Senecio requested either reinforcements or an Imperial expedition, and Severus chose the latter, despite being 62 years old. Archaeological evidence shows that Senecio had been rebuilding the defences of Hadrian's Wall and the forts beyond it, and Severus's arrival in Britain prompted the enemy tribes to sue for peace immediately. The emperor had not come all that way to leave without a victory, and it is likely that he wished to provide his teenage sons Caracalla and Geta with first-hand experience of controlling a hostile barbarian land.

 

Northern campaigns, 208–211

An invasion of Caledonia led by Severus and probably numbering around 20,000 troops moved north in 208 or 209, crossing the Wall and passing through eastern Scotland on a route similar to that used by Agricola. Harried by punishing guerrilla raids by the northern tribes and slowed by an unforgiving terrain, Severus was unable to meet the Caledonians on a battlefield. The emperor's forces pushed north as far as the River Tay, but little appears to have been achieved by the invasion, as peace treaties were signed with the Caledonians. By 210 Severus had returned to York, and the frontier had once again become Hadrian's Wall. He assumed the title Britannicus but the title meant little with regard to the unconquered north, which clearly remained outside the authority of the Empire. Almost immediately, another northern tribe, the Maeatae, went to war. Caracalla left with a punitive expedition, but by the following year his ailing father had died and he and his brother left the province to press their claim to the throne.

 

As one of his last acts, Severus tried to solve the problem of powerful and rebellious governors in Britain by dividing the province into Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior. This kept the potential for rebellion in check for almost a century. Historical sources provide little information on the following decades, a period known as the Long Peace. Even so, the number of buried hoards found from this period rises, suggesting continuing unrest. A string of forts were built along the coast of southern Britain to control piracy; and over the following hundred years they increased in number, becoming the Saxon Shore Forts.

 

During the middle of the 3rd century, the Roman Empire was convulsed by barbarian invasions, rebellions and new imperial pretenders. Britannia apparently avoided these troubles, but increasing inflation had its economic effect. In 259 a so-called Gallic Empire was established when Postumus rebelled against Gallienus. Britannia was part of this until 274 when Aurelian reunited the empire.

 

Around the year 280, a half-British officer named Bonosus was in command of the Roman's Rhenish fleet when the Germans managed to burn it at anchor. To avoid punishment, he proclaimed himself emperor at Colonia Agrippina (Cologne) but was crushed by Marcus Aurelius Probus. Soon afterwards, an unnamed governor of one of the British provinces also attempted an uprising. Probus put it down by sending irregular troops of Vandals and Burgundians across the Channel.

 

The Carausian Revolt led to a short-lived Britannic Empire from 286 to 296. Carausius was a Menapian naval commander of the Britannic fleet; he revolted upon learning of a death sentence ordered by the emperor Maximian on charges of having abetted Frankish and Saxon pirates and having embezzled recovered treasure. He consolidated control over all the provinces of Britain and some of northern Gaul while Maximian dealt with other uprisings. An invasion in 288 failed to unseat him and an uneasy peace ensued, with Carausius issuing coins and inviting official recognition. In 293, the junior emperor Constantius Chlorus launched a second offensive, besieging the rebel port of Gesoriacum (Boulogne-sur-Mer) by land and sea. After it fell, Constantius attacked Carausius's other Gallic holdings and Frankish allies and Carausius was usurped by his treasurer, Allectus. Julius Asclepiodotus landed an invasion fleet near Southampton and defeated Allectus in a land battle.

 

Diocletian's reforms

As part of Diocletian's reforms, the provinces of Roman Britain were organized as a diocese governed by a vicarius under a praetorian prefect who, from 318 to 331, was Junius Bassus who was based at Augusta Treverorum (Trier).

 

The vicarius was based at Londinium as the principal city of the diocese. Londinium and Eboracum continued as provincial capitals and the territory was divided up into smaller provinces for administrative efficiency.

 

Civilian and military authority of a province was no longer exercised by one official and the governor was stripped of military command which was handed over to the Dux Britanniarum by 314. The governor of a province assumed more financial duties (the procurators of the Treasury ministry were slowly phased out in the first three decades of the 4th century). The Dux was commander of the troops of the Northern Region, primarily along Hadrian's Wall and his responsibilities included protection of the frontier. He had significant autonomy due in part to the distance from his superiors.

 

The tasks of the vicarius were to control and coordinate the activities of governors; monitor but not interfere with the daily functioning of the Treasury and Crown Estates, which had their own administrative infrastructure; and act as the regional quartermaster-general of the armed forces. In short, as the sole civilian official with superior authority, he had general oversight of the administration, as well as direct control, while not absolute, over governors who were part of the prefecture; the other two fiscal departments were not.

 

The early-4th-century Verona List, the late-4th-century work of Sextus Rufus, and the early-5th-century List of Offices and work of Polemius Silvius all list four provinces by some variation of the names Britannia I, Britannia II, Maxima Caesariensis, and Flavia Caesariensis; all of these seem to have initially been directed by a governor (praeses) of equestrian rank. The 5th-century sources list a fifth province named Valentia and give its governor and Maxima's a consular rank. Ammianus mentions Valentia as well, describing its creation by Count Theodosius in 369 after the quelling of the Great Conspiracy. Ammianus considered it a re-creation of a formerly lost province, leading some to think there had been an earlier fifth province under another name (may be the enigmatic "Vespasiana"), and leading others to place Valentia beyond Hadrian's Wall, in the territory abandoned south of the Antonine Wall.

 

Reconstructions of the provinces and provincial capitals during this period partially rely on ecclesiastical records. On the assumption that the early bishoprics mimicked the imperial hierarchy, scholars use the list of bishops for the 314 Council of Arles. The list is patently corrupt: the British delegation is given as including a Bishop "Eborius" of Eboracum and two bishops "from Londinium" (one de civitate Londinensi and the other de civitate colonia Londinensium). The error is variously emended: Bishop Ussher proposed Colonia, Selden Col. or Colon. Camalodun., and Spelman Colonia Cameloduni (all various names of Colchester); Gale and Bingham offered colonia Lindi and Henry Colonia Lindum (both Lincoln); and Bishop Stillingfleet and Francis Thackeray read it as a scribal error of Civ. Col. Londin. for an original Civ. Col. Leg. II (Caerleon). On the basis of the Verona List, the priest and deacon who accompanied the bishops in some manuscripts are ascribed to the fourth province.

 

In the 12th century, Gerald of Wales described the supposedly metropolitan sees of the early British church established by the legendary SS Fagan and "Duvian". He placed Britannia Prima in Wales and western England with its capital at "Urbs Legionum" (Caerleon); Britannia Secunda in Kent and southern England with its capital at "Dorobernia" (Canterbury); Flavia in Mercia and central England with its capital at "Lundonia" (London); "Maximia" in northern England with its capital at Eboracum (York); and Valentia in "Albania which is now Scotland" with its capital at St Andrews. Modern scholars generally dispute the last: some place Valentia at or beyond Hadrian's Wall but St Andrews is beyond even the Antonine Wall and Gerald seems to have simply been supporting the antiquity of its church for political reasons.

 

A common modern reconstruction places the consular province of Maxima at Londinium, on the basis of its status as the seat of the diocesan vicarius; places Prima in the west according to Gerald's traditional account but moves its capital to Corinium of the Dobunni (Cirencester) on the basis of an artifact recovered there referring to Lucius Septimius, a provincial rector; places Flavia north of Maxima, with its capital placed at Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) to match one emendation of the bishops list from Arles;[d] and places Secunda in the north with its capital at Eboracum (York). Valentia is placed variously in northern Wales around Deva (Chester); beside Hadrian's Wall around Luguvalium (Carlisle); and between the walls along Dere Street.

 

4th century

Emperor Constantius returned to Britain in 306, despite his poor health, with an army aiming to invade northern Britain, the provincial defences having been rebuilt in the preceding years. Little is known of his campaigns with scant archaeological evidence, but fragmentary historical sources suggest he reached the far north of Britain and won a major battle in early summer before returning south. His son Constantine (later Constantine the Great) spent a year in northern Britain at his father's side, campaigning against the Picts beyond Hadrian's Wall in the summer and autumn. Constantius died in York in July 306 with his son at his side. Constantine then successfully used Britain as the starting point of his march to the imperial throne, unlike the earlier usurper, Albinus.

 

In the middle of the century, the province was loyal for a few years to the usurper Magnentius, who succeeded Constans following the latter's death. After the defeat and death of Magnentius in the Battle of Mons Seleucus in 353, Constantius II dispatched his chief imperial notary Paulus Catena to Britain to hunt down Magnentius's supporters. The investigation deteriorated into a witch-hunt, which forced the vicarius Flavius Martinus to intervene. When Paulus retaliated by accusing Martinus of treason, the vicarius attacked Paulus with a sword, with the aim of assassinating him, but in the end he committed suicide.

 

As the 4th century progressed, there were increasing attacks from the Saxons in the east and the Scoti (Irish) in the west. A series of forts had been built, starting around 280, to defend the coasts, but these preparations were not enough when, in 367, a general assault of Saxons, Picts, Scoti and Attacotti, combined with apparent dissension in the garrison on Hadrian's Wall, left Roman Britain prostrate. The invaders overwhelmed the entire western and northern regions of Britannia and the cities were sacked. This crisis, sometimes called the Barbarian Conspiracy or the Great Conspiracy, was settled by Count Theodosius from 368 with a string of military and civil reforms. Theodosius crossed from Bononia (Boulogne-sur-Mer) and marched on Londinium where he began to deal with the invaders and made his base.[ An amnesty was promised to deserters which enabled Theodosius to regarrison abandoned forts. By the end of the year Hadrian's Wall was retaken and order returned. Considerable reorganization was undertaken in Britain, including the creation of a new province named Valentia, probably to better address the state of the far north. A new Dux Britanniarum was appointed, Dulcitius, with Civilis to head a new civilian administration.

 

Another imperial usurper, Magnus Maximus, raised the standard of revolt at Segontium (Caernarfon) in north Wales in 383, and crossed the English Channel. Maximus held much of the western empire, and fought a successful campaign against the Picts and Scots around 384. His continental exploits required troops from Britain, and it appears that forts at Chester and elsewhere were abandoned in this period, triggering raids and settlement in north Wales by the Irish. His rule was ended in 388, but not all the British troops may have returned: the Empire's military resources were stretched to the limit along the Rhine and Danube. Around 396 there were more barbarian incursions into Britain. Stilicho led a punitive expedition. It seems peace was restored by 399, and it is likely that no further garrisoning was ordered; by 401 more troops were withdrawn, to assist in the war against Alaric I.

 

End of Roman rule

The traditional view of historians, informed by the work of Michael Rostovtzeff, was of a widespread economic decline at the beginning of the 5th century. Consistent archaeological evidence has told another story, and the accepted view is undergoing re-evaluation. Some features are agreed: more opulent but fewer urban houses, an end to new public building and some abandonment of existing ones, with the exception of defensive structures, and the widespread formation of "dark earth" deposits indicating increased horticulture within urban precincts. Turning over the basilica at Silchester to industrial uses in the late 3rd century, doubtless officially condoned, marks an early stage in the de-urbanisation of Roman Britain.

 

The abandonment of some sites is now believed to be later than had been thought. Many buildings changed use but were not destroyed. There was a growing number of barbarian attacks, but these targeted vulnerable rural settlements rather than towns. Some villas such as Chedworth, Great Casterton in Rutland and Hucclecote in Gloucestershire had new mosaic floors laid around this time, suggesting that economic problems may have been limited and patchy. Many suffered some decay before being abandoned in the 5th century; the story of Saint Patrick indicates that villas were still occupied until at least 430. Exceptionally, new buildings were still going up in this period in Verulamium and Cirencester. Some urban centres, for example Canterbury, Cirencester, Wroxeter, Winchester and Gloucester, remained active during the 5th and 6th centuries, surrounded by large farming estates.

 

Urban life had generally grown less intense by the fourth quarter of the 4th century, and coins minted between 378 and 388 are very rare, indicating a likely combination of economic decline, diminishing numbers of troops, problems with the payment of soldiers and officials or with unstable conditions during the usurpation of Magnus Maximus 383–87. Coinage circulation increased during the 390s, but never attained the levels of earlier decades. Copper coins are very rare after 402, though minted silver and gold coins from hoards indicate they were still present in the province even if they were not being spent. By 407 there were very few new Roman coins going into circulation, and by 430 it is likely that coinage as a medium of exchange had been abandoned. Mass-produced wheel thrown pottery ended at approximately the same time; the rich continued to use metal and glass vessels, while the poor made do with humble "grey ware" or resorted to leather or wooden containers.

 

Sub-Roman Britain

Towards the end of the 4th century Roman rule in Britain came under increasing pressure from barbarian attacks. Apparently, there were not enough troops to mount an effective defence. After elevating two disappointing usurpers, the army chose a soldier, Constantine III, to become emperor in 407. He crossed to Gaul but was defeated by Honorius; it is unclear how many troops remained or ever returned, or whether a commander-in-chief in Britain was ever reappointed. A Saxon incursion in 408 was apparently repelled by the Britons, and in 409 Zosimus records that the natives expelled the Roman civilian administration. Zosimus may be referring to the Bacaudic rebellion of the Breton inhabitants of Armorica since he describes how, in the aftermath of the revolt, all of Armorica and the rest of Gaul followed the example of the Brettaniai. A letter from Emperor Honorius in 410 has traditionally been seen as rejecting a British appeal for help, but it may have been addressed to Bruttium or Bologna. With the imperial layers of the military and civil government gone, administration and justice fell to municipal authorities, and local warlords gradually emerged all over Britain, still utilizing Romano-British ideals and conventions. Historian Stuart Laycock has investigated this process and emphasised elements of continuity from the British tribes in the pre-Roman and Roman periods, through to the native post-Roman kingdoms.

 

In British tradition, pagan Saxons were invited by Vortigern to assist in fighting the Picts, Scoti, and Déisi. (Germanic migration into Roman Britannia may have begun much earlier. There is recorded evidence, for example, of Germanic auxiliaries supporting the legions in Britain in the 1st and 2nd centuries.) The new arrivals rebelled, plunging the country into a series of wars that eventually led to the Saxon occupation of Lowland Britain by 600. Around this time, many Britons fled to Brittany (hence its name), Galicia and probably Ireland. A significant date in sub-Roman Britain is the Groans of the Britons, an unanswered appeal to Aetius, leading general of the western Empire, for assistance against Saxon invasion in 446. Another is the Battle of Deorham in 577, after which the significant cities of Bath, Cirencester and Gloucester fell and the Saxons reached the western sea.

 

Historians generally reject the historicity of King Arthur, who is supposed to have resisted the Anglo-Saxon conquest according to later medieval legends.

 

Trade

During the Roman period Britain's continental trade was principally directed across the Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel, focusing on the narrow Strait of Dover, with more limited links via the Atlantic seaways. The most important British ports were London and Richborough, whilst the continental ports most heavily engaged in trade with Britain were Boulogne and the sites of Domburg and Colijnsplaat at the mouth of the river Scheldt. During the Late Roman period it is likely that the shore forts played some role in continental trade alongside their defensive functions.

 

Exports to Britain included: coin; pottery, particularly red-gloss terra sigillata (samian ware) from southern, central and eastern Gaul, as well as various other wares from Gaul and the Rhine provinces; olive oil from southern Spain in amphorae; wine from Gaul in amphorae and barrels; salted fish products from the western Mediterranean and Brittany in barrels and amphorae; preserved olives from southern Spain in amphorae; lava quern-stones from Mayen on the middle Rhine; glass; and some agricultural products. Britain's exports are harder to detect archaeologically, but will have included metals, such as silver and gold and some lead, iron and copper. Other exports probably included agricultural products, oysters and salt, whilst large quantities of coin would have been re-exported back to the continent as well.

 

These products moved as a result of private trade and also through payments and contracts established by the Roman state to support its military forces and officials on the island, as well as through state taxation and extraction of resources. Up until the mid-3rd century, the Roman state's payments appear to have been unbalanced, with far more products sent to Britain, to support its large military force (which had reached c. 53,000 by the mid-2nd century), than were extracted from the island.

 

It has been argued that Roman Britain's continental trade peaked in the late 1st century AD and thereafter declined as a result of an increasing reliance on local products by the population of Britain, caused by economic development on the island and by the Roman state's desire to save money by shifting away from expensive long-distance imports. Evidence has been outlined that suggests that the principal decline in Roman Britain's continental trade may have occurred in the late 2nd century AD, from c. 165 AD onwards. This has been linked to the economic impact of contemporary Empire-wide crises: the Antonine Plague and the Marcomannic Wars.

 

From the mid-3rd century onwards, Britain no longer received such a wide range and extensive quantity of foreign imports as it did during the earlier part of the Roman period; vast quantities of coin from continental mints reached the island, whilst there is historical evidence for the export of large amounts of British grain to the continent during the mid-4th century. During the latter part of the Roman period British agricultural products, paid for by both the Roman state and by private consumers, clearly played an important role in supporting the military garrisons and urban centres of the northwestern continental Empire. This came about as a result of the rapid decline in the size of the British garrison from the mid-3rd century onwards (thus freeing up more goods for export), and because of 'Germanic' incursions across the Rhine, which appear to have reduced rural settlement and agricultural output in northern Gaul.

 

Economy

Mineral extraction sites such as the Dolaucothi gold mine were probably first worked by the Roman army from c. 75, and at some later stage passed to civilian operators. The mine developed as a series of opencast workings, mainly by the use of hydraulic mining methods. They are described by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History in great detail. Essentially, water supplied by aqueducts was used to prospect for ore veins by stripping away soil to reveal the bedrock. If veins were present, they were attacked using fire-setting and the ore removed for comminution. The dust was washed in a small stream of water and the heavy gold dust and gold nuggets collected in riffles. The diagram at right shows how Dolaucothi developed from c. 75 through to the 1st century. When opencast work was no longer feasible, tunnels were driven to follow the veins. The evidence from the site shows advanced technology probably under the control of army engineers.

 

The Wealden ironworking zone, the lead and silver mines of the Mendip Hills and the tin mines of Cornwall seem to have been private enterprises leased from the government for a fee. Mining had long been practised in Britain (see Grimes Graves), but the Romans introduced new technical knowledge and large-scale industrial production to revolutionise the industry. It included hydraulic mining to prospect for ore by removing overburden as well as work alluvial deposits. The water needed for such large-scale operations was supplied by one or more aqueducts, those surviving at Dolaucothi being especially impressive. Many prospecting areas were in dangerous, upland country, and, although mineral exploitation was presumably one of the main reasons for the Roman invasion, it had to wait until these areas were subdued.

 

By the 3rd and 4th centuries, small towns could often be found near villas. In these towns, villa owners and small-scale farmers could obtain specialist tools. Lowland Britain in the 4th century was agriculturally prosperous enough to export grain to the continent. This prosperity lay behind the blossoming of villa building and decoration that occurred between AD 300 and 350.

 

Britain's cities also consumed Roman-style pottery and other goods, and were centres through which goods could be distributed elsewhere. At Wroxeter in Shropshire, stock smashed into a gutter during a 2nd-century fire reveals that Gaulish samian ware was being sold alongside mixing bowls from the Mancetter-Hartshill industry of the West Midlands. Roman designs were most popular, but rural craftsmen still produced items derived from the Iron Age La Tène artistic traditions. Britain was home to much gold, which attracted Roman invaders. By the 3rd century, Britain's economy was diverse and well established, with commerce extending into the non-Romanised north.

 

Government

Further information: Governors of Roman Britain, Roman client kingdoms in Britain, and Roman auxiliaries in Britain

Under the Roman Empire, administration of peaceful provinces was ultimately the remit of the Senate, but those, like Britain, that required permanent garrisons, were placed under the Emperor's control. In practice imperial provinces were run by resident governors who were members of the Senate and had held the consulship. These men were carefully selected, often having strong records of military success and administrative ability. In Britain, a governor's role was primarily military, but numerous other tasks were also his responsibility, such as maintaining diplomatic relations with local client kings, building roads, ensuring the public courier system functioned, supervising the civitates and acting as a judge in important legal cases. When not campaigning, he would travel the province hearing complaints and recruiting new troops.

 

To assist him in legal matters he had an adviser, the legatus juridicus, and those in Britain appear to have been distinguished lawyers perhaps because of the challenge of incorporating tribes into the imperial system and devising a workable method of taxing them. Financial administration was dealt with by a procurator with junior posts for each tax-raising power. Each legion in Britain had a commander who answered to the governor and, in time of war, probably directly ruled troublesome districts. Each of these commands carried a tour of duty of two to three years in different provinces. Below these posts was a network of administrative managers covering intelligence gathering, sending reports to Rome, organising military supplies and dealing with prisoners. A staff of seconded soldiers provided clerical services.

 

Colchester was probably the earliest capital of Roman Britain, but it was soon eclipsed by London with its strong mercantile connections. The different forms of municipal organisation in Britannia were known as civitas (which were subdivided, amongst other forms, into colonies such as York, Colchester, Gloucester and Lincoln and municipalities such as Verulamium), and were each governed by a senate of local landowners, whether Brythonic or Roman, who elected magistrates concerning judicial and civic affairs. The various civitates sent representatives to a yearly provincial council in order to profess loyalty to the Roman state, to send direct petitions to the Emperor in times of extraordinary need, and to worship the imperial cult.

 

Demographics

Roman Britain had an estimated population between 2.8 million and 3 million people at the end of the second century. At the end of the fourth century, it had an estimated population of 3.6 million people, of whom 125,000 consisted of the Roman army and their families and dependents.[80] The urban population of Roman Britain was about 240,000 people at the end of the fourth century. The capital city of Londinium is estimated to have had a population of about 60,000 people. Londinium was an ethnically diverse city with inhabitants from the Roman Empire, including natives of Britannia, continental Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. There was also cultural diversity in other Roman-British towns, which were sustained by considerable migration, from Britannia and other Roman territories, including continental Europe, Roman Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. In a study conducted in 2012, around 45 percent of sites investigated dating from the Roman period had at least one individual of North African origin.

 

Town and country

During their occupation of Britain the Romans founded a number of important settlements, many of which survive. The towns suffered attrition in the later 4th century, when public building ceased and some were abandoned to private uses. Place names survived the deurbanised Sub-Roman and early Anglo-Saxon periods, and historiography has been at pains to signal the expected survivals, but archaeology shows that a bare handful of Roman towns were continuously occupied. According to S.T. Loseby, the very idea of a town as a centre of power and administration was reintroduced to England by the Roman Christianising mission to Canterbury, and its urban revival was delayed to the 10th century.

 

Roman towns can be broadly grouped in two categories. Civitates, "public towns" were formally laid out on a grid plan, and their role in imperial administration occasioned the construction of public buildings. The much more numerous category of vici, "small towns" grew on informal plans, often round a camp or at a ford or crossroads; some were not small, others were scarcely urban, some not even defended by a wall, the characteristic feature of a place of any importance.

 

Cities and towns which have Roman origins, or were extensively developed by them are listed with their Latin names in brackets; civitates are marked C

 

Alcester (Alauna)

Alchester

Aldborough, North Yorkshire (Isurium Brigantum) C

Bath (Aquae Sulis) C

Brough (Petuaria) C

Buxton (Aquae Arnemetiae)

Caerleon (Isca Augusta) C

Caernarfon (Segontium) C

Caerwent (Venta Silurum) C

Caister-on-Sea C

Canterbury (Durovernum Cantiacorum) C

Carlisle (Luguvalium) C

Carmarthen (Moridunum) C

Chelmsford (Caesaromagus)

Chester (Deva Victrix) C

Chester-le-Street (Concangis)

Chichester (Noviomagus Reginorum) C

Cirencester (Corinium) C

Colchester (Camulodunum) C

Corbridge (Coria) C

Dorchester (Durnovaria) C

Dover (Portus Dubris)

Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) C

Gloucester (Glevum) C

Great Chesterford (the name of this vicus is unknown)

Ilchester (Lindinis) C

Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvorum) C

Lincoln (Lindum Colonia) C

London (Londinium) C

Manchester (Mamucium) C

Newcastle upon Tyne (Pons Aelius)

Northwich (Condate)

St Albans (Verulamium) C

Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum) C

Towcester (Lactodurum)

Whitchurch (Mediolanum) C

Winchester (Venta Belgarum) C

Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum) C

York (Eboracum) C

 

Religion

The druids, the Celtic priestly caste who were believed to originate in Britain, were outlawed by Claudius, and in 61 they vainly defended their sacred groves from destruction by the Romans on the island of Mona (Anglesey). Under Roman rule the Britons continued to worship native Celtic deities, such as Ancasta, but often conflated with their Roman equivalents, like Mars Rigonemetos at Nettleham.

 

The degree to which earlier native beliefs survived is difficult to gauge precisely. Certain European ritual traits such as the significance of the number 3, the importance of the head and of water sources such as springs remain in the archaeological record, but the differences in the votive offerings made at the baths at Bath, Somerset, before and after the Roman conquest suggest that continuity was only partial. Worship of the Roman emperor is widely recorded, especially at military sites. The founding of a Roman temple to Claudius at Camulodunum was one of the impositions that led to the revolt of Boudica. By the 3rd century, Pagans Hill Roman Temple in Somerset was able to exist peaceably and it did so into the 5th century.

 

Pagan religious practices were supported by priests, represented in Britain by votive deposits of priestly regalia such as chain crowns from West Stow and Willingham Fen.

 

Eastern cults such as Mithraism also grew in popularity towards the end of the occupation. The London Mithraeum is one example of the popularity of mystery religions among the soldiery. Temples to Mithras also exist in military contexts at Vindobala on Hadrian's Wall (the Rudchester Mithraeum) and at Segontium in Roman Wales (the Caernarfon Mithraeum).

 

Christianity

It is not clear when or how Christianity came to Britain. A 2nd-century "word square" has been discovered in Mamucium, the Roman settlement of Manchester. It consists of an anagram of PATER NOSTER carved on a piece of amphora. There has been discussion by academics whether the "word square" is a Christian artefact, but if it is, it is one of the earliest examples of early Christianity in Britain. The earliest confirmed written evidence for Christianity in Britain is a statement by Tertullian, c. 200 AD, in which he described "all the limits of the Spains, and the diverse nations of the Gauls, and the haunts of the Britons, inaccessible to the Romans, but subjugated to Christ". Archaeological evidence for Christian communities begins to appear in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Small timber churches are suggested at Lincoln and Silchester and baptismal fonts have been found at Icklingham and the Saxon Shore Fort at Richborough. The Icklingham font is made of lead, and visible in the British Museum. A Roman Christian graveyard exists at the same site in Icklingham. A possible Roman 4th-century church and associated burial ground was also discovered at Butt Road on the south-west outskirts of Colchester during the construction of the new police station there, overlying an earlier pagan cemetery. The Water Newton Treasure is a hoard of Christian silver church plate from the early 4th century and the Roman villas at Lullingstone and Hinton St Mary contained Christian wall paintings and mosaics respectively. A large 4th-century cemetery at Poundbury with its east–west oriented burials and lack of grave goods has been interpreted as an early Christian burial ground, although such burial rites were also becoming increasingly common in pagan contexts during the period.

 

The Church in Britain seems to have developed the customary diocesan system, as evidenced from the records of the Council of Arles in Gaul in 314: represented at the council were bishops from thirty-five sees from Europe and North Africa, including three bishops from Britain, Eborius of York, Restitutus of London, and Adelphius, possibly a bishop of Lincoln. No other early sees are documented, and the material remains of early church structures are far to seek. The existence of a church in the forum courtyard of Lincoln and the martyrium of Saint Alban on the outskirts of Roman Verulamium are exceptional. Alban, the first British Christian martyr and by far the most prominent, is believed to have died in the early 4th century (some date him in the middle 3rd century), followed by Saints Julius and Aaron of Isca Augusta. Christianity was legalised in the Roman Empire by Constantine I in 313. Theodosius I made Christianity the state religion of the empire in 391, and by the 5th century it was well established. One belief labelled a heresy by the church authorities — Pelagianism — was originated by a British monk teaching in Rome: Pelagius lived c. 354 to c. 420/440.

 

A letter found on a lead tablet in Bath, Somerset, datable to c. 363, had been widely publicised as documentary evidence regarding the state of Christianity in Britain during Roman times. According to its first translator, it was written in Wroxeter by a Christian man called Vinisius to a Christian woman called Nigra, and was claimed as the first epigraphic record of Christianity in Britain. This translation of the letter was apparently based on grave paleographical errors, and the text has nothing to do with Christianity, and in fact relates to pagan rituals.

 

Environmental changes

The Romans introduced a number of species to Britain, including possibly the now-rare Roman nettle (Urtica pilulifera), said to have been used by soldiers to warm their arms and legs, and the edible snail Helix pomatia. There is also some evidence they may have introduced rabbits, but of the smaller southern mediterranean type. The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) prevalent in modern Britain is assumed to have been introduced from the continent after the Norman invasion of 1066. Box (Buxus sempervirens) is rarely recorded before the Roman period, but becomes a common find in towns and villas

 

Legacy

During their occupation of Britain the Romans built an extensive network of roads which continued to be used in later centuries and many are still followed today. The Romans also built water supply, sanitation and wastewater systems. Many of Britain's major cities, such as London (Londinium), Manchester (Mamucium) and York (Eboracum), were founded by the Romans, but the original Roman settlements were abandoned not long after the Romans left.

 

Unlike many other areas of the Western Roman Empire, the current majority language is not a Romance language, or a language descended from the pre-Roman inhabitants. The British language at the time of the invasion was Common Brittonic, and remained so after the Romans withdrew. It later split into regional languages, notably Cumbric, Cornish, Breton and Welsh. Examination of these languages suggests some 800 Latin words were incorporated into Common Brittonic (see Brittonic languages). The current majority language, English, is based on the languages of the Germanic tribes who migrated to the island from continental Europe

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AVZG, this aircraft was delivered to SABENA Belgian World Airlines as OO-SUB in Apr-99. SABENA ceased trading in Nov-01 and the aircraft was stored at Brussels, Belgium.

 

It was stored at Brussels for more than 4 years until it was sold to Nouvelair Tunisie as TS-IQB in Mar-05. In Apr-14 the aircraft was sold to a lessor and was originally due to be leased to Onur Air as TC-OEB, however the lease wasn't taken up and it was leased to Germania as D-ASTV later that month.

 

It was painted in an Alltours (German Tour Operator) logojet livery in May-14 and repainted into Germania's standard livery in Mar-15. Germania ceased operations in Feb-19, the aircraft was returned to the lessor and initially stored at Dusseldorf before being flown to Castellon de la Plana - Costa Azahar, Spain in Mar-19 for further storage.

 

It was re-registered OE-IDK in May-19 and permanently retired. It was broken up at Castellon de la Plana in Jan-20

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a (slightly) better version 03-Dec-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

Very grainy, taken on a dark and murky day at LAX (but rescued by 'noise reduction' software).

 

An 'unlucky' aircraft which didn't stay long with any airline. First flown with the Boeing test registration N57008, this aircraft was an early standard B767-205 (Line No:81), delivered to Braathens S.A.F.E (Norway) as LN-SUV in Mar-84.

 

It was returned to the Boeing Equipment Holding Company as N767BE in Sep-85 and leased to TACA International Airlines in Oct-85. It returned to Boeing in May-86 and was leased to VARIG Brazil as PP-VNL the following month.

 

Boeing sold it to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation in Aug-86 while the lease to VARIG continued. It was returned to ILFC in May-87 and was leased to Britannia Airways as G-BNAX the following day, for the summer season.

 

Returning to ILFC in Oct-87 as N650TW, the aircraft was converted to a B767-205ER before being leased to TWA Trans World Airlines in Oct-87. It was sub-leased to Gulf Air between May/Sep-88.

 

In Mar-01 it was returned to ILFC and stored. In Oct-01 the aircraft was leased to Aero Continente (Peru) as OB-1758. It became OB-1758-P in Jun-03. It was returned to ILFC in Oct-04 as N371LF and stored at Dothan, AL, USA.

 

The aircraft was leased to MaxJet in Jan-06 and was re-registered N260MY the following month. MaxJet ceased operations in Dec-07 and it was impounded at New York-JFK. ILFC managed to retrieve it in Jan-08 and it was stored at Victorville, CA, USA.

 

It was leased to Air Seychelles (still as N260MY) in Aug-08 and was re-registered in S7-ILF in Sep-10. It was returned to ILFC in Nov-11 as N391LF and permanently retired at Goodyear, AZ, USA. The registration was cancelled in Mar-12. It was last noted still stored at Goodyear in Mar-13 and was subsequently broken up.

St Mary, East Bilney, Norfolk

 

This fine Victorian church sits remotely from its village in the hills between Dereham and Fakenham. It was built to replace the ramshackle church that Ladbroke drew here in the 1820s. It is hard to perceive any part of it that survives from the medieval structure, but it was all done well and broadly on the plan of the original, including the replacement of a south transept.

 

Although, as is usual around here, the church is kept locked, there is a nice keyholder notice which virtually implores you to take a look inside.Now, you might wonder if such a building has anything inside to offer the church explorer. Indeed, when we found the church locked we did consider forging on to Tittleshall rather than getting the key, but the rumour of Henry Holiday windows won the day, and I am glad that we bothered.

 

You step into a bright, clean interior coloured by the flanking late 19th and early 20th century windows. The font and tower arch survive from the earlier building, and I wondered if the lower part of the chancel arch was medieval too. Whatever, the interior is all very harmonious, and very well done. Much of the glass is rather serious in that turn of the century manner, culminating in the magnificent war memorial window depicting St Michael and St Alban. There are two earlier roundels, continental glass of the 17th century each set in a ring of English medieval fragments, both with intriguing inscriptions. One declares itself to be from the Monasterium Leodiense Duodecim Apostolorum, the Monastery of the Twelve Apostles at Luyden.

 

Another figure remembered in the glass at East Bilney is Thomas Bilney. Bilney was a Catholic Priest, who would have been quite at home with much of the teaching of the modern Catholic Church. However, his doubts about some medieval practices drew the attention of Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII's thought police. They cautioned him, but released him to preach again because he was so articulate in his arguments against Lutheranism and the protestant reformers. Eventually, as battle-lines hardened, he was arrested under the authority of the Bishop of Norwich, and burned at the stake as a heretic.

 

It would have taken a lawyer with a fine eye for the small print to find Bilney guilty of heresy, but what was more to the point was that the Bishop of Norwich had acted without authorisation from above. In turn, he was arrested, and he forfeited his possessions as a punishment for his treatment of Bilney.

 

This, of course, could not bring Thomas Bilney back. His influence over his pupils at Cambridge University meant that there were articulate and ardent advocates of his cause, among them the increasingly protestant Hugh Latimer. In martyring Bilney, the Church authorities set in motion a chain of events that would lead directly to the horrific conflicts of the middle years of the 16th century, and several centuries of sectarian prejudice and conflict.

 

A window in the chancel shows Bilney in two scenes, firstly preaching, and then in chains outside Norwich cathedral awaiting his execution. I must say that he looks remarkably cheerful under the circumstances. A panel of glass positioned in a wooden frame beside the chancel arch is a copy of a medieval panel at Dunston depicting St Nicomedes. It is probably intended to portray Bilney in a rather different manner, as a pious saint, which he certainly was.

Replacing a very old but well used Washtec SoftCare Pro

Peerless Confectionery went out of business in May of 2007 and a short time later its buildings were leveled and replaced by condos. There were just two revenue runs of which I am aware by Chicago Terminal during its short time servicing Peerless which took place in January and February of 2007. They are documented below in my CTM album.

 

The CTM SW8 is running light up the last mile that was left of the former Milwaukee Road Chicago & Evanston North Line to retrieve cars left behind by CP at Peerless Confectionery at Diversey Parkway the week before.

 

Chicago Terminal is no more as of 2019 and the last train to operate north of Clybourn was to retrieve gondolas parked on the former Peerless spur in 2009.

 

Seventh in a series of screen grabs I will post from video I took on the first day of Chicago Terminal operations as it made its way from the UP North Avenue Yard where it was a tenant on its way to switch Finkl Steel and Peerless Confectionery. I was a guest of Ed Ellis for the first two days of operations to document it. I also wound up acting as a pilot for the crew as CP left behind no instructions.

 

Images are from converted from DVD format and cleaned up as much as possible in Photoshop. It was a dreary, overcast day with rain on and off again, and the SW8 engine in which we were riding was rocking back and forth which made taking videos a challenge.

 

If you want to see a video of mine that shows CP working this line go to-

 

studio.youtube.com/video/pQXSrwYdoQk/edit

 

Due to conversations in the cab that the crew probably didn't want being made public I am not going to share the full video of this trip plus I do not feel like taking the time to edit out the audio. Enjoy the still images instead from those first two days in this album.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/albums/72157704913274794

 

Replacing their K-Bus as part of modernization.

 

Prince McKhaine Transport 0821

 

Company/Owner: Prince McKhaine Transport, Inc.

Route: Malanday-Baclaran via Ayala

Rationalized Route: EDSA Carousel (ES Transport and Partners Consortium, Corp.)

Area of Service: Metro Manila (NCR)

Type of Service: PUB City Operation Bus

Classification: Airconditioned bus

Coachbuilder: Zhongtong Bus Holdings, Ltd.

Model: LCK6125 "Fashion"

Chassis: LCDGCS

Engine: YC6L330-42

Transmission: M/T

Speed: 6 Forward, 1 Reverse

Suspension Type: Airsuspension

Seat Configuration: 2x2

Maximum Capacity: 43+1+standees

Shot Location: EDSA Carousel Nepa-Q Mart Bus Stop, EDSA-Pan-Philippine Highway, Cubao, Quezon City

Date Taken: October 19, 2022

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 25-Jan-22.

 

Originally named "City of Gilgit" although the name didn't appear on this livery. It later carried the "Gilgit - The Silk Route" tail livery

 

I think this aircraft was in transit from Pakistan to the USA carrying the President of Pakistan, note the Pakistan flags at the flight deck windows.

 

A 'one airline' aircraft, first flown in Jun-92 with the Airbus test registration F-WWCZ, it was delivered to PIA Pakistan International Airlines as AP-BEG in Sep-92.

 

Twenty two years later it was stored at Karachi, Pakistan in Jan-15. It returned to service in May-15. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Dec-15 and parked at Islamabad. It was ferried to Karachi in Feb-16 and permanently retired. Updated 21-Jan-22.

Let the games begin...

 

View large on Black

 

In fact, I "hate" those classical landmarks (too crowded)...but I couldn't miss this special one. A couple of weeks ago, my son david learned about the Romans in school and he knew a lot more about the Colosseum than me or my wife did. So it was quite a big deal for him.

 

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

 

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96). The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

 

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

 

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.

 

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

 

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name, after the reign of Emperor Nero. This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been strictly poetic as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).

 

The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby (the statue of Nero was named after the Colossus of Rhodes). This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.

 

In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat Colisæus, stat et Roma; quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma; quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus ("as long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world"). This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for instance, Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre.

 

The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.

 

The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle Ages. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as le Colisée (French), el Coliseo (Spanish) and o Coliseu (Portuguese).

 

Canon EOS 60D

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Aperture: f/8

Exposure time: 1/125 second

Focal length: 13 mm

ISO Speed 100

Processed with PS CS5 and Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro 2

Replacing an earlier photo from 22-Jun-15 with a better version.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AUBR, this aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa as D-AIZU in Jun-13. It was leased to Eurowings in Apr-15 and sub-leased to Germanwings in May-15, remaining in full Eurowings livery.

 

It returned to Eurowings in Oct-15. The aircraft was transferred to Brussels Airlines (another Lufthansa Group airline) as OO-SNP in Mar-23 and repainted in 'Star Alliance' livery. Current, updated 15-Nov-24.

The first pier in Bournemouth consisted of a short wooden jetty that was completed in 1856. This was replaced by a much longer wooden pier, designed by George Rennie, which opened on 17 September 1861. Due to an attack by Teredo worm, the wooden piles were removed in favour of cast iron replacements in 1866, but even with this additional benefit just over a year later the pier was made unusable when the T-shaped landing stage was swept away in a gale. After repairs, the pier continued in use for a further ten years until November 1876 when another severe storm caused further collapse rendering the pier too short for steamboat traffic. The Rennie pier was subsequently demolished, and replaced in 1877 by a temporary structure. During the next three years a new pier, designed by Eugenius Birch, was completed.

 

At a cost of £2,600 the new Bournemouth Pier was opened by the Lord Mayor of London on 11 August 1880. Consisting of an open promenade, it stretched to a length of 838 ft (255.4 m) and spanned some 35 ft (10.6 m) across the neck of the pier, extending to 110 ft (33.3 m) at the head. With the addition of a bandstand in 1885, military band concerts took place three times a day in summer and twice daily throughout the winter. Covered shelters were also provided at this time. Two extensions, in 1894 and 1909 respectively, took the pier's overall length to more than 1000 ft (304.8 m).

 

In common with virtually all other piers in the south and east of the country, Bournemouth Pier was substantially demolished by soldiers from the 18th Field Park Company of the Royal Engineers on 5 July 1940 as a precaution against German invasion. The pier was repaired and re-opened in August 1946. Refurbishment of the pier head was carried out in 1950, and ten years later a rebuild of the substructure was completed in concrete to take the weight of a new pier theatre. A structural survey of 1976 found major areas of corrosion, and in 1979 a £1.7m restoration program was initiated. Having demolished the old shoreward end buildings, replacing them with the new two-storey octagonal leisure complex on the left, and reconstructed the pier neck in concrete giving it this bridge-like appearance that it retains today, the work was completed in two years.

 

Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town on the south coast of England directly to the east of the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile (153 km) World Heritage Site. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 183,491, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. With Poole to the west and Christchurch in the east, Bournemouth forms the South East Dorset conurbation, which has a total population of over 400,000.

 

Before it was founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, the area was a deserted heathland occasionally visited by fisherman and smugglers. Initially marketed as a health resort, the town received a boost when it appeared in Dr Granville's book, The Spas of England. Bournemouth's growth really accelerated with the arrival of the railway and it became a recognised town in 1870. Historically part of Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974. Since 1997, the town has been administered by a unitary authority, giving it autonomy from Dorset County Council although it remains however part of the ceremonial county. The local council is Bournemouth Borough Council.

 

The town centre has notable Victorian architecture and the 202 feet (62 m) spire of St Peter's Church, one of three Grade I listed churches in the borough, is a local landmark. Bournemouth's location has made it a popular destination for tourists, attracting over five million visitors annually with its beaches and popular nightlife. The town is also a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre or BIC, and a financial sector that's worth more than a £1,000 million in Gross Value Added.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bournemouth

 

A pic i took many years ago

 

Re Mastered, Replaced, Re Uploaded to groups

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 23-Mar-18, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 07-Feb-24.

 

'Polar bears in the snow' c/s !! (it was just the same when I'd seen it a year earlier). Operated by Florida West International on behalf of LAN Chile Cargo.

 

This aircraft was delivered to a lessor and leased to United Air Lines as N8096U, a standard DC-8-61, in May-69. It was converted to DC-8-71 standard with CFM.56 engines in Sep-83. United bought it from the lessor in Jun-84, sold it to the GPA Group Ltd in Jan-90 and leased it back.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Aug-90 and converted to DC-8-71(F) standard with a main deck cargo door by Nov-90 and was leased to Southern Air Transport in Mar-91. It was re-registered N872SJ two weeks later.

 

Southern Air returned it to the lessor in Jan-92 and it was stored. The aircraft was leased to Southern Air Transport again in May-92 and returned to the lessor in May-98. It was stored at Miami FL, USA until it was leased to Aircraft International Leasing Lts and sub-leased to Florida West International Airways in Jul-98.

 

It was sub-leased to LAN Chile Cargo in Nov-98 and returned to Florida West in Nov-99. In Mar-02 it was sub-leased to MAS Air Cargo and returned to Florida West and the lessor in Mar-03 when it was stored at Goodyear, AZ, USA.

 

The aircraft was leased to TAMPA Colombia as HK-4294X in Jun-03. It returned to the lessor in Apr-05 and was sold to Murray Air Inc as N872SJ later the same month. Murray Air was renamed National Airlines Dec-08 and the aircraft was re-registered N872CA in Mar-11.

 

The aircraft continued in service until it was permanently retired and stored at Oscoda, MI, USA in Oct-12 after in incredible 43 years in service.

Nyhavn is a harbor district in Copenhagen , which is one of the city's most visited tourist destinations. The harbor was excavated from 1671 to 1673 by Danish soldiers and by Swedish prisoners of war from the Second Carl Gustav War as an alternative to the existing harbor . The "Nyhavnskanalen" was inaugurated by Christian V in the 1670s , but today it is simply called Nyhavn. Worth seeing are the over 300-year-old houses. The oldest house is Nyhavn no. 9 from 1681 . Today, Nyhavn is covered with sidewalk cafes and restaurants , especially on the north-east side, the sunny side.

 

For many years, Nyhavn was among the city's more sinister quarters, with sailors' taverns and the accompanying prostitutes. But in the 1980s, the area was thoroughly renovated, and Nyhavn today houses a number of nicer restaurants, cafes and bars. Among the best known are Nyhavn 17 and Cap Horn.

 

The poet HC Andersen lived in three of the houses over the course of twenty years. In 1834 he lived in no. 20, from 1848 to 1865 in no. 67 and from 1871 until his death in 1875 in no. 18.

 

The Nyhavnsbroen between Holbergsgade and Toldbodgade was originally built in 1874-1875 but was replaced by the current drawbridge in 1911-1912. The bridge divides Nyhavn into an inner part, where veteran ships are now located, and an outer part.

 

The memorial anchor at the end of Nyhavn was erected in 1951 in memory of the Danish sailors who perished during the Second World War .

 

Close to Nyhavn is the Inderhavnsbroen .

 

Copenhagen is Denmark's capital and with 1,363,296 inhabitants (2023) the country's largest urban area comprising 18 municipalities or parts thereof.

 

The inner city had 809,314 inhabitants on 1 July 2022 and is defined by Statistics Denmark as consisting of Copenhagen Municipality (area: 90.10 km 2 ; population: 647,509 1 July 2022 ), Frederiksberg Municipality (area: 8 .70 km 2 ; population: 104,094 1 July 2022), Tårnby Municipality (area: 66.10 km 2 ; population: 43,042 1 July 2022) and Dragør Municipality (area: 18.30 km 2 ; population: 14,669 1. July 2022.

 

Copenhagen is also the center of the Øresund region , which is the largest metropolitan area in the Nordic region . The Øresund region covers a total of 20,754.63 km 2 in eastern Denmark and Scania in Sweden and had a population of 4,136,082 on 1 July 2022, of which 2,711,554 lived in the Danish parts as of 1 January 2022.

 

The city is located on the east coast of the island of Zealand ; another part of the city extends to Amager and is separated by the Øresund from Malmö , Sweden. The Øresund connection connects the two cities via motorway and railway.

 

Copenhagen's history can be traced back to around the year 700, when there was a small fishing village where the city center is now. Copenhagen became Denmark's capital at the beginning of the 15th century. Originating in the 17th century, it consolidated its position as a regional power center with its institutions, defenses and troops. During the Renaissance, the city was the de facto capital of the Kalmar Union , being the seat of the royal house that ruled a majority of today's Nordic regions in a personal union with Sweden and Norway with the Danish monarch as head of state. The city flourished as a cultural and economic center in Scandinavia during the union for over 120 years, from the 15th century until the early 16th century, when the union was dissolved by Sweden's secession. After an outbreak of plague and fires in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of reconstruction. This included the construction of the exclusive Frederiksstaden neighborhood and the foundation of institutions such as the Royal Danish Theater and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts . After further misfortunes in the 19th century, when Horatio Nelson attacked the Danish-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, the reconstruction during the Danish Golden Age brought a neoclassical touch to Copenhagen's architecture. Later, after the Second World War, the Fingerplan fostered urban development along five S-train lines with Copenhagen as the centre.

 

Since the turn of the millennium, Copenhagen has undergone strong urban and cultural development, facilitated by investments in its institutions and infrastructure. The city is Denmark's cultural, economic and administrative centre; it is one of the main financial centers in Northern Europe with the Copenhagen Stock Exchange . Copenhagen's economy has witnessed rapid development in the service sector, particularly through initiatives concerning information technology, pharmaceuticals and clean technology. Since the completion of the Øresund connection, Copenhagen has been increasingly integrated with the Swedish province of Skåne and its largest city Malmö, forming the Øresund region.

 

With a number of bridges connecting the different neighborhoods, the urban landscape is characterized by parks, promenades and waterfronts. Copenhagen's landmarks include Tivoli Gardens , The Little Mermaid , Amalienborg , Christiansborg , Rosenborg , the Marble Church , the Stock Exchange , the Glyptoteket , the National Museum , which are significant tourist attractions.

 

Copenhagen houses the University of Copenhagen , the Technical University of Denmark, CBS , the IT University of Copenhagen . Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is Denmark's oldest university. Copenhagen is home to the football clubs FC Copenhagen and Brøndby IF . Copenhagen Marathon started in 1980. Copenhagen is one of the world's most bicycle-friendly cities.

 

The name

Elaborating Further article: Copenhagen's name

Before the Middle Ages , the name of the town was probably Havn. In the Middle Ages, the city was called Køpmannæhafn in Old Danish ; a name that translated into modern Danish means merchants' harbor and is an expression of the importance that merchants had for the city at this time.

 

A number of other names built over the original Danish name for the city are used in different languages. Examples include Swedish Copenhagen , German and Dutch Kopenhagen , English Copenhagen , Italian Copenaghen , French and Spanish Copenhague , Portuguese Copenhaga , Latin Hafnia , Czech Kodaň , Icelandic Kaupmannahöfn and Faroese Keypmannahavn .

 

In 1923 , the Latin version of the name became the basis for the naming of the newly discovered element hafnium , as the discovery took place at the current Niels Bohr Institute .

 

Nicknames

As befits big cities, Copenhagen also has nicknames and even several of this kind:

 

King's Copenhagen : over the centuries, changing kings have left their mark on the capital. This applies in particular to Christian IV , who, in addition to expanding the area within the city walls to three times the size, contributed buildings such as Rosenborg , Rundetårn and Børsen .

The city with beautiful towers : tourist slogan created by brewer Carl Jacobsen in 1910. It alludes to the many towers and spires that then and now leave their mark on Indre By in particular, and to which the generous brewer himself also contributed in the form of the spire at Nicholas Church .

Wonderful Copenhagen ("wonderful Copenhagen"): both a tourist slogan made famous by the actor Danny Kaye , who sang about the city in a 1952 film about HC Andersen , and the name of the city's official tourism organization, Wonderful Copenhagen .

The Paris of the North is also occasionally seen , but unlike the others, this flattering comparison with the City of Cities is not exclusive, as it is shared with both Norway's Tromsø and Denmark's Aalborg .

 

The name "Copenhagen" is used both for the city as a whole, which includes all or parts of 17 other municipalities, for the city without its suburbs (cf. the image of the road signs, according to which Copenhagen and Vanløse are two different places) and for Copenhagen Municipality . This article covers the city as a whole.

 

The total urban area is defined geographically by the Geodata Agency (with the so-called polygon method ), where water areas are deducted. The method follows the UN 's guidelines, where in order for an urban area to be considered integrated, there must not be more than 200 meters between the houses (parks and the like not included). However, the Geodata Agency still counts the entire municipalities of Copenhagen and Tårnby , despite the fact that this includes large completely undeveloped areas, e.g. on western Amager , Saltholm and Peberholm . The area occupies a little over 450 km 2 , but the city of Copenhagen itself occupies far from this geographical size. Statistics Denmark then obtains the number of inhabitants via CPR . It is also Statistics Denmark that presents the aggregated information. The extent of Copenhagen – the metropolitan area's urban area – appears from Statistics Denmark's map of urban areas and rural districts . (Zoom in, let the mouse slide over the dark blue areas and see where it says 'Capital area in ... Municipality'). The outermost parts of Copenhagen are thus Kastrup , Tårnby , Karlslunde , Albertslund , Ballerup , Hareskovby , Bagsværd , Holte , Øverød , Søllerød , Nærum and Klampenborg – but with green wedges in between that extend to e.g. Avedøre and Rødovre .

 

Although the urban area is clearly demarcated by the authorities, they use different designations for it. The Geodata Agency uses Copenhagen, while Statistics Denmark uses the metropolitan area , and on the road signs along the approach roads, the Road Directorate has chosen Greater Copenhagen . However, Copenhagen is the only one of the three designations authorized by the Place Names Committee . [However, in all cases the same area is meant.

 

Many residents of Copenhagen's suburbs, however, identify to a greater extent with the municipality they live in. This may be to distance themselves from Copenhagen Municipality , which, as by far the largest municipality, naturally often steals the picture. In practice, however, Copenhagen is so densely built-up that in many places it is difficult to see where the borders between the individual municipalities actually go. Outsiders, however, will typically consider the city as a whole, although here and there there is also a tendency to either limit it to the Municipality of Copenhagen or expand it to the entire Capital Region . Therefore, Copenhagen's population is given in some places as approx. 0.6 million (of the municipality) or approx. 2.0 million (of the metropolitan region), where the correct number is 1,363,296 ( as of 1 January 2020 ).

 

Furthermore, a number of administrative divisions have used Copenhagen or the capital in their name. For example , the Capital Region also includes Bornholm , regardless of the fact that this island is approx. 130 km away, and the former Copenhagen County, despite the name, did not include the Municipality of Copenhagen , although the county seat was located there for a number of years.

 

History

Elaborating In-depth article: Copenhagen's history

History up to the 12th century

A number of finds from prehistoric times have been made in the Copenhagen area. At the building of Amager Strandpark, one found e.g. remains of a coastal settlement from the Neolithic . Burial mounds in the suburbs indicate human activity in prehistoric times, and many of the town names in the vicinity of Copenhagen also bear witness to the founding of towns in the greater Copenhagen area in the Viking Age .

 

Until recently, the oldest traces of urban settlement in the Copenhagen area were within the ramparts from around the year 1000, where traces of a small fishing village were found where Copenhagen is today. Fiskerlejet was located just north of Copenhagen's Town Hall around Mikkel Bryggers Gade, which at the time lay by the sea. But in connection with the excavation of the Metro, traces of boat bridges at Gammel Strand have been found, dating all the way back to around the year 700. During the excavation of the metro station at Kongens Nytorv, traces of a farm from the Viking Age have also been found.

 

1043-1536: The Middle Ages

The first time the precursor to Copenhagen under the name "Havn" is mentioned in the sources, is in connection with a naval battle between Svend Estridsen and the Norwegian king Magnus the Good in 1043. After that, there is silence about the city's fate in the next approx. 120 years.

 

It is likely that during the 12th century the city was able to profit from its central location between the large cathedral cities of Lund and Roskilde and thus was an important point for traffic and trade between the two cities. The natural harbor and the small island of Slotsholmen , which was easy to defend, probably also gave the city great advantages. In the second half of the 12th century, the silence about the town is broken, when Saxo mentions that Pope Urban III in 1186 confirms that the small town "Hafn", together with a number of other towns that King Valdemar had previously given to Bishop Absalon, must continue belong to Absalom. The exact year of King Valdemar's gift is not known, as the deed of gift that Absalon received has disappeared. From around 1167-1171 , Absalon built a castle and a city wall on the site.

 

Under Absalon's leadership, the city began to grow. Especially in the 13th century, the city expanded, so that it gradually came to cover a larger part of the area between Kongens Nytorv and Rådhuspladsen . Gråbrødre Kloster and the churches Our Lady , St. Peder (now St. Petri) and St. Nikolai were all built in the first half of the 13th century. The 13th century was a turbulent time in Danish history , which was expressed in the fierce battle between successive bishops and kings for the right to the city. However, in 1251 Bishop Jakob Erlandsen was able to force the pressured King Abel to surrender the city to him, and in 1254 this bishop gave the city its first city court. Five years later, in 1259, the city was attacked and plundered by the Rygian prince Jaromar .

 

Gradually, the city began to grow into the kingdom's largest and most important, although it had not yet become the capital. Although the city was the largest, there were still less than 5,000 inhabitants, and thus only a few hundred fewer in cities such as Ribe and Århus. The location in the middle of the kingdom with a natural harbor on an important sea trade route was ideal. In 1419, a Danish king, Erik of Pomerania , finally managed to permanently take power over the city from the church, and in 1443 Christopher III made the city a royal residence. In 1479 the university was founded. Copenhagen was now the country's most important city.

 

Christian IV was of great importance to Copenhagen. Under him, the city's old walls, which had hitherto been along Gothersgade around 1647, were moved, so that they ran along the current railway line between Nørreport and Østerport, bypassing the Nyboder newly built by Christian IV . Copenhagen's ramparts were also expanded with defenses in the newly built area of ​​Christianshavn .

 

From 1658-1660 during the First Karl Gustav War, Copenhagen was the last area in the kingdom under Danish control, but under siege by the Swedish troops led by Karl X Gustav . In February 1659, the Swedes tried to take the town by storm , but a joint effort by soldiers and the townspeople held them back. After the unsuccessful storming, however, the Swedes kept the city besieged until 27 May 1660. As an offshoot of the Peace of Copenhagen, the monarchy was introduced in 1660 under Frederik III and Copenhagen became an even more important city in Denmark, because it was from here that the increasingly centralist Danish state was governed. As part of this process, in 1660, Copenhagen got a new form of management called the City's 32 men , which was a precursor to the current Citizens' Representation .

 

In 1711-1712, one of the worst plague epidemics in Copenhagen's history ravaged . The plague killed approximately 22,000 of the city's approximately 60,000 inhabitants. A few years later, things went wrong once again, when just over a quarter of the city's buildings went up in smoke during a city fire in 1728 .

 

Inspired by European ideas, Frederiksstaden was founded in 1748 north of Kongens Nytorv with Amalienborg as the most beautiful part. In the latter half of the 18th century, during the Florissant period, Copenhagen experienced an enormous boom as a result of the profitable trade with the warring powers, England and France. However, the boom period ended for a time when first Christiansborg burned in 1794 and then a town fire in 1795 ravaged the inner city, and then the British navy came to claim Denmark's navy, which triggered the Battle of the Nest in 1801 , as part of the Napoleonic Wars . Parts of the city were also damaged in that conflict. However, the damage was far from the extent of the damage caused by the landed British army during the English bombardment of the city in 1807 , where large areas of the city burned down, as the British military used rockets. The medieval Church of Our Lady also went up in flames. The challenges for Denmark and Copenhagen end with the state bankruptcy in 1813 and the loss of Norway, and the accompanying trade from Copenhagen to Norway, in 1814.

 

After the tumultuous events in the years up to 1814, Denmark and Copenhagen had ended up as a small, poor country. It was therefore not immediately possible to rebuild the public buildings that had been destroyed by the bombardment, such as Our Lady's Church and the university , until well into the 19th century. When the economy finally got going, this gave rise to enormous development and most of Copenhagen's inner city is characterized by the reconstructions after the fires and the bombing. Culturally, Copenhagen came to form the framework for one of the most rewarding cultural periods in Danish history, the Golden Age , which was characterized by, among other things, CF Hansen , Bertel Thorvaldsen and Søren Kierkegaard . This was followed by industrialization in the second half of the 19th century. After a major cholera epidemic in 1853, it was finally decided to take down the old ramparts.

 

It was now allowed to build permanent, foundation-walled new construction outside the ramparts. This release, in combination with very liberal building legislation, led to a building boom in the bridge districts and a significant increase in the population. Around 1800, approximately 100,000 people lived in the capital, and at the start of the 20th century there were almost 500,000.

 

The new districts became very different: Frederiksberg and Østerbro became neighborhoods of the bourgeoisie ; Nørrebro and Vesterbro, on the other hand, became workers' districts.

 

As a replacement for the old fortress, the Estrup government adopted the construction of the large fortifications , including the Vestvolden, from 1886 . It was Denmark's largest workplace and was only later surpassed by the Great Belt connection . The construction of large projects such as the Free Harbor (1894), the Town Hall (1905) and the Central Station (1911) also left their mark. Copenhagen had become an industrial metropolis, home to companies on an international scale such as Burmeister & Wain , Østasiatisk Kompagni and the Great Nordic Telegraph Company .

 

After a weak start ( the Battle of Fælleden ), the labor movement had its breakthrough in the capital of the 20th century, where the post of finance mayor was taken over in 1903 by trade unionist Jens Jensen . In 1901, the municipality incorporated a number of parishes, including Brønshøj and Valby , and in 1902 the municipality of Sundbyernes was incorporated . The municipality's area was thus tripled, leaving Frederiksberg as an enclave in Copenhagen Municipality.

 

From World War I to the present

This section describes the period from the start of World War I in 1914 to the present day. The policy of neutrality meant that Copenhagen was not particularly affected by the First World War. The so-called goulash barons made a lot of money from stock speculation and from exporting meat products to Germany . After the First World War, there was a shortage of most things, and a great deal of unemployment contributed to a lot of unrest, especially in Copenhagen's working-class neighborhoods. In 1922, the Copenhagen-based Landmandsbanken went bankrupt, dragging many people down with it.

 

From 1917, the Social Democrats had a majority in the municipality's board. This led to increased public welfare, municipal housing construction, etc. The construction of Fælledparken and other parks was another result of the municipality's new social and health policy programme, which, among other things, as a result of the housing crises of 1908 and 1916 focused on building housing that was not influenced by building speculation. As buildings were built on the lands outside the Søerne and on the areas around e.g. Brønshøj and Valby, which had been merged with Copenhagen Municipality in 1901, approached Copenhagen with surrounding towns such as Lyngby, Herlev and Rødovre. And gradually these became suburbs. Due to a lack of suitable land in the inner city, much of the urban development took place around these cities. This development was also helped by more public transport, i.a. the opening of the S train lines from 1934.

 

During World War II, Copenhagen, like the rest of Denmark , was occupied by German troops. Several buildings were destroyed during the occupation either by sabotage or by attacks from the allied forces. Among these can be mentioned that the Shell House , which was the headquarters of the Gestapo , was bombed by British planes on 21 March 1945 . During this attack , the French School in Frederiksberg was hit and many children were killed. Many industrial buildings in Copenhagen were also blown up by the Danish resistance movement . One of the biggest popular protests against the conditions under the German occupation was the People's Uprising in 1944

 

After the war, the increasing use of motor vehicles became increasingly important for the city's development, and this caused the master plan's ideas of a Copenhagen built around collective S-train traffic to become somewhat diluted. Some suburbs grew up away from the S-train network. In the 1960s, development in the Municipality of Copenhagen seemed to have almost come to a standstill, while in the suburban municipalities people were building on life. Gladsaxe Municipality under Erhard Jakobsen and Albertslund are examples of this development in Copenhagen's surrounding municipalities.

 

Inner Copenhagen, on the other hand, experienced a period of decline from the 1960s with the relocation of industry and residents. This development began to reverse around 1990. Especially with the urban renewal plans from 1991, many run-down neighborhoods slowly but surely became desirable. With the construction of the subway and housing along the harbor, the inner city has become better connected. The construction of the Øresund Bridge in 2000 has connected Copenhagen with western Scania, and the city thus strengthened its status as the center of the Øresund region .

 

While Ungdomshuset på Jagtvej existed, the Nørrebro area in particular was regularly characterized by violent demonstrations that emanated from here. This culminated in the demolition of the house in March 2007, and subsided in mid-2008, when a new house was built for the young people in North West. Since then, there have been no major demonstrations based on the movement around the Youth House.

 

During the period, the housing market in the city was approx. 2002–2007, along with the rest of the country, characterized by a housing bubble. This stopped, as in the rest of Denmark, in 2006/2007, when large price drops were experienced. However, Copenhagen recovered quickly and the Copenhagen housing market has been characterized by rising prices since 2009 and today ( 2021 ) prices are higher than prices were at their peak in 2006. At the beginning of the period, it was also possible to assess cooperative housing according to market price. This opened up the otherwise closed co-operative housing market, and instead of being traded through closed lists and sometimes money under the table, co-operative housing is now most often traded in free trade. During the bubble period it was popular to settle in Malmö in Sweden and work in Copenhagen. ​​In 2021, there have been large price increases again and some politicians spoke of further restrictions on the possibilities of borrowing, while others spoke of the fact that it was not necessary.

 

In 2020, Copenhagen, like the rest of Denmark and the rest of the world, was hit by the Coronavirus pandemic . The authorities recommended homework and shut down entertainment.

 

Future plans

Until around 2025, four major expansion areas are planned in the Municipality of Copenhagen, which will provide space for 45,000 new Copenhageners; Ørestad south of Field's and on Amager Fælled , Nordhavnen , Valby around New Ellebjerg Station and the Carlsberg plot north of Carlsberg Station are to be developed. Likewise, it is planned that the former freight railway area between Dybbølsbro Station and Hovedbanegården is to be developed, but primarily with business, i.a. hotels and Ikea . All the areas are either old industrial areas or land reclamation, except for Amager Fælled which is originally salt meadow. The municipality of Copenhagen is also planning a very large development in the north-eastern harbor area in the form of Lynetteholmen .

 

In the preliminary municipal plan 2021, Frederiksberg Municipality plans urban development around e.g. Nordens Plads and the Hospital grounds where Frederiksberg Hospital used to be located. In addition, the focus is on conservation and hollow filling with either new buildings or green areas.

 

In Rødovre there are three primary urban development areas Rødovre North, the City Core (around Rødovre Centrum ) and Rødovre South. At the City Center, among other things, the possibilities of making a metro stop by extending one of the existing metro lines.

 

A major challenge with the many additional residents will be to make room for the traffic in the city. The extension in 2019 of the metro with the City Ring and the construction of light rail along ring 3 from Lyngby to Ishøj should create even more coherence in Copenhagen's public transport. There has also been talk for many years about an Eastern Ring Road around the central parts of the city. One possibility is that the eastern ring road can go over Lynetteholmen .

 

Geography

Geographically, Copenhagen is located in north-eastern Zealand with part of the city on the island of Amager . Western Copenhagen stretches relatively flat further into Zealand, while to both north and south you can experience more hilly terrain. In north-western Copenhagen, e.g. around Søborg and Høje Gladsaxe a larger chain of hills with heights up to 50 meters above sea level. These hilly landscapes in northern Copenhagen are intersected by a number of lakes and Mølleåen . Due to height in the Gladsaxe area, the Gladsaxe transmitter and Copenhagen's water supply have been placed here . In the south-western part of Copenhagen, a calcareous landslide rises at the Carlsberg fault . The more central parts of Copenhagen consist primarily of flatter landscape, alternating in Valby and Brønshøj with less domed hills. Two valley systems follow these small hill ranges from northeast to southwest. In one valley you will find the lakes , in the other you will find Damhussøen . These smaller valleys are crossed by the rivers Harrestrup Å and Ladegårdsåen . Amager and most of the inner city is flat coastal land.

 

Geologically speaking, Copenhagen, like most of Denmark, rests on an Ice Age bedrock moraine landscape, which in turn rests on a harder subsoil of limestone . In certain places in the area, there is only ten meters down to the limestone layer, which caused considerable problems during the construction of the metro.

 

Religion

A majority (56.5%) of those who live in the Diocese of Copenhagen are members of the People's Church, and the number is decreasing. The national cathedral, Vor Frue Kirke, is one of numerous churches in Copenhagen. There are also several other Christian congregations in the city, the largest of which is Roman Catholic.

 

Foreign immigration to Copenhagen, which has increased over the past three decades, has contributed to increasing religious diversity; The Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center opened in 2014. Islam is the second largest religion in Copenhagen, making up an estimated 10% of the population. Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that a significant proportion of the estimated 175,000–200,000 Muslims in the country live in the Copenhagen area, with the highest concentration in Nørrebro and Vesteggen . There are also up to 7,000 Jews in Denmark, with most living in Copenhagen, where there are several synagogues. Jews have a long history in the city and the first synagogue in Copenhagen was built in 1684. Today, the history of Danish Jews can be experienced at the Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen.

 

Music, theater and opera

The oldest and most famous theater in the capital is the Royal Theater , founded in 1748 , located at the end of Kongens Nytorv. Since its foundation, the theater has been the national stage for theatre , plays , opera and ballet . The theater has a large stage called Gamle scene , which can accommodate approx. 1,600 spectators. Within the last few years, however, opera and plays have been given independent buildings. The opera house was built in 2005 on Holmen opposite Amalienborg and can accommodate up to 1,703 spectators. The theater was built in 2008 at Kvæsthusbroen near Nyhavn. The Royal Danish Ballet can still be found on the old stage of the Royal Danish Theatre. Since it was founded in 1748, it is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. It is the home of the Bournonville ballet style .

 

In addition to the more traditional offerings such as theatre, opera and ballet, which the Royal Theater can offer, there are a multitude of other theaters that offer reinterpretations of classic plays as well as completely new pieces and genres, such as Folketeatret and Nørrebro Teater .

 

Copenhagen has had a large jazz scene for many years . Jazz came to Copenhagen in the 1960s, when American jazz musicians such as Ben Webster , Thad Jones and Dexter Gordon moved to the city. Musically, they gathered at Jazzhus Montmartre , which in the 1960s was the European center for modern jazz. The jazz club closed in 1995, reopened in May 2010, but is expected to close again in 2020/2021 due to challenges arising in connection with the shutdown due to the corona epidemic. Every year in July, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival is celebrated , which fills venues and squares with jazz concerts.

 

The most important venue for rhythmic music in Copenhagen is Vega on Vesterbro, which was voted "best concert venue in Europe" by the international music magazine Live Pumpehuset and Den Grå Hal are also popular indoor concert venues. The largest indoor concerts are held in the Park , where there is room for up to 55,000 spectators. The biggest outdoor concerts are often arranged in Valbyparken , including Grøn Koncert , which has ended the tour in Copenhagen since 1985 and since 2017 has also started in Copenhagen.

 

For free entertainment, you can take a walk up Strøget, especially between Nytorv and Højbro Plads , which in the late afternoon and evening transforms into an improvised three-ring circus with musicians, magicians , jugglers and other street performances.

 

Museums

As Denmark's capital, Copenhagen contains some of the most important collections of Danish history and culture, but some museums also have collections of great international quality. The National Museum , founded in 1807, is the most important museum in Denmark for culture and history. The museum contains, among other things, a multitude of ancient finds with priceless objects such as The Sun Chariot . New Carlsberg Glyptotek also displays a wide collection of objects from prehistoric times to the present day. The museum has ancient collections from Mesopotamia , Egypt including a large collection of mummies , Ancient Greece with a piece from the Parthenon Frieze that is of international quality, and various artifacts from Ancient Rome . The Glyptotek is completely unique and the only one of its kind in the Nordic countries .

 

The Statens Museum for Kunst is the country's largest art museum with large collections and often exhibitions of recent art. Thorvaldsen's Museum from 1848 with Bertel Thorvaldsen's many figures was the city's first proper art museum. The Hirschsprung collection contains mostly paintings from the Golden Age and by the Skagen painters . The modern art is presented primarily in Arken in Ishøj and Louisiana in Humlebæk north of Copenhagen.

 

In addition to Danish art and handicrafts , David's Collection contains one of the ten most important collections of Islamic art in the Western world. The war museum from 1838 contains an enormous collection of military equipment from the Middle Ages until recent times.

 

The natural history museums are represented by the Botanical Garden , the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum . The three museums have entered into a collaboration, the Statens Natural History Museum, and are expected to be united in a building at the Botanical Gardens in 2024 as a national natural history museum. Experimentarium and Planetarium deal with general physics and astronomy .

 

Copenhagen also contains more specialized museums such as the Arbejdermuseet , Frihedsmuseet , Copenhagen City Museum , Storm P Museum and Enigma (expected to open in 2022) which is a successor to the Post & Tele Museum .

 

Parks, forests, lakes and beaches

Copenhagen has a number of parks, the two largest being Valbyparken and Fælledparken , respectively. 64 and 58 ha. Valbyparken is also surrounded by football pitches and allotment gardens. A beach is being built ( as of 2021 ) at the water's edge facing the Port of Copenhagen. The large lawn in the park lays, among other things, place for Green Concert . The public park on Østerbro is among the most visited attractions in Denmark, with several million visitors a year. The third largest park in Copenhagen is Frederiksberg Have (32 ha). Here you can e.g. enjoy the view of Norman Foster's elephant house in the Zoo , which occupies the western part of the garden.

 

In addition to parks, the city has some very open natural areas, the largest of which is Amager Fælled at 223 ha. Amager Fælled consists of approx. one quarter original salt marsh and three quarters filled seabed. The community has been continuously reduced and has ceded areas to e.g. Ørestad and ball fields. There are currently being prepared to be built in the southern part. This construction creates ( as of 2021 ) a lot of debate, especially in the Copenhagen media and in Copenhagen politics. In addition, there is the Sydhavnstippen , which is a 40 ha natural area with plenty of wildlife and plant life.

 

Another very popular park is Kongens Have in central Copenhagen with Rosenborg Castle . The park has been open to the public since the beginning of the 18th century. Centrally in the city along the former ramparts are a number of parks, of which Tivoli is the best known.

 

Something special for Copenhagen is that several cemeteries also have a double function as parks, although only for quiet activities. Assistens Kirkegård , where HC Andersen is buried, among other things, is an important green breathing hole for Indre Nørrebro . It is official policy in Copenhagen that in 2015 all residents must be able to reach a park or beach on foot in less than 15 minutes.

 

In addition to parks, Copenhagen also has a number of forests, including Vestskoven (15 km²) in the western part and Hareskoven (9 km²) in the northwestern part. The animal park (11 km²) is located in the northern part and contains both forest, plain and a golf course.

 

Just west of the ring of parks from the old ramparts are Copenhagen's Indre Søer . Other significant lakes include Damhussøen and i.a. Utterslev Mose and Bagsværd Lake .

 

Copenhagen has a number of sandy beaches. The largest is Amager Strandpark , which opened in 2005 , which includes a 2 km long artificial island and a total of 4.6 km of sandy beach. In addition, there are e.g. beaches at Bellevue and Charlottenlund along the north coast and Brøndby along the south coast. The beaches are complemented by several harbor baths along the waterfront. The first and most popular of these is located at Islands Brygge .

 

Media and Film

Many Danish media companies have their headquarters in Copenhagen. The state-funded DR started its radio activities here in 1925. At the beginning of the 1950s, the company was also responsible for spreading television throughout the country. Today, the media company has several television and TV channels, which are controlled from DR Byen , built in 2006/07 in Ørestad . The Odense -based TV 2 has gathered its Copenhagen activities at Teglholmen .

 

Two of the three major national newspapers, Politiken and Berlingske , as well as the two major tabloid newspapers , Ekstra Bladet and BT, have their headquarters in Copenhagen. Furthermore, Jyllands-Posten has a newsroom in the city. In 2003 Politikens Hus merged with Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten and formed the company JP/Politikens Hus . Berlingske , founded in 1749, is Denmark's oldest newspaper. Berlingske Media , which i.a. publisher Berlingske is owned by the London -based Mecom Group . In addition, there are a large number of local newspapers such as Vesterbro Avis . Other media companies include Aller Media , which is the largest publisher of weekly and monthly magazines in Scandinavia, Egmont , which, among others, is behind Nordisk Film , and Gyldendal , the largest Danish book publisher.

 

Copenhagen also has a relatively large film and television industry. Filmbyen , located on a disused military base in the suburb of Hvidovre , houses several film companies and studios. Among the film companies is Zentropa , in which the film director Lars von Trier is a co-owner, who is behind several international film productions and who was one of the founders of the dogma movement . Historically, Copenhagen, and especially the company Nordisk Film , was the center of the film industry in Northern Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, with hundreds of annual film productions. Nordisk Film in Valby still produces many films and today has 1,200 employees (as of 2006 ) and is the largest producer and distributor of electronic entertainment in the Nordics.

 

The largest concentration of cafes is in Indre By, Østerbro and Vesterbro. The first Copenhagen cafe opened in 1831 at the Hotel D'Angleterre , but it was only with the opening of Café Sommersko in 1976 that the cafe culture really came to Copenhagen, and there are now over 300 cafes spread across the city.

 

Copenhagen's nightlife is centered around Indre by, Nørrebro and Vesterbro, i.a. Laurits Betjent , Nasa , Rust and Vega .

 

Within the last decade, Copenhagen has really distinguished itself with restaurants that can measure up among the best. Most prominent is Noma , with 2 stars in the Michelin guide since 2007, which has also been named the best restaurant in the world. In addition to Noma, Copenhagen had 11 restaurants that have received one star in the Michelin guide per 2021. With 18 stars, Copenhagen is the Nordic city with the most stars, which has been the case for a number of years. In 2016, Restaurant Geranium was the first Danish restaurant ever to receive three Michelin stars (which is the highest score), which they have maintained ever since.

 

The sausage cart has traditionally been the favorite place to eat for the little hungry, but is now being challenged by burger bars, pizzerias , shawarma and sushi bars and the like. Smørrebrød restaurants are another type of lunch catering that is characteristic of Copenhagen.

 

Copenhagen is the capital in the world where organic food has the largest market share. One in ten purchases is organic in Copenhagen.

 

Sports

Copenhagen represents a wide range of sports and is often a leader in the field in Denmark . Larger sports facilities include The park , but also e.g. Brøndby Stadium , Farum Park and Gladsaxe Stadium for football, Østerbro Stadium for athletics, Ballerup Super Arena for track cycling , Rødovre Skøjte Arena for ice hockey , Brøndbyhallen for handball and Bagsværd Rostadion for rowing .

 

The largest Danish stadium Parken , located on Østerbro , is both the home ground for the Danish national football team and the football club FC Copenhagen . FC Copenhagen has for a number of years been very dominant in the Danish Superliga with thirteen championships since 2000 . In addition, Copenhagen is, among other things, hometown of football clubs Brøndby IF , AB , B.93 , Frem and Fremad Amager . In addition to the park, larger football stadiums include Brøndby Stadium (Denmark's second largest), Gladsaxe Stadium and Farum Park . Østerbro Stadium is the city's largest stadium for athletics .

 

Within handball , KIF Kolding København is the biggest Copenhagen team. However, they only have a men's team associated with the handball league . KIF Kolding Copenhagen is a partial continuation of AG Copenhagen , which merged with Kolding IF Handball . Despite great success in the Champions League in the spring of 2012 , AG Copenhagen suddenly fell into financial crisis in the summer of the same year , which led to the club filing for bankruptcy on 31 July 2012 .

 

Within athletics , it is the club Sparta in particular that has made a name for itself and the men's team has won the Danish athletics tournament 29 years in a row until 2014 and the women's team has won the Danish athletics tournament 17 years in a row until 2014. The Copenhagen Athletics Games were held in the period 2005 –2007, and before that the Copenhagen Games were held (1973-1986). Both aspired to display world-class athleticism.

 

The DM in ice hockey for men was won many times until the mid-1970s by the Copenhagen clubs KSF and Rungsted IK . Since then, the DM has primarily been won by Jutland clubs, while Rungsted Seier Capital and Rødovre Mighty Bulls have changed to being Copenhagen's best men's ice hockey team. On the women's side, Hvidovre Ishockey Klub has been very dominant in the DM with 8 championships in the 10 tournaments since 2011, often with Herlev IK as the closest competitor.

 

Copenhagen has a long tradition of rowing and has produced several national team rowers. DSR , which is Denmark's largest rowing club, and Kvik , both located in Svanemøllebugten , have rowed the traditional swan mill match every year since 1895 . In addition, there are a number of other clubs, e.g. Copenhagen Rowing Club and Bagsværd Rowing Club .

 

Copenhagen can display a number of golf courses , including Copenhagen Golf Club in Dyrehaven and Royal Golf Center in Ørestad . The Royal Golf Center has been built with a view to being able to hold PGA tournaments .

 

In the Municipality of Copenhagen, plans have been made to make Copenhagen the host of future international sporting events. In 2009 , Copenhagen hosted the World Outgames , which is an international gay sporting event. And the ambition of holding world championships in e.g. handball and ice hockey are currently being strengthened by the construction of the Copenhagen Arena .

 

For equestrian sports, the Charlottenlund Track , which opened in 1891 and is the oldest in the Nordic region , can be found in the northern suburbs . Likewise, to the north, there is also the Klampenborg Galopbane . From 1922 to 1976, the Amager Trotting Track also existed in Tårnby .

 

Copenhagen was one of the host cities at the European Football Championship 2020 , which took place in June and July 2021. Three group stage matches and a round of 16 final were played in Parken .

 

The 1st stage of the Tour de France 2022 was run as a single start in the city center on 1 July .

 

Economy

Elaborating In-depth article: Copenhagen's economy

As the country's largest urban area, the capital area is a natural economic powerhouse for the country, but also for southern Sweden, the urban area plays an important economic role.

 

Previously, Copenhagen was characterized by a number of large industrial companies such as Burmeister & Wain and Dansk Sojakagefabrik . Copenhagen was also the starting point for CF Tietgen's extensive network of companies ( Privatbanken , Det Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab , De Danske Spritfabrikker and others). However, since the end of the Second World War, in line with similar trends in the rest of Europe, heavy industry has moved outside the city or completely out of the country, and Copenhagen has increasingly become a city of knowledge.

 

Politically, most of the central administration is located in Copenhagen, where most ministries have offices on or in the area around Slotsholmen . Likewise, most agencies are located in the Copenhagen area, which together with the many private knowledge workplaces provides a highly specialized labor market with many knowledge-intensive jobs.

 

The Copenhagen area is home to a handful of strong business clusters in the areas of biotech , cleantech , IT and shipping . The clusters within biotech and cleantech have many overlaps, within e.g. biomass production. Both clusters are supported by cluster organizations for the growth and promotion of the industries. Within biotech, the cluster organization is Medicon Valley and within cleantech/environmental technology, it is the newly founded Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster . Clusters have received a greater focus from the regional political side, as clusters such as the cleantech cluster cover more than 350 companies and approx. 30,000 jobs.

 

Several of the largest Danish companies have their headquarters in the city area; especially companies within the pharmaceutical industry ( Novo Nordisk , Lundbeck , Ferring and others) and shipping ( AP Møller-Mærsk , Torm , D/S Norden , J. Lauritzen) are important for the area's economy. Likewise, several large financial groups together with the National Bank characterize central Copenhagen, including Danske Bank , Nordea Bank Danmark and Nykredit . Carlsberg , ISS and Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni are other large companies headquartered in the Copenhagen area.

 

Tourism

According to the tourist organization HORESTA, the number of hotel nights in the capital region in 2018 was approx. nine million, which is approx. 1 million more than in 2012. Most foreign tourists in Copenhagen continue to come from Sweden , Norway and Germany .

 

Hotels

Elaborating Detailed article: Copenhagen hotels

In Copenhagen, there are five 5-star hotels, which include counts Hotel Nimb in Tivoli and Hotel Skt. Petri in Indre By . An extensive renovation in 2012–2013 of the famous Hotel D'Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv has made the hotel Copenhagen's only 6-star hotel.

 

Copenhagen has a total of 12 hotels with more than 300 rooms and Europe's largest hostel, Danhostel Copenhagen City at Kalvebod Brygge , with a total of 1020 beds. The city's – and Scandinavia's – largest hotel is the 75 meter high Bella Sky Comwell in Ørestad with a total of 812 rooms spread over two towers. With its 86 meters and 26 floors , the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel at Islands Brygge is Denmark's tallest hotel. 8 out of Copenhagen's 11 largest hotels were built in the 21st century , whereas the Admiral Hotel in Frederiksstaden , which opened in 1978 , is located in a building built in 1787 . The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel by Arne Jacobsen from 1960 is also worth mentioning. It is centrally located at Vesterport .

 

Cruise tourism

Since the 1990s, cruise tourism – like many other large port cities in Europe and the rest of the world – has seen significant growth in Copenhagen. In the period 2005-2012, the number of calls increased by over 100, and the number of passengers almost doubled as the tonnage increased. In the Port of Copenhagen, cruise ships dock in three different – ​​and from 2014 four – areas : Langeliniekaj , Nordre Toldbod , Frihavnen and Nordhavnen (opens in 2014). In 2012, a cruise ship docked in the Port of Copenhagen 372 times with a total of 840,000 passengers, which was the best season so far in both Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark. Copenhagen is thus Scandinavia's largest cruise port and Northern Europe's second largest, surpassed only by Southampton .

 

Business clusters

The Copenhagen area is home to a handful of strong business clusters in the areas of biotech , cleantech , IT and shipping . The clusters within biotech and cleantech have many overlaps, within e.g. biomass production. Both clusters are supported by cluster organizations for the growth and promotion of the industries. Within biotech, the cluster organization is Medicon Valley and within cleantech/environmental technology, it is the newly founded Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster . The latter is considered one of the strongest in the world, partly as a result of annual growth rates of over 10% within exports.

 

Within shipping, the activities are gathered in The Danish Maritime Cluster , which has its center in Copenhagen. It is one of the world's leading maritime clusters, and accounts for 24% of Denmark's exports and 10% of total Danish production. The cluster as a whole employs 80,000 people in the companies themselves and 35,000 in related occupations, the majority of which are found in the large shipping companies in Copenhagen. The cluster has a large number of partners in education and research, including among others CBS , the University of Copenhagen and DTU . The organization of the cluster is led by the Maritime Development Center and Europe , which is also located in the city.

 

Within financial IT, there is also a business cluster. While finance and IT make up 5% of Denmark's general employment, the figure is 14% for the Capital Region. Since 2009, the organization Copenhagen Finance IT Region has tried to develop and maintain the industry in the region. One of the challenges is that 50% of jobs in the sector are at risk in relation to outsourcing, compared to 25% for the service sector in general. The cluster organization has a number of partners, including CBS , the Swedish Financial Agency , Dansk Metal and DI ITEK .

 

Retail

Strøget and Købmagergade are the two biggest shopping streets with the biggest and most common shops, while many of the side streets have the more "quirky" shops. On Gammeltorv by Strøget is the Caritas well, which is considered one of the finest memorials from the Renaissance . [169] In the bridge districts, especially the main streets, such as Nørrebrogade , Amagerbrogade and Østerbrogade from the center, function as traditional shopping streets.

 

In central Copenhagen are the department stores Magasin du Nord , Illum and Illums Bolighus , while shopping centers are found in several different places in the city, with Fields in Ørestad, City 2 in Taastrup and Fisketorvet at Dybbølsbro being the largest. In the central districts, other centers include e.g. Amager Centre , Frederiksberg Centre , Nørrebro City Center and Spinderiet in Valby, as well as Copenhagen Central Station and Copenhagen Airport also contain a number of shops. In the suburban areas there are e.g. Lyngby Storcenter , Glostrup Storcenter and Rødovre Centrum .

 

Architecture and urban planning

Copenhagen is famous for having a balance between new and old architecture and a homogeneous building mass of 5-6 storeys in height. In 2008 , the Citizens' Representative Council decided that Indre By should be kept free of high-rise buildings . Thus, large parts of Indre By appear quite well preserved despite historic city fires and bombardments, although many of the famous towers and spires are of recent date. However, large city fires have meant that there are not very many buildings older than 1728 left. Contrary to e.g. Stockholm is Copenhagen, characterized by point-by-point renovations of the building stock rather than violent clearances of larger neighborhoods. At the same time, the economy has often put restrictions on the most ambitious projects, which is why knock-on solutions such as at the Statens Museum for Art are widespread. Large parts of Indre By are subject to building conservation .

 

Some of the oldest buildings in the inner city are Sankt Petri Church from the 15th century and the Consistory House from approx. 1420 . Christian IV occupies a special place in the city's history. Not only did he double the city's area and build Christianshavn and Nyboder, but he was also the capital's first urban planner. Of all the king's many magnificent buildings, Børsen (1619–25) in the Dutch Renaissance style stands out as a unique building in European architecture. Baroque Copenhagen is also represented by the famous twisted staircase spire on the tower of Our Saviour's Church .

 

The new district of Frederiksstaden , which was started in 1749, was characterized by the Rococo style. In the center, a large square, Amalienborg Palace Square , was built with four noble palaces surrounding the Equestrian Statue of Frederik 5. . The entire neighborhood is included in the Kulturkanonen .

 

After the city's fire in 1795 and the British bombardment in 1807, large parts of the city had to be rebuilt. It became a house, with corners cut off so that the fire escapes could get around the corners. Most of Indre By is characterized by this architecture.

 

The fall of the ramparts (1856) was the start of an unbridled era, where new neighborhoods quickly sprung up. In the bridge quarters and on Gammelholm , an abysmal difference arose between the decorated facades facing the street and the dark backyards and small apartments.

 

One of the greatest architects of the 20th century, Arne Jacobsen, introduced modernism to Denmark and marked the city with, among other things, Royal Hotel (1960) and Nationalbank (1978).

 

The post-war planning of the capital area was supported by the Finger plan (1947). The finger plan determined that the urban densification in the future should primarily be concentrated in corridors along the S-Bahn network, while the spaces in between should be kept free for green areas.

 

The 1970s and 1980s were characterized by international modular architecture with no distinctive character and a building zeal that was mainly concentrated around the suburban municipalities, most often in the form of prefabricated concrete construction . In the central parts of Copenhagen during the period, the focus was mostly on urban renovations , this time aimed at the miserable backyard carts in the bridge districts.

 

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Municipality of Copenhagen was in crisis, but there was still enough money to initiate large conservation urban renewal projects on Vesterbro and Amagerbro . The construction of Ørestad was supposed to help pull the capital out of the doldrums.

 

Towards the end of the century, a real flourishing in architecture began with the additions to the Statens Museum for Art and the Royal Library. Then followed significant buildings such as the Opera House , the Theater House and the Tietgen College in Ørestad Nord.

 

High-rises and towers

Copenhagen has long been a densely built-up but not very tall city. This is due, among other things, to a great respect for the city's historic towers and very strict local plans . In the past 100 years, the general maximum building height has been approx. 25 meters. This has meant that the tallest buildings in Indre By to date are the towers and spires of Copenhagen City Hall , Christiansborg , Our Saviour's Church and Nikolaj Kunsthal .

 

The tallest buildings in Copenhagen are Herlev Hospital at 120 m and the tower at Christiansborg at 106 m. [ source missing ] However, the tallest man-made structure in Copenhagen is the Gladsaxesenderen at 220 metres. With its 267 m (incl. 47 m natural height), the top of the Gladsaxesenderen is the third highest point in Denmark after two other transmitter masts. [ source missing ] Domus Vista in Frederiksberg was, until Turning Torso in Malmö was inaugurated in 2005, the tallest residential building in the Nordic region, but is now only the second tallest.

 

Famous Copenhageners

Frank Arnesen , soccer player, soccer coach and talent manager

Bille August , film director

Herman Bang , journalist and author

Niels Bohr , physicist and Nobel Prize winner

Aage Bohr , physicist and Nobel laureate (Niels Bohr's son)

Victor Borge , entertainer

August Bournonville , ballet choreographer

Georg Brandes , cultural and literary critic

Helena Christensen , supermodel

Tove Ditlevsen , author

Carl Th. Dreyer , film director

Rune Glifberg , skateboarder

Vilhelm Hammershøi , painter

Gus Hansen , poker player

Iben Hjejle , actor

Peter Høeg , author

Arne Jacobsen , architect and designer

JC Jacobsen , founder of the Carlsberg brewery

Robert Jacobsen artist

CV Jørgensen , singer and songwriter

Søren Kierkegaard , philosopher

Per Kirkeby , painter

Christen Købke , painter

Kim Larsen , singer, guitarist and songwriter

Michael Laudrup , footballer

Bjørn Lomborg , political scientist and author

Lauritz Melchior , opera singer

Mads Mikkelsen , actor

Andreas Mogensen , astronaut

Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller , shipowner

Verner Panton , architect

Dirch Passer , comedian and actor

Peter Schmeichel , soccer player

Julius Thomsen , chemist

Bertel Thorvaldsen , sculptor

Lars von Trier , film director

Dan Turèll , author

Lars Ulrich , drummer and songwriter for Metallica

Jørn Utzon , architect

Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen R. actor

Magnus Millang actor

replaced...

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 01-Apr-20.

 

Named: "James Cook".

 

This aircraft was delivered to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as PH-BTD in Dec-92. It was sold to Privatair (Switzerland) as HB-JJC in Dec-11. It was wet-leased to EC Air (Equatorial Congo Airlines) in Feb-12. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Brussels in Dec-15. It was sold to EC Air in Jan-18 and re-registered TN-AJX. However, it didn't stay in service for long and was withdrawn from use and stored at Johannesburg in Oct-18. As far as I'm aware, EC Air is no longer operational and the aircraft hasn't flown since. As it's now over 27 years old, I'm assuming it's unlikely to fly again. Updated (Apr-20).

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 20-Aug-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 16-Apr-23.

 

Aero Peru ceased operations in Mar-99.

 

With additional '25 years' Aero Peru titles.

 

An aircraft with a very long and slightly confusing history. Delivered to a lessor and leased to Caledonian Airways (not the original Caledonian which became B.Cal but the Caledonian which was previously British Airtours) as G-BUDX in May-92.

 

The aircraft was sub-leased to Ambassador Airways in May-93. At the end of Oct-93, Ambassador wet-leased it to Avianca Colombia for the winter season and it returned to Ambassador in Apr-94. At the end of Nov-94 Ambassador was in severe financial difficulties and it was impounded at Manchester, UK.

 

It was returned to the lessor in early Dec-94 and remained stored at Manchester. It was re-registered N592KA for just one day in May-95, becoming SE-DSK for lease to Sunways Airlines Sweden. It was repossessed by the lessor in Sep-97 and became N592KA again.

 

In Apr-98 it was leased to AeroMexico and immediately sub-leased to Aero Peru, returning to the lessor in Apr-99. It was re-registered N521NA in Jul-99 and leased to National Airlines. It was returned to the lessor in Nov-02 and was leased to Transmeridian Airlines the following month.

 

They wet-leased it to Aerolineas Santo Domingo from Jun/Oct-03 and then to Travelspan from Nov-03/Feb-04. Transmeridian ceased operations in Sep-05 and the aircraft returned to the lessor and was stored at Miami, FL, USA.

 

It was leased to Avianca Colombia in Jan-06, returning to the lessor in Oct-08. In Nov-08 it was leased to AeroGal (Ecuador) as HC-CHC, only to be re-registered N521NA again a week later and then back to HC-CHC in early Dec-08. It was returned to the lessor in Apr-10 and was stored at Tucson, AZ, USA as N169CA.

 

In Jun-10 it was leased to National Airlines again, for two years, returning to the lessor in Jun-12 when it was stored at Victorville, CA, USA. It was sold to FedEx Federal Express in Sep-12 and remained stored. It was re-registered N979FD in Apr-13 and was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door at Singapore-Seletar in Nov/Dec-13. Current, updated 16-Apr-23.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 23-Jan-24.

 

Cyrillic titles, left side. English titles, right side. With additional 'operated by Albanian Airlines' titles with the word 'Albanian' painted out. The odd tail logo is Turan Air, overpainted with the Bulgarian flag.

 

A rough history... dates are approximate.

 

Built in 1986, this aircraft was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines as SP-LCB in Aug-86. It was sold to Turan Air (Azerbaijan) as 4K-733 in Jul-95.

 

In Jun-00 it was sold to Hemus Air (Bulgaria) in basic Turan Air livery as LZ HMP. At some point (late 2000 to early 2001) it was leased to Albanian Airlines.

 

The aircraft was sold to Bulgarian Air Charter as LZ-LCV in mid 2002. It was wet-leased to Kish Air (Iran) in early 2004, returning to Bulgarian Air Charter in mid 2004.

 

It was sold back to Turan Air as 4K-733 in Sep-06. Turan Air ceased operations in 2013 and the aircraft was stored at Baku, Azerbaijan. I can't find any further record of the aircraft and I'm assuming it was eventually broken up at Baku. Updated 17-Mar-24.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 04-Dec-24.

 

An early build Boeing 777 (Line No:30), this aircraft was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EMD in Jun-96. It was retired and initially stored at Dubai in Oct-14.

 

It was sold to Universal Asset Management Inc in Nov-14 and permanently retired at Tupelo, MS, USA. It was broken up there in Sep-15.

Replacing an earlier photo from Apr-15 with a better version Apr-17.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAJ in Nov-13. Interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder was completed in Jun-14 and the aircraft was stored at Finkenwerder until it was delivered to Qatar Airways as A7-APB in Nov-14. Current (May-17).

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 05-Aug-20.

 

Taken from the Templeton overpass

 

Fleet No: "651".

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWBS, this aircraft was delivered to Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) and, via two other lessors, leased to America West Airlines as N651AW in Sep-98. America West was merged into US Airways in Sep-05. US Airways was merged into American Airlines in Apr-15. Current, updated (Aug-20).

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, vice president of engineering and research at Lockheed's Skunk Works, visited USAF air bases across South Korea in November 1951 to speak with fighter pilots about what they wanted and needed in a fighter aircraft. At the time, the American pilots were confronting the MiG-15 with North American F-86 Sabres, and many felt that the MiGs were superior to the larger and more complex American design. The pilots requested a small and simple aircraft with excellent performance, especially high speed and altitude capabilities. Armed with this information, Johnson immediately started the design of such an aircraft on his return to the United States.

 

Work started in March 1952. In order to achieve the desired performance, Lockheed chose a small and simple aircraft, weighing in at 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) with a single powerful engine. The engine chosen was the new General Electric J79 turbojet, an engine of dramatically improved performance in comparison with contemporary designs. The small L-246 design remained essentially identical to the Model 083 Starfighter as eventually delivered.

 

Johnson presented the design to the Air Force on 5 November 1952, and work progressed quickly, with a mock-up ready for inspection at the end of April, and work starting on two prototypes that summer. The first prototype was completed by early 1954 and first flew on 4 March at Edwards AFB. The total time from contract to first flight was less than one year.

 

The first YF-104A flew on 17 February 1956 and, with the other 16 trial aircraft, were soon carrying out equipment evaluation and flight tests. Lockheed made several improvements to the aircraft throughout the testing period, including strengthening the airframe, adding a ventral fin to improve directional stability at supersonic speed, and installing a boundary layer control system (BLCS) to reduce landing speed. Problems were encountered with the J79 afterburner; further delays were caused by the need to add AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. On 28 January 1958, the first production F-104A to enter service was delivered.

 

Even though the F-104 saw only limited use by the USAF, later versions, tailored to a fighter bomber role and intended for overseas sales, were more prolific. This was in particular the F-104G, which became the Starfighter's main version, a total of 1,127 F-104Gs were produced under license by Canadair and a consortium of European companies that included Messerschmitt/MBB, Fiat, Fokker, and SABCA.

 

The F-104G differed considerably from earlier versions. It featured strengthened fuselage, wing, and empennage structures; a larger vertical fin with fully powered rudder as used on the earlier two-seat versions; fully powered brakes, new anti-skid system, and larger tires; revised flaps for improved combat maneuvering; a larger braking chute. Upgraded avionics included an Autonetics NASARR F15A-41B multi-mode radar with air-to-air, ground-mapping, contour-mapping, and terrain-avoidance modes, as well as the Litton LN-3 Inertial Navigation System, the first on a production fighter.

 

Germany was among the first foreign operators of the F-104G variant. As a side note, a widespread misconception was and still is that the "G" explicitly stood for "Germany". But that was not the case and pure incidence, it was just the next free letter, even though Germany had a major influence on the aircraft's concept and equipment. The German Air Force and Navy used a large number of F-104G aircraft for interception, reconnaissance and fighter bomber roles. In total, Germany operated 916 Starfighters, becoming the type's biggest operator in the world. Beyond the single seat fighter bombers, Germany also bought and initially 30 F-104F two-seat aircraft and then 137 TF-104G trainers. Most went to the Luftwaffe and a total of 151 Starfighters was allocated to the Marineflieger units.

 

The introduction of this highly technical aircraft type to a newly reformed German air force was fraught with problems. Many were of technical nature, but there were other sources of problems, too. For instance, after WWII, many pilots and ground crews had settled into civilian jobs and had not kept pace with military and technological developments. Newly recruited/re-activated pilots were just being sent on short "refresher" courses in slow and benign-handling first-generation jet aircraft or trained on piston-driven types. Ground crews were similarly employed with minimal training and experience, which was one consequence of a conscripted military with high turnover of service personnel. Operating in poor northwest European weather conditions (vastly unlike the fair-weather training conditions at Luke AFB in Arizona) and flying low at high speed over hilly terrain, a great many Starfighter accidents were attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). German Air Force and Navy losses with the type totaled 110 pilots, around half of them naval officers.

 

One general contributing factor to the high attrition rate was the operational assignment of the F-104 in German service: it was mainly used as a (nuclear strike) fighter-bomber, flying at low altitude underneath enemy radar and using landscape clutter as passive radar defense, as opposed to the original design of a high-speed, high-altitude fighter/interceptor. In addition to the different and demanding mission profiles, the installation of additional avionic equipment in the F-104G version, such as the inertial navigation system, added distraction to the pilot and additional weight that further hampered the flying abilities of the plane. In contemporary German magazine articles highlighting the Starfighter safety problems, the aircraft was portrayed as "overburdened" with technology, which was considered a latent overstrain on the aircrews. Furthermore, many losses in naval service were attributed to the Starfighter’s lack of safety margin through a twin-engine design like the contemporary Blackburn Buccaneer, which had been the German navy air arm’s favored type. But due to political reasons (primarily the outlook to produce the Starfighter in Southern Germany in license), the Marine had to accept and make do with the Starfighter, even if it was totally unsuited for the air arm's mission profile.

 

Erich Hartmann, the world's top-scoring fighter ace from WWII, commanded one of Germany's first (post-war) jet fighter-equipped squadrons and deemed the F-104 to be an unsafe aircraft with poor handling characteristics for aerial combat. To the dismay of his superiors, Hartmann judged the fighter unfit for Luftwaffe use even before its introduction.

In 1966 Johannes Steinhoff took over command of the Luftwaffe and grounded the entire Luftwaffe and Bundesmarine F-104 fleet until he was satisfied that the persistent problems had been resolved or at least reduced to an acceptable level. One measure to improve the situation was that some Starfighters were modified to carry a flight data recorder or "black box" which could give an indication of the probable cause of an accident. In later years, the German Starfighters’ safety record improved, although a new problem of structural failure of the wings emerged: original fatigue calculations had not taken into account the high number of g-force loading cycles that the German F-104 fleet was experiencing through their mission profiles, and many airframes were returned to the depot for wing replacement or outright retirement.

 

The German F-104Gs served primarily in the strike role as part of the Western nuclear deterrent strategy, some of these dedicated nuclear strike Starfighters even had their M61 gun replaced by an additional fuel tank for deeper penetration missions. However, some units close to the German borders, e.g. Jagdgeschwader (JG) 71 in Wittmundhafen (East Frisia) as well as JG 74 in Neuburg (Bavaria), operated the Starfighter as a true interceptor on QRA duty. From 1980 onwards, these dedicated F-104Gs received a new air superiority camouflage, consisting of three shades of grey in an integral wraparound scheme, together with smaller, subdued national markings. This livery was officially called “Norm 82” and unofficially “Alberich”, after the secretive guardian of the Nibelung's treasure. A similar wraparound paint scheme, tailored to low-level operations and consisting of two greens and black (called Norm 83), was soon applied to the fighter bombers and the RF-104 fleet, too, as well as to the Luftwaffe’s young Tornado IDS fleet.

 

However, the Luftwaffe’s F-104Gs were at that time already about to be gradually replaced, esp. in the interceptor role, by the more capable and reliable F-4F Phantom II, a process that lasted well into the mid-Eighties due to a lagging modernization program for the Phantoms. The Luftwaffe’s fighter bombers and recce Starfighters were replaced by the MRCA Tornado and RF-4E Phantoms. In naval service the Starfighters soldiered on for a little longer until they were also replaced by the MRCA Tornado – eventually, the Marineflieger units received a two engine aircraft type that was suitable for their kind of missions.

 

In the course of the ongoing withdrawal, a lot of German aircraft with sufficiently enough flying hours left were transferred to other NATO partners like Norway, Greece, Turkey and Italy, and two were sold to the NASA. One specific Starfighter was furthermore modified into a CCV (Control-Configured Vehicle) experimental aircraft under control of the German Industry, paving the way to aerodynamically unstable aircraft like the Eurofighter/Typhoon. The last operational German F-104 made its farewell flight on 22. Mai 1991, and the type’s final flight worldwide was in Italy in October 2004.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 54 ft 8 in (16.66 m)

Wingspan: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)

Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)

Wing area: 196.1 ft² (18.22 m²)

Airfoil: Biconvex 3.36 % root and tip

Empty weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 29,027 lb (13,166 kg)

 

Powerplant:

1× General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet,

10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust dry, 15,600 lbf (69 kN) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,528 mph (2,459 km/h, 1,328 kn)

Maximum speed: Mach 2

Combat range: 420 mi (680 km, 360 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,630 mi (2,620 km, 1,420 nmi)

Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)

Rate of climb: 48,000 ft/min (240 m/s) initially

Lift-to-drag: 9.2

Wing loading: 105 lb/ft² (510 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.54 with max. takeoff weight (0.76 loaded)

 

Armament:

1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan six-barreled Gatling cannon, 725 rounds

7× hardpoints with a capacity of 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), including up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder, (nuclear)

bombs, guided and unguided missiles, or other stores like drop tanks or recce pods

  

The kit and its assembly:

A relatively simple what-if project – based on the question how a German F-104 interceptor might have looked like, had it been operated for a longer time to see the Luftwaffe’s low-viz era from 1981 onwards. In service, the Luftwaffe F-104Gs started in NMF and then carried the Norm 64 scheme, the well-known splinter scheme in grey and olive drab. Towards the end of their career the fighter bombers and recce planes received the Norm 83 wraparound scheme in green and black, but by that time no dedicated interceptors were operational anymore, so I stretched the background story a little.

 

The model is the very nice Italeri F-104G/S model, which is based on the ESCI molds from the Eighties, but it comes with recessed engravings and an extra sprue that contains additional drop tanks and an Orpheus camera pod. The kit also includes a pair of Sidewinders with launch rails for the wing tips as well as the ventral “catamaran” twin rail, which was frequently used by German Starfighters because the wing tips were almost constantly occupied with tanks.

Fit and detail is good – the kit is IMHO very good value for the money. There are just some light sinkholes on the fuselage behind the locator pins, the fit of the separate tail section is mediocre and calls for PSR, and the thin and very clear canopy is just a single piece – for open display, you have to cut it by yourself.

 

Since the model would become a standard Luftwaffe F-104G, just with a fictional livery, the kit was built OOB. The only change I made are drooped flaps, and the air brakes were mounted in open position.

The ordnance (wing tip tanks plus the ventral missiles) was taken from the kit, reflecting the typical German interceptor configuration: the wing tips were frequently occupied with tanks, sometimes even together with another pair of drop tanks under the wings, so that any missile had to go under the fuselage. The instructions for the ventral catamaran launch rails are BTW wrong – they tell the builder to mount the launch rails onto the twin carrier upside down! Correctly, the carrier’s curvature should lie flush on the fuselage, with no distance at all. When mounted as proposed, the Sidewinders come very close to the ground and the whole installation looks pretty goofy! I slightly modified the catamaran launch rail with some thin styrene profile strips as spacers, and the missiles themselves, AIM-9Bs, were replaced with more modern and delicate AIM-9Js from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set. Around the hull, some small blade antennae, a dorsal rotating warning light and an angle-of-attack sensor were added.

  

Painting and markings:

The exotic livery is what defined this what-if build, and the paint scheme was actually inspired by a real world benchmark: some Dornier Do-28D Skyservants of the German Marineflieger received, late in their career, a wraparound scheme in three shades of grey, namely RAL 7030 (Steingrau), 7000 (Fehgrau) and 7012 (Basaltgrau). I thought that this would work pretty well for an F-104G interceptor that operates at medium to high altitudes, certainly better than the relatively dark Norm 64 splinter scheme or the Norm 83 low-altitude pattern.

 

The camouflage pattern was simply adopted from the Starfighter’s Norm 83 scheme, just the colors were exchanged. The kit was painted with acrylic paints from Revell, since the authentic tones were readily available, namely 75, 57 and 77. As a disrupting detail I gave the wing tip tanks the old Norm 64 colors: uniform Gelboliv from above (RAL 6014, Revell 42), Silbergrau underneath (RAL 7001, Humbrol’s 127 comes pretty close), and bright RAL 2005 dayglo orange markings, the latter created with TL Modellbau decal sheet material for clean edges and an even finish.

The cockpit interior was painted in standard medium grey (Humbrol 140, Dark Gull Grey), the landing gear including the wells became aluminum (Humbrol 56), the interior of the air intakes was painted with bright matt aluminum metallizer (Humbrol 27001) with black anti-icing devices in the edges and the shock cones. The radome was painted with very light grey (Humbrol 196, RAL 7035), the dark green anti-glare panel is a decal from the OOB sheet.

 

The model received a standard black ink washing and some panel post-shading (with Testors 2133 Russian Fulcrum Grey, Humbrol 128 FS 36320 and Humbrol 156 FS 36173) in an attempt to even out the very different shades of grey. The result does not look bad, pretty worn and weathered (like many German Starfighters), even though the paint scheme reminds a lot of the Hellenic "Ghost" scheme from the late F-4Es and the current F-16s?

 

The decals for the subdued Luftwaffe markings were puzzled together from various sources. The stencils were mostly taken from the kit’s exhaustive and sharply printed sheet. Tactical codes (“26+40” is in the real Starfighter range, but this specific code was AFAIK never allocated), iron crosses and the small JG 71 emblems come from TL Modellbau aftermarket sheets. Finally, after some light soot stains around the gun port, the afterburner and some air outlets along the fuselage with graphite, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

  

A simple affair, since the (nice) kit was built OOB and the only really fictional aspect of this model is its livery. But the resulting aircraft looks good, the all-grey wraparound scheme suits the slender F-104 well and makes an interceptor role quite believable. Would probably also look good on a German Eurofighter? Certainly more interesting than the real world all-blue-grey scheme.

In the beauty pics the scheme also appears to be quite effective over open water, too, so that the application to the Marineflieger Do-28Ds made sense. However, for the real-world Starfighter, this idea came a couple of years too late.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 27-Oct-17, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 30-May-23.

 

Fleet No: '5548'.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Northwest Airlines as N548US in Aug-96. Blended winglets were added in May-07. Northwest was merged into Delta Airlines in Oct-08.

 

Now 27 years old, the aircraft continues in service. Updated 30-May-23.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 09-Oct-19.

 

Taken just a few months before the BKK airport code was transferred from Don Muang to the new Bangkok airport at Suvarnabhumi. Don Muang was re-coded DMK.

 

Operated by Bangkok Airways on behalf of Siem Reap Air on some services.

 

First flown in Mar-95 with the ATR test registration, this aircraft was stored at Toulouse until it was leased to Bangkok Airways as HS-PGE in Nov-95. It was returned to ATR and stored at Toulouse as F-WQNF in May-06. The aircraft was leased to Vietnam Airlines as VN-B216 in Jul-06. It was returned to ATR as F-WKVE in Jun-10 and was stored at St. Brieuc, France the following month. In Feb-11 it was leased to Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras as PR-AZT. It was transferred to Imetame Metalmechanica Ltda (Brasil), trading as Imetame Airline, in May-12 and was repainted in a special livery. It doesn't appear to be operational currently and I have no further information. Updated (Oct-19).

Hinos replaced Leyland group lorries in the late 70s and through out the 80s and 90s and became the plentiful lorry seen in southern Ireland after Pino Harris started importing them in knocked down form and rebuilding them to suit the Irish market and the english lorries were near enough wiped out.

Here is a paper toy commission I finished up tonight for the good guys over at Replaced by Robots animation studio in Toronto. This little guy is there logo. His head can spin around on his body.

The C15 was introduced in 1984 to replace the Acadiane. After 21 years of production in 2005 the Berlingo was its successor.

 

I've owned this car till about April 2009. It would't pass the the yearly technical check (MOT, Tüv, CT, APK), due to all kind of small mechanical problems. Although the engine was still perfect, it didn't make sense to put more money it this project. In the end I received only € 135,00 for it.

This striking colour is indeed original. I knew two other yellow C15's in Amsterdam at the time.

I think I took these pics for having plans to put the car for sale.

 

1769cc diesel engine,

905 kg.

Original Dutch license number: Jan. 5, 1993.

It has been exported after I'd sold her.

 

Amsterdam-N., Schoenerstraat, Dec. 14, 2008.

 

© 2008 Sander Toonen Amsterdam | All Rights Reserved

Not really. This scurrilous advertising hoarding was still in place some nine months after the general election of May 2005. In fact, we had only two more years of "him" because he resigned in June 2007 to be replaced by Gordon Brown. Bordesley Green at the junction with Victoria Street, Birmingham, 26th February 2006.

 

645-6375'4465

The elderly shunting horses are being replaced with locos. Many, as young foals wanted to be a famous race horse, but of course they’re not built for that. As a retirement present they’re being given a race to experience that lost dream, the wagons replacing their arthritic legs. Hubert the horse on the left is a sure winner.

This snap of silliness featured in my now regular monthly slot in Model Rail magazine . The side tipping wagons are fab white metal kits from RT Models, Google them. The horses are Langley, the chaps attending them are Modelu, red haired officers are Bachmann.

The Paddle Steamer Phantom replaced the smaller ferries on the Circular Quay to Manly run in 1859. This image - dated around 1860 - shows the level of development around Manly Cove at that time. This image has been included to indicate the development at Manly at the time the Huntress was operational on the Manly run.

 

The Phantom was a steel vessel - substantially larger than the smaller wooden ferries such as the Huntress that operated the service a few years beforehand.

 

HUNTRESS

The Huntress was built by Alexander Newton and William Malcolm at Pelican on the Manning River in 1853. She operated out of the Hunter River and Sydney Harbour with some brief periods on the Hawkesbury River before being purchased by New Zealand interests. This section deals with the Australian operations - 1853 -1860. Details of her operation in New Zealand Operation are to be found in New Zealand Operation

 

Other images related the Huntress are found in the Album HUNTRESS

 

SECTION 1. AUSTRALIAN OPERATION (1853 - 1860)

 

Details :

Name: Huntress

Type: Schooner Rigged, Cutter/Paddle Steamer.

Length: 89.1 ft

Beam: 16.2 ft

Draft: 7.6 ft

Engine: 2 x 40 h.p. Steam/Built and installed by G. Russell & Co (Sydney)

Builder: Alexander Newton and William Malcolm

Launched: September 1853, Pelican Shipyards, Manning River, NSW.

Registered: Sydney '147/1853' - '25/9/1853'

Re-Registered: Sydney 25/1857

Tonnage: Suggest 54.45 tons

Propelling Power: 32.01

Official Number: ON 032617

Construction:

-Carvel Planked

-Square Stern

 

Owners:

Australia

1853 -1856 Messrs. J. & A. Brown, of Newcastle.

1856 -1860 Thomas Stephenson Rountree [often incorrectly referred to as Rowntree], of Balmain.

 

New Zealand

1860 -1864 Government of Hawke’s Bay Province, New Zealand (registered Napier) Thomas Henry Fitzgerald. 12th March 1860.

1864 -1866 Donald McLean

1866 -1867 G. Edward Reid, 6th December 1866 (registered Auckland)

1867 -1871 William Souter 10th January 1867

1871 -1872 J. S. MacFarlane & Co.

 

HISTORY:

 

1853

NEW STEAMER. A contract for the building of a new steamboat was finally concluded yesterday by Messrs Malcolm and Newton. The matter has been under consideration for some time past, yet in consequence of some proposed alteration with regard to the vessel, it was only determined yesterday. The dimensions will be about 85 ft. keel, 16 ft. beam, and fore hold 7 ft. She will be built at Messrs. Malcolm and Newton’s yard on the Manning River. Her intended trade has not been given. The Maitland Mercury 5 March 1853.

(The side-wheel paddle-steamer Huntress was the only steamship built at the Pelican shipyard on the Manning River.)

 

MAIDEN VOYAGE

“The Phantom, ketch, has cleared out for the Manning River, taking up with her Captain Malcolm and a crew to bring down the new steamer [Huntress] lately built at that place by Messrs. Newton and Malcolm, the well-known shipwrights. The steamer is intended for the Hunter River trade, to ply between Newcastle and Morpeth, and is also to be used as a tug boat.

The steamer will come from the Manning under canvas to receive her engines, and proceed immediately to her destination. This will be a novel feature on the Hunter, and we congratulate the inhabitants on their new acquisition. The builders’ well-earned fame is sufficient guarantee of the faithfulness and superiority of build in the new boat.” The Maitland Mercury and Hunter General Advertiser - 6 August 1853

 

UNDER CANVAS - THREE MASTS

THE HUNTRESS STEAMER. This vessel arrived here on Sunday, the 25th, from the Manning River, for the purpose of being fitted with her engines, &c., which have been constructed by Mr. G. Russell, and, as a specimen of colonial shipbuilding, is worthy of some attention. She is intended for a tug-boat on the Hunter River, and will at the same time carry goods and passengers. Her dimensions are as follows:-Length of keel 86 feet 6 inches, depth of hold 7 feet 6 inches; draws when loaded 5 feet 10 inches aft, 5 feet 1 inch forward, and will be propelled by two engines of the united power of 80 horses. Her builders, Messrs. Newton and Malcolm (who also built the Scotia), have adhered to the usual American system adopted in their river boats, which allows of deck houses being placed on vessels if required, but at present she is flush fore and aft. She is owned by Messrs. J. and A. Brown, of Newcastle, and came up from the Manning rigged as a three–masted schooner, with a large cargo of grain, and proved an excellent sea-boat. [Captain James Malcolm, the agent, has politely furnished the above particulars.]

The Maitland Mercury - 1 October 1853

 

The same newspaper reported the Huntress arrived, from the Manning {26th September], with 1604 bushels grain, 65 hides, 2 tons bags, 700 felloes, 5000 feet timber, 2 casks beef, casks 2 paunches tallow.

 

CONVERSION TO STEAMER AND TRIALS

The Huntress was converted to a steam tug over a period of around three months; it appears that her central mast was removed leaving one fore and one rear mast [this needs checking]. She made a trial trip down to the Heads on 30th December 1853; she went from Pinchgut to the South Reef in 25 minutes, and from the reef to Millers Point in 31 minutes. On the 6th January 1854 she completed her trials, attaining 11 knots an hour outside the Heads.

 

1854

NEWCASTLE

On January the 24th 1854 the Huntress arrived at Newcastle to take up her new duties as the Newcastle steam-tug. On the 25th January she towed out a schooner on the and then proceeded to Morpeth in around four hours, returning to Newcastle on the 1st February to tow out the Mary Nicholson.

 

HUNTRESS RE-LOCATED TO SYDNEY

After 9 months operation on the Hunter River as a ferry from Morpeth to Newcastle and operating as a steam-tug as needed, Huntress was advertised for sale - firstly by Private Treaty and subsequently by auction. With no sale, she was moved to Sydney in November 1854 where she commenced operation as a charter boat. Almost immediately she commenced operation as a ferry taking passengers to observe the Balmain Regatta The Sydney Morning Herald - 30 November 1854. She was again offered for sale the following January

 

1855

WINDSOR SOJOURN

On the 1st February 1855 Huntress was sent to Windsor as so eloquently described:

"On Friday afternoon last [2nd Feb 1855], shortly before two o'clock, several gun-shots were suddenly heard fired in quick succession from the neighbourhood of Thompson's square, and numbers of men, women, and children might be seen hurrying towards the river. What could be the cause of this consternation, thought we? Nothing more nor less than the anxiously looked for arriving of the Huntress steamer, " walking the waters" of our noble Hawkesbury " like a thing of life!" The Huntress left Sydney the day previous and was twenty-four hours on the water, though actually under steam only thirteen hours and a half, having rested at night. We are informed that the passage might have been, and can be made easily in twelve hours, but this, being the maiden trip, was performed cautiously and under suppressed power. Although fears were entertained that the vessel might have met with some obstruction on the way up, we believe she met with none, having found water deep enough the whole distance. As she hauled alongside the temporary wharf erected by the charterers, it was amusing to observe the eager interest and excitement she occasioned amongst the inhabitants, particularly the young, many of whom, we believe, never beheld such a sight before. Fortunately there were not very many passengers on board, and the captain and managers exhibited much good nature, otherwise the crowds of people, including children, who rushed upon the decks and examined the accommodation and machinery, might have been felt to be very inconvenient. We hail the arrival at our wharf of the little Huntress with much satisfaction, and hope she may prove the harbinger of a more extended system of steam communication upon the Hawkesbury, to be carried out at no distant day, and which will to some extent aid in developing the resources of our important district. At present, the steamer will be used for pleasure and excursion trips only, the first of which will take place on Monday. The Sydney Morning Herald - 6 February 1855.

 

RETURN TO SYDNEY CHARTER FERRY

After a short stay at Windsor she returned to Sydney where she was regularly chartered for ferrying passengers to various events. For a time she was leased to Henry Gilbert Smith, who used her as one of the first ferries on the Sunday Manly run.

 

1856

PADDLE WHEELS IMPROVED

MR. RANKEN’S NEW PADDLE – WHEEL FLOAT’S .

Some interest has lately been caused by an invention which is intended to do away with much of the loss of power, and therefore of speed in the common paddle-wheels and floats now in use in most steamers.

A trial has been made with Mr. Ranken’s improvement in the Huntress, running between Circular Quay and Cremorne, and the result is stated as having been very favourable. Upon this Mr. Ranken applied to the Australian Steam Navigation Company for leave to fit one of their sea-going vessels after the same fashion, for a trial of a hundred miles or so; but by some misunderstanding the two parties have come to issue, and science is disappointed. Whichever may be right, it is a pity that more cannot be known of the capabilities of discovery; anything that can increase speed, husband power or lessen the coal bill in steamboats, is a world wide benefit.

The invention, it seems, is simple, but the most simple efforts, have almost always been the manner in which genius works.

The following is a description, :- Upon the common paddle-wheel float, which strikes the water mostly at an angle of 45 degrees, is fitted an iron binding, and to use a homely simile, very like the turned up edges of a dust pan; this is meant to compress the water more solidly within a space, so that the propelling power may have more grip whereby to send the vessel ahead; but on account of a greater force being required to drive the paddle-wheels fitted like this, every alternate float is unshipped. As we believe, in the case of the Huntress in smooth water, Mr. Ranken’s plan answered as well as could be wished; still it is quite another matter with a ship in a sea-way, it being a question whether or not any such iron binding will ever stand the surging of the wheels in a heavy roll, either ahead or on the beam, which nothing can decide except a fair trial in the open sea. The Sydney Morning Herald - 5 July 1856.

 

1857

SYDNEY HARBOUR

In addition to charters and towing contracts, Huntress was regularly utilised on Sydney Harbour to transport passengers to the gardens at Cremorne every Sunday.

 

RETURN TO WINDSOR

During the winter of 1857, Huntress was sent to Windsor where she transported goods that were then sold by auction in Sydney. "SALES BY AUCTION. REGULAR PRODUCE SALE.

MR. W. PRITCHARD will sell by auction, on the Ground Floor of his New Mart, 70, Sussex-street, late Brierley, Dean, and Co.'s Stores, on WEDNESDAY, at 11 o'clock,

300 bushels of wheat, ex Huntress, from Windsor 300 ditto maize, ditto, ditto .

325 ditto fresh coarse bran, ditto, ditto

Also, several other parcels of maize, wheat, bran, hay, hides, sheepskins, tallow, &c., &c.

At half-past 11.

Chaff cutters, corn shellers, corn measures, &c., &c. 385"

Empire - 7 July 1857

On one of these voyages she encountered a sunken ketch on the Hawkesbury River. "The Huntress (s.), from the Hawkesbury, reports having seen, while coming down the river, a ketch sunk, with masts and sails standing. They found it to be the ketch Traveller, with the usual cargo; the mate of the Huntress made several attempts to tow her, but found she was too heavy, and as compelled to leave her there. It is not known whether the crew were saved or went down with the vessel." The Maitland Mercury - 9 July 1857

 

1858 - 1860

CONVERTED

 

ADVERTISED FOR SALE

Over this period the only activity reported was a regular series of advertisements in 1858 offering Huntress for sale. "Also, the powerful steamer HUNTRESS, 84 tons, and 50 H.P., capable of carrying 60 tons cargo, and 250 passengers on river service. The above vessels now lie for inspection in Waterview Bay. Apply to ROWNTREE [ROUNTREE] and CO., Mort's Dry Dock; or T. S. MORT and CO., Pitt-street. The Sydney Morning Herald - 16 October 1858.

 

CONVERTED TO DREDGE

Few details are available for the years 1858/59 but it appears that Huntress was converted into a dredge but details are unclear. She was reportedly re-measured as 86 gross tons 54 net but this requires confirmation.

 

PURCHASED BY NEW ZEALAND INTERESTS

In 1860 it was confirmed that the Huntress had been purchased by Mr. G. Griffith, as agent for the Provincial Government of Hawkes Bay. "The steamer Huntress, recently the property of Captain Rountree, but since purchased from him by Mr. G. Griffith, the agent in Sydney for the Provincial Government of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, made a trial trip yesterday prior to her departure. She proceeded down the harbour and a few miles to sea. She averaged fully ten knots under steam, and under canvas was remarkably steady and easy. She is to be used as a steam-dredge for the harbour of Napier, Hawkes Bay, for which she has competent machinery, in addition to an effective set of new get, ordered from England." The Sydney Morning Herald - 27 March 1860.

She departed for Hawkes Bay on March on March 27th 1860.

 

Image Source: Image Collection of the State Library of NSW.

 

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

  

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_State_Penitentiary

 

The Missouri State Penitentiary was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, that operated from 1836 to 2004. Part of the Missouri Department of Corrections, it served as the state of Missouri's primary maximum security institution. Before it closed, it was the oldest operating penal facility west of the Mississippi River. It was replaced by the Jefferson City Correctional Center, which opened on September 15, 2004.

 

Source: www.missouripentours.com/history/

 

Still owned by State of Missouri, The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) opened in 1836 along the banks of the Missouri River in Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital. The prison housed inmates for 168 years and was the oldest continually operating prison west of the Mississippi until it was decommissioned in 2004. Now the Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau offers a wide variety of tours at the site, once named the “The bloodiest 47 acres in America” by Time Magazine.

 

In 1831 Jefferson City’s hold on the capital city status was a tenuous one. To ensure that it remained the seat of government, Governor John Miller suggested a prison be built in Jefferson City. Construction began in 1834 and the first inmate arrived in 1836. From then on the prison became famous for being one of the most efficient in the country…and infamous for its notorious inmates and the 1954 riot on its grounds.

 

A former Union General, the first train robber, 1930s gangsters, world champion athletes, and the assassin that killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. all came through the gates of the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) as inmates. Some left MSP for successful careers in the arts, sports, and even state government; others chose a life of more crime.

 

In September of 1937, Governor Lloyd Crow Stark signed a bill calling for execution by lethal gas. No longer would the local sheriff be responsible for carrying out the death penalty for those convicted in his county. The days of public hangings in Missouri were to finally come to an end. Many members of the legislature were strongly opposed to the bill and argued that more death sentences would result. Nevertheless, Missouri was, on the whole, a state that supported the death penalty for serious crimes. The bill was changed to lethal gas instead of the electric chair, and passed. In total, 40 inmates were put to death in the gas chamber between 1937 and 1989 when MSP death row ended and all capital punishment inmates were moved to the new prison at Potosi.

 

In 1985, officials from the MSP, the Department of Corrections, and the Division of Adult Institutions unearthed an old cell block that predated the Civil War. The discovery happened after a court order was issued to put in a recreation yard for offenders that were on death row. When the construction between Housing Units 2 and 3 began, and the crews started digging, they realized they hit something solid. This finding led to an exploration of six cells built around 1848, which were part of the long-buried Centennial Hall. Based on research, this is now believed to be the oldest existing building on the MSP property.

 

From the earliest days there was a need to isolate the female convicts that came to the Missouri State Penitentiary. Unfortunately, there was little provision for their incarceration. A number of female federal prisoners were sent to MSP because there were no federal facilities for women at the time. Their crimes were, in many cases, violations of immigration, naturalization or conspiracy laws, which coincided with the heightened fears during WWI.

 

During the years of 1953 and 1954 there had been a rash of prison riots across the United States. Many feared the Missouri system was ripe for an outbreak as well. The potential for riot became a popular topic of conversation which the Missouri Highway Patrol took very seriously, drafting a plan and training officers how to respond to such an event. The advance preparation would come in handy before long.

 

Keeping desperate and restless people behind bars will always present challenges to corrections officials. Early in the Missouri State Penitentiary’s history escapes were commonplace. Between a lack of a secure perimeter and prisoners working in the community, many escapes were accomplished without much planning or ingenuity.

 

In conjunction with the Missouri State Penitentiary tours, the museum residing in the lower-level of the Col. Darwin W. Marmaduke House provides additional historical information about the famous prison that operated for 168 years. The museum houses MSP memorabilia as well as a replica cell that demonstrates the living conditions at the prison. Visitors can view the many displays that provide information on prison industries, contract labor/private industries, life inside the walls and control/counter-control as well as items on loan from former Deputy Warden Mark Schreiber.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 23-Feb-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

Named: "Harald Grafell" (but not applied with this livery).

 

This aircraft was delivered to Braathens S.A.F.E as LN-BRQ in Oct-91. It was sold to a lessor in Oct-00 and leased back to Braathens.

 

Braathens was merged into SAS Norway ASA in Dec-04 as SAS / Braathens. It was re-named Scandinavian Airlines Norge in Jun-07.

 

The aircraft was removed from service in Dec-12 and stored at Shannon, Ireland in Jan-13. It was ferried to St. Athan, Wales, UK and permanently retired in Dec-13. Updated 23-Feb-22.

Replaced , edited with cleaner edges. Thanks for the Fave on the original, David Nice!

This new arrival replaces ex Jackie's coaches Plaxton Premiere.

Here's something you dont see every day in Red Wing. I drove down along the tracks to take some river and railroad pictures when I came up to these grain hoppers lying on thier sides. I'm guessing they are replacing the wheels since the cars apear to be in pretty decent shape..Does anybody know what is going on here?

 

Photographed in Red Wing Minnesota

March 31st 2012

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 26-Nov-23.

 

Factory fresh and one of the final few B757's to come out of Seattle-Boeing Field, arriving at Manchester on delivery. with unusual red titles.

 

A late build Boeing 757 (Line No: 1026), this aircraft was delivered to the CIT Leasing Corporation and leased to Air 2000 as G-OOBC in Mar-03. The aircraft titles were changed to First Choice Airways in Nov-03 and the company was officially renamed First Choice Airways in May-04.

 

In May-08 the First Choice Holiday Group was merged into the TUI Group and First Choice Airways was merged into Thomson Airways in Nov-08 although the aircraft continued to operate in the First Choice Livery.

 

It was fitted with blended winglets in Feb-10 and was finally repainted into standard Thomson Airways livery in Mar-10. It was sold to Avolon Aerospace in Apr-17 while the lease to Thomson Airways continued.

 

In line with other airlines in the TUI Group, Thomson Airways was renamed TUI Airlines UK at the end of Oct-17. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Luton, UK due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

It didn't return to service and was ferried to Goodyear, AZ, USA and returned to the lessor in Sep-20. The aircraft was sold to the Bank of Utah (as Trustee for SF Airlines) as N203DP. It was ferried to Chengdu, China at the end of Sep-20 for freighter conversion.

 

The aircraft was converted to a freighter with a main deck cargo door and delivered to SF Airlines (Shun Feng Airlines) as B-220J in Mar-21. Current, updated 26-Nov-23.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 24-Mar-14, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 25-Feb-25.

 

First flown in Mar-88 with the British Aerospace (Avro) test registration G-5-099, this aircraft was delivered to Trident Aviation Leasing and leased to Loganair as G-OLCA in Jul-88.

 

It was wet-leased to British Airways for three months between May / Jul-90 and wet-leased to NortJet (a Spanish charter airline) for four months between Sep / Nov-90. It was also wet-leased to AirSur (Spain) between Dec-90 / Feb-91.

 

The aircraft was returned to British Aerospace Asset Management in Nov-91 and stored until it was leased to Air UK for three months between Jan / Mar-92. A few days later it was leased to LAR Transregional (Portugal) and returned to the lessor in Oct-92.

 

It was immediately leased to Malmo Aviation (Sweden) and returned to the lessor in Feb-93. The aircraft was leased to Jersey European Airways in Mar-93 and was re-registered G-JEAJ in Sep-93. It was wet-leased to Malmo Aviation in Mar-98 and returned to Jersey European the following month.

 

In Jun-00 Jersey European was renamed British European Airways (the original British European [BEA] was merged with BOAC to form British Airways in 1974). This British European was renamed FlyBe Airlines in Jul-02.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Kemble, UK in Oct-06. It was ferried to Bacau, Romania in Mar-07 and converted to B.Ae 146-200QT standard with the addition of a main deck cargo door.

 

It was due to be leased to Amerer Air (Austria) as OE-IAA but the lease wasn't taken up and the aircraft was ferried to Southend, UK, in Jun-08 for further storage. It returned to Bacau in Dec-08 and returned to long-term storage. Converting it to a freighter appears to have been a waste of money as it was broken up at Bacau, Romania in 2015. Updated 25-Jan-23.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 10-Dec-14, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 02-Nov-24.

 

Built as a 'Combi' with a main deck side cargo door (SCD), this aircraft could be used for carrying both passengers and cargo and the main deck.

 

First flown in Aug-86 with the Boeing temporary registration N6055X, 9V-SKN was delivered to Singapore Airlines the same month.

 

It was only in service for 11 years and was stored at Singapore in Jan-97 as Singapore Airlines took delivery of new Boeing 747-400’s.

 

The aircraft was sold to TAAG – Angola Airlines in Jul-97 as D2-TEA and remained in service until it was retired at Johannesburg, South Africa, in Oct-10.

 

It was seen still stored at Johannesburg in Aug-11 without engines and has now presumably been broken up.

 

Note: Singapore Airlines later reused the registration 9V-SKN on an Airbus A380.

 

Bedfordshires 2nd Bronto F34 RLX (flt14) KS12LVR stationed at barkers lane Bedford. This is a sister machine to Lutons (KM11XLP) and will replace (flt 14) L514FTM

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 27-May-2017 (DeNoise AI 18-Sep-22).

 

'Continental Micronesia'.

 

Fleet No: "024".

 

This aircraft was delivered to QANTAS Airways as VH-EBE in Aug-72. It was sold to the Boeing Aircraft Holding Company in Jun-85 and leased back to QANTAS. The aircraft was returned to Boeing in Jan-86 as N609PE.

 

It was sold to the CIS Corporation and leased to PEOPLExpress in Mar-86. PEOPLExpress was merged into Continental Airlines in Feb-87 and the aircraft was re-registered N10024 in May-91. It was returned to the lessor in May-93 and stored at Kingman, AZ, USA.

 

In Jul-94 the aircraft was leased to Tower Air and re-registered N614FF in Oct-94. It returned to the lessor in Nov-96 and was stored until it was leased to Continental Airlines again and sub-leased to Continental Micronesia in Feb-97. It was re-registered N14024 in May-97.

 

The aircraft was returned to Continental Airlines in Mar-99 and stored at Mojave, CA, USA. It was sold to Continental Airlines Purchasing Services LP in Nov-01 and permanently retired. It was last noted still stored at Mojave in Nov-07.

 

In early 2008 the aircraft was 'blown up' at Mojave by a controlled dynamite detonation for a Discovery Channel TV show about 'Bomb Proof Planes'. Updated 18-Sep-22.

replaced 1/30/2012 with new version, 3h21m (newer subs 420s instead of 300s). still need to recover the core of m42.

 

18x300s (1h30m)

 

canon 200 f2.8L @ f/2.8

sbig stt-8300m

astrodon L 5nm filter

G11 + Gemini2

Guiding with PhD + Lodestar + 9x50 finder

 

FOV is 5.33x4.02 degrees. this is the full frame of the KAF8300.

 

processed with pixinsight 1.7

 

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 11-Mar-18, plus DeNoise AI 13-Jan-23.

 

Still in basic NWT Air livery with Air Bridge titles.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Western Airlines as N7143C, a L.188A, in May-61. It was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door in Mar-69.

 

The aircraft was sold to International Jetair Ltd as CF-IJV in Mar-71. It became C-FIJV at the end of May-74 when Canada introduced the C-Gxxx registration series. International Jetair was merged into Northwest Territorial Airways in 1976 and the company was later renamed NWT Air (North West Territories).

 

The aircraft was sold to Air Bridge Carriers in Mar-91 and re-registered G-FIJV in Aug-91. Air Bridge Carriers was renamed Hunting Cargo Airlines in Aug-92. It was re-registered EI-HCE in Apr-97. It was withdrawn from use and stored at East Midlands Airport (UK) in Jun-98.

 

The aircraft was sold to Atlantic Air Transport as G-FIJV in Sep-98. The aircraft was permanently retired at Coventry, UK in late 2006 and was finally broken up there in May-13.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 24-Nov-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

The tiny titles under the 'British' say 'Part of Walker Aviation'...

 

British European was renamed FlyBe Airlines in Jul-02. This aircraft was still in the original Jersey European livery with British European titles and 'www.flybe.com' titles on the engines.

 

First flown with the Bombardier test registration C-FDHZ, this aircraft was delivered to a lessor and leased to British European Airways (not the BEA which had become part of British Airways) as G-JEDJ in Jan-02.

 

British European was renamed FlyBe Airlines in Jul-02. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Jan-12 and stored at Exeter, UK. It was ferried to Toronto (Canada) in Aug-12 and returned to Bombardier Inc as C-GSVY.

 

It was sold to Nordic Aviation Capital A/S and leased to Eznis Airways (Mongolia) as JU-9917 in Feb-13. The aircraft was repossessed when Eznis ceased operations in May-14 and stored at Billund, Denmark.

 

In Nov-14 it was re-registered OY-YAG and repainted all white. It was leased to US Bangla Airlines (Bangladesh) as S2-AGW in Jun-15. US Bangla bought it in Sep-15. The aircraft was withdrawn from use and stored at Dhaka, Bangladesh in May-19. Permanently retired? Updated 21-Dec-23.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 26-Aug-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 12-Nov-24.

 

This is what you call 'a history'... Delivered to British Airways as G-BHBR in May-81, this aircraft was immediately leased to British Airways' charter subsidiary, British Airtours, for the summer season, returning to British Airways in Dec-81.

 

It was leased to British Airtours again between May/Sep-85. The aircraft was wet-leased to Kuwait Airways in Jun-92 and returned to British Airways in Oct-92 when it was stored at Cambridge, UK.

 

Marshall's of Cambridge Aerospace bought it in Jul-94 and sold it to Kalitta American International Airways the same day as N103CK. It underwent it's freighter conversion with Marshalls (who also converted all the Tristars bought by the UK Royal Air Force) and was delivered to Kalitta in Oct-95.

 

American International Airways was renamed Kitty Hawk International in Feb-99 and the aircraft was stored at Mojave, CA, USA in May-00. In Sep-01 the aircraft was sold to Triland 1 Inc and moved to Victorville, CA, USA for further storage.

 

It was re-registered V2-LFQ (Antigua) in Apr-02 and leased to Caribjet in Oct-02. It was returned to Triland 1 Inc in Mar-03 and was stored at Dusseldorf, Germany. In Oct-03 the aircraft was sold to Star Air and re-registered in Sierra Leone as 9L-LDZ.

 

In Jan-05 it was sold to Sky Eyes Cargo and stored at U-Tapao, Thailand. It was re-registered HS-SEC in Jan-06 and remained stored. The aircraft appears to have spent more time in storage than it did flying between 2006/2008. It was impounded at Sharjah, UAE in Oct-08.

 

In May-09 it was sold to a Swiss company, Air One Corporation and ferried along the coast to Ras Al Khaimah the same month. As far as I'm aware, it never flew again. It was seen stored at Ras Al Khaimah in Nov-11 with the red part of the above livery painted blue with a red/blue tail and large 'Cargo' titles.

 

I understand it was sold to Sky Star FZC of the UAE in Jan-13 and re-registered N212AR in Mar-13. I'm assuming it ended it's days at Ras Al Khaimah soon after 2013. According to the FAA Register, N212AR was cancelled in Dec-14 with the reason for cancellation given as 'Exported to Kyrgyzstan' !!!

Replacing an earlier photo from Feb-16 with a better version.

 

The original 'United for Wildlife' special livery.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAM in Jan-13, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting. It was delivered to Emirates as A6-EEI in Jun-13. Current, updated 10-Oct-22.