#Coast Guard Ship 2011

[shipwreckguy]

Transformer OL

Transformer OL strikes FV BV99778TS; 12 rescued, 2 lost #fishing #collision #vietnam

Photo: gov.vn On September 19, the 169 meter long, 28,375 dwt bulk carrier Transformer OL collided with the fishing vessel BV99778TS some 22 nautical miles southeast of Con Dao, Vietnam. The Transformer OL was headed for Vung Tau from Chittagong when it struck the fishing vessel. The BV99778TS capsized and partially sank sending all of its 14 crew into the sea. The nearby fishing boats, BV99359TS…

[usafphantom2]

A-10 Warthogs Escort Ballistic Missile Submarine USS Wyoming

For the second time in the last few months, A-10C jets escorted an Ohio-class nuclear submarine and also took part in a life fire exercise.

Stefano D'Urso

A-10 submarine

An A-10C Thunderbolt II maneuvers over the ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming. (Image credit: U.S. Navy)

A formation of A-10C Thunderbolt II close-air support aircraft were employed once again to escort an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, the USS Wyoming (SSBN 742). The images, shared on social media by Submarine Group Ten, depict Wyoming and its escorts navigating in an undisclosed location in the United States, with six A-10Cs flying overhead.

The aircraft, assigned to Moody Air Force Base, escorted the submarine and were also involved in a live fire exercise with their GAU-8 30 mm gun and 70 mm rockets. The U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay, USNS Black Powder (T-AGSE-1), and USNS Westwind (T-AGSE-2) also participated in the escort of the submarine.

The rare sighting is not unprecedented, as earlier this year the USS Nebraska was also escorted by a quartet of A-10 Warthogs while navigating the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. In that occasion, however, the A-10s did not take part in any life fire activity and flew without carrying external ordnance.

“Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad,” mentioned the statements on both occasions. The services did not further elaborate on the extend of the joint operations.

The A-10C and the maritime domain

While no other details were released, it appears the Warthogs practiced overwatch of the extremely high-value strategic asset during one of the most vulnerable phases of its navigation. The live fire exercise might have also been used to simulate the defense of the USS Wyoming from surface threats.

A-10s have been used to target swarms of boats and to strike small naval vessels in previous training exercises, demonstrating the attention that these types of asymmetric threats attracted following recent real word events, such the attacks in the Red Sea or the Black Sea.

Four A-10Cs fly over the USS Wyoming, while two other jets can be seen in the background. (Image credit: U.S. Navy)

The A-10, which was born as a pure Close Air Support and anti-tank platform, has never been employed to large extent in the maritime domain, seeing only limited use. One of the most notable episodes was in 2011 during Operation Unified Protector, when an A-10 and a P-3C Orion engaged together a patrol boat and several small attack craft in the port of Misrata, Libya.

Since the last two couple of years, the Warthog was part of multiple Maritime Surface Warfare exercises and conducted unit defense training. One of the exercises saw, in Sept. 2023, two A-10s engage simulated surface threats in the Gulf of Oman with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem.

The A-10’s maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude, highly accurate weapons-delivery capabilities, and extended loiter time are all key attributes that make it highly effective at providing aerial support to American and coalition forces on land and at sea, mentioned the U.S. Air Force after one of these exercises last year.

Asymmetric threats to maritime assets

The events in the Black Sea and Red Sea highlighted once again how asymmetric threats cannot be underestimated. In the past, the U.S. Navy had experience countering small fast attack crafts, especially in the Persian Gulf where Iran regularly harassed U.S. ships in the area.

More recently, Ukraine and the Houthis demonstrated the effectiveness and the danger posed by Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), used in kamikaze attacks against larger ships. The small, unmanned boats, filled with explosives, can exploit their limited dimensions and high maneuverability to avoid detection and interception, with devastating effects on their targets.

An A-10C Thunderbolt II engages a simulated target with its GAU-8 30 mm gun. (Image credit: U.S. Navy)

Highly defended targets could be overwhelmed by coordinated swarms of USVs, challenging the traditional naval strategies. The presence of multiple, fast approaching and maneuvering targets against a limited number of weapon systems on a naval asset could confuse the defenses, which would be forced to prioritize targets as to maximize the hit probability and avoid wasting precious ammo.

And here is where overhead protection from and asset like the A-10C could come in handy, as it provides to naval commanders a number of options both for surveillance and kinetic effects.

About Stefano D'Urso

@TheAviationist.com

Stefano D'Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he's also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.

[deeploretv]

What Happened to Rebecca Coraim?

Rebecca Coriam, a 24-year-old British citizen from Cheshire, was working as a children's entertainer on the Disney Wonder cruise ship when she mysteriously vanished off the coast of Mexico on March 21, 2011. The unsettling case has been fraught with controversy, unresolved questions, and differing theories ever since.

Rebecca’s last known communication was a text message to her parents on March 20, stating she would call them the next day. However, she failed to report for work on the morning of March 21, and her disappearance was soon noticed by her colleagues and friends, who had not seen her since the previous evening. The Disney Wonder had left Los Angeles, California, en route to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and at 5:45 a.m. on March 21, surveillance footage captured Rebecca in the crew lounge, using an internal phone line. She appeared visibly distressed during the call and was dressed in what seemed to be men's clothing. This footage is the last confirmed sighting of her.

When Rebecca did not appear anywhere on the ship, an extensive search was conducted by the crew, followed by a broader search by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy along the cruise path. Despite these efforts, no trace of Rebecca was found. Initially, the ship's captain and Disney suggested that Rebecca might have been swept off the deck by a rogue wave. They pointed to a sandal found on Deck 5 as evidence she was there, although this was later disputed.

Rebecca’s family was skeptical of the rogue wave theory. They hired private investigator Roy Ramm, who raised significant doubts about this explanation. Ramm highlighted that for a rogue wave to sweep Rebecca off the deck, it would have had to be around 100 feet tall, yet there were no storms or large waves reported on the evening she vanished. Furthermore, the sandal found on the deck, which Disney claimed belonged to Rebecca, was actually labeled with the name and cabin number of another person, and was not even Rebecca’s size or style.

Tracie Medley, Rebecca’s girlfriend at the time and the last person to reportedly see her, broke her silence in 2017. In an interview with The Sun, Medley depicted a different side of Rebecca, one struggling with the aftermath of being raped as a teenager and using cocaine to cope with her emotional pain. Medley described Rebecca as deeply troubled on the last night they were together, heavily drinking and having a mental breakdown, even harming herself and expressing suicidal thoughts.

According to Medley, after a tumultuous evening where Rebecca displayed extreme emotional distress, she left Medley's boyfriend's room in the early morning hours and was never seen again. Medley suggested that Rebecca might have jumped from the ship, a theory she believes due to Rebecca's previous suicide attempts and overall mental state at the time.

While Medley posits that Rebecca took her own life, her family and friends, as well as some officials like MP Chris Matheson, suspect foul play and believe that Rebecca might have been a victim of a crime. The conflicting views and lack of definitive evidence have left the case unresolved, continuing to draw attention and speculation about what truly happened to Rebecca Coriam on that fateful night in 2011.

[the-wild-card-hand]

New Muse: Nikto (Heavily Headcanon Based)

Moniker: Nikto

Real Name: Pyotr Petrov

Bio: Drafted into the Russian Army at 17 in 2011, brought into the FSB in 2016 as a Deep Cover Agent to infiltrate an Ultranationalist Group being lead by Mr. Z later discovered to be Viktor Zakahev, the son of Imran Zakahev, associate to Perseus. Pyotr was captured, tortured, his face was disfigured and in that moment of major stress was the first crack in his psyche. What happened afterwards was up to speculation but by the time anyone in the FSB caught wind and word nobody remained living and all that remained was Pyotr covered in blood muttering to himself the word 'Nikto'. His handler at the time, Kamarov witnessed this and when trying to get Petrov's attention he seemed to snap back to his old self, all be it, a more damaged look in his eye as opposed to the killer, Nikto.

Much to the chagrin of Kamarov though, Petrov soon after reinstated and brought into Spetsnaz to hunt for Chemical Weapons in Urzikstan but was caught in a firefight with Warcom Forces lead by Mara. The situation dire, Kamarov tells Nikto to do whatever it took and the twitch in his eye signaled a change back to Nikto and shortly after that Nikto stayed at the helm during the partnership with Armistice.

The partnership didn't seem to last long when Armistice soldiers began to turn on one another, leaving Nikto alone in the war-torn city. He had to fight to survive constantly and kill, and any allies he did come across he kept a scrutinizing eye on.

When Zakhaev was said to be KIA, a Ghost Ship called the Vodianoy seemed to miraculously appear off the coast of Verdansk just a few feet away from the Gulag there. When the zombies afflicted by an unknown virus thought to be from the Chemical Weapons onboard stormed the Gulag and infected the prisoners and the guards there, Nikto's job with what members of Armistice he could trust given the massive Blue on Blue Incident that transpired at Verdansk International Airport, his job switched to containment, but even so the stress started to eat at him even more leading him to become a little more feral as the monsters that actually ate people were growing in massive numbers. When word got around that a Nuke was gonna be dropped, Nikto and whoever he was with made it a priority to get the hell out of dodge. That was the last recorded battle from Nikto before he went AWOL in 2022.

Fast Forward to 2023: Nikto is spotted with 'Peacekeepers' later discovered to be Konni PMCs under the Command of Makarov. Its unclear if Nikto is still friend or foe.

[connorthemaoist]

Marco Valbuena | Chief Information Officer | Communist Party Of The Philippines | August 8, 2023

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins the Filipino people in denouncing the interdiction operation by water-cannon attack conducted by a China’s Coast Guard ship over the weekend against a much smaller Philippine supply boat and coast guard vessel.

China’s action is completely unacceptable considering that it was carried out well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines and put to risk the lives of the Filipino crewmen. The Philippine boats were on a mission to deliver supplies to soldiers stationed at military outpost at the Ayungin Shoal, which the International Arbitral Tribunal ruled to be part of the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone.

This is not the first time that Philippine boats were subjected to hostile action by China’s armed vessels. Such operations which violate Philippine sovereignty have been going on for over a decade now. The most vulnerable to China’s aggression are Filipino fishing boats who have been repeatedly driven away by armed Chinese vessels from their fishing grounds, especially in the Scarborrough Shoal, which has long been shared by Filipino and Chinese fishermen. In addition, Chinese industrial fishing has intensified in areas within and around the West Philippine Sea which have resulted in the dislocation of small Filipino fishermen.

The Filipino people must manifest their indignation against China’s antagonistic acts against Philippine sea vessels, plunder of marine resources and gross violations of the country’s sovereignty. They must build the broadest possible local and international united front to demand China to respect the 2016 ruling of the IAT which dismissed China’s 9-dash claim and upheld the Philippines’ rights to its exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf.

Moreover, the Filipino people must protest the timidity of the Philippine government in the face of China’s antagonistic acts, while refusing to make active international political and diplomatic initiatives to more aggressively defend the country’s sovereignty, and instead merely following the baton of the US government.

At the same time, the Filipino people must resist the push of pro-US militarists who wish to exploit the situation to justify further increasing the reliance of the country’s military forces on US military funding and arms sales, heightening US military presence in the country, intensifying US war provocations, raising the temperature of US-China military conflict and drawing the Philippines into a possible hot war.

Over the past decade, the imperialist powers US and China have trampled on Philippine sovereignty in playing their superpower rivalry. On the one hand, China has intensified its military presence in the South China Sea in the face of heightened US military presence since the “Asia pivot” declaration of the US in 2011. On the other hand, the US has intensified its military presence in the Philippines, as well as in South Korea, Japan, and others along its so-called “first island chain” strategy of “encircling China.” The US has been hyping up Taiwan “independence” to provoke China.

The Filipino people cannot defend the country’s sovereignty against the Chinese titan by allowing themselves to be under the power of the US colossus. To do so is not to defend the Philippine sovereignty, rather is to further retrograde the country’s status as an American neocolony.

Instead, the Filipino people must raise the urgent demand for the imperialist powers to demilitarize the South China Sea by removing their armed vessels in the area to allow cargo and civilian vessels to freely sail through these international waters, and give Filipino fishermen all the freedom to harvest marine resources, without fear of interdiction or reprisal, and for the Philippines to enjoy security within its land and territorial seas.

Source: https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/stand-up-to-the-chinese-titan-and-american-colossus/

[currinsrnznships]

US Military –US Aircraft Carriers – USS Ronald Reagan (Launched 4 March 2001) 060618-N-8492C-276.PACIFIC OCEAN, (June 18, 2006) ñ USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) (foreground), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) (middle), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and their associated carrier strike groups steam in formation while 17 aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fly over them during a joint photo exercise (PHOTOEX) while preparing for exercise Valiant Shield 2006. The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is currently participating in Valiant Shield 2006, the largest joint exercise in recent history. Held in the Guam operating area June 19-23, the exercise includes 28 Naval vessels including three carrier strike groups. Nearly 300 aircraft and approximately 22,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are also participating in the exercise. .Official U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographerís Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz (RELEASED).. 040621-N-6536T-062 USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), June 21, 2004 – USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) sails through the Straits of Magellan on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The Navyís newest aircraft carrier is underway circumnavigating South America in transit to its new homeport of San Diego. U.S. Navy photo by Photographerís Mate 3rd Class (AW) Elizabeth Thompson. (RELEASE) USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class,[6] she is named in honor of Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was built at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, and was commissioned on 12 July 2003. Ronald Reagan made five deployments to the Pacific and Middle East between 2006 and 2011 while based at Naval Air Station North Island. In October 2015, Ronald Reagan replaced USS George Washington as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, the only forward-based carrier strike group homeported at Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the United States Seventh Fleet.[7] Since 2016, Ronald Reagan has embarked on short annual summer patrols of the Western Pacific in the United States Seventh Fleet area of operation. Tags and categories: US Military -, US Military - US Aircraft Carriers, US Military – US Aircraft Carriers - USS Ronald Reagan (Launched 4 March 2001) via WordPress https://ift.tt/Mi1h8xG April 03, 2025 at 01:42PM

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.21 (after 1960)

1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. 1963 – The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation. 1968 – Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. 1981 – Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad. 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. 2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. 2011 – Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people died from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. 2014 – Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic. 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. 2023 – Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre.

[miloscat]

[Review] Jaws: Ultimate Predator (3DS)

Jaws? More like snores... gottem

After Jaws Unleashed I was curious about other licencees and how they delivered on the shark action that you might imagine. This 3DS effort by n-Space—veterans in the “handheld companion game” space—was accompanied by a Wii release from a one-off studio which was apparently quite goofy but oddly bloodless. This one hews closer to Unleashed but is even more grounded, to a fault.

I was bemused by a PS2 game and a 3DS game being only five years apart, but Unleashed was late on its console and Ultimate Predator quite early. They end up looking pretty similar, although the draw distance is poorer here... perhaps the 3D visuals are meant to make up for that but as usual I tried them out for two minutes and turned them off. Art direction goes a long way, as demonstrated by the blandness of the environments here. The shipwrecks and occasional corals peppering the seafloor are a nice touch, but it’s just not enough.

The setting is Amity Island, again. Diary entries in between levels that are by implication from the perspective of Richard Dreyfuss’s character from the original film set the events in the game’s release year of 2011, with a new mayor following in the footsteps of the old and a new shark out to cause more trouble. This trouble mostly consists of biting or slamming a set number of boats until they sink and eating the hapless humans, while chowing down on rival sharks and the scarce handful of other edible sea life. A couple of levels are more interesting, like when the shark has to escape a semi-aquatic research base, or explore a cave system. Then there’s boss fights with another giant squid (or its tentacles, at least), an advanced submarine, or a big Coast Guard cutter. But so much of the content is rinse and repeat.

The experimental control scheme deserves a mention. Jaws automatically swims forward at all times, which is another way to interpret the idea that sharks must keep moving to stay alive, and makes the game feel a bit like a rail shooter, albeit in all-range mode. The L button slows you for more precision while all other controls can be done either with face buttons and R, or by using the touchscreen. This has a shark jaw in the middle around a sonar minimap, with three large touch panels around it. On their own these are a dash, a dodge, and a 180˚ spin, but Jaws has more advanced moves executed by sliding between the panels in one motion (including some in common with Unleashed, such as the corkscrew and flop). The touch interface facilitates these better than the awkwardly-timed button combo windows, so a combination of both works best. Neither are terribly responsive though and failing them in a pressure situation with lots of harpoons and torpedoes coming at you can be frustrating.

I just wanted the game to get a lot weirder. A realistic shark attack simulator isn’t done much justice by the underpowered 3DS, especially when it’s as barebones as this. The moments of whimsy were too few and too tame: finding treasure chests to unlock mini-challenges, all the submarines being yellow, the retry button on the Game Over screen being labelled “Revenge”. Knocking nautical mines loose to blow up a ship commanded by a rogue coastguardman with a vendetta sounds cool but in practice it’s about as tedious as the rest of the game, with the exception of the on-rails autoscroller sections which naturally are much much worse. With my playtime being under three hours it won’t take you long but there’s got to be better shark games out there, I’m positive.

[kingjain]

United States Coast Guard Hamilton-class Cutter Uscgc Hamilton (whec-715) Aloha Hawaiian Shirt

The USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) is a Hamilton-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard. It is the first cutter of its class and is named after Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The Hamilton was commissioned in 1967 and served until its decommissioning in 2011. While in service, the Hamilton was responsible for a wide range of missions, including search and rescue, law enforcement, and marine environmental protection. The USCGC Hamilton was the first cutter to be named after Alexander Hamilton, and it has a special place in the history of the Coast Guard. The Hamilton was the first of its class to be commissioned, and it served with distinction for 44 years. The Hamilton was responsible for numerous search and rescue missions, as well as law enforcement and marine environmental protection. During its time in service, the Hamilton was awarded numerous medals for its service and bravery. The USCGC Hamilton is also remembered for its unique Aloha Hawaiian shirt, which was worn by the crew during their time in service. The shirt was designed to honor the crew's Hawaiian heritage, and it featured the ship's name and crest. The shirt was a popular gift for loved ones, and it remains a popular item today. The USCGC Hamilton was decommissioned in 2011, but its legacy lives on through its Aloha Hawaiian shirt. The shirt is a reminder of the ship's service and bravery, and it is a great way to show your support for the Coast Guard. The shirt is a popular gift for men and women, and it is a great way to show your appreciation for the Coast Guard and the brave men and women who serve. The USCGC Hamilton is a symbol of the Coast Guard's commitment to service and bravery. The Aloha Hawaiian shirt is a great way to honor the ship and its crew, and it is a great gift for everyone. Whether you are looking for a gift for a loved one or a way to show your support for the Coast Guard, the USCGC Hamilton Aloha Hawaiian shirt is a great way to do so.

Get it here : United States Coast Guard Hamilton-class Cutter Uscgc Hamilton (whec-715) Aloha Hawaiian Shirt

Home Page : tshirtslowprice.com

[struck-by-the-moon]

The Worship of Taurian Artemis and Iphigeneia

      I wanted to write this post because I worship Iphigeneia and I think it is kinda neat. There is a connection between Artemis as she was worshipped in Tauris and Iphigeneia. Iphigeneia may have been syncretized with Artemis and the goddess who was worshipped in Tauris. Artemis has a few epithets that are related to Iphigeneia.

“O′RTHIA (Orthia, Orthias, or Orthôsia) a surname of the Artemis who is also called Iphigeneia or Lygodesma, and must be regarded as the goddess of the moon. Her worship was probably brought to Sparta from Lemnos. It was at the altar of Artemis Orthia that Spartan boys had to undergo the diamastigosis (Schol. ad Pind. Ol. iii. 54 ; Herod. iv. 87; Xenoph. de Rep. Lac. ii. 10). She also had temples at Brauron, in the Cerameicus at Athens, in Elis, and on the coast of Byzantium. The ancients derived her surname from mount Orthosium or Orthium in Arcadia.” (Theoi.com-Artemis Cult titles and epithets)

“TAU′RICA (DEA) (hê Taurikê), "the Taurian goddess," commonly called Artemis. Her image was believed to have been carried from Tauris by Orestes and Iphigenia, and to have been conveyed to Brauron, Sparta, or Aricia. The worship of this Taurian goddess, who was identified with Artemis and Iphigenia, was carried on with orgiastic rites and human sacrifices, and seems to have been very ancient in Greece. (Paus. iii. 16. § 6; Herod. iv. 103.) (Theoi.com-Artemis Cult titles and epithets)

“TAURIO′NE, TAURO, TAURO′POLOS, or TAURO′POS (Tauriônê, Taurô, Tauropolo, Taurôpos), originally a designation of the Taurian goddess, but also used as a surname of Artemis or even Athena, both of whom were identified with the Taurian goddess. (Hesych. s. v. tauropolai.) The name has been explained in different ways, some supposing that it means the goddess worshipped in Tauris, going around (i. e. protecting) the country of Tauris, or the goddess to whom bulls are sacrificed; while others explain it to mean the goddess riding on bulls, drawn by bulls, or killing bulls. Both explanations seem to have one thing in common, namely, that the bull was probably the ancient symbol of the bloody and savage worship of the Taurian divinity. (Schol. ad Soph. Ajac. 172 ; Eurip. Iphig. Taur. 1457 ; Müller, Orchom. p. 305, &c. 2d ed.)”(Theoi.com-Artemis Cult titles and epithets)

Iphigenia is also mentioned alongside Artemis and the Taurian goddess in Herodotus’ Histories and Pausanias’ description of Greece. This shows that Iphigeneia was worshipped but was also syncretized with Artemis which is interesting.

“Among these, the Tauri have the following customs: all ship-wrecked men, and any Greeks whom they capture in their sea-raids, they sacrifice to the Virgin goddess1 as I will describe: after the first rites of sacrifice, they strike the victim on the head with a club; [2] according to some, they then place the head on a pole and throw the body off the cliff on which their temple stands; others agree as to the head, but say that the body is buried, not thrown off the cliff. The Tauri themselves say that this deity to whom they sacrifice is Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. [3] As for enemies whom they defeat, each cuts his enemy's head off and carries it away to his house, where he places it on a tall pole and stands it high above the dwelling, above the smoke-vent for the most part. These heads, they say, are set up to guard the whole house. The Tauri live by plundering and war.” (Herodotus Book 4 chapter 103)

“Pausanias has left us two sources that identify Artemis with Iphigenia: in one of them he mentions a temple of Artemis at Hermione in Argolis where this goddess is called Iphigenia (Paus. II, 35, 1), i.e. testifies of a cult of Artemis-Iphigenia; in the other – a temple of Artemis with a statue of Iphigenia in Aigira, Achaea, which according to the explanation of the periegetes meant that in ancient times the temple had been dedicated to Iphigenia” (Paus. VII. 26. 5).” (The Cult of Artemis-Iphigenia,Ruja Popova 59) “[7.26.5] There is also a temple of Artemis, with an image of the modern style of workmanship. The priestess is a maiden, who holds office until she reaches the age to marry. There stands here too an ancient image, which the folk of Aegeira say is Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon. If they are correct, it is plain that the temple must have been built originally for Iphigeneia.” (Pausanias 7.26.5)

“Near the latter is a temple of Dionysus of the Black Goatskin. In his honor every year they hold a competition in music, and they offer prizes for swimming-races and boat-races. There is also a sanctuary of Artemis surnamed Iphigenia, and a bronze Poseidon with one foot upon a dolphin. Passing by this into the sanctuary of Hestia, we see no image, but only an altar, and they sacrifice to Hestia upon it.” (Pausanias 2.35.1)

“They say that there is also a shrine of the heroine Iphigenia; for she too according to them died in Megara. Now I have heard another account of Iphigenia that is given by Arcadians and I know that Hesiod, in his poem A Catalogue of Women, says that Iphigenia did not die, but by the will of Artemis is Hecate. With this agrees the account of Herodotus, that the Tauri near Scythia sacrifice castaways to a maiden who they say is Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon. Adrastus also is honored among the Megarians, who say that he too died among them when he was leading back his army after taking Thebes, and that his death was caused by old age and the fate of Aegialeus. A sanctuary of Artemis was made by Agamemnon when he came to persuade Calchas, who dwelt in Megara, to accompany him to Troy.” (Pausanias 1.43.1) “Four ideas must be kept in mind when considering this conundrum. The first is that Herodotos did travel to the Crimea personally, and thus he was a first-hand observer of this aspect of Tauric religion. Second, the historian specifies that it is the Tauroi themselves who make this claim, not Greeks who attribute this identity to a foreign deity. Third, it is obvious that both the word “Parthenos” and the name Iphigeneia are Greek, meaning that the indigenous Tauroi were clearly sufficiently influenced by their Greek neighbors by the fifth century at the latest to have adopted a foreign identification for their own goddess. Fourth, we have virtually no indigenous evidence about Tauric religion, and thus we are unable to see the native divinity behind the Greek overlay.” (Gods and Heroes: Artemis, 123)

 I think that the author here raises a good question about the quotes in Herodotus’ Histories regarding Iphigeneia in Tauris, and we don’t really have an answer yet. But what is in Herodotus’ Histories combined with Iphigeneia being mentioned more than once in Pausanias’ description of Greece shows that she was worshipped even in Greece.

Bibliography

"Artemis Titles And Epithets". Theoi.Com, 2000, https://www.theoi.com/Cult/ArtemisTitles.html. Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

"Herodotus, The Histories,Book 4, Chapter 103". Perseus.Tufts.Edu, 2021, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=4:chapter=103. Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

"Pausanias, Description Of Greece,Achaia, Chapter 26, Section 5". Perseus.Tufts.Edu, 2021, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+7.26.5&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160. Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

"Pausanias, Description Of Greece,Attica, Chapter 43, Section 1". Perseus.Tufts.Edu, 2021, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+1.43.1. Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

"Pausanias, Description Of Greece,Corinth, Chapter 35, Section 1". Perseus.Tufts.Edu, 2021, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.35.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160. Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

Budin, Stephanie. Gods And Heroes-Artemis. Routledge, 2016, p. 123.

Popova, Ruja. "The Cult Of Artemis-Iphigenia In The Tauric Chersonesus: The Movement Of An Aition". Orpheus Journal Of Indo European And Thracian Studies, vol 18, 2011, p. 59., Accessed 18 Jan 2021.

[collapsedsquid]

A Greek shipowner orchestrated a plan for men posing as pirates to attack and set fire to his tanker, in an elaborate fraud to seek $77 million in insurance money, a London judge found.

In 2011, Marios Iliopoulos lured the ship’s master and chief engineer, as well as seven Yemeni coast guards, into a conspiracy off the coast of Yemen still being investigated by the City of London Police, Judge Nigel Teare ruled Monday. Drawing a line under years of legal battles, the judgment dismissed a claim by Suez Fortune Investments, a company linked to Iliopoulos, and its Greek bank to force a syndicate of insurers to pay out.

“The constructive total loss of Brillante Virtuoso was caused by the wilful misconduct of the owner, Mr. Iliopoulos,” Teare said. “The motives of the armed men were not to steal or ransom the vessel or to steal from the crew, but to assist the owner to commit a fraud upon underwriters.”

The Brillante Virtuoso’s destruction was an unlikely tale, living long beyond the fake pirate attack. A British surveyor who was hired to investigate the matter was murdered in Yemen while conducting his probe.

It was weird reading this and thinking of the recent attacks in the gulf and then noticing “2011.″

[amarnathpallathsblog]

Kappad Beach, Kerala, India

Travelogue - Leaf - 18

Sea settles down in my heart especially during Sun sets. I remember occasions where I sat and watched the glamour of the paint brushes of Sun painting colourful pictures. One such eve was with late Urmese Thattayil, a naval officer who was in control of Coast Guard in Vizag during 1971. He used to offer Old Monk rum from Navy Canteen and discuss ships sailing in war times or with commercial cargoes.

Goa was liberated from Portugal and integrated into India in 1961. It was in the Arabian sea where the first Portuguese sailer Vasco da Gama arrived at Kappad and invited local fishermen on board and bought Indian spices, on May 20, 1498, India got dotted to European eyes with his arrival. Irony is that Vasco da Gama died in Kochi, in Kerala in the year 1584. The beginning is over 500 years old.

Thinking deep, viewing sea, is a past time I enjoyed from young as our home was less than one kilometer from sea shore. But the deepest depth of the sea at 11 kilometers at Mariana Trench as was plotted in 2011. My deep thoughts are only in shallow waters.

We had been to Kappad beach, 16 kM from my home, many times. The best we enjoyed was with families. The sea shore has rocks on which waves splatter tiny miniscule of shredded sea particles that splash on face.

Relaxing at night in one of those resorts, I kept thinking about the historical events of conquering and surrendering life of Vasco da Gama in the same soil. It teaches us of the unpredictability that can ravage dimensions like the recent Amazon fires. "What for?" cannot be answered by just turning a few pages of history books, to understand the psyche. In comparison, challenging is the core of exploration. Vasco da Gama explored and created history. Explore frontiers and fill your thirst. Even birds migrate, to explore. Last eve two uninvited guests flew in, looked around our balcony to explore.

What happened at Kappad in 1498 will repeat in dimensions of explorative challenges that may include inner engineering as understood by Guru's to know how human mind works. One challenge is to "find who you are" and second is "being happy with what you find".

This IDEA poses a challenge like all explorations; not devoid of suffering. At the end of suffering is the realisation that brings in joy.

Just look at the setting Sun in the West painting a rainbow of colours in the East. The canvas necessarily be dark with rustic clouds. It is in the darkness, rainbow sets. Joy is when clouds bring in rains followed with the rainbows vanishing. Let Go.

Future is for the explorer. Wander to eXplore.

[thecomicsnexus]

Aquaman #1-4. November/2011 - February/2012. By Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.

At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, a new race of creatures awaken. They are shocked there is an 'up'. They make their way to the surface speaking a strange language.

In Boston, The Boston Police Department are chasing a group of criminals stealing a bank truck. Aquaman appears and defeats the group of thugs as he shrugs off the bullets from their guns. The police sarcastically thank him and offer back-handed comments about him needing water. Aquaman gives them a glance and jumps away. The officers snicker they'll be made fun of for being upstaged by Aquaman.

Arthur heads to Sam's for a simple meal but people harass him with questions. He orders the fish and chips which shocks the patrons as they thought he was their friend. He explains he uses telepathy to reach into a fish's midbrains to influence them to help him. A reporter beligerantly asks him questions about being how he makes money and asks him how he feels about being the superhero 'joke'. Arthur briefly daydreams about eating in the booth he's sitting in with his father a long time ago. Arthur takes more abuse from the patrons and decides to to leave. Aquaman gives two golden coins to a waitress, telling her to put her kids through college.

At night in the Curry Lighthouse, Aquaman stands in the shore and reminisces about a time when he was a child with his father. As they watched the sea, Aquaman asked his father why was he a lighthouse keeper when he could be the captain of his own ship. His father replies that the captains needed someone on land to help them watch the shores, and that it is called responsibility.

As he finishes dwelling on his memories, Mera comes to Aquaman and asks if he is okay. Aquaman tells her that he made his choice and wishes to remain in the surface to have a new life with Mera. He has no interest in being the king of Atlantis and says they need to find a new king. They kiss and embrace.

In the ocean, a group of fishermen are bucked and one falls into the ocean. When the monsters see the fishermen, they remark in their own strange language, "Food is up here", as the color of blood fills the water where the fisherman fell.

The fishing boat continues to be attacked by the creatures from the ocean. The creatures see a lighthouse in the distances and remark that more food must be nearby.

At the Curry Lighthouse, Arthur and Mera are viewing pictures from Arthur's childhood. When they come across a picture of Arthur with his father and another man, a knock at the door from a police officer Wilson interrupts them. He tells them he's been seeking their help by stopping by all major lighthouses. The officer tells Arthur and Mera that monsters kidnapped everyone in the coast of Beachrock last night and they need his help to locate the kidnappers.

Wilson takes Aquaman and Mera to the crime scene, which is crowded by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy. Aquaman uses his telepathy to look for any lifeforms in the ocean, but he is shocked to find there are none.

Scuba-divers find some kind of cocoon that they lift to the dock. Aquaman senses something alive in a nearby boat and tells everyone to stand back. Then, a group of Trench appear and attack Aquaman and Mera. Using her hydrokinesis, Mera prevents the Trench from reaching the civilians while Aquaman attacks them with his trident. However, Aquaman is briefly incapacitated by a Trench, who knocks the trident off him and proclaims that the "food", Aquaman, will be taken to the Trench.

Arthur recalls his dad watching the sun rise from a pier. Shedding a tear, Tom wishes that Atlanna, Arthur's mother, could be here and see how much Arthur has grown. Arthur comes to his father and asks him why does he come to the pier every sunrise, and Tom replies that he wants to be there when his mother returns.

In the present, Aquaman and Mera continue fighting The Trench. The largest of the pack screams in their strange language to "bring food home" and the Trench begin to retreat back into the ocean with several of the civilians from the shore. Aquaman and Mera wonder where are the Trench going and investigate the cocoon the Trench made. Aquaman opens it revealing a dog. A wounded Trench appears, but is quickly shot to death by local police. The military tries to take the body for study, but Aquaman and Mera take the body and leave.

Aquaman and Mera heads to a house in the coast, where a man named Stephen Shin lives. Aquaman tells Mera that Shin was a friend of his father's who taught him how to use his powers. He also mentions Shin attempted to kill Aquaman because he would not take him to Atlantis.

Entering Shin's house, Aquaman and Mera ask Shin to perform an autopsy on the Trench body they recovered and Shin reluctantly agrees. Shin deduces that the creature is a new type of sea lifeform that lives in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, out of the Trench. Shin wants to keep the body, believing it will help restore his credibility, but Aquaman won't let him. Desperate, Shin asks Aquaman where is Atlantis, but Aquaman simply leaves.

As Aquaman and Mera swim to the depths of the ocean to find the creatures's lair, Mera asks what will they do once they find the victims. Aquaman replies that they don't know what the creatures are yet. Mera believes that if the victims are food, then they must desperate for food and that they must be on the verge of extinction. Aquaman replies that if that's true, then the creatures are just trying to survive, just like they are.

Aquaman and Mera descend to a volcanic vent using monkfish to light their path. They find a wrecked craft, which has been there for centuries. Aquaman and Mera recognize the ship as Atlantean, one that predated the sinking of Atlantis. They discover a breach in the hull, deducing it was caused by the Trench, who fed on the ship's crew.

As Aquaman and Mera continue their journey, the monkfish abandon them, as their survival instincts were overriding Aquaman's telepathy. Mera believes that the best course of action is to seal the trench to prevent the creatures from attacking the surface. Aquaman is unsure as that would mean the death of an entire species. Mera says the creatures are mindless savages who only harm the world. Aquaman replies that the Atlanteans say the same thing about humanity.

Suddenly, Aquaman and Mera find a Trench spawn, which quickly dies. Aquaman and Mera conclude the spawn was mutated and created through inbreeding. Continuing down the tunnel, Aquaman and Mera pass through several Trench corpses, and Mera says that the Trench are a dying race.

Aquaman and Mera reach a massive room with two large creatures inside, which Mera recognizes as the king and queen of the creatures. The room is also filled with Trench soldiers and cocoons with the captured people inside. Aquaman and Mera push the wall containing the cocoons out of the room. Mera takes the cocoon to safety while Aquaman faces the queen and its soldiers. Aquaman throws his trident to the volcanic vent, unleashing a massive lava stream that kills the queen. Aquaman then meets up with Mera and pushes a large rock to the vent, sealing it up and trapping the creatures underneath. With the monsters no longer a threat, Aquaman and Mera bring the captured people home.

Later at Beachrock, the authorities take care of the captured people and one of the victims, a mother, is reunited with his son, who tells Aquaman he is his favorite superhero. Aquaman and Mera return home.

At their house, Arthur laments the decision he had to take regarding the Trench, but Mera tells him he did the right thing. Deputy Wilson appears at their door and presents Aquaman with a dog, which, according to Wilson, belonged to Janet Reed, one of the deceased victims. Arthur decides to keep the dog, and Wilson calls him Aquadog. Arthur also decides to teach the dog how to swim.

From DC Wikia

Did you find Pandora in the diner scene?

Anyway, this is the NEW 52 version of Aquaman (that pretty much remained through rebirth), that means it is pretty much our modern version of the character. Most of his story is taken from previous versions of the character, but some other elements are new. Also because this was written by Geoff Johns, the new Aquaman movie is pretty much based on this version of the character.

In terms of story, there is not much happening here. I would say that there is a lot more story in what Geoff Johns is not telling us on purpose. There is enough there to be intrigued, and the main focus is on how the world sees Aquaman, even more than how he sees himself.

Now, this is important, because previous writers were a bit lost with the character. I think Peter David’s version is very unique (that version would it fish raw instead of fried with chips, but that version didn’t grow up on the surface). I think this Aquaman is more human than anything else. He is also a king with no land, which is not really explained in this arc, but it’s important.

The Trench is a dumb menace that could have been handled differently. I cannot remember now, but I am pretty sure their “coming out” was caused by someone. So this is a four-issue prologue.

The art really sells the book. This is a gorgeous Aquaman and Mera doesn’t need to be sexualized to look cool (and powerful).

I give this arc a score of 9.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.21 (after 1950)

1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. 1951 – The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives. 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States. 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. 1963 – The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation. 1968 – Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. 1981 – Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad. 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. 2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. 2011 – Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people died from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. 2014 – Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic. 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. 2023 – Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre.

[atlanticcanada]

More cost overruns, delays coming for new navy, coast guard fleets

Federal bureaucrats are warning that more cost overruns and delays are on the horizon for the delivery of new ships to Canada's navy and coast guard, as "significant challenges" batter Ottawa's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding program.

That includes uncertainty around the cost of building 15 new warships for the navy, which was already slated to be Canada's largest-ever military procurement with the government's estimated $60-billion price tag.

Top procurement, navy and coast officials are blaming the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain problems, labour shortages and rising costs for steel and other material for the latest setbacks, the full impacts of which are still being assessed.

"Simply put, ships are not being built fast enough and are costing more as a result," Defence Department procurement chief Troy Crosby told a parliamentary committee in recent testimony.

The frank assessment comes as the Liberal government faces pressure from the NATO military alliance and others to spend more on defence, raising one possible area for large new investments without having to undertake a significant policy rethink.

Yet whatever opportunity for increased spending the problems represent will be cold comfort to the navy and coast guard, as each passing day increases the threat another one of their aging ships will join the growing list of vessels forced into retirement before a replacement is ready.

Extra sunk costs are also growing as more taxpayer dollars are shovelled into projects that have already received billions in additional funding without any commensurate added benefit to Canada.

Federal officials told the standing committee on government operations and estimates that they are now assessing the specific impacts with Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver.

Irving is building six Arctic patrol ships for the navy and coast guard as well as the fleet of 15 new warships that will serve as the navy's backbone for the next 40 years. Seaspan is building several research vessels for the coast guard and two navy supply ships.

Every one of those projects had seen delays and cost overruns since the shipyards were selected in 2011 for their respective work packages, which officials blamed on a lack of experience in government and industry.

While the government and shipyards have since learned many hard-earned lessons, Public Services and Procurement Canada assistant deputy minister Simon Page said the procurement plan is facing "significant challenges."

"We now have to deal with the additional costs shipyards are charging and the new schedules," he said. "We are working closely with third parties to review everything and make sure the costs are justified. We are working with them to ensure performance."

Crosby for the first time acknowledged "uncertainty" in the cost of the navy's new warship fleet, after having stood by the government's $60-billion estimate in recent years. That includes having dismissed a $77.3-billion estimate from the parliamentary budget office.

In fact, Crosby specifically referenced the PBO's finding last year that a one-year delay in building the vessels represents a $2.2-billion shortfall due to inflation and other escalating costs.

The coming delays will also add pressure on Canada's aging navy and coast fleets, each of which has lost several ships in recent years as breakdowns and other issues have forced decades-old vessels into retirement before their replacements are finished.

Those include the navy's two support ships and three destroyers, as well as several coast guard vessels.

Canadian Coast Guard commissioner Mario Pelletier said in a recent interview his agency plans to use charters as it waits for a new ocean research vessel to replace the CCGS Hudson, which was forced to retire after 59 years in service in January.

The new offshore oceanographic science vessel is one of those projects that has been hit hard by delays and cost overruns, with its original $100-million budget having skyrocketed to almost $1 billion last year.

At the same time, Pelletier said the coast guard needs its first of six medium icebreakers in the water by 2030. While the vessels are likely to be built by Chantier Davie, the government has yet to officially add the Quebec-based company to the shipbuilding program.

Officials told the parliamentary committee that negotiations with Davie are continuing, but would not say when they would be finished. Davie was selected for addition more than two years ago, but negotiations to finalize the deal have been shrouded in mystery.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Apr. 6, 2022.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/1Fj4TBP

[newstfionline]

The Nuclear Power Plant of the Future May Be Floating Near Russia

By Andrew E. Kramer, NY Times, Aug. 26, 2018

MURMANSK, Russia--Along the shore of Kola Bay in the far northwest of Russia lie bases for the country’s nuclear submarines and icebreakers. Low, rocky hills descend to an industrial waterfront of docks, cranes and railway tracks. Out on the bay, submarines have for decades stalked the azure waters, traveling between their port and the ocean depths.

Here, Russia is conducting an experiment with nuclear power, one that backers say is a leading-edge feat of engineering but that critics call reckless.

The country is unveiling a floating nuclear power plant.

Tied to a wharf in the city of Murmansk, the Akademik Lomonosov rocks gently in the waves. The buoyant facility, made of two miniature reactors of a type used previously on submarines, is for now the only one of its kind.

Moscow, while leading the trend, is far from alone in seeing potential in floating nuclear plants. Two state-backed companies in China are building such facilities, and American scientists have drawn up plans of their own. Proponents say they are cheaper, greener and, perhaps counterintuitively, safer. They envision a future when nuclear power stations bob off the coasts of major cities around the world.

“They are light-years ahead of us,” Jacopo Buongiorno, a professor of nuclear engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the Russian floating power program.

Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear company, has exported nuclear technology for years, selling plants in China, India and a host of developing nations. But smaller reactors effectively placed on floats can be assembled more quickly, be put in a wider range of locations and respond more nimbly to fluctuating supply on power grids that increasingly rely on wind and solar.

The Russian design involves using submarine-style reactors loaded onto vessels, with a hatch near the bow to plug them into local electrical grids. The reactors will generate a combined 70 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 70,000 typical American homes. Rosatom plans to serially produce such floating nuclear plants, and is exploring various business plans, including retaining ownership of the reactors while selling the electricity they generate.

The bulky, rectangular structure resembles a big-box store, only with a nuclear emblem of an atom emblazoned on its side. Inside, the floating reactor is a warren of tight corridors, steep staircases, pipes, wires and warning signs in Cyrillic letters.

Officials plan to tow the vessel to coastal cities in need of power, either for short-term boosts or longer-term additions to electricity supply. It can carry sufficient enriched uranium to power the two reactors for 12 years, before having to be towed, with its spent fuel, back to Russia, where the radioactive waste will be processed.

A rotating crew of about 300 Russians, including private security guards, will operate the plant. Rosatom is considering a work schedule where they will remain on board for four months at a time before taking a four-month break. The Akademik Lomonosov will start out serving Pevek, a remote port in Siberia about 500 miles from Alaska, next year.

While on the vessel, the civilian crew will have access to a host of amenities, making the structure a sort of cross between the set for “The Hunt for Red October” and a cruise ship. Those aboard can swim in a pool decorated with pictures of a tropical beach, play squash or strangely, given the seeming importance of sobriety on such a vessel, have a drink at a bar.

Using nuclear reactors for marine propulsion, or on floating power plants, is not new. The United States used a barge-based reactor to generate electricity for the Panama Canal Zone from 1968 until 1976, and Westinghouse, the American reactor builder, planned--but never built--two floating plants off the New Jersey coast at around that time.

The idea of floating nuclear power won unexpected support after the 2011 Japanese tsunami. That disaster wreaked havoc on the Fukushima coastal power plant by flooding backup diesel generators intended to cool the plant in an emergency shutdown.

A floating reactor, supporters say, would survive tsunami waves at sea. And if an emergency shutdown were needed, it would retain access to cooling, something that is easier to do if it is already in the water, rather than relying on pumps. Rosatom, in a statement, insisted its plant was “invulnerable to tsunamis.”

Placing nuclear reactors on vessels could also help reduce the costs of construction. Cost overruns, as well as political opposition, have all but halted nuclear plant construction in the United States. Assembly-line efficiencies at shipyards would help reduce costs.

And then there is the potential climate change benefit. Nuclear power stations generate electricity free of planet-warming greenhouse gases and, unlike other clean sources of energy like wind turbines and solar farms, run around the clock.

Rosatom has so far not disclosed the cost of building the barge, or which countries are interested in buying electricity. The company estimates each floating plant will take four years to build, compared with a decade or so for many nuclear plants. The Sudan Tribune has cited that country’s minister of water resources and electricity as saying the government in Khartoum has a deal to become the first foreign customer. A Sudanese government spokesman, Mujahid Mohammed Satti, declined to comment on the report.

Others are also exploring the technology. China wants to build 20 floating nuclear plants, the first of which will start within two years. A French company has designed a reactor called Flexblue that would not float but rather be submerged on the ocean floor.

But some environmental groups--even those open to a role for nuclear power as a substitute for traditional power plants--are skeptical.

For one, they are not persuaded by Rosatom’s assurances of safety. Critics worry that during a tsunami, the 21,000-ton steel structure might not ride out the wave. In a worst-case scenario, they say, it would instead be torn from its moorings and sent barreling inland, plowing through buildings until it landed, steaming and dented and with two active reactors on board, well away from its source of coolant.

In such a case, Rosatom says, a backup power source and coolant on board would prevent the reactors from melting down, at least for the first 24 hours. “During this time we would consider what to do,” said Dmitri Alekseyenko, the deputy director for Rosatom’s floating reactor program. Regulators in the United States, however, require on-land reactors to operate for 72 hours in an emergency shutdown without external water supplies.

And the fact that the technology is well tested in Russian ships gives critics little solace, given a long history of spills and accidents involving nuclear-powered submarines and icebreakers operated by the Soviet and Russian navies.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union dumped reactors in the Kara Sea, in the Arctic Ocean north of Kola Bay. Russian nuclear submarines sank in 1989 and 2000, while one Russian nuclear icebreaker caught fire in 2011 and the reactor on another leaked radiation that year, according to Bellona, a Norwegian environmental group.