#ammunition and fuel storage and repair bays

[swan2swan]

YES.

More evidence for my "Daniel/Masrani purchased this island from the military and now Daniel owns it personally" hypothesis!

It wasn't even Mantah Corp's island, it's Daniel Kon's island!

[nrsranger]

4.2

Coordinates F-16

NSR Ranger

Main Hanger

09:45 hrs

Taus Maic call sign Tripper and Duc Melbun temporary callsign 9 walked through the hanger doors. As the expanse of engineers fiddling with energy coils, power converter and weapons systems trying to improve efficiency the hanger deck crew were rushing around refueling and recharging and mix of X-Wings, A-Wings and B-Wings, for Duc Melbun his was his first on a real MC-80 Star Cruiser and his head swam with questions and adrenalinn and what he is able to see. As he took in the large room he had to grab onto the wall for stability he was in shock.

Ever since he was a little kid it has always been his dream to be right where he was now, he studied every battle from the Bacta War, the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War, his original plan was to be an A-wing pilot but he kept crashing into things when he was at his secondary school’s simulator, which earned him a spot off the school’s recommendation list and and comfortable seat into the History program. He stole out of History class every chance he could to run more simms, but the teacher in charge of the flight program refused him every chance he got to retake the recommendation test. Then his worst nightmare came true, and he got a pilot's spot on the NRS Ranger.

He began to think of the events that directly lead him to this hanger, before the Hosnian Cataclysm he lived in a medium sized city on the third planet of the Hosnian system, the History program received a grant from the Galactic Historic Core to tour old Clone War battle sites, they were at their final destination and were touring Ryloth when they first heard the news, the teachers and shuttle driver dismissed it as all to common pranks from edgy youths. When they jumped into the Hosnian system nothing remained, it was there when everyone learned that it was no prank. The shuttle briefly poked through the wreckage before they came across Raysho station, a dozen or so civilian transports were already docked and survivors were attempting to find family and friends. When they finally disembarked the port was crowded by too many adults, just not enough parents and there were too many kids walking out not enough children. When it was all sorted, only three kids out of the 100 kid program had at least one parent. Even though the late hour Duc could not sleep so we followed the line, the other older kids and most adults were taken into the recruitment center. When the officer asked if he had any flight experience, he admitted the little training he had, next thing he knew he was on the NRS Ranger as an over romanticized X-Wing pilot. For the last month his squadmates took turns teaching him and his fellow refugee turn pilot Mally Vos how to fly and adjust to Navy life. Today’s lesson was a tour of the ship, followed by simulations, simulations and more simulations.

“Ok, History nerd, riddle me this, how many launch bays does an MC-80 have?” Taus asked

“The Home one type MC-80 had 4 hangers” Duc said still in awe

“Ok, so how many launch bays does the Ranger have?” Taus asked next

“If I am not mistaken this is a Home one type so four?” Duc said confused why this is a question, if the answer was too obvious.

“Wrong, the Ranger has two, it originally had four, but the two rear launch bays were turned into makeshift multi-purpose rooms to quote” Taus said putting up air quote “expand the MC-80’s mission profile beyond that of a warship, unquote” Taus finished and lowered his hands

“Next question, how many fighter squadrons does the Big R carry?” Taus asked

“Currently 3, The Firebirds” Duc squinted his eyes trying to remember the other squadrons names “The…….Blue Birds and Theeee Night owls”

“Correcet, ok nerd, next question, how many fighter squadrons, Could the NSR Ranger carry?”

“Uh, I don’t know?” Duc said puzzled, he never read anything in the manuels that gave a answers to that question

“Marcus” Taus shouted, catching the attention of a Grand who was directing a technician driving a hoverlift, that was lifting the back half of a Y-Wing toward the Hanger one

“What do you need, Tripper?” he asked disenganging himself from his work.

“This is our Deck Chief Marcus Canton but you will always call him chief, and he can tell the damage from a ship just by looking at it. Chief the question I have is, how many squads could we fit in the Ranger?” Taus asked again

“You see the Ranger originally had four launch bays to forward one on each side and two rear one on each side connected by a single hanger, as you are standing in here, since the Military disarmament act limited the amount of fighters a ship could carry, the brass ordered that the rear launched bays be turned into multi-purpose storage rooms there are a lot of useless thing in there and that ticks me off but we are scheduled to undergo a refit to clear them out and unseal the doors we are also reported to get three more squads, but to answer your question, currently three, until we under the refit, and get those doors open” he said pointed to the two large doors that lead to the rear launch bay,”then six, but I am willing to wager, that we could probably fit 10 in an emergency but that would fill up the hanger with no room and each launch bay with no room to spare, there were many times during the rebellion when that happened, and the problem they faced was that they had to launch what was in the launch bay before they could bring out what was in the hanger, even if it was a bay full of unarmed U-Wings” the Grand Deck Chief finished “anymore questions?”

“No, I don’t have any” Taus said “Do you,” he asked looking at his junior who was still in awe and look around at all the busy hustle and bustle

“hm? What no, not yet I think I’m good” Duc said

“Ok, why don’t you look around for a bit, get familiar with a crew working on an X-wing, because if you are ever in a pinch we fill in for them, or if you have to make emergency repairs it might be helpful to know a thing or two, but just stay out of the way” Taus said

“Ok, yes sir” Duc said. He walked through and past the noses and laser cannons of X-wings until he found a crew working on one.

“Oh he’s a good kid” Taus said

“Eh, he’s alright, just make sure he doesn’t return any of my letterbirds damaged” The deck chief said then added, “so why do you like doing this, most squadron X.O hate the new guys”

“Yeah, sometimes it's a chore, but everyone comes from a different background and they all bring a new skill or piece of knowledge to the table and who knows maybe it will be useful later on” Taus said “it also helps with patience, especially when the deck crew needed to fix an X-wing but forgot to add the fuel injector” Taus said this and threw a glance at Chief Canton

“It was only one time, and you have enough life support to survive for…” Canton started to defend

“18 hours” Taus finished.

Chief Canton, did not have time for a snarky reply as the red alert clackson began to blare, and the signal box on the wall flashed the tradinatl red color.

“Red alert, set combat conditions throughout the ship” A voice from the ship's intercom system rang out.

Chief’s voice then rang out in alarm “CLEAR THE DECK of Any and Everything that is flammable, or explosive, lets go, lets go, if were hit by anything stronger than a stund blast this thing will go like a coaxisum on a train.”

The hanger exploded into dozens of technicians grabbing fuel canisters and star ship blaster power packs and dashing for a storage locker.

“Hey new guy,” a technician shouted at Duc who was still confused as to what he should be doing, “grab the other end of this' ' indicating a proton torpedo about to be loaded in an X-wing. Duc dashed over to the technician and lifted one end of the torpedo and they began to speed walk over to an ammunition locker. Taus and the Chief stood on large boxes and directed the traffic. Taus paused and looked through the starboard launch bay, the only two things in the launch bay was the back half of a Y-wing that was half gutted by shrapnel that was about to be ejected into space and the standard fighter recovery tug. He then looked outside of the ship, his eyes adjusted for the blue tint of the launch bay shield and saw two Corellian Corvettes and a Nebulon-B frigate open fire with their stark red point defence cannons. If Taus was upside down, it would look like red rain falling upon his enemies. He kept looking at the trajectory of the point defence cannons as the laser bolts slowly climbed higher and higher, when he guess, whatever they were firing at was right on top of the Ranger, a silence fell over the hanger as each pilot, technician and engineer, held his breath Taus noticed that he was not the only person look out side.

He flinched as five noiseless First Order TIE Bombers pasted over the Ranger

“Are we hit?” a crewmate asked

“No, we would have felt it if we got hit,” Chief Canton said.

A collective sigh fell over the hanger as the five bombers slowly shunk as they were chased off by soundless blaster bolts. Just as the five bombers reached the outer ring of Corvettes a CR-90 scored a hit against one. Black smoak and gas leaked from one of the bombers. Then with four flickers of pseudo motion four of the five bombers disappeared. The fifth bomber did not jump.

“Their hyperdrive has been damaged, they're not going nowhere” Chief Canton observed.

“Ummm, we have a problem.” Duc said pointing. The damaged TIE Bomber made a 180 degree turn and began to head back toward the Ranger.

“Aw Crift!” Chief Canton shouted. He looked out and saw the Bomber drawing a bead on the Ranger, “He;s coming right for the Hanger!, CLEAR THE DECK!!!!!!” Canton shouted.

The gathered technicians scrambled dashing to the nearest door.

“Chief!I have an idea!” Taus shouted toward the Deck Chief as he ran toward the back half of the Y-Wing. In an instant Canton knew and understood what Taus was getting at.

“Jackson, Daniels! Grab that power pack and bring it here” Canton shouted running toward the damaged Y-Wing in the launch bay.

Two technicians who stood their ground, waiting for Canton to leave. Jackson and Daniels did not want to leave until they knew for a fact that the hanger was lost when Canton gave up the hanger so would they. Today their determination paid off as they ran toward a Star Fighter power pack and lifted toward the crippled Y-Wing turret.

Taus jumped in the Ball Turret, while Canton, Jackson and Daniel wired the power pack to the turret. After thirty seconds Taus lights on the dashboard lit up and he gave thumbs up. Canton activated the hover lift and lifted the Y-Wing off the ground and swinged it out of the hanger bay.

Taus in the turret slowly rotated in a circle, when acclimated to the off sensation of having ones surrounds slowly orbit around him, he targeted the doomed TIE bomber coming in for a suicede run on the Ranger’s Hanger. He rotated his cannon and lined up his shot just as he heard the Y-Wing gunners talk about so often in bars and social gatherings. He took a quick breath and let loose with the cannon. The TIE bomber was only 100 meters away from the Ranger when their port side wing and accompanying engine unit. With the starboard engine the only propulsion, the TIE bomber began into a hard port side spiral. Ten seconds later the Bomber exploded. The only damage Taus saw was a CR-90 gently rocked as the bomber exploded a few hundred yards from its port side.

Taus breathed a sigh of relief. No one was hurt and no one died.

“Who’s in that thing just shot down that bomber?” Alek Mauz voice crackled over the comm, not recognizing the turret portion of the Y-wing

“Uh-ah, this is Bomber Slayer One?” Taus said hesitantly

“Tripper?” Alek asked, puzzled.

“What’s up CAG?” Taus asked the same way heroes attempt to deflect the attention from themselves by saying, something like ‘oh anyone would have done that’

“When you get back, report to the Senior Staff Conference Room” Alek ordered

“Yes Sir,” Taus said then under his breath “either I’m getting fired or promoted, both are equally terrifying.”

“Hey Chief, can I come home now?” Taus said reengaging the comm

“Yeah sure thing, let’s see if I can fire up the old tug” Chief Canton said referring to the Fighter Recovery Craft or (FRC) “ETA, 20 minutes”

“Please hurry, I only have 15 minutes of Life Support left”

[uss-edsall]

favorite maritime anecdotes?

Here’s fifteen

1. “Somewhere during this period, I came across another small, telling anecdote that reveals more about the spirit of the destroyer’s crew. After the bombing in the Flores Sea, Houston lost not only her number three turret, cold storage locker, and crew’s head as well as three searchlights and two motor launches; her laundry was also destroyed. At that point the men of Edsall volunteered to provide laundry service for the cruiser. Bob Fulton told me that the last time he saw Edsall was when his clothes were being lowered over the port side of Houston’s quarterdeck to the destroyer. As he put it, “I don’t know where that brave ship is today, but wherever she is, my clothes are still aboard.””

–A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall, by Donald M. Kehn

2. 

3. 

4. “On one of those raids the steering wheel [of USS Salt Lake City CA-25], loosened by the jar of the firing, fell off. The helmsman held it up in his two hands. And he turned to the captain with deference. “Sir,” he said, “what do I do with this now?” “Switch steering to auxiliary steering aft,” ordered the sweating Captain. The crew fell into a certain nonchalance about combat. At Saipan the officer of the deck accepted a line from a tanker and started fueling while an air attack was going on at an island two miles away. During one bombardment some genius of the commissary discovered caviar left over from a gala in San Francisco a year before. Officers off duty munched it in the wardroom while the guns roared. Off Okinawa, Poncho Miller, the boss of the lookouts, reported calmly, “Jap Betty (a bombing plane) is directly overhead.” “Signal it to keep going,” was the reply. “

5.  From Enterprise, by Barrett Tillman (the practice was for escorting destroyers to rescue shot down pilots, and they’d bring them back to the carrier in exchange for five gallons of ice-cream, for carriers had icecream makers, but for the most part destroyers did not,)

6. “An ensign who graduated from the Naval Academy during Hart’s tenure as superintendent was considerably unnerved when he heard that Hart was the admiral who was coming to inspect his ship. When Hart came into the bridge, he seemed just as formidable as ever and, to test the alertness of the engine-room crew, he walked over to the voice tube and shouted into it: “If eggs are five cents apiece, how much would a dozen cost?” To the horror of the ensign, the reply came back: “Shut up, you dumb son of a bitch, don’t you know we’re being inspected?” Hart showed just a twitch at the corners of his mouth. “They are alert,” he announced.”

—  A Different Kind Of Victory: A Biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart, by James Leutze

7. “Lt. (j.g.) John J. A. “Jack” Michel of Pope had grabbed the final boat back to his destroyer after getting his “fill” of San Miguel beer at the Army-Navy Club. He expected, with no pleasure, that his ship would again be conducting minefield patrols again the following week. Weather conditions on Manila Bay that night were typical according to Michel: “sticky [and] breathless.” He eventually fell asleep in his sweltering miniature stateroom, in spite of its dysfunctional ventilator and location next to the forward fire room. In the middle of that momentous night—and no doubt still damp with beery perspiration—he was awakened from his slumbers to be told, “I don’t suppose you’re particularly interested right now, but Pearl Harbor was bombed and we’re at war with Japan.” Michel could only mumble, “The bastards,” before going right back to sleep.”

—  In The Highest Degree Tragic: The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet during World War II, by Donald M. Kehn

8. From Signals from the Falklands, by John Winton

9. “Lieutenant Pat McEntee in the Atlanta witnessed it: a Wildcat closing fast on a Betty from behind. The fighter was evidently out of ammunition, for its driver resorted to an unusual tactic. Down came his landing gear. Down went his airspeed. It looked to McEntee as if he was trying “to set his ship down on the bomber’s broad back. And he did—again and again, and again, with sledgehammer impact. He literally was pounding the enemy into the sea with his wheels.” The bomber pilot had no escape. If he tried to pull up, it only increased the force of the impacts. Any evasive turn was easily matched by the agile fighter. “The only course open led down. But before the Jap could make a decision, something snapped under the pounding and the bomber plunged beneath the waves of Savo Sound.”

- James D. Hornfischer, Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal 

10. “The first time the South Dakota’s main battery was tested with a full nine-gun broadside, the wave of blast pressure pushed through the passageway where Captain Thomas Gatch was standing, tearing his pants right off him. The vast power of the sixteen-inch guns required a perfect physical apparatus to ensure not only their working order but also the safety of the ship.”

-Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, by James D. Hornfischer

11. “Electrician’s Mate John J. Kellejian’s battle station on the flag bridge often put him beside the task force commander. During a general quarters emergency drill there was little to do in flag country, prompting Halsey to ask Kellejian if he played cribbage. The youngster had never heard of it so the admiral exclaimed, “Don’t worry about it, son. I’ll teach you.” After a tutorial, Halsey declared the electrician ready to play, the stakes being a nickel a round. “I lost my ass,” Kellejian said, losing more than fifty games, but since sailors never had much money, the admiral seemed to forget the debt. Following Halsey’s death in 1959, Kellejian—long out of the Navy—received a summons from the admiral’s estate, demanding payment of a debt of $ 2.80. Kellejian phoned Halsey’s sister, who explained that Wild Bill had carried the amount as a joke to share with friends. The debt was forgiven, but John Kellejian kept the summons as a souvenir of his costly lessons at the knee of Admiral William F. Halsey.“–Enterprise, by Barrett Tillman

12. "Early that morning, the convoy came under attack from the USS Sturgeon, a submarine which fired a salvo of torpedoes and was rewarded with some satisfying explosions. These prompted the facetious signal “Sturgeon no longer virgin.” As no Japanese ship was actually penetrated, this claim was premature. So was the ejaculation of large numbers of torpedoes that night by the four old but dashing destroyers of Rear Admiral William A. Glassford’s Task Force 5, US Asiatic fleet, alerted by air reconnaissance from Java.”

–The Pacific Campaign, by Dan van der Vat

13. “USS Overton (DD-239), with two boilers inoperative, was sent to meet the speedy Queen Elizabeth 500 miles at sea, and escort her to port. Running her best speed in a full gale, she shifted fuel to the port tanks to counterbalance the force of the wind. Waves smashed the splinter shield of her bow gun, leaked through the forecastle deck, caused a six-foot crack in the main deck, carried away the bridge windshield, and washed two depth charges out of the racks, but the destroyer kept up the pace. When she finally hove to in the lee of the land, her unbalanced fuel tanks caused her to take a 33 degree list to port. But in the words of her skipper’s official report, ‘Other than this superficial damage, the ship had weathered the trip very well.’” – Flush Decks & Four Pipes, by Cdr. John D. Alden

14. “On 18 September, 1942, USS Barney (DD-149), while escorting a convoy from Trinidad to Guantanamo, rammed USS Greer (DD-145)’s stern. This dislodged depth charges that went off under Barney’s keel, forcing both to creep home to Charleston for repairs. After this, Greer seems to have made a career out of collisions, for she rammed and sank USS Moonstone off the Atlantic Coast, and on 30 November, while seeking to avoid a tanker, she was rammed amidships by USS Rapidan.”

–Flush Decks & Four Pipes, by John D. Alden Cdr US Navy (Ret.)

15. From HMS Rodney, by Ian Ballantyne

[awkwardlyamusing-blog]

Here's where the money for the border wall is coming from

New Post has been published on http://doggietrainingclasses.com/heres-where-the-money-for-the-border-wall-is-coming-from/

Here's where the money for the border wall is coming from

Military projects gutted to fund wall

Related stories

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US Department of Defense is diverting an estimated $3.6 billion in military construction funds to help build President Donald Trump’s wall on the US-Mexico border.

The Pentagon on Wednesday released the full list of 127 military construction projects that will lose funds in order to help construct 175 miles of southern border wall.

The projects range from building training and ammunition storage facilities to fixing access roads to construction on a middle school in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, along with a subway station entrance facility at the Pentagon.

Just under $1.8 billion meant for US and US territory projects will be reallocated to the border wall. The US is also pulling funds from several overseas projects, more than $1.8 billion, including from construction at air bases in ally nations like the United Kingdom and Germany.

Asked about potential concerns from European allies, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters in London on Thursday that his message is one of increasing “burden sharing” among allies when it comes to military spending, and that other countries should “maybe pick up that tab.”

Below is the full list of military construction projects.

  Domestic projects: $1,075,961,000

  Alabama

Anniston Army Depot Weapon Maintenance Shop: $5,200,000

Alaska

Eielson Air Force Base, Repair Central Heat/Power Plant Boiler PH 4: $41,000,000

Eielson Air Force Base, Repair Central Heat/Power Plant Boiler Ph3: $34,400,000

Eielson Air Force Base, Improved Combat Arms Training and Maintenance Range: $19,000,000

Fort Greely, Missile Field #1 Expansion: $8,000,000

Arizona

Fort Huachuca, Ground Transport Equipment Building: $30,000,000

California

Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Construct C-130J Flight Simulator Facility: $8,000,000

Colorado

Peterson Air Force Base, Space Control Facility: $8,000,000

Florida

Tyndall Air Force Base, Fire/Crash Rescue Station: $17,000,000

Hawaii

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Consolidated Training Facility: $5,500,000

Kaneohe Bay, Security Improvements Mokapu Gate: $26,492,000

Indiana

Crane Army Ammunition Plant, Railcar Holding Area: $16,000,000

Hulman Regional Airport, Construct Small Arms Range: $8,000,000

Kentucky

Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Campbell Middle School: $62,634,000

Louisiana

Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, NORTHCOM – Construct Alert Apron: $15,000,000

Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, NORTHCOM – Construct Alert Facilities: $24,000,000

Maryland

Fort Meade, Cantonment Area Roads: $16,500,000

Joint Base Andrews, Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization Relocate Haz Cargo Pad and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Range: $37,000,000

Joint Base Andrews, Child Development Center: $13,000,000

Mississippi

Jackson-Evers International Airport, Construct Small Arms Range: $8,000,000

New Mexico

Holloman Air Force Base, MQ-9 Formal Training Unit Ops Facility: $85,000,000

White Sands, Information Systems Facility: $40,000,000

New York

US Military Academy, Engineering Center: $95,000,000

US Military Academy, Parking Structure: $65,000,000

North Carolina

Camp Lejeune, 2nd Radio BN Complex, Phase 2: $25,650,000

Camp Lejeune, Ambulatory Care Center Addition/Alteration: $15,300,000

Fort Bragg, Butner Elementary School Replacement: $32,944,000 (previously canceled)

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, KC-46A ADAL for Alt Mission Storage: $6,400,000

Oklahoma

Tulsa IAP, Construct Small Arms Range: $8,000,000

Oregon

Klamath Falls IAP, Construct Indoor Range: $8,000,000

Klamath Falls IAP, Replace Fuel Facilities: $2,500,000

South Carolina

Beaufort, Laurel Bay Fire Station Replacement: $10,750,000

Texas

Fort Bliss, Defense Access Roads: $20,000,000

Joint Base San Antonio, Camp Bullis Dining Facility: $18,500,000

Utah

Hill Air Force Base, Composite Aircraft Antenna Calibration Fac: $26,000,000

Hill Air Force Base, UTTR Consolidated Mission Control Center: $28,000,000

Virginia

Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Construct Cyber Ops Facility: $10,000,000

Norfolk, Replace Hazardous Materials Warehouse: $18,500,000

Pentagon, Pentagon Metro Entrance Facility: $12,111,000 (previously canceled)

Portsmouth, Replace Hazardous Materials Warehouse: $22,500,000

Portsmouth, Ships Maintenance Facility: $26,120,000

Washington

Bangor, Pier and Maintenance Facility: $88,960,000

Wisconsin

Truax Field, Construct Small Arms Range: $8,000,000

  US territory projects: $687,284,000

  Guam

Joint Region Marianas, Earth Covered Magazines: $52,270,000

Joint Region Marianas, PRTC Roads: $2,500,000

Joint Region Marianas, Water Well Field: $56,088,000

Joint Region Marianas, Navy-Commercial Tie-In Hardening: $37,180,000

Joint Region Marianas, Machine Gun Range: $50,000,000

Joint Region Marianas, APR – Munitions Storage Igloos, Ph 2: $35,300,000

Joint Region Marianas, Hayman Munitions Storage Igloos MSA 2: $9,800,000

Joint Region Marianas, APR – SATCOM C4I Facility: $14,200,000

Puerto Rico

Arroyo, Readiness Center: $30,000,000

Camp Santiago, Company Headquarters Bldg -Transient Training: $47,000,000

Camp Santiago, Dining Facility, Transient Training: $13,000,000

Camp Santiago, Engineering/Housing Maintenance Shops (DPW): $11,000,000

Camp Santiago, Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site: $80,000,000

Camp Santiago, National Guard Readiness Center: $50,000,000

Camp Santiago, Power Substation/Switching Station Building: $18,500,000

Gurabo, Vehicle Maintenance Shop: $28,000,000

Punta Borinquen, Ramey Unit School Replacement: $61,071,000

San Juan, Aircraft Maintenance Hangar (AASF): $64,000,000

Virgin Islands

St. Croix, Vehicle Maintenance Shop: $20,000,000

St. Croix, Power Substation/Switching Station Building: $3,500,000

St. Thomas, National Guard Vehicle Maintenance Shop Add/A: $3,875,000

  Overseas projects: $1,836,755,000

  Bahrain Island

SW Asia, Fleet Maintenance Facility & TOC: $26,340,000

Belgium

Chievres Air Base, Europe West District Superintendent’s Office: $14,305,000

Bulgaria

Nevo Selo Fos, European Deterrence Initiative: Ammunition Holding Area: $5,200,000

Cuba

Guantanamo Bay, Working Dog Treatment Facility Replacement: $9,080,000

Estonia

Unspecified Estonia, EDI: SOF Operations Facility: $6,100,000

Unspecified Estonia, EDI: SOF Training Facility: $9,600,000

Germany

Baumholder, SOF Joint Parachute Rigging Facility: $11,504,000

East Camp Grafenwoehr, Mission Training Complex: $31,000,000

Panzer Kaserne, MARFOREUR HQ Modernization and Expansion: $43,950,000

Ramstein Air Base, 37 AS Squadron Operations/AMU: $13,437,000

Ramstein Air Base, EDI – KMC DABS-FEV/RH Storage Warehouses: $119,000,000

Spangdahlem Air Base, F/A-22 Low Observable/Composite Repair Fac: $18,000,000

Spangdahlem Air Base, EIC – Site Development and Infrastructure: $43,465,000

Spangdahlem Air Base, Spangdahlem Elementary School Replacement: $79,141,000

Spangdahlem Air Base, Upgrade Hardened Aircraft Shelters for F/A-22: $2,700,000

Stuttgart, Robinson Barracks Elem. School Replacement: $46,609,000

Weisbaden, Clay Kaserne Elementary School: $56,048,000

Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Hazardous Material Storage Building: $2,700,000

Greece

Souda Bay, EDI: Marathi Logistics Support Center: $6,200,000

Souda Bay, EDI: Joint Mobility Processing Center: $41,650,000

Hungary

Kecskemet Air Base, European Reassurance Initiative: Airfield Upgrades: $12,900,000

Kecskemet Air Base, ERI: Construct Parallel Taxiway: $30,000,000

Kecskemet Air Base, ERI: Increase POL Storage Capacity: $12,500,000

Italy

Sigonella, EDI: P-8A Taxiway and Apron Upgrades: $66,050,000

Japan

Camp McTureous, Bechtel Elementary School: $94,851,000

Iwakuni, Fuel Pier: $33,200,000

Iwakuni, Construct Bulk Storage Tanks PH 1: $30,800,000

Kadena Air Base, Truck Unload Facilities: $21,400,000

Kadena Air Base, SOF Maintenance Hangar (Fiscal Year 2018): $3,972,000

Kadena Air Base, SOF Maintenance Hangar (Fiscal Year 2017): $42,823,000

Kadena Air Base, APR – Replace Munitions Structures: $19,815,000

Yokota Air Base, C-130J Corrosion Control Hangar: $23,777,000

Yokota Air Base, Construct CATM Facility: $8,243,000

Yokota Air Base, Hangar/Aircraft Maintenance Unit: $12,034,000

Yokota Air Base, Hangar/AMU: $39,466,000

Yokota Air Base, Operations and Warehouse Facilities (Fiscal Year 2018): $8,590,000

Yokota Air Base, Operations and Warehouse Facilities (Fiscal Year 2017): $26,710,000

Yokosuka, Kinnick High School Inc 1: $40,000,000

South Korea

Camp Tango, Command and Control Facility: $17,500,000

Kunsan Air Base, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Hangar: $53,000,000

Luxembourg

Sanem, ERI: ECAOS Deployable Airbase System Storage: $67,400,000

Norway

Rygge, ERI: Replace/Expand Quick Reaction Alert Pad: $10,300,000

Poland

Poland, EDI: Staging Areas: $34,000,000

Poland, EDI: Staging Areas: $17,000,000

Poland, EDI: Ammunition Storage Facility: $52,000,000

Poland, EDI: Rail Extension and Railhead: $6,400,000

Powidz Air Base, EDI: Bulk Fuel Storage: $21,000,000

Romania

Mihail Kogalniceanu, EDI: Explosives & Ammo Load/Unload Apron: $21,651,000

Slovakia

Malacky, EDI – Regional Munitions Storage Area: $59,000,000

Malacky, ERI: Increase POL Storage Capacity: $20,000,000

Malacky, ERI: Airfield Upgrades: $4,000,000

Sliac Airport, ERI: Airfield Upgrades: $22,000,000

Spain

Rota, EDI: Port Operations Facilities: $21,590,000

Turkey

Incirlik AB, OCO: Relocate Base Main Access Control Point: $14,600,000

United Kingdom

Croughton Royal Air Force, Croughton Elem/Middle/High School Replacement: $71,424,000

Croughton Royal Air Force, Main Gate Complex: $16,500,000

Menwith Hill Station, RAFMH Main Gate Rehabilitation: $11,000,000

Royal Air Force Fairford, EIC RC-135 Infrastructure: $2,150,000

Royal Air Force Fairford, EIC RC-135 Intel and Squad Ops Facility: $38,000,000

Royal Air Force Fairford, EIC RC-135 Runway Overrun Reconfiguration: $5,500,000

Royal Air Force Fairford, EDI – Munitions Holding Area: $19,000,000

Royal Air Force Fairford, EDI – Construct DABS-FEV Storage: $87,000,000

Worldwide Classified

Classified Location, Talon Tactical Mobile Over-the-Horizon Radar – Utilities and Infrastructure Support: $18,000,000

WW Unspecified

WW Unspecified, Planning and Design: $13,580,000

CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report.

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Five Top Recreational Wreck Dives in Chuuk Lagoon

  If you’re into wreck diving, the name Chuuk Lagoon should get your heart racing — and rightly so. It’s a graveyard of Japanese ships that went down during the Allies’ Operation Hailstone during WWII. There are around 60 wrecks in an area of just a few miles, all lying within a calm atoll devoid of ocean currents. Many of the wrecks lie within recreational depths and they are all great dives, but here are our picks for the five top recreational wreck dives in Chuuk Lagoon.

Heian Maru

“Maru,” a common appellation on the wrecks in Chuuk, means “merchant ship” in Japanese. The Heian Maru, a submarine tender, is the largest ship in the lagoon at 511 feet (155 m), which means it will take numerous dives just to get oriented. Originally a cargo passenger vessel, the Japanese requisitioned the ship in 1941 and put to work as a submarine tender, covering Rabaul, Kwajalein, Chuuk, and the Solomon Islands. On the morning of February 17th, 1944, as Operation Hailstone began, U.S. dive bombers attacked the ship. A from a 1,000-pound bomb damaged the propeller, and the next day, a bomb hit to the engine room on the port side started large fires. Finally, a torpedo hit on its port side caused the ship to list and it sank with the death of 18 crew members.

The wreck lies in 115 feet (35 m) of water on its port side, but the coral-covered starboard hull is very shallow at 33 feet (10 m). As you move along the top of the wreck, the glass in the portholes on the promenade deck shows bubbling from the intense fires. On the promenade deck, look for a pile of 50-foot-long (15 m) periscopes. In hold No. 2, you can see 10 long-lance torpedoes and in hold No. 3 there are submarine batteries and an artillery piece. Holds No. 4 and 5 offer a glimpse into the downtime of Japanese servicemen as they’re both full of beer bottles. You’ll find some timber, oxygen cylinders and gas masks as well. If you are wreck-certified, the engine room is an amazing sight of gauges, valves, cylinders, and pipework, which can be a little confusing due to the wreck’s positioning. You can also see a human skull here.

Perhaps the most striking feature of this wreck, however, is the name, written on the bow in English and Kanji in raised letters. At the stern the two huge propellers and rudder are also quite a sight.

Sankisan Maru

Two wrecks in the lagoon best showcase the violence that rained down during Operation Hailstone: the Aikoku Maru is one and the Sankisan is the other. Both ships were carrying significant amounts of ordnance at the time of the attacks. As fires took hold after the bombings, huge secondary explosions destroyed half of the ships. The front half of the Aikoku Maru was completely obliterated (along with 730 lives). On the Sankisan, the entire rear half of the ship is missing apart from the very stern, which lies in a crater away from the rest of the ship at 155 feet (45 m).

The rest of the Sankisan is a very easy dive. It was a passenger cargo vessel and sits on its keel. The deepest point of the dive takes place above the forward holds at around 60 feet (20m). In hold No. 1 you will find a large pile of mixed ordnance — small-arms ammunition and anti-aircraft shells. It was neatly stacked in wooden boxes, but the wood has long since rotted away. You can swim from hold No. 1 into hold No. 2, where you’ll find three radial aircraft engines, along with aircraft cowlings, exhausts and wheel assemblies. There are also remnants of 1.5-ton Isuzu trucks have degraded badly, but you can still make out the steering wheels, chassis, gearboxes and tires.

Fujikawa Maru

Perhaps the best-known wreck in Chuuk (along with the San Francisco Maru), the Fujikawa has it all — interesting cargo, amazing marine life, and an incredible engine room. The steering section at the stern is also a brief but interesting penetration dive.

When the attack began, the Fujikawa was busy unloading its cargo of disassembled aircraft. When a torpedo hit the ship just aft of amidships on the starboard side, it began to sink slowly, although the crew managed to abandon ship. It was still afloat on the next morning when dive bombers hit it with a 1,000-pound bomb on its port quarter. A further attack caused a large explosion, and it eventually sank, landing upright in 115 feet (35 m) of water, with the top of the bridge at 33 feet (10 m).

As with most wrecks in the lagoon, you can’t possibly see everything on one or even two dives. Hold No. 1 contains stacks of spare aircraft propeller blades, some aircraft engine cowlings, wing tanks, and some 55-gallon fuel drums. There are also some shells and AA casings. Hold No. 2 contains numerous aircraft parts, including wings, cockpits, and fuselages. The cockpit of a Mitsubishi Zero is clearly identifiable, and even still has the joystick. Other parts are from Jill bombers. It’s a jumbled mess, and over time it has become more difficult to make out exactly how many of each type of aircraft there are in there.

Of note in hold No. 3 is the extensive bomb damage, well worth a peek. The top of the superstructure has rotted and degraded to reveal baths in the officers’ accommodations, but much of the bridge is missing the telegraphs and other navigational equipment on many other wrecks in the lagoon.

The engine room is one of the best in Chuuk and houses the iconic and often photographed “R2D2” compressor. There is a machine shop and storage area on the first level and lower levels contain the engine machinery where you will see valves, gauges and electrical switches dotted all over. Although it’s easy to access the engine room, take care as you can easily kick up a lot of silt.

Kensho Maru

The Kensho Maru was very active during the war, making numerus supply voyages from Yokosuka in Japan to Chuuk, Rabaul, Saipan, Wake, Kwajalein and Taroa. Sixteen U.S. B-24 Liberator bombers heavily damaged the ship in a 1943 airstrike on Kwajalein, where it was temporarily repaired before being towed to Chuuk for more permanent repairs. On February 17 it was still under repair when Douglas Dauntless dive bombers attacked. A 1,000-pound bomb struck amidships, setting the ship on fire and killing six crewmembers. The ship remained afloat, however, and when it was attacked again the next day, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. Torpedo bombers sank it in 115 feet (35 m) of water, laying it to rest on the keel. Because it was being repaired, there was no cargo on the ship. The main area of interest during a dive is the engine room. Entering through skylights at around 60 feet (18 m), you descend into a cavernous space. From here you still have direct access to the surface. To go any further requires descending down a flight of stairs into the main area where you’ll find the engines and generators. Although you should be wreck-certified and use a guideline, navigation is very easy. A rectangular grid of catwalks skirts around the machinery on two main levels, and there’s very little silt because the catwalks allow it to sink to the very bottom of the wreck.

Everywhere you look you can see valves, gauges, switches, even thermometers coming out of the pipework. In one corner is a machine shop with a vice and huge wrenches on the wall. Using of nitrox will give you the bottom time you need to have a good look around providing your air consumption is good. The bottom of the engine room is at around 100 feet (30 m).

Other highlights include officer accommodations below the bridge that contain baths, with pipes and taps still attached. Further aft is the galley, which has a stove, a mosaic-tiled floor, and a shelf containing crew uniforms. The bridge has rotted away, but just below you can see two radio stacks in the radio room.

Shinkoku Maru

At 503 feet long (152 m), the Shinkoku Maru is the second-largest wreck in the lagoon. Requisitioned as an auxiliary oiler in 1941, it refueled Japanese aircraft carriers during the attack on Pearl Harbor and was present at the Battle of Midway. It was attacked and torpedoed by U.S. submarines twice during supply trips to Chuuk, escaping with minor damage and quick repairs. The ship entered the lagoon for the last time on February 14, 1944 and its luck ran out shortly thereafter. On February 17, a bomb hit the vessel amidships although it remained afloat. The next day, a torpedo hit the Shinkoku on its port side at the stern. Water flooded into the engine room and it sank soon after. It lies upright in 130 feet (40 m) of water.

The most striking sensation when diving this wreck is just how long and wide it feels as you swim from one end to the other. A normal dive begins with a swim to the stern to see the torpedo hole on the port side. Along the way you will see various valves and pipes on the deck, reminding you that this was an oil tanker. The torpedo hole allows access to the engine room, which is a twisted mess of metal in some areas. It can be tight and disorienting as you enter lower levels, so good wreck training is a must. This is the deepest part of the dive, at around 100 feet (30 m). You can also enter the engine room via the skylights on the main deck. Descending here reveals a large space containing cylinder heads below a catwalk. Moving back along the ship toward the bow the highlight is the main superstructure, which has officers’ accommodation on the lower level.

A bathroom still contains a tiled bath, and next door are some urinals. In the main area on the port side is a surgeon’s table, which has numerous bottles, bowls and glass piping, as used in the medical bay. On top of the table is also a pile of human bones. Depth here is around 66 feet (20 m). On the top of the superstructure the bridge has largely rotted away, exposing the floors underneath. Here you will find numerous items left by divers, a medical box, and various bottles. Looking below you can see two engine telegraphs before you begin your ascent to the safety stop.

There are many more wrecks in the lagoon within range for recreational divers and it’s difficult to pick just five — the Rio de Janeiro Maru should really have been No. 6 on this list. If you’re planning a trip Chuuk, do some research on the specific wrecks you want to dive and talk to dive operators in advance to see if they can fulfil your wishes. Land operators have numerous launches, which means they can easily split up technical divers and those who want to dive the shallower wrecks. Liveaboards will try to please everyone who booked for that particular week, and you may have the choice of either skipping a deeper wreck or actually being allowed to dive one that is way beyond your limits (depending on the operator). Remember that this is a remote location, so make safety a priority. One thing is certain — once you’ve had a taste of the top recreational wreck dives in Chuuk Lagoon, you’ll be hungry for more.

  The post Five Top Recreational Wreck Dives in Chuuk Lagoon appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

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Veles-class patrol frigate

As the Second Maradon War drew to a close, the Solar Fleet Force stood uniquely poised. In its century of existence, the fleet had grown immensely. Its first actions had been to defend a few, rich but sparsely populated territories from rebels and pirates while the mother planet had been ravaged by war. In the year 2230, Mars itself boasts a population of three billion, the Galilean moons of Jupiter house a dozen enormous orbital docks supporting hundreds of vessels of war, and the newly formed Principality of Poseidon produces sufficient fuels to feed the fleets of Earth and the Five Worlds combined.

As this new peace dawns, the Imperial Republic is its great defender. The Solar Federation has taken on the form of a magnificent symbiosis. Each of the three great worlds is distinct, but their cause is the same. The Cytherean Republic has become renowned for its institutions of knowledge. Old Earth is by no means devoid of science or strength, but it is from here that all culture emanates. Twenty billion persons inhabit ten thousand cities, including the oldest and the greatest in all the hominoidal worlds. In turn, the mighty Red Planet lives up to its namesake. As in the days of ancient Rome, Mars’s is the domain of war.

And so it was in this state of harmony and prosperity that the great Solar Fleet resolved to make itself anew. Docks built to repair ships now prepared to create them. Enter the Defense Development Division and Rear Admiral Alastar Young. Hitherto, the Offices of Fleets Authority at D3 had operated largely independently. Assault cruisers, fleet destroyers, patrol frigates, and support vessels had undergone improvement without particular standardization between administrative bodies. As a result, the cruisers and destroyers limited to the Imperial Fleet were somewhat similar in detail, but had little in common with the frigates and auxiliaries most common to the Solar Fleet Force. Additionally, the classes in use dated from the formation of the Imperial Republic a century earlier, many auxiliaries were even the original conversions initiated in December 2127.

Over the preceding decade, Alastar Young had overseen the rapid construction of the massive Galilean Orbital Complex. A dozen multibay docks capable of servicing nearly a hundred interstellar ships at once, doubling the orbital support capacity of the Fleets, modular and standardized, allowed for the entirety of the extant IMF to be serviced simultaneously. But with no war to fight and millions of jobs to maintain... Fleet support alone was insufficient to keep the Galilean yards busy. Then the Grand Congress earmarked IRD $813B for the Fleets in the 2231 budget.

Owing to age and rates of attrition, frigates and support vessels were decided to be the priority. In 2232, D3 announced its solution: the Veles. A single class in three subtypes dictated by modular compartment configurations would serve as frigates, auxiliaries, and escort carriers. In conjunction with Fleet Force spending by the United Nations of Earth and Cytherean Republic, a thousand hulls were planned for the Solar System.

The Veles hull measures just over 600m, with a low-mass, high velocity centerline coilgun capable of firing a 10kg slug at a quarter lightspeed every ten seconds. This firepower is augmented by a trio of quad-tube torpedo batteries, two of which are mixed forward-aft. Additionally standardized are three dozen high-rate CLR turrets.

The three variants dictate the remainder of the combat capabilities of a particular Veles. A hull outfitted as a Patrol Frigate (Gun) has additional space dedicated to ammunition storage and carries sufficient slugs and torpedoes to sustain its maximum rate of fire for two weeks straight. It additionally carries a complement of one transport squadron equipped for vacuum operations, one regiment of infantry and one company of military police. 

A Patrol Frigate (Carrier) variant carries sufficient battery ammunition to sustain maximum fire for three days, but has a complement adding one each gunship and picket squadrons. As well, reconnaissance and engineer companies join the standard complement of infantry. This variant can sustain low-intensity combat operations for a month with no external support.

The final major type is the Patrol Frigate (Support), largely similar to the (Carrier), but lacking the combat complement. Instead, its transports ferry supplies to other fleet vessels and it contains cargo bays for everything from crates of ammunition to reactor fuel rods to replacement gyroscopic drives. The (Support) variant has an extensive hangar and crew complement such that a single hull can provide typical refit and rearmament support to an entire Fleet Strike Force on deployment.

While each Veles is dedicated to a specific role within larger Fleets strategy, its standard armament means that, crucially, even this small and numerous frigate contributes significantly within large actions. Should a fleet ever find itself outnumbered, a Veles is capable of providing a volume of fire comparable to the much larger Hastatus-class destroyer.