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sea-dukes-assistant · 4 years

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VJ Day: The Story of Young Prince Philip’s Extraordinary War

The war that ended with Prince Philip witnessing the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay had begun with him in a quandary. He had just returned with his mother, Princess Alice, to Greece for the first time since his family fled a colonels’ coup in 1922 when he was still an infant.

Hearing about the outbreak of war shortly after their arrival in Athens in September 1939, eighteen-year-old Philip was keen to resume his naval training at Dartmouth in England, which he had come to regard as home, and to fight on the Allied side - even though his four sisters were all married to Germans and living in Germany.

His mother though was conscious of her son’s obligations as a prince of Greece - which was then still neutral - and, as things stood, the eventual heir to that throne. As Alice explained to her brother Louis Mountbatten, Philip felt "such an utter stranger to the language and people" there that if he did not now spend some time in the country, and try and re-establish a bond with them, it would be much harder to do so in years to come.

With that in mind she had taken a two-bedroom flat for them in Athens. However, King George II of Greece (his first cousin) sided with Philip’s suggestion that he go back to England to finish his training, which the prince duly did that autumn, earning the King’s Dirk as the best all-round cadet of his term, and the Eardley-Howard-Crockett prize for the best cadet at the college.

As a ‘neutral foreigner’ he was barred from serving in a theatre of war and his uncle Mountbatten had to pull strings to secure him a posting to the battleship Ramillies, escorting convoys of Australian and New Zealand troopships bound for Egypt. However, when Italian troops invaded Greece in October 1940 and Greece entered the war on the Allied side, it was no longer imperative to keep the prince out of harm’s way. Just after New Year 1941 he joined the newly modernized battleship Valiant in the Mediterranean, and a few days later he had his first taste of action, bombarding Bardia on the Libyan coast.

After spending his leave in Greece with his mother - who bravely remained in Athens throughout the four years of German occupation, running soup kitchens and orphanages and sheltering a Jewish family in her home - he returned to Valiant, now convoying British troops from Alexandria to Crete to bolster Greek defences ahead of the expected German landings.

The only enemy force capable of disrupting the convoys was the Italian navy, and in March 1941 Valiant was one of two battleships ordered to engage the Italian fleet in an audacious night-time encounter off Cape Matapan on the Peloponnese - a spectacularly successful engagement that accounted for two Italian heavy cruisers and two destroyers and effectively scuttled the possibility of any future substantial operations by the Italian fleet.

Philip’s captain mentioned him in dispatches for his direction of Valiant’s searchlights, reporting that "the successful and continuous illumination of the enemy greatly contributed to the devastating results". King George II also awarded him the Greek War Cross, although Philip later told his aunt Alexandra that ‘it was as near murder as anything could be in wartime’.

In June 1942 he was posted to the destroyer Wallace, based at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, protecting merchant convoys en route to Sheerness from German E-boats. At the request of his captain, that October he was promoted to first lieutenant, second-in-command of the ship, and at the age of 21 one of the youngest in the Royal Navy to hold that position.

It was a job that he loved and one that he was very good at. Being forced to leave the navy a few years after the war when King George VI became ill was about the only regret he would admit to in later life. And while his rebellious temperament may possibly have counted against him, it was more than conceivable that he would have gone on to emulate his grandfather and uncle in reaching the top.

"Prince Philip was a highly talented seaman," said Lord Lewin in 1992. "No doubt about it. If he hadn’t become what he did, he would have been First Sea Lord and not me."

In 1943, Prince Philip’s quick-thinking and resourcefulness were credited with saving his ship and its crew when they came under attack by German Stukas. Realising he had to come up with something after the initial onslaught, he ordered a wooden raft to be assembled on deck with a smoke float fastened to each end. The returning Stukas obligingly ignored the blacked-out ship and instead bombed Philip’s decoy, assuming that it was the flaming debris of Wallace which they were intent on finishing off.

In December 1944, he returned to the Indian Ocean as first lieutenant of Whelp, now deployed as part of the destroyer screen for the bombing raids on Japanese oil refineries on Sumatra. In late January, they picked up a Mayday signal from a stricken Allied bomber about to ditch in the shark-infested Java Sea.

Philip promptly activated Whelp’s search and rescue system and directed the vessel at full speed towards the spot where the bomber had gone down. The plane had quickly sunk and its two crew struggled in vain to inflate their life raft. After spending twenty minutes in the sea they were greatly relieved to see Whelp approach-ing, and an anxious-looking Prince Philip peering over the side to check they were okay. He later gave them dinner in the officers’ mess and when they eventually reached Fremantle, he suggested a run ashore, which turned into a ‘memorable bender’ in the port’s bars so one of the airmen recalled.

Both men were later reunited with their fellow pilots aboard Victorious. Nine of their comrades who had been shot down during the same raid were less fortunate. Captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, they were beheaded in Changi three days after VJ Day.

From Fremantle, Whelp proceeded round to Sydney and then on to Papua New Guinea with the British Pacific Fleet. From there they continued northward to the Japanese Sakishima Gunto group of islands to the east of Taiwan, where Whelp had several exchanges with the enemy, and Philip performed more acts of gallantry, taking out one of the ship’s whalers to rescue a pilot shot down and helping to save a drowning crew member clinging to a buoy. After a refit in Australia, Whelp left Sydney to escort the flotilla’s flagship, Duke of York.

They were on their way to assist in the intended invasion of Japan when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, just as they reached the American-held island of Guam, east of the Philippines, another bomb devastated Nagasaki.

When Whelp became one of the first Allied ships to enter Japanese waters, escorting the US flagship Missouri into Tokyo Bay on 2 September, it was to attend the formal Japanese surrender, the signing of which took place aboard the American flagship, with Philip watching from the deck of Whelp some 200 yards away. "You could see what was going on with a pair on binoculars,’" he later recalled. "It was a great relief."

After the surrender, Whelp took some former Allied prisoners of war on board. Philip remembered them as "naval people . . . emaciated . . . tears pouring down their cheeks. They just drank their tea, they really couldn’t speak. It was a most extraordinary sensation."

(source)

#Prince Philip #Duke of Edinburgh #BAMF

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thebritishmonarchycouk · 4 years

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . . ROYAL NAVY SERVICE . 🇬🇧 He joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18. During the Second World War he served with distinction in the Mediterranean & Pacific Fleets. . 🇬🇧 After leaving Gordonstoun in early 1939, Philip completed a term as a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, then repatriated to Greece, living with his mother in Athens for a month in mid-1939. At the behest of the Greek king, George II, he returned to Britain in September to resume training for the Royal Navy. He graduated from Dartmouth the next year as the best cadet in his course. . 🇬🇧 During the Second World War, he continued to serve in the British forces, while two of his brothers-in-law, Prince Christoph of Hesse & Berthold, Margrave of Baden, fought on the opposing German side. . 🇬🇧 Philip was appointed as a midshipman in January 1940. . 🇬🇧 He spent four months on the battleship HMS Ramillies, protecting convoys of the Australian Expeditionary Force in the Indian Ocean, followed by shorter postings on HMS Kent, on HMS Shropshire, & in Ceylon. . 🇬🇧 After the invasion of Greece by Italy in October 1940, he was transferred from the Indian Ocean to the battleship HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet. . . . #RoyalNavy #Naval #Worldwartwo #secondworldwar #Mediterranean #Pacific #Valiant #Kent #Shropshire #Ramillies #ships #cruiser #indianocean #HMS #PrincePhilip #Mountbatten #PhilipMountbatten #hrh #DukeofEdinburgh #Prince #consort #RoyalFamily #RoyalHistory #history #historyinpictures #Navy #thequeen #Royalty #Monarchy #Britishmonarchy (at United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5HtOpDOJx/?igshid=1xe82ipvm3p5

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brookstonalmanac · 5 years

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Events 11.1

365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi (Austria in Old High German). 1009 – Berber forces led by Sulayman ibn al-Hakam defeat the Umayyad caliph Muhammad II of Córdoba in the battle of Alcolea. 1141 – Empress Matilda's reign as 'Lady of the English' ends with Stephen of Blois regaining the title of 'King of England'. 1179 – Philip II is crowned as 'King of France'. 1214 – The port city of Sinope surrenders to the Seljuq Turks. 1348 – The anti-royalist Union of Valencia attacks the Jews of Murviedro on the pretext that they are serfs of the King of Valencia and thus "royalists". 1503 – Pope Julius II is elected. 1512 – The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time. 1520 – The Strait of Magellan, the passage immediately south of mainland South America connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, is first discovered and navigated by European explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the first recorded circumnavigation voyage. 1555 – French Huguenots establish the France Antarctique colony in present-day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1570 – The All Saints' Flood devastates the Dutch coast. 1604 – William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London. 1611 – Shakespeare's play The Tempest is performed for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London. 1612 – During the Time of Troubles, Polish troops are expelled from Moscow's Kitay-gorod by Russian troops under the command of Dmitry Pozharsky (22 October O.S.) . 1683 – The British Crown colony of New York is subdivided into 12 counties. 1688 – William III of Orange sets out a second time from Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands to seize the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland from King James II of England during the Glorious Revolution. 1755 – In Portugal, Lisbon is totally devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami, killing between 60,000 and 90,000 people. 1765 – The British Parliament enacts the Stamp Act on the Thirteen Colonies in order to help pay for British military operations in North America. 1790 – Edmund Burke publishes Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he predicts that the French Revolution will end in a disaster. 1800 – John Adams becomes the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion (later renamed the White House). 1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte invades Austria during the War of the Third Coalition. 1814 – Congress of Vienna opens to re-draw the European political map after the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars. 1848 – In Boston, Massachusetts, the first medical school for women, Boston Female Medical School (which later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine), opens. 1861 – American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army, replacing General Winfield Scott. 1870 – In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast. 1884 – The Gaelic Athletic Association is set up in Hayes's Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary. 1893 – The Battle of Bembezi took place and was the most decisive battle won by the British in the First Matabele War of 1893. 1894 – Nicholas II becomes the new (and last) Tsar of Russia after his father, Alexander III, dies. 1894 – Buffalo Bill, 15 of his Indians, and Annie Oakley were filmed by Thomas Edison in his Black Maria Studio in West Orange, New Jersey. 1896 – A picture showing the bare breasts of a woman appears in National Geographic magazine for the first time. 1897 – The first Library of Congress building opens its doors to the public; the library had previously been housed in the Congressional Reading Room in the U.S. Capitol. 1901 – Sigma Phi Epsilon, the largest national male collegiate fraternity, is established at Richmond College, in Richmond, Virginia. 1911 – World's first combat aerial bombing mission takes place in Libya during the Italo-Turkish War. Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti of Italy drops several small bombs. 1914 – World War I: The first British Royal Navy defeat of the war with Germany, the Battle of Coronel, is fought off of the western coast of Chile, in the Pacific, with the loss of HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth. 1914 – World War I: The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) departed by ship in a single convoy from Albany, Western Australia bound for Egypt. 1916 – In Russia, Pavel Milyukov delivers in the State Duma the famous "stupidity or treason" speech, precipitating the downfall of the government of Boris Stürmer. 1918 – Malbone Street Wreck: The worst rapid transit accident in US history occurs under the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, with at least 102 deaths. 1918 – Western Ukraine separates from Austria-Hungary. 1920 – American fishing schooner Esperanto defeats the Canadian fishing schooner Delawana in the First International Fishing Schooner Championship Races in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 1922 – Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate: The last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, abdicates. 1928 – The Law on the Adoption and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet, replaces the Arabic alphabet with the Latin alphabet. 1937 – Stalinists execute Pastor Paul Hamberg and seven members of Azerbaijan's Lutheran community. 1938 – Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed "the match of the century" in horse racing. 1941 – American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography. 1942 – World War II: Matanikau Offensive begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends three days later with an American victory. 1943 – World War II: The 3rd Marine Division, United States Marines, landing on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, secures a beachhead, leading that night to a naval clash at the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay. 1944 – World War II: Units of the British Army land at Walcheren in the Netherlands. 1944 – Donald Watson, an English animal rights activist, coins the term "veganism." 1944 – World War II: A United States Army Air Forces F-13 Superfortress conducted the first flight by an Allied aircraft over the Tokyo region of Japan since the 1942 Doolittle Raid. 1945 – The official North Korean newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, is first published under the name Chongro. 1948 – Six thousand people die when a Chinese merchant ship explodes and sinks off southern Manchuria. 1948 – Athenagoras I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, is enthroned. 1950 – Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman at Blair House. 1950 – Pope Pius XII claims papal infallibility when he formally defines the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. 1951 – Operation Buster–Jangle: Six thousand five hundred American soldiers are exposed to 'Desert Rock' atomic explosions for training purposes in Nevada. Participation is not voluntary. 1952 – Nuclear weapons testing: The United States successfully detonates Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent. 1954 – The Front de Libération Nationale fires the first shots of the Algerian War of Independence. 1955 – The Vietnam War begins. 1955 – The bombing of United Airlines Flight 629 occurs near Longmont, Colorado, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members aboard the Douglas DC-6B airliner. 1956 – The Indian states Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Mysore are formally created under the States Reorganisation Act; Kanyakumari district is joined to Tamil Nadu from Kerala. 1956 – Hungarian Revolution: Imre Nagy announces Hungary's neutrality and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. Soviet troops begin to re-enter Hungary, contrary to assurances by the Soviet government. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich secretly defect to the Soviets. 1956 – The Springhill mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia kills 39 miners; 88 are rescued. 1957 – The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. 1960 – While campaigning for President of the United States, John F. Kennedy announces his idea of the Peace Corps. 1963 – The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with the largest radio telescope ever constructed, officially opens. 1963 – The 1963 South Vietnamese coup begins 1968 – The Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X. 1970 – Club Cinq-Sept fire in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France kills 146 young people. 1973 – Watergate scandal: Leon Jaworski is appointed as the new Watergate Special Prosecutor. 1973 – The Indian state of Mysore is renamed as Karnataka to represent all the regions within Karunadu. 1979 – In Bolivia, Colonel Alberto Natusch executes a bloody coup d'état against the constitutional government of Wálter Guevara. 1979 – Griselda Álvarez becomes the first female governor of Mexico. 1981 – Antigua and Barbuda gains independence from the United Kingdom. 1982 – Honda becomes the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the United States with the opening of its factory in Marysville, Ohio; a Honda Accord is the first car produced there. 1984 – After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India on 31 October 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, anti-Sikh riots erupt. 1987 – British Rail Class 43 (HST) hits the record speed of 238 km/h for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors. 1993 – The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union. 2000 – The Republic of Serbia and Montenegro joins the United Nations. 2012 – A fuel tank truck crashes and explodes in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, killing 26 people and injuring 135.

#Events

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the-entangler · 5 years

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The Advocate

As Queequeg and I are now fairly embarked in this business of whaling; and as this business of whaling has somehow come to be regarded among landsmen as a rather unpoetical and disreputable pursuit; therefore, I am all anxiety to convince ye, ye landsmen, of the injustice hereby done to us hunters of whales.

In the first place, it may be deemed almost superfluous to establish the fact, that among people at large, the business of whaling is not accounted on a level with what are called the liberal professions. If a stranger were introduced into any miscellaneous metropolitan society, it would but slightly advance the general opinion of his merits, were he presented to the company as a harpooneer, say; and if in emulation of the naval officers he should append the initials S.W.F. (Sperm Whale Fishery) to his visting card, such a procedure would be deemed preeminently presuming and ridiculous.

Doubtless one leading reason why the world declines honoring us whalemen, is this: they think that, at best, our vocation amounts to a butchering sort of business; and that when actively engaged therein, we are surrounded by all manner of defilements. Butchers we are, that is true. But butchers, also, and butchers of the bloodiest badge have been all Martial Commanders whom the world invariably delights to honor. And as for the matter of the alleged uncleanliness of our business, ye shall soon be initiated into certain facts hitherto pretty generally unknown, and which, upon the whole, will triumphantly plant the sperm whale-ship at least among the cleanliest things of this tidy earth. But even granting the charge in question to be true; what disordered slippery decks of a whale-ship are comparable to the unspeakable carrion of those battle-fields from which so many soldiers return to drink in all ladies’ plaudits? And if the idea of peril so much enhances the popular conceit of the soldier’s profession; let me assure ye that many a veteran who has freely marched up to a battery, would quickly recoil at the apparition of the sperm whale’s vast tail, fanning into eddies the air over his head. For what are the comprehensible terrors of man compared with the interlinked terrors and wonders of God!

But, though the world scouts at us whale hunters, yet does it unwittingly pay us the profoundest homage; yea, an all-abounding adoration! for almost all the tapers, lamps, and candles that burn round the globe, burn, as before so many shrines, to our glory!

But look at this matter in other lights; weigh it in all sorts of scales; see what we whalemen are, and have been.

Why did the Dutch in De Witt’s time have admirals of their whaling fleets? Why did Louis XVI of France, at his own personal expense, fit out whaling ships from Dunkirk, and politely invite to that town some score or two of families from our own island of Nantucket? Why did Britain between the years 1750 and 1788 pay to her whalemen in bounties upwards of L1,000,000? And lastly, how comes it that we whalemen of America now outnumber all the rest of the banded whalemen in the world; sail a navy of upwards of seven hundred vessels; manned by eighteen thousand men; yearly consuming 4,000,000 of dollars; the ships worth, at the time of sailing, $20,000,000! and every year importing into our harbors a well reaped harvest of $7,000,000. How comes all this, if there be not something puissant in whaling?

But this is not the half; look again.

I freely assert, that the cosmopolite philosopher cannot, for his life, point out one single peaceful influence, which within the last sixty years has operated more potentially upon the whole broad world, taken in one aggregate, than the high and mighty business of whaling. One way and another, it has begotten events so remarkable in themselves, and so continuously momentous in their sequential issues, that whaling may well be regarded as that Egyptian mother, who bore offspring themselves pregnant from her womb. It would be a hopeless, endless task to catalogue all these things. Let a handful suffice. For many years past the whale-ship has been the pioneer in ferreting out the remotest and least known parts of the earth. She has explored seas and archipelagoes which had no chart, where no Cooke or Vancouver had ever sailed. If American and European men-of-war now peacefully ride in once savage harbors, let them fire salutes to the honor and glory of the whale-ship, which originally showed them the way, and first interpreted between them and the savages. They may celebrate as they will the heroes of Exploring Expeditions, your Cookes, your Krusensterns; but I say that scores of anonymous Captains have sailed out of Nantucket, that were as great, and greater, than your Cooke and your Krusenstern. For in their succorless empty-handedness, they, in the heathenish sharked waters, and by the beaches of unrecorded, javelin islands, battled with virgin wonders and terrors that Cooke with all his marines and muskets would not have willingly dared. All that is made such a flourish of in the old South Sea Voyages, those things were but the life-time commonplaces of our heroic Nantucketers. Often, adventures which Vancouver dedicates three chapters to, these men accounted unworthy of being set down in the ship’s common log. Ah, the world! Oh, the world!

Until the whale fishery rounded Cape Horn, no commerce but colonial, scarcely any intercourse but colonial, was carried on between Europe and the long line of the opulent Spanish provinces on the Pacific coast. It was the whalemen who first broke through the jealous policy of the Spanish crown, touching those colonies; and, if space permitted, it might be distinctly shown how from those whalemen at last eventuated the liberation of Peru, Chili, and Bolivia from the yoke of Old Spain, and the establishment of the eternal democracy in those parts.

That great America on the other side of the sphere, Australia, was given to the enlightened world by whaleman. After its first blunder-born discovery by a Dutchman, all other ships, long shunned those shores as pestiferously barbarous; but the whale-ship touched there. The whale-ship is the true mother of that now mighty colony. Moreover, in the infancy of the first Australian settlement, the emigrants were several times saved from starvation by the benevolent biscuit of the whale-ship luckily dropping an anchor in their waters. The uncounted isles of all Polynesia confess the same truth, and do commercial homage to the whale-ship, that cleared the way for the missionary and the merchant, and in many cases carried the primitive missionaries to their first destinations. If that double-bolted land, Japan, is ever to become hospitable, it is the whale-ship alone to whom the credit will be due; for already she is on the threshold.

But if, in the face of all this, you still declare that whaling has no aesthetically noble associations connected with it, then am I ready to shiver fifty lances with you there, and unhorse you with a split helmet every time.

The whale has no famous author, and whaling no famous chronicler, you will say.

The whale no famous author, and whaling no famous chronicler? Who wrote the first account of our Leviathan? Who but mighty Job? And who composed the first narrative of a whaling-voyage? Who, but no less a prince than Alfred the Great, who, with his own royal pen, took down the words from Other, the Norwegian whale-hunter of those times! And who pronounced our glowing eulogy in Parliament? Who, but Edmund Burke!

True enough, but then whalemen themselves are poor devils; they have no good blood in their veins.

No good blood in their veins? They have something better than royal blood there. The grandmother of Benjamin Franklin was Mary Morrel; afterwards, by marriage, Mary Folger, one of the old settlers of Nantucket, and the ancestress to a long line of Folgers and harpooneers- all kith and kin to noble Benjamin- this day darting the barbed iron from one side of the world to the other.

Good again; but then all confess that somehow whaling is not respectable.

Whaling not respectable? Whaling is imperial! By old English statutory law, the whale is declared “a royal fish.”

Oh, that’s only nominal! The whale himself has never figured in any grand imposing way.

The whale never figured in any grand imposing way? In one of the mighty triumphs given to a Roman general upon his entering the world’s capital, the bones of a whale, brought all the way from the Syrian coast, were the most conspicuous object in the cymballed procession.

See subsequent chapters for something more on this head. Grant it, since you cite it; but say what you will, there is no real dignity in whaling.

No dignity in whaling? The dignity of our calling the very heavens attest. Cetus is a constellation in the south! No more! Drive down your hat in presence of the Czar, and take it off to Queequeg! No more! I know a man that, in his lifetime has taken three hundred and fifty whales. I account that man more honorable than that great captain of antiquity who boasted of taking as many walled towns.

And, as for me, if, by any possibility, there be any as yet undiscovered prime thing in me; if I shall ever deserve any real repute in that small but high hushed world which I might not be unreasonably ambitious of; if hereafter I shall do anything upon the whole, a man might rather have done than to have left undone; if, at my death, my executors, or more properly my creditors, find any precious MSS. in my desk, then here I prospectively ascribe all the honor and the glory to whaling; for a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.

Moby Dick, Chapter 24 - The Advocate, Herman Melville

#herman melville #moby dick #the whale #the advocate

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scotianostra · 6 years

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On 22nd November 1869 the clipper "Cutty Sark" was launched at Dumbarton on the River Clyde.

Cutty Sark was built for a firm of ship owners called Willis & Sons, headed by John ‘Jock’ Willis, whose ambition was that she be the fastest ship in the annual race to bring home the first of the new season’s tea from China.

She was designed by Hercules Linton, a partner in the Dumbarton firm of Scott & Linton. It is believed that he moulded the bowlines of Willis’s earlier vessel Tweed into the midship attributes of Firth of Forth fishing boats, creating a beautiful new hull shape that was stronger, could take more sail, and be driven harder than any other.

The company had never built a ship of this size before and ran into financial difficulties, eventually going bankrupt before she was completed. The final details of the fitting out had to be completed by William Denny & Brothers, Scott & Linton’s landlords and the guarantors for the completion of the work on the original contract.

Cutty Sark was towed to Greenock for final work on her masts and rigging. She was then taken to London to load her first cargo for China in 1870.

The ship was named after Cutty-sark, the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in Robert Burns's 1791 poem Tam o' Shanter. The ship's figurehead, the original of which has been attributed to carver Fredrick Hellyer of Blackwall, is a stark white carving of a bare-breasted Nannie Dee with long black hair holding a grey horse's tail in her hand. In the poem she wore a linen sark that she had been given as a child, which explains why it was cutty, or in other words far too short. The erotic sight of her dancing in such a short undergarment caused Tam to cry out "Weel done, Cutty-sark", which subsequently became a well known catchphrase. Originally, carvings by Hellyer of the other scantily clad witches followed behind the figurehead along the bow, but these were removed by Willis in deference to 'good taste'. Tam o' Shanter riding Meg was to be seen along the ship's quarter. The motto, Where there's a Willis away, was inscribed along the taffrail. The Tweed, which acted as a model for much of the ship which followed her, had a figurehead depicting Tam o' Shanter.

Unfortunately for Willis, the launch of the Cutty Sark coincided with the opening of the Suez Canal and the growing popularity of steamships. Steam-driven ships could pass through the canal, whereas clipper ships like the Cutty Sark could not. That meant that steam, ships could cut thousands of miles off the trip to China to collect tea. The Cutty Sark, though one of the fastest clipper ships ever built, was outmoded almost before it sailed.

While the Cutty Sark's career in the tea trade was less than a success, her next career in the Australian wool trade was where she truly shone. From 1883-95 the ship made the Australian run, bringing wool exports back to London.

The Cutty Sark consistently outsailed her competitors, and she dominated the wool trade for over a decade, earning a reputation for exceptional speed on the 2-month voyage. She famously once overtook and passed the steamship Britannia, travelling at a rate of 17 knots.

But once more the steamship spoiled the Cutty Sark's career, and once the steam vessels made the Australian wool trade their own, the Cutty Sark was sold to a Portuguese company. From 1895-1922 the ship (renamed Ferreira) was a tramp vessel, carrying cargo between Portugal and the far-flung corners of the Portuguese Empire.

In 1922 the Ferreira put into Falmouth to repair damage suffered in a gale. A retired sea captain named Wilfred Dowman saw the ship and determined to buy her. Dowman restored the Cutty Sark to approximately how she had appeared during her days as a tea clipper.

The ship was used for naval training until 1951 when it was sent to London for the Festival of Britain. She might well have been scrapped following the festival, but the ship was saved by the National Maritime Museum and put into dry dock at Greenwich in 1954, beside the Old Royal Naval College.

In 2007 a devastating fire broke out aboard the Cutty Sark, and it appeared that the ship might be completely destroyed. Thankfully total disaster was avoided, but the subsequent restoration lasted until 2012.

The Cutty Sark is in permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London as a museum ship.

#Scotland #Scottish #Shipbuilding #History

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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What Color Ties Do Republicans Wear

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-color-ties-do-republicans-wear/

What Color Ties Do Republicans Wear

The History Of Party Colors In The United States

Tie-Dye 101: Tips & Tricks

Prior to the United States presidential election of 2000, which party was Red and which was Blue was largely a matter of which color a news outlet chose. On the October 30, 2000, episode of the Today show, Tim Russert coined the terms red state and blue state.

As far back as the 1888 election blue was used to represent the northern Union states and red the south, but this wasnt consistent throughout time . In the 70s and 80s the major networks starting using lighted maps to illustrate election results. Democrats were often coded blue and Republicans red, but it wasnt consistent. This inconsistent coloring continued throughout the Clinton years and up to the Gore Vs. Bush. This can all be varied by old videos and articles.

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Red White And Blue: How Color Defines Politics

In early October, Pew Research Center noted a 1.2-point increase in voters for Republicans and a 4.6-point increase for Democrats.

Turnouts for early voting amongst young voters, ages 18-29, have been proving astronomical versus 2014, particularly in red states.

According to The Hill, as of November 2, 2018, early voting polls showed:

Arizona: +217%

Tennessee: +767%

Texas: +448%

But why do we Americans associate political leanings with a specific color? Why do we know what it means to discuss voting in a red state or blue state? And what impact does the psychology of color have on individuals and communities?

Recommended Reading: Can Republicans Vote On Super Tuesday

A Final Word On Colors

Many political parties around the world often choose their colors because of their connections to political stances, groups, or ideologies.

For example, red has historically been a color often linked to socialism and communism after a red flag was used by the revolutionaries during the Paris Commune. Revolutionaries may have picked red flags during this time as a possible reference to the 13th century red naval flags of defiance that meant a ship would kill any enemy it saw and so was flying a bloody flag.

As another example, many environmentalist parties around the world will often use the color green to symbolize nature. Finally, fascist parties have often used the color black such as Adolf Hitlers Nazi party and Benito Mussolinis Italian Fascist party because the black color represents what they intend to bring to their enemies: fear, intimidation, and death.

Lets finish with a quick trip around the globe to see the colors associated with some prominent political parties. In the United Kingdom, the colors are flipped compared to the United States: the right-leaning Conservative Party uses blue and the left-leaning Labour Party uses red, as do the Canadian parties of the same names. Australias oldest party, the Australian Labor Party, uses red while the Christian Democratic Union of Germany has used orange and black, and Emmanuel Macron of Frances En Marche! uses yellow.

Why Is Hillary Clinton In Red And Why Is Donald Trump Wearing A Blue Tie

Id expect the republican candidate to wear red and the democrat to wear blue, but its quite the opposite. Why is this?

The color red is thought to convey strength and aggression, which is why a lot of men use that color for power ties. The Clinton camp probably wanted to her appear commanding and authoritative, particularly when debating a loud and aggressive opponent.

Blue is viewed as more calm and soothing. Trumps camp may have wanted him to appear calm and restrained.

The whole red/Republican, blue/Democrat thing is a pretty recent association anyway, starting in the 2000 election. Its not as if those are the official colors of those parties.

It was around before that but iirc they switched colors every election.

i did not realize red/blue as party association was only that recent

Clinton was expecting Trump to wear his red tie its a power color. So she preemptively wore a red suit. He was expecting her to expect that, so he wore blue as a counter-power move.

You know, I think you might have said that as joke but with consultants and strategists and yadiyadiyada, I might just be what happened.

If he wore a red suit he would have appeared dangerously unstable, for what he wore, not what he said.

These are no official colours of either major party. Neither has official colours of any kind. Both have used red, white, and blue for their entire histories.

Also Check: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938

The Color Psychology Behind Inauguration Fashion

Inauguration day isnt just about politics, its also all about fashion.

All eyes were on Donald Trump Friday as he took oath as the 45th president of the United States, but it was hard to miss the stylish outfits surrounding his inauguration.

Dressing for a major political event is an event in itself. Outfits worn by powerful leaders and their families are carefully selected and crafted by high-profile designers and stylists. Fashion experts often dig deeper into the meanings behind the colors picked for outfits that will be seen by millions around the globe.

Public image is important for all politicians, especially for the first lady, said Dr. Dong Shen, professor of Fashion Merchandising and Design at California State University, Sacramento. Colors and brands are very important.

The first lady is often an American icon but traditionally, their main role is to support their husbands presidency. Their outfits tend to balance or compliment their husbands attire, avoiding to overpower.

Shen explained, for this reason, first ladies are usually seen in softer colors or floral patterns.

Blue is often associated with the sky and the ocean, Shen said of Mrs. Trumps inauguration outfit. It often symbolizes loyalty and trust.

Why The Red Tie

So why do so many politicians wear red power ties?

Unless we ask them its impossible to know for sure. Some journalists have speculated that red is a popular color because it features in the American flag and so advertises its wearers patriotism. If this is true, though, we should see as many blue ties as red.

Perhaps the clue is in the name: power. Could it be that politicians suspect that a red tie makes them appear more powerful, dominant, and authoritative?

Read Also: Are There More Democrats Or Republicans In The Senate

Gop Candidates Stick To Red Ties At Debate

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood out at last night’s GOP debate, mainly for his $10,000 gaffe.

But we couldn’t help but notice the former Massachusetts governor’s other major distinction: a blue tie.

While its exact point of origin is murky , the color-coding of American politics has become common knowledge: red for Republicans, blue for Democrats. The primary-hued shorthand has extended from election night dry-erase boards to candidates’ closets, as male candidates have been known to indicate their party alignment by tie color.

And though it’s not an exact science , the red-blue divide was on full display at last night’s GOP debate — with one exception. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Ron Paul all wore red ties, while Mitt Romney wore light blue.

Michele Bachmann, for the record, wore a royal blue blouse.

Romeny’s blue wasn’t too surprising, as it’s been his go-to hue throughout the debates. Men’s fashion expert Hendrik Pohl, the CEO of ties-necktie.com, told ABC, “Blue is the color that people most commonly name as their favorite color and it has very calming effect on people” — and sure enough, eight out of the ten major debates have seen Romney in the safe color.

What gives? Afraid of standing out, Newt? Is wearing anything other than red an affront to Texas, Rick? Trying to prove your Republican affiliation, Ron?

See pics of the candidates’ ties below… what style of ties would you like to see at the next debate?

How Did Red And Blue Come To Represent The Two Major Us Political Parties

What To Wear To A Formal Event | 3 Suit Options

It all started with television. In the early 1970s, networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS were seeking a way to demarcate which states in the electoral college had been won by each candidate. More American households had color TV sets than ever before, giving news programs covering the election an opportunity to show splashy graphics when a state was called in favor of a given candidate.

The first network to color-code states during an election results broadcast was CBS in 1972. However, at that time, blue represented the states won by the Republican incumbent Richard Nixon, and red stood in for those taken by challenger US Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.

Theres a good reason why those colors were chosen for each party at the time: global precedent. In Great Britain, red had long been used to represent the more liberal party, which in this American use case were the Democrats. Blue stood in for Republicans by default, in part because the colors in contrast were striking on screen.

But by the late-1980s and early 1990s, those color assignments reversed. Blue became more consistently used for Democrats and red for Republicans.

Nevertheless, it still wasnt until 2000the race between Democrat and Vice President Al Gore and Republican Texas Governor George W. Bushthat those colors became synonymous with the name of each party.

Recommended Reading: How Many Republicans In The New Senate

Which States Are Considered Red And Which Are Blue

To go along with the colors, the terms red state and blue state were popularized by anchorman Tim Russert during and immediately after the 2000 election. Today, these terms are used to refer to which party a state voted for during a presidential election.

Generally speaking, the Northeast and the West Coast are considered a collection of blue states as most of them have sided with the Democrats since the early 1990s.

The Southern states have sided with Republicans since the 2000s, while the Midwest tends to be tougher to predict. For example, Illinois and Minnesota are currently considered blue states, while Missouri and Nebraska are red. Hawaii and Alaska have been traditionally considered blue and red respectively as neither has switched parties since the late 1980s .

The Southwest has been split since 2000 with Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado going blue more often than red and Utah and Arizona voting predictably red. Finally, we come to the coveted purple states or swing states, such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. These states switched colors in recent elections and are often a key focus of electoral campaigning and strategy. Swing states can vary by election year.

Shopping On A Hill Staffers Salary Means Deal

Kate: A lot of people dont realize how little Hill staffers make, so they probably dont realize what a struggle it is to find clothes that youre able to wear to work and that are still acceptable. Im just trying to make rent! I make $65,000, but I know some staff assistants that make $25,000.

I shop at , T.J. Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack I go to the Nordstrom in the mall, and then I go to the Rack and find the same stuff. I would never pay full price for something. On birthdays and Christmas, I try to get as many clothes as I can.

Heather: I typically shop at Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack. I still shop at H&M, but some of their stuff is more expensive and wears out quickly. Ill only shop at J.Crew Factory and Banana Republic Factory if its something that I love and fits me really well. Otherwise, I wont splurge on it. Anthropologie is where I wish I could shop if I had that kind of money, but I dont.

I wont spend more than $80 on one particular item of clothing, unless its a coat. For dresses, I wont go over $70 unless I love it. Tops I like to be $20 to $30. Pants and shirts, $40.

In a place like this, with a lot of powerful people, you want to sprinkle in items that do cost a lot of money. Ill wear a Burberry scarf with an overcoat; I carry a Tumi bag. If they see items on you that they can recognize and that they know the value of, they then assume that is expensive, when little do they know you got your suit for under $300 and your shoes were on sale for $50.

Also Check: Who Is The Speaker Of The House For Republicans

From Pleather To Puffy Coats Swapcom Uncovers The Hottest Fashions Trending Across The Country For Red And Blue Voters

October 26, 2016 05:00 ET | Source:Swap.comSwap.com

CHICAGO, IL– – With less than two weeks to Election Day, the candidate’s personal style and wardrobe has been an ongoing talking point for politicos and news anchors. From patriotically-themed pantsuits and ties to poor tailoring to disheveled hair, it is clear fashion plays a powerful role in politics. For a less serious spin on politics and fashion, Swap.com — the largest online consignment store-dove deep into millions of previous purchases to uncover how style preferences of Democrats and Republicans sized up. Based on a breakdown of how red and blue counties voted in the 2012 election, Swap.com has revealed the most popular picks among liberals and conservatives.

That’s A Lot of Look

When it comes to clothes, both Republicans and Democrats are buttoning and bundling up in interesting ways. Republicans prefer dresses to skirts and, when it is warm, buy more Capri pants and Bermuda and cargo shorts. Meanwhile, Democrats are pairing jeggings with a blazer and their favorite sports jersey topped off by a puffy coat.

Democrats are

69% more likely to wear jeggings

39% more likely to wear jerseys

31% more likely to wear sweaters

30% more likely to wear blazers

22% more likely to wear puffy coats

21% more likely to wear button-up shirts

14% more likely to wear skirts

Republicans are

Methodology:

Color And Clothing Choices

When we see certain colors, they produce chemical reactions in our brains that can make us feel certain emotions. For example you are more likely to order more food in a restaurant that is decorated with a lot of red because that color makes us hungry. Sports teams often paint the opposing teams locker room pink because that color makes people tired. Guests on late night TV hang out in the Green Room before coming on stage because that color is the most calming and relaxing. So what could certain candidates be trying to sell you via their color and clothing choices?

Read Also: What Cities Are Run By Republicans

The Psychology Of Tie Colors In The Race For President

Have you ever asked yourself the question why we only see red and blue ties on presidential candidates as of recently? Some might argue that candidates will choose those ties that best reflects their partys identify, meaning red ties for Republican Romney, and blue ties for Democrat President Obama, but this is only partially true.

Take Tuesdays Presidential debate for instance. Romney wore a bright blue and white striped tie while Obama opted for a burgundy-red piece, a change that I was very happy to see. Pre-debate I was actually hoping that Obama would be wearing a red tie a color that is synonymous with power, confidence, and excitement all things Obama lacked in the first debate.

Obama is Taking Charge, Wearing a Burgundy-Red Tie

I am now making the argument that Obamas red tie helped him step up his game during the last debate. Not only did the tie grabbed the audiences attention, but I strongly belief that it gave President Obama a boost of confidence after taking a look in the mirror.

The psychology & emotional effects of colors is definitely nothing new. In fact, psychologists have been researching the meaning of colors for decades, if not centuries, and evidence does indeed prove that certain colors do evoke certain emotional responses in people. This is nothing new to presidential candidates who pay attention to what colors to pick out for a public appearance.

Other Suggested Articles:

No Consensus On Colors Before 2000

According to Smithsonian magazine:

The explanation Archie Tse, a senior graphics editor for the Times, gave to Smithsonian for his choice of colors for each party was fairly straightforward:

I just decided red begins with r, Republican begins with r. It was a more natural association. There wasnt much discussion about it.

Also Check: What Republicans Voted Against The Wall

Red Vs Blue: Why Necktie Colors Matter

ByRobert Roy Britt01 March 2017

Few world leaders or CEOs want to be seen as aloof.

But does it matter whether one wears red or blue? Yes, suggest several studies, including one published in the journal Science on Feb. 6, 2009. More on that in a moment.

First, some color:

Republican Party Platform 2016: We Fact-Checked the Science

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How To Tie Dye

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The Best Presidential Suits Ever Worn

Barack Obama

The former President explained the logic behind this routine:

John F. Kennedy

Harry S. Truman

Ronald Reagan

Vladimir Putin

Blue Ties Symbolic As Bush Democratic Leaders Meet

Story Highlights

NEW:

I assured the senators that we will cooperate as closely as we can to solve common problems, Bush said after the meeting.

From our side, we think that is a symbolic indication, and were off to a good start, Durbin said.

Recommended Reading: Who Was The Leader Of The Radical Republicans

How The Colors Came To Be Red White And Blue

Of the 205 sovereign nations in the world, 21 share red, white and blue as their flags colors. But why do so many share the same trio of colors, and what do they represent?

On July 4, 1776, a resolution was passed by Congress authorizing the development of a seal for the new country which reflected the Founding Fathers values.

According to TIME Magazine, however, Mike Buss, a flag expert with the American Legion, points to the red, white and blue used in the Union Jack of England.

They come from the three colors that the Founding Fathers had served under or had been exposed to, said Buss.

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-color-ties-do-republicans-wear/

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jobinterviewghost · 6 years

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Future career paths in shipbuilding for Flinders graduates – News

Flinders robotics engineering student Caitlin Kramer met the SA Premier Steven Marshall and other dignitaries including Federal Defence Minister Christopher Pyne during a recent visit to the NSC at Osborne, Port Adelaide.

Flinders University students are among South Australia’s brightest minds and talent embracing the exciting career pathways on offer as part of the Australian Government’s $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Program.

Through the Naval Shipbuilding College’s (NSC) national Workforce Register, future job-seekers are being provided with tailored advice on accessing education, training and career pathways.

NSC Program Director Bill Docalovich says an unprecedented range of opportunities exist for smart and skilled students to work on the world’s most technologically advanced projects.

“More than 15,000 skilled and professional naval shipbuilding jobs will be created to build and sustain the Royal Australian Navy’s future fleet, including the Attack-class Submarines, Hunter-class Frigates and Arafura-class Offshore Patrol Vessels,” Mr Docalovich says.

“With decades of naval shipbuilding and sustainment work in the pipeline, students have an opportunity to secure meaningful work over their lifetime, from the ship deck to the board room.

“Since its launch in November around 500 people from throughout Australia have already registered their interest in a naval shipbuilding career and thousands more will follow,” he says.

The NSC is partnering with education and training providers nationally to ensure courses are aligned with the future need of the naval shipbuilding industry and produce job-ready graduates.

Flinders University is one of the first tertiary institutions in Australia to partner with the NSC and progress towards course endorsements in computer science – cyber, and engineering including software, mechanical, electrical and naval architecture.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students) Professor Clare Pollock says Flinders University is applying its research and educational strengths towards delivering a skilled and capable workforce.

“Our best and brightest will connect with naval shipbuilding employers through the NSC Workforce Register to work on exciting projects, right here in South Australia,” Professor Pollock says.

“Flinders has again secured internship opportunities under the French Embassy’s Nicolas Baudin Internships in France Initiative that will see students undertake internships with Naval Group, Thales and Dassault Systèmes in partnership with leading French academic partners.”

Robotics engineering student Caitlin Kramer is preparing for a six-month industry placement with Thales in France and is focused on securing naval shipbuilding work when she returns home.

“My desire is to stay and work in South Australia after I graduate and the rapid expansion of the state’s naval shipbuilding industry, has given me the opportunity to do that,” Ms Kramer says.

Professor Pollock, Ms Kramer and other Flinders University staff and College of Science and Engineering students visited the NSC at Osborne for an information session about education and training and other opportunities.

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thebritishmonarchycouk · 5 years

Photo

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . Royal Navy Career . ◼ In early 1939, Philip completed a term as a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, then repatriated to Greece, living with his mother in Athens for a month in mid-1939. At the behest of the Greek king, George II, he returned to Britain in September to resume training for the Royal Navy. He graduated from Dartmouth the next year as the best cadet in his course. . ◼ During the Second World War, he continued to serve in the British forces, while two of his brothers-in-law, Prince Christoph of Hesse & Berthold, Margrave of Baden, fought on the opposing German side. Philip was appointed as a midshipman in January 1940. He spent four months on the battleship HMS Ramillies, protecting convoys of the Australian Expeditionary Force in the Indian Ocean, followed by shorter postings on HMS Kent, on HMS Shropshire, & in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). After the invasion of Greece by Italy in October 1940, he was transferred from the Indian Ocean to the battleship HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet. . ◼ On 1 February 1941, he was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant after a series of courses at Portsmouth, in which he gained the top grade in four out of five sections of the qualifying examination. Among other engagements, he was involved in the Battle of Crete, & was mentioned in dispatches for his service during the Battle of Cape Matapan, in which he controlled the battleship's searchlights. He was also awarded the Greek War Cross of Valour. Duties of lesser glory included stoking the boilers of the troop transport ship RMS Empress of Russia. In June 1942, he was appointed to the V and W-class destroyer & flotilla leader HMS Wallace, which was involved in convoy escort tasks on the east coast of Britain, as well as the Allied invasion of Sicily. . . . (at United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4877UgQrx/?igshid=qaiv4ij8vi01

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brookstonalmanac · 4 years

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Events 2.14

748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt. 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages. 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor. 1076 – Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. 1130 – Pope Innocent II is elected. 1349 – Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg. 1530 – Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico. 1556 – Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic. 1556 – Coronation of Akbar. 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655. 1778 – The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones. 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia. 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii. 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar. 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay. 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio. 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken. 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London. 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas. 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state. 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray. 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta. 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections. 1900 – British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith. 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor). 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state. 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines. 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins. 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago. 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). 1929 – Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago. 1942 – Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore. 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated. 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army launches a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia. 1944 – World War II: In the Action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian submarine in the Strait of Malacca. 1945 – World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden. 1945 – World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by an American squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet's Vistula–Oder Offensive. 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations. 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized. 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time. 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California. 1966 – Australian currency is decimalized. 1979 – In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police. 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud. 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster. 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses. 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India. 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later becomes famous as Pale Blue Dot. 1998 – An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120. 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid. 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 28 people, and wounding 193 others. 2005 – In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri's motorcade drives through the city. 2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos City, all in the Philippines. 2005 – YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos. 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries. 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a 'Day of Rage'. 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa. 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 15 injuries. 2019 – Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.

#Events

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pjpsaint66 · 5 years

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Monday 9 September 2019 Nijmegen to Ypres

We drove south from Nijmegen to Belgium. It was a 200km journey to the Heverlee War Cemetery, just east of Brussels. This cemetery established to consolidate graves in east Belgium has just over 900 graves with 45 being Australian airmen. The cemetery is a triangular shape and recent floral tributes on the Cross indicated a recent formal commemoration service.

Here is the grave of Warrant Officer Frank Page (OW1919) RAAF 409481. No. 75 (NZ) Squadron (RAF). Age 29, died 23 May 1944. Frank enlisted 12 September 1941 and arrived in the UK on 17 March 1943 and joined Sqn 75 on 24 December 1943. This Sqn was formed in England in April 1940 initially comprised solely of Kiwis; the squadron remained in Bomber Command (3 Group) for the war and flew 8,107 sorties and lost 193 aircraft. Any other nationality that flew in this Sqn, such as Frank, were made honorary citizens of New Zealand.

His Lancaster Mk.I ME690 AA-Z was shot down over Overplet, Belgium on return from a bombing raid on Dortmund, Germany. On 23 May 1986 a glass window at St Joseph's Church Overpelt was dedicated in their memory.

Also, at Heverlee is Pilot Officer Frank Watkin (OW1925) RAAF 418895 No. 640 Squadron (RAF). Age 31, died 2 March 1945. He enlisted on 9 June 1942, wife and two daughters. Arrived in the UK in 7 July 1943 and with the 466 from 19 April 1944 and then the 640 from 7 July 1945. Frank was killed following a raid on Cologne, bombing a few days prior to American army arriving; part of the second wave. 858 aircraft, 9 lost. 703 aircraft in the first wave and 155 in the second although only 15 aircraft bombed in the second wave because the G-H station in England went off line. There are few details of the raid from local sources, such was the level of disarray. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/watkin-fe/

Frank was the grandson of the second President of Wesley College Council. The Watkins are known to me as my father’s first job when he was a lad out of school in the late 1930s was working for Frank’s father’s Melbourne stockbroking firm. Frank’s brother, Alan was a close friend of Dad’s and I recall as a boy, some discussion about his brother being lost over Cologne.

The Heverlee visit concludes our WWII interest until Friday, but before we go back to WWI for the next three days, we visited the 1815 Waterloo battlefield, just south of Brussels. There is a new underground display centre which is OK. The key part of the site is still the 226 steps climb up the Butte de Lion to look over the fields where the battle took place. Frankly, I was rather depressed after this visit - a battle where thousands of men fought and died and then buried in large unmarked graves, as was the custom – no names, no decent memorial.

Arriving in Ypres about 5pm, it is nice to come back to somewhere we have been before. Very happy with our accommodation. While all other places have been fine – this is a best by far and very comfortable. After a quick dinner we attended the 8pm Last Post service at the Menin Gate. A modest but attentive crowd. The bugle sounds were stronger than I recalled. We located on the walls a number of men names we have seen on previous visits.

A new name to find was 2nd Lieutenant William Sylvester Nathan on Bay 8. A member of the Solomon family I mentioned a few days ago; his parents were Colonel Sir Frederick and Lady Nathan, London. An ex-Public Schools Battalion Bugler, Drummer, enlisted 24 November 1914 in the 'D' Company of the Hawke Battalion of the Royal Naval Division. At Gallipoli (Cape Helles) from circa 3 May 1915 until invalided to UK on 3 September 1915 (possibly Influenza). Discharged on 15 October to take up a Commission in Regular Army 12th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. He joined the battalion in France on 23 May 1916. He was killed on 14 June 1917, which is acknowledged as the last day of the Battle of Messines. His battalion conducted an evening attack and successfully eliminated some German pillboxes in the area of Battle Wood. He was one of the ten battalion deaths in this action and his body was not recovered.

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courtneytincher · 5 years

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In 1988, Military Experts 'Fought' a Simulated World War III in Asia. Millions Died.

The United States took a more aggressive stance in the 1988 wargame. Instead of waiting for a Soviet attack, Washington immediately began air and unconventional offensives against installations in the Soviet Far East, designed to decimate Soviet air defenses and threaten the survival of military-industrial installations. For their part, the Soviets hoped that a reticent military stance and a diplomatic offensive could keep Japan out of the war. This gambit succeeded to a point, as the Japanese suspended active military cooperation with the United States. American pressure eventually forced Tokyo to yield, and the Soviet opened offensive operations against the archipelago. By this time, however, the U.S. Navy had devastated Soviet naval forces, confining the Pacific fleet to its bastion in the Sea of Okhotsk.Nearly every analyst during the Cold War agreed that, if Moscow and Washington could keep the nukes from flying, the Central Front in Europe would prove decisive in war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The NATO alliance protected the Western European allies of the United States from Soviet aggression, while the Warsaw Pact provided the USSR with its own buffer against Germany.(This first appeared several years ago.)But when the Cold War really went hot, the fighting took place in Asia. In Korea and Vietnam, the Soviet Union waged proxy struggles against the United States, and both sides used every tool available to control the destiny of China. However, while few believed that the Pacific theater would determine the victor of World War III, both the United States and Soviet Union needed to prepare for the eventuality of war there.Scholars have devoted far less attention to the planning of World War III in East Asia than to the European theater. The two classic novels of the Third World War (Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising and John Hackett’s The Third World War) rarely touched on developments in Asia. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, the Naval War College traced the potential course of war in East Asia as part of a series of global war games. These games lend a great deal of insight into the key actors in the conflict, and how the decisive battles of a Second Pacific War might have played out.The Players:ChinaHow would China have reacted to the onset of a war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact? Beijing certainly regarded the survival of NATO as critical to its security from the 1970s on. The existence of NATO prevented the USSR from concentrating the bulk of the Red Army and of Soviet strategic aviation against China; a Soviet victory in the West would have put China in great peril. By the 1980s, China stood at a massive technological disadvantage against the USSR. Moreover, Beijing worried (perhaps rightly) that even if the USSR held its nuclear fire against NATO, it would view a strategic exchange with China as less risky. Thus, there was no guarantee that China would open a second front against the USSR.JapanJapan combined extraordinary economic strength with significant military power and a crucial geographic position. A Japan committed to the United States could effectively prevent the sortie of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, while enabling attacks against the Soviet Far East. A neutral Japan limited these options, but still provided the NATO alliance with a strong economic foundation in case of a protracted war. Washington had the advantage; it only depended on how and how much.KoreaWould North Korea have joined a general Soviet war against NATO by invading South Korea? Such a move would have put extraordinary pressure on U.S. forces, although by the 1980s South Korea could probably survive with only measured U.S. assistance. However, Pyongyang answered to two masters; it required the support of both Beijing and Moscow. Given the unlikelihood that China would support a Soviet war against NATO, the prospect of Beijing’s acquiescence in a second Korean War would have been extremely sketchy.Southeast AsiaThe Soviets had an ally in Hanoi, but no means to support that ally against either China or the United States. Moreover, the Vietnamese had little to gain from joining a conflict; they were substantially controlled by Laos and Cambodia, and could do little more than harass shipping lanes in the South China Sea. However, given the bloody nose that Vietnam had inflicted on both countries in 1975 and 1980, neither Washington nor Beijing would have had much interest in reopening the conflict, especially with far more pressing issues at hand. That said, Vietnam could still make some mischief with U.S. allies in the region, and the PRC still had scores to settle.The Chess Pieces:Soviet Pacific FleetThe Soviets took the Pacific seriously. By the 1980s, the fleet included two Kiev class aircraft carriers, and one Kirov class battlecruiser. In peacetime, the ships of the fleet sailed widely, regularly visiting Southeast Asia and even the Indian Ocean. Wartime, however, would have tightly constrained their operations. The Sea of Okhotsk served as a bastion for the SSBNs of the fleet, and naturally as a target for U.S. attack. Soviet objectives would have included the neutralization or defeat of Japan, the defense of the Russian Far East and potentially the penetration of the Pacific in order to attack maritime supply networks and distract U.S. attention from Europe.U.S. Pacific FleetThe United States Pacific Fleet commanded the balance of power in the region. With several carrier battlegroups supported by a variety of amphibious assault ships, battleships, nuclear attack submarines and a large array of land-based aircraft, the U.S. Navy could have undertaken both offensive and defensive operations to control the pace and course of the war. Moreover, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense force and the Royal Australian Navy could have both offered extensive support to the Americans. The central objectives for Allied naval forces would first have been to detect and defeat any Soviet efforts to penetrate attack submarines into the Pacific or Southeast Asian shipping lanes. Second, the U.S. Navy had taken upon itself a mission of attacking the periphery of the USSR directly, in order to distract the Red Army from the Central Front in Europe. At a minimum, this would have involved missile and airstrikes against Soviet installations throughout the Far East. At a maximum, it could have involved amphibious assaults against lightly defended Soviet targets. The War GamesThe Naval War College examined the potential for World War III in Asia as part of its global war game exercises in the 1970s and 1980s. Played annually between 1979 and 1988, each of the games explored alternative strategic and technological aspects of a confrontation between the superpowers. Although generally focused on Europe, the games always included an East Asian component. While the early wargames saw some variance (informed to some degree by the Sino-Vietnamese War), they held to a basic pattern; the Soviets hunkered down, while U.S. and allied naval forces chipped away at the bastions and tried to distract the Russians from Europe.The 1984 wargame played out much differently. Instead of sitting on its hands, the Soviets opened the war with a massive air and missile assault against Japan. This assault destroyed most Japanese air assets on the ground, along with those of the US. special operators delivered by submarine and by clandestine civilian ship-launched unconventional attacks against U.S. bases across the Pacific, including Guam and Pearl Harbor.The Soviets unleashed Pyongyang early in the conflict, redirecting U.S. attention towards the Korean Peninsula. Washington had effective answers; it quickly undertook offensive anti-submarine operations in the Sea of Japan, decimating Soviet SSN and SSBN forces. Soviet surface ships also came under attack. Nevertheless, in a daring move the Soviets launched a successful amphibious assault against Hokkaido. Although the operation suffered heavy losses, it succeeded in establishing a beachhead in Japan (though this was later withdrawn under fire).The United States took a more aggressive stance in the 1988 wargame. Instead of waiting for a Soviet attack, Washington immediately began air and unconventional offensives against installations in the Soviet Far East, designed to decimate Soviet air defenses and threaten the survival of military-industrial installations. For their part, the Soviets hoped that a reticent military stance and a diplomatic offensive could keep Japan out of the war. This gambit succeeded to a point, as the Japanese suspended active military cooperation with the United States. American pressure eventually forced Tokyo to yield, and the Soviet opened offensive operations against the archipelago. By this time, however, the U.S. Navy had devastated Soviet naval forces, confining the Pacific fleet to its bastion in the Sea of Okhotsk.Late in the war, the Soviets gave Pyongyang the green light to invade South Korea. However, this operation backfired, as the North Koreans failed to make substantial progress against combined U.S. and South Korean forces. Moreover, the Soviet move confirmed the U.S.-Japanese alliance, and helped drive Beijing into a much more hostile disposition towards the Soviets.Both the Soviets and the Americans had options in Asia. The strategic environment was far more fluid than in Europe, allowing a variety of different choices to disrupt and destabilize the opponent. This made the course of war far less predictable. At its (nonnuclear) worst, war could have raged across Asia on multiple fronts, from Korea to Japan to the Sino-Soviet border. At its best, the combatants might have observed an uneasy quiet, at least until it became necessary to outflank a stalemate in the West. But as was the case in Europe, everyone concerned is fortunate that tensions never led to open combat.Robert Farley, a frequent contributor to the National Interest, is author of The Battleship Book. He serves as a senior lecturer at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. His work includes military doctrine, national security and maritime affairs. He blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money, Information Dissemination and the Diplomat.

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