May 22, 2011
The Big Storm
It's 1116pm, and it's still raining outside, but the weather nabobs tell us that the worst of the storms are over. That's good, because there were three distinct storms that rolled through the Duckford area in four hours. The picture above comes from the first one, just as the tornado sirens were going off. What you can't see is that there was a distinct (but slow) rotation occurring in that mass o' clouds, in a counter-clockwise direction. A couple of minutes after I took that picture, the cloudfront passed over Pond Central:
A few minutes later, all heck broke loose. Heavy, heavy rain, lots of wind, pea-to-quarter sized hail, the temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees in about 10 minutes, and a wind gust of 70mph at E State and I-90, which is about 4 miles from Pond Central. Multiple funnel clouds were reported, one in the Machesney Park area (north of Duckford proper by about a mile or so), and a few to the east and southeast (Cherry Valley vicinity, about five or six miles from Pond Central). Lots of trees down, some 25000 people without power, the roof was ripped off a school gymnasium, so on and so forth. The National Weather Service is supposed to be here tomorrow to investigate whether this was all due to tornadic activity, a microburst or two, or just a damn big thunderstorm.
Now, that one was bad enough, but then two more storms rolled through. Neither caused tornado sirens to go off, but they had a lot more lightning, and a lot more rain. There's probably flooding in Duckford as a result.
Also as a result, I'm not going to post the F1U! until Monday... I gave up when the second storm peaked. Shut down the computer, unplugged it and sat far away from the windows. On the plus side, I am more than happy to report that the Gunslinger Girl manga is great.
Thanks for being patient.
It's 1116pm, and it's still raining outside, but the weather nabobs tell us that the worst of the storms are over. That's good, because there were three distinct storms that rolled through the Duckford area in four hours. The picture above comes from the first one, just as the tornado sirens were going off. What you can't see is that there was a distinct (but slow) rotation occurring in that mass o' clouds, in a counter-clockwise direction. A couple of minutes after I took that picture, the cloudfront passed over Pond Central:
A few minutes later, all heck broke loose. Heavy, heavy rain, lots of wind, pea-to-quarter sized hail, the temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees in about 10 minutes, and a wind gust of 70mph at E State and I-90, which is about 4 miles from Pond Central. Multiple funnel clouds were reported, one in the Machesney Park area (north of Duckford proper by about a mile or so), and a few to the east and southeast (Cherry Valley vicinity, about five or six miles from Pond Central). Lots of trees down, some 25000 people without power, the roof was ripped off a school gymnasium, so on and so forth. The National Weather Service is supposed to be here tomorrow to investigate whether this was all due to tornadic activity, a microburst or two, or just a damn big thunderstorm.
Now, that one was bad enough, but then two more storms rolled through. Neither caused tornado sirens to go off, but they had a lot more lightning, and a lot more rain. There's probably flooding in Duckford as a result.
Also as a result, I'm not going to post the F1U! until Monday... I gave up when the second storm peaked. Shut down the computer, unplugged it and sat far away from the windows. On the plus side, I am more than happy to report that the Gunslinger Girl manga is great.
Thanks for being patient.
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Weather Delays
I had fully intended to have the F1 Update! for Spain up by now, but we had a few problems here in Duckford. Namely:
This screenshot was just from just as one of the worst storms I've ever had the "pleasure" to experience hit Duckford. There are reports of a possible tornado to the north of the city; here at Pond Central, we had a lot of rain, a lot of wind and some small hail. There was a Tornado Warning here, the sirens went off and all that. There's a tree down in the treeline behind Pond Central, too.
As I type this, there's a lot of thunder outside, and a severe thunderstorm warning until 830pm. I don't know when I'll be able to get the F1U! up, but hopefully tonight. I'll be keeping my head down (and the computer off) until things start to clear up a touch.
This screenshot was just from just as one of the worst storms I've ever had the "pleasure" to experience hit Duckford. There are reports of a possible tornado to the north of the city; here at Pond Central, we had a lot of rain, a lot of wind and some small hail. There was a Tornado Warning here, the sirens went off and all that. There's a tree down in the treeline behind Pond Central, too.
As I type this, there's a lot of thunder outside, and a severe thunderstorm warning until 830pm. I don't know when I'll be able to get the F1U! up, but hopefully tonight. I'll be keeping my head down (and the computer off) until things start to clear up a touch.
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May 19, 2011
The Pacific Q-Ship
In 1915, things were looking grim for the British Isles. Unrestricted submarine warfare was slowly strangling the country, cutting off the flow of supplies to the nation. Stocks of fuel, armaments, supplies and food were all at desperately low levels... the Allies were losing the Battle of the Atlantic. At that time, defenses against submarines were rudimentary at best. Sonar was non-existent, depth charges were crude and for the most part ineffective, and the homing torpedo wasn't even thought of yet. The only realistic chance that a defending ship had to sink a submarine was to catch it on the surface.
While it's hard to imagine a submarine allowing itself to be caught on the surface these days, things were different in 1915. At the time, submarines were what would be called "submersibles" today: able to descend under the waves for a short time only, while doing most of their movement on the surface. Because their underwater time was limited, a sub would "go under" only when preparing for an attack run... and not always then. The torpedoes of the time were cranky, ill-tempered beasts that were often unreliable, and always in short supply. It was quite common for a submarine to sneak up on a target, surface, then engage with a deck gun. Of course this would only work against an unarmed freighter or transport; it goes without saying that an actual warship would receive a torpedo fired from underwater.
However, even this limited method of attack was extremely effective against unarmed merchant craft... so effective that England was on the verge of starving. The obvious defense, convoying, or putting a large number of merchant vessels in one group while defending them with one or more warships, was ruled out by the ship-strapped Royal Navy. There just weren't enough warships to go around. Something had to be done, and quickly. Two innovations arose from this desperate need.
The first was the armed merchantman. More of a throwback than a true innovation, at its heart the armed merchantman was a descendant of the age of sail, when almost every East Indiaman had a good number of cannon lining its rails to fight off pirates and privateers. The generic armed merchantman of WWI-vintage would have the firepower of a destroyer or light cruiser, six 6" guns and various numbers of smaller guns as a secondary battery. Since they were built as merchant vessels, they were however fragile: little in the way of compartmentalization to prevent flooding, little if any armor (other than raw size) to prevent damage, with a slow top speed that prevented running away. Armed merchantmen were mostly for use against commerce raiders as a self-defense measure: if a warship came upon an armed merchantman, at least there was some way to fight back. However, with their guns carried on deck, they were just as likely as a battleship to attract a torpedo from a submarine.
The second innovation was the Q-ship. Take a freighter and turn it into an armed merchantman... then hide the guns inside false panels or deck structures or belowdeck. When a submarine approached, it'd see a nice big fat undefended target, surface and engage with the deck gun... at which point, the Q-boat would drop the false panels, run out the guns and with the element of surprise blow the submarine out of the water. To be sure, they could take on a surface vessel as well, but their weapons were more designed to engage fragile submarines: a hole or two would prevent a sub from diving, trapping it on the surface. Q-ships had no set armament loadout, but multiple 3" guns were common.
Despite the clever idea, Q-ships were generally ineffective against submarines in WWI, accounting for less than 10% of all kills scored. Instead, they were more of a psychological weapon, preying upon the mind of a U-boat captain. If any freighter could be heavily armed and just waiting for you to surface, the sub captain might be more reluctant to do so, and either let the freighter go or waste a precious torpedo on it.
During WWII, there was a repeat of the WWI Battle of the Atlantic, and the Q-ship concept was revived. It was even less successful than in WWI, mainly because advances in submarine technology meant that a sub could spend less time on the surface, torpedoes were much less prone to failure and in greater supply. The Royal Navy commissioned nine Q-ships in 1939, two of which were sunk on their first mission. None of them sank a U-boat, and they were quietly retired in 1941. The US Navy converted five cargo vessels to Q-ships, one of which was sunk and the other four failed to engage a submarine during their two-year run.
And then there was the USS Anacapa.
more...
While it's hard to imagine a submarine allowing itself to be caught on the surface these days, things were different in 1915. At the time, submarines were what would be called "submersibles" today: able to descend under the waves for a short time only, while doing most of their movement on the surface. Because their underwater time was limited, a sub would "go under" only when preparing for an attack run... and not always then. The torpedoes of the time were cranky, ill-tempered beasts that were often unreliable, and always in short supply. It was quite common for a submarine to sneak up on a target, surface, then engage with a deck gun. Of course this would only work against an unarmed freighter or transport; it goes without saying that an actual warship would receive a torpedo fired from underwater.
However, even this limited method of attack was extremely effective against unarmed merchant craft... so effective that England was on the verge of starving. The obvious defense, convoying, or putting a large number of merchant vessels in one group while defending them with one or more warships, was ruled out by the ship-strapped Royal Navy. There just weren't enough warships to go around. Something had to be done, and quickly. Two innovations arose from this desperate need.
The first was the armed merchantman. More of a throwback than a true innovation, at its heart the armed merchantman was a descendant of the age of sail, when almost every East Indiaman had a good number of cannon lining its rails to fight off pirates and privateers. The generic armed merchantman of WWI-vintage would have the firepower of a destroyer or light cruiser, six 6" guns and various numbers of smaller guns as a secondary battery. Since they were built as merchant vessels, they were however fragile: little in the way of compartmentalization to prevent flooding, little if any armor (other than raw size) to prevent damage, with a slow top speed that prevented running away. Armed merchantmen were mostly for use against commerce raiders as a self-defense measure: if a warship came upon an armed merchantman, at least there was some way to fight back. However, with their guns carried on deck, they were just as likely as a battleship to attract a torpedo from a submarine.
The second innovation was the Q-ship. Take a freighter and turn it into an armed merchantman... then hide the guns inside false panels or deck structures or belowdeck. When a submarine approached, it'd see a nice big fat undefended target, surface and engage with the deck gun... at which point, the Q-boat would drop the false panels, run out the guns and with the element of surprise blow the submarine out of the water. To be sure, they could take on a surface vessel as well, but their weapons were more designed to engage fragile submarines: a hole or two would prevent a sub from diving, trapping it on the surface. Q-ships had no set armament loadout, but multiple 3" guns were common.
Despite the clever idea, Q-ships were generally ineffective against submarines in WWI, accounting for less than 10% of all kills scored. Instead, they were more of a psychological weapon, preying upon the mind of a U-boat captain. If any freighter could be heavily armed and just waiting for you to surface, the sub captain might be more reluctant to do so, and either let the freighter go or waste a precious torpedo on it.
During WWII, there was a repeat of the WWI Battle of the Atlantic, and the Q-ship concept was revived. It was even less successful than in WWI, mainly because advances in submarine technology meant that a sub could spend less time on the surface, torpedoes were much less prone to failure and in greater supply. The Royal Navy commissioned nine Q-ships in 1939, two of which were sunk on their first mission. None of them sank a U-boat, and they were quietly retired in 1941. The US Navy converted five cargo vessels to Q-ships, one of which was sunk and the other four failed to engage a submarine during their two-year run.
And then there was the USS Anacapa.
more...
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May 18, 2011
Name This Mystery Ship V
By popular demand, the "Name This Mystery Ship" contest is back! Here's the rules: no cheating by using photo-matching programs or things like that. Otherwise? Free game. The winner gets a post on a topic of his or her own choosing (within limits: no pr0n, religion or politics). If it looks like nobody is going to get it, I may decide to post a hint or two.
Here's the mystery ship:
Good luck to you!
Here's the mystery ship:
Good luck to you!
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May 14, 2011
A Day In The Life
I've not been posting much recently. Truth be told, I've not been doing much of anything recently. See, Monday was the start of Finals week at Duck U. That means that it was also the start of buyback, and that means it was one of the four "Golden Weeks" at the Duck U Bookstore. Other than Wednesday's visit with Vauc and Dr John, I've been pretty much focused on work, to the exclusion of most else. Pretty much I'd get home, eat, watch a little television, then hit the hay.
Today was a bit different, however. I was summoned by my doctor a few weeks ago, told that he wouldn't allow refills on my "keep Wonderduck alive" medication until I got up to the office for a status review. Problem: his office is in one of the little towns that surround Duckford, to the North. Pond Central is on the South side; indeed, if I threw a baseball from my balcony, it'd land outside the Duckford city limits... or at least, it would if my throwing wing was as strong as it used to be. The upshot is that it's a 45-minute drive, more or less, to get to Doc's office. Of course we've been too busy for me to get time off work to go during the week. Such is the excitement of life, right? Oh, and today was the only day off I'm getting for a while. Graduation is on Sunday, and there's a Registration Event for the Fall semester next Saturday, and yours truly gets the pleasure of working them.
The doctor's visit went well, though it took forever. I've been going to Doc H for maybe 30 years; he was on the board of directors for the hospice Momzerduck used to run back in the day, and it was natural for him to become the family doc, y'know? Anyway, the passage of time just blows my mind... I found out that his daughter is 21, studying to be a nurse, and will be attending Duck U in the fall. I've seen her grow up via photographs in his office; that news just freaked me right the heck out.
After the visit with Doc H (and a very professional stick job from his "lab rats"), I had a birthday party to attend for Ph.Duck's aunt. She turned 90 on Friday, and there was a private room booked at a Swedish-styled eatery here in town (there's a huge percentage of Swedes in Duckford; indeed, Lilly and her family came over when she was two), always a good place to eat: fresh squeezed orange juice and lingonberries FTW! Alas, the appointment with the doctor took too long, leaving me in a quandary. I had planned to go to the doc, then grocery shopping, the the birthday party. I got back to Duckford too late to go shopping, but too early to go to the party. So I decided to visit a used book shop nearby, kill some time there. It's been there forever, but I've never stopped in; sort of out of the way, y'know?
The moment I walked in, I was approached by the store's cat. It took one look at me and knew I was okay; floor-counter-pile of books-Wonderduck-purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. So I spent a half-hour walking around the bookstore, skritching a cat... and if you've never done that, let me tell you, you're missing the best way to visit a bookstore ever. When I was in grad school, there was a local bookstore that had a shopcat, too. Whenever I dropped in, which was probably every week, he would immediately drape himself around my neck and just hang there like a scarf for the duration of my visit. Wonderful way to peruse the shelves, lemme tell ya. Sadly, the shopcat passed away a few years later, but got an obituary in the town's daily newspaper.
After the birthday party, I came back to Pond Central and promptly fell asleep. Exciting day, huh? Hopefully, now that the Spring semester has come to an end things will return to normal around here... or what passes for normal, that is.
Today was a bit different, however. I was summoned by my doctor a few weeks ago, told that he wouldn't allow refills on my "keep Wonderduck alive" medication until I got up to the office for a status review. Problem: his office is in one of the little towns that surround Duckford, to the North. Pond Central is on the South side; indeed, if I threw a baseball from my balcony, it'd land outside the Duckford city limits... or at least, it would if my throwing wing was as strong as it used to be. The upshot is that it's a 45-minute drive, more or less, to get to Doc's office. Of course we've been too busy for me to get time off work to go during the week. Such is the excitement of life, right? Oh, and today was the only day off I'm getting for a while. Graduation is on Sunday, and there's a Registration Event for the Fall semester next Saturday, and yours truly gets the pleasure of working them.
The doctor's visit went well, though it took forever. I've been going to Doc H for maybe 30 years; he was on the board of directors for the hospice Momzerduck used to run back in the day, and it was natural for him to become the family doc, y'know? Anyway, the passage of time just blows my mind... I found out that his daughter is 21, studying to be a nurse, and will be attending Duck U in the fall. I've seen her grow up via photographs in his office; that news just freaked me right the heck out.
After the visit with Doc H (and a very professional stick job from his "lab rats"), I had a birthday party to attend for Ph.Duck's aunt. She turned 90 on Friday, and there was a private room booked at a Swedish-styled eatery here in town (there's a huge percentage of Swedes in Duckford; indeed, Lilly and her family came over when she was two), always a good place to eat: fresh squeezed orange juice and lingonberries FTW! Alas, the appointment with the doctor took too long, leaving me in a quandary. I had planned to go to the doc, then grocery shopping, the the birthday party. I got back to Duckford too late to go shopping, but too early to go to the party. So I decided to visit a used book shop nearby, kill some time there. It's been there forever, but I've never stopped in; sort of out of the way, y'know?
The moment I walked in, I was approached by the store's cat. It took one look at me and knew I was okay; floor-counter-pile of books-Wonderduck-purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. So I spent a half-hour walking around the bookstore, skritching a cat... and if you've never done that, let me tell you, you're missing the best way to visit a bookstore ever. When I was in grad school, there was a local bookstore that had a shopcat, too. Whenever I dropped in, which was probably every week, he would immediately drape himself around my neck and just hang there like a scarf for the duration of my visit. Wonderful way to peruse the shelves, lemme tell ya. Sadly, the shopcat passed away a few years later, but got an obituary in the town's daily newspaper.
After the birthday party, I came back to Pond Central and promptly fell asleep. Exciting day, huh? Hopefully, now that the Spring semester has come to an end things will return to normal around here... or what passes for normal, that is.
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May 10, 2011
Well, I dunno...?
I've been sitting here at my computer, trying to figure out something interesting, funny or stupid to write about. I'm coming up completely blank, which means I've probably fulfilled the last category with this post. So I'm coming to you, my loyal reader(s?), with a plea: gimme something to write about. Think of it like my "name that ship" contest, without having to name a ship... except it's not guaranteed that I'll write about what you name.
C'mon, I'm beggin' ya here! In a show of good faith, here's a picture that made me laugh:
C'mon, I'm beggin' ya here! In a show of good faith, here's a picture that made me laugh:
Don't make me bring out Rio Rainbow Gate! again...
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May 08, 2011
Mother's Day 2011
I miss Momzerduck. Days like today suck.
I miss Momzerduck. Days like today suck.
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May 06, 2011
Ducklings. Yo-yos. Wheeee!
Really, there's not much more to say.
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May 03, 2011
Guess... Really.
Throwing a curveball at you today. Why a pigeon?
Throwing a curveball at you today. Why a pigeon?
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April 27, 2011
Status Check
I'm not feeling the whole blogging thing right now, I must admit. There's a part of me that sees this three week break between F1 races as a little holiday, one that lets me take a mini-vacation from having to spend long hours staring at the computer screen as I try to write something witty.
I know there's a number of you that, for some unknown reason, are eagerly awaiting my write-up for Rio Rainbow Gate! ep03, and I can tell you that I've completed the preliminary work on it... rewatching the episode, screenshots and so forth. I just need to clear an evening to actually write the darn thing... it'll probably be Friday or (more likely) Saturday.
Until then, however, I'm going to catch up on some of the other shows running, maybe watch a movie on the DVR, that sort of thing. I'm not going anywhere, I'm just not into slaving over a hot keyboard right now. Maybe you can go back and read some of my archives for a day or two? After nearly six years of The Pond, there might actually be something interesting in there somewhere!
I know there's a number of you that, for some unknown reason, are eagerly awaiting my write-up for Rio Rainbow Gate! ep03, and I can tell you that I've completed the preliminary work on it... rewatching the episode, screenshots and so forth. I just need to clear an evening to actually write the darn thing... it'll probably be Friday or (more likely) Saturday.
Until then, however, I'm going to catch up on some of the other shows running, maybe watch a movie on the DVR, that sort of thing. I'm not going anywhere, I'm just not into slaving over a hot keyboard right now. Maybe you can go back and read some of my archives for a day or two? After nearly six years of The Pond, there might actually be something interesting in there somewhere!
picture unrelated, but magical girls and explosions are always worth posting.
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April 23, 2011
43? How'd THAT Happen?
April 23rd is the 113th day of the year. It is also International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, Independence Day for the Conch Republic, the 351th anniversary of the Treaty of Oliva
between Sweden and Poland, and the birthday of Minoru Shirota, Max Planck, and Oleg Penkovsky. Youtube had its first video uploaded on April 23rd, 2005. The ill-fated Soyuz 1 mission launched on this date in 1967.
And a year later, in a hospital somewhere in Chicago, a Wonderduck was foisted upon an unprepared world. Who knew what that would lead to?
And a year later, in a hospital somewhere in Chicago, a Wonderduck was foisted upon an unprepared world. Who knew what that would lead to?
Birthday candles!
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April 14, 2011
Internet Is Down
Just a quick post before my workday begins... the internet provider for The Pond and its surrounding environs reports that there is a general failure in the area. As a result, there is zero internet at The Pond, the apartment complex Pond Central is part of, and indeed, a not-insignifigant part of Duckford that is serviced by said provider.
Blogging may be non-existent for a while... or it may be back up when I get home. We'll see.
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April 02, 2011
बतखों from India
As readers of The Pond may be aware, Ph.Duck was in India for a couple of weeks not too long ago. After a fruitless search for any promotional materials for the upcoming Grand Prix of India (aside: nobody he spoke to had any idea what he was talking about), he brought me back these:
They're made out of papier-mâché, would you believe? They had one previous owner, for they were also Momzerduck's. The first time she visited Ph.Duck in India, she was there for a month and decided to lend a bit of her decorating touch to his abode. These two ducks became a tradition... each time she visited the Subcontinent (two times? Three? I don't remember...), they were placed on a shelf in the domicile. When she left, they stayed behind, in a storage box until she returned.
Now they've made the long trip to Pond Central.
They're made out of papier-mâché, would you believe? They had one previous owner, for they were also Momzerduck's. The first time she visited Ph.Duck in India, she was there for a month and decided to lend a bit of her decorating touch to his abode. These two ducks became a tradition... each time she visited the Subcontinent (two times? Three? I don't remember...), they were placed on a shelf in the domicile. When she left, they stayed behind, in a storage box until she returned.
Now they've made the long trip to Pond Central.
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April 01, 2011
A Visitor To The U
I was on break at the University of Chicken this afternoon, pecking away at my meal of seeds, corn, oats and wheat, with a side of pizza, when I decided to step outside for a while. The weather wasn't particularly nice, but acceptable enough. At least it wasn't snowing like they said it was going to do, right? And me with my warm feathers in the bookstore, no less. Anyway, as I wandered around I found that the U Chicken had a special visitor!
Mr Thomas A Turkey, esq., was a guest lecturer today, it seems. Not every day one of our cousins drop by... I was hoping for a visit by some potatoes, cranberries, and a plate of stuffing, but no such luck I'm afraid. I'm somewhat torn: on one wing, he's quite the ugly thing, but on the other, its plumage was fairly colorful. Odd dichotomy there.
Well, I'm no philosopher, I'm just a chicken. I'll let the ducks figure it out.
Mr Thomas A Turkey, esq., was a guest lecturer today, it seems. Not every day one of our cousins drop by... I was hoping for a visit by some potatoes, cranberries, and a plate of stuffing, but no such luck I'm afraid. I'm somewhat torn: on one wing, he's quite the ugly thing, but on the other, its plumage was fairly colorful. Odd dichotomy there.
Well, I'm no philosopher, I'm just a chicken. I'll let the ducks figure it out.
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March 30, 2011
Iowa's Bathtub
The USS Iowa was the namesake for what was arguably the best class of battleships ever built. Launched in 1942, she was commissioned in 1943. Displacing 45000 tons, her engine rooms could still move her through the water at a blistering 33kts. Her main armor belt was 12" thick, while her three main turrets were armored to nearly 20" in thickness. Those turrets carried three 16"/50cal rifles each, and each of those guns could fire a 2700lb shell over 23 miles. Twenty 5"/38cal guns formed her secondary battery, and could be used for both anti-aircraft or anti-surface work. Four of the mammoth warships were built.
But only one had a bathtub.
Late in 1943, the heads of state for the three major Allied countries, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, were to meet in Tehran for a strategy conference. The US Navy choose the USS Iowa to take President Roosevelt on the first leg of the journey to Iran, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. But there was a small snag. President Roosevelt had developed an illness in 1921, at the time diagnosed as polio, that had paralyzed him from the waist down. He could only walk by swinging his legs laboriously via a twist of his torso, and leg braces and crutches were mandatory. FDR was also pretty much incapable of standing without assistance from one or two individuals. This ruled out his use of a shower, at the time the only form of bathing available on US warships. As the trip would take quite some time, something had to be installed for his use. That something was Iowa's Bathtub.
Who knew?
The USS Iowa was the namesake for what was arguably the best class of battleships ever built. Launched in 1942, she was commissioned in 1943. Displacing 45000 tons, her engine rooms could still move her through the water at a blistering 33kts. Her main armor belt was 12" thick, while her three main turrets were armored to nearly 20" in thickness. Those turrets carried three 16"/50cal rifles each, and each of those guns could fire a 2700lb shell over 23 miles. Twenty 5"/38cal guns formed her secondary battery, and could be used for both anti-aircraft or anti-surface work. Four of the mammoth warships were built.
But only one had a bathtub.
Late in 1943, the heads of state for the three major Allied countries, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, were to meet in Tehran for a strategy conference. The US Navy choose the USS Iowa to take President Roosevelt on the first leg of the journey to Iran, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. But there was a small snag. President Roosevelt had developed an illness in 1921, at the time diagnosed as polio, that had paralyzed him from the waist down. He could only walk by swinging his legs laboriously via a twist of his torso, and leg braces and crutches were mandatory. FDR was also pretty much incapable of standing without assistance from one or two individuals. This ruled out his use of a shower, at the time the only form of bathing available on US warships. As the trip would take quite some time, something had to be installed for his use. That something was Iowa's Bathtub.
Who knew?
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March 27, 2011
Programming Note #2
All right, here's how this is going to work. The F1Update! for the Grand Prix of Australia will go up this evening. The writeup for Rio Rainbow Gate! Episode 12 will be up on Monday.
Ph.Duck has returned to Duckford after his two weeks in India. Between watching the race last night and getting up on (mutters quiet obscenities) hours of sleep to get him back home after his 17.5 hour flight afterwards, all of which came on the heels of my Fantasy Baseball League auction (and quals earlier) on Saturday, your host is very tired, very headachy, and just not up to writing right now.
So I'm going to take a nap. THEN I'll start writing.
All right, here's how this is going to work. The F1Update! for the Grand Prix of Australia will go up this evening. The writeup for Rio Rainbow Gate! Episode 12 will be up on Monday.
Ph.Duck has returned to Duckford after his two weeks in India. Between watching the race last night and getting up on (mutters quiet obscenities) hours of sleep to get him back home after his 17.5 hour flight afterwards, all of which came on the heels of my Fantasy Baseball League auction (and quals earlier) on Saturday, your host is very tired, very headachy, and just not up to writing right now.
So I'm going to take a nap. THEN I'll start writing.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
11:37 AM
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March 16, 2011
Midway Tragedy
Roughly halfway between the west coast of America and Japan, there lays a small atoll consisting of two significant islands and a handful of smaller ones, mostly surrounded by a low-lying reef. Called "Midway" for obvious reasons, it was first a location for guano mining. Later, Pan Am used the atoll as a stopover point for their "China Clipper" service. As World War II approached, the US military recognized it as having an important location for the defense of the west coast. Barracks, runways, gun emplacements, a seaplane base, and even a submarine base appeared, seemingly overnight.
Of course, we remember Midway as the namesake location of one of the most important battles of any sort in history. One aspect of Midway atoll that seemingly every history of the Battle remarks upon are the ubiquitous avian residents, the Laysan Albatross.
Better known as the Gooney Bird for their goofy, clumsy appearance on land, nearly a million of these birds live on Midway today, and there's no reason to think any fewer were there during WWII. Gooneys are known to have extremely long lives, with the oldest known to be over 60 years old, and possibly older. It's quite possible that some Gooneys alive today were present on Midway during the battle.
Lost among the tragic news reports coming out of Japan in the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and huge tsunami that followed it, were bulletins from Midway atoll. Sand Island, the largest of the islands that make up Midway, was 20% covered by water from the tsunami's five foot tall waves, while Eastern Island had been 60% covered. Spit Islet, the largest of the minor land masses that make up the atoll, was completely inundated. As a result of this, over a thousand adult Gooney birds were killed, and many thousands of flightless chicks were drowned as well. "We may see just a slight decline in breeding birds next year, next year and the year after that," said Barry Stieglitz, project leader for the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges. "There will be a gap in the breeding population when these birds that would have grown up this year, would have matured and started breeding for the first time."
Of course, we remember Midway as the namesake location of one of the most important battles of any sort in history. One aspect of Midway atoll that seemingly every history of the Battle remarks upon are the ubiquitous avian residents, the Laysan Albatross.
Better known as the Gooney Bird for their goofy, clumsy appearance on land, nearly a million of these birds live on Midway today, and there's no reason to think any fewer were there during WWII. Gooneys are known to have extremely long lives, with the oldest known to be over 60 years old, and possibly older. It's quite possible that some Gooneys alive today were present on Midway during the battle.
Lost among the tragic news reports coming out of Japan in the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and huge tsunami that followed it, were bulletins from Midway atoll. Sand Island, the largest of the islands that make up Midway, was 20% covered by water from the tsunami's five foot tall waves, while Eastern Island had been 60% covered. Spit Islet, the largest of the minor land masses that make up the atoll, was completely inundated. As a result of this, over a thousand adult Gooney birds were killed, and many thousands of flightless chicks were drowned as well. "We may see just a slight decline in breeding birds next year, next year and the year after that," said Barry Stieglitz, project leader for the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges. "There will be a gap in the breeding population when these birds that would have grown up this year, would have matured and started breeding for the first time."
Posted by: Wonderduck at
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March 15, 2011
Genesis Of An Aircraft Carrier
In 1905, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) showed the world that is was at least the equal of any Western navy by its complete domination at the Battle of Tsushima. In this climax to the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese battle fleet, commanded by Admiral Togo, annihilated the Russian Second Pacific Squadron at the cost of three small torpedo boats.
By 1906 though, the Japanese fleet was made obsolete by the appearance of HMS Dreadnought in the British Royal Navy. Realizing that evolving technology had laid their fleet to waste (and terrified by that fact), the IJN made plans for a new and improved fleet of ships. Called the "Eight-Eight Fleet", it was to be based around eight new Dreadnought-style battleships and eight cruisers. Designed to be capable of going toe-to-toe with the US Navy, even at this early date thought to be Japan's most likely foe, this battleline was considered the only way the nation of Japan could be made safe. Though the country had been practically bankrupted by its war with the Russians, the first batch of ships was approved in 1911.
Events on the other side of the world again worked against the IJN's plans. While Japan had sided with the Allies in World War I, for all intents and purposes she had little to do with the European theater of war. Instead, she had little spats with far-flung German possessions in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the war in the Atlantic led to massive improvements in naval technologies for the combatants there. Suddenly, the IJN again found themselves with seemingly obsolescent ships while their rivals had honed their fleets against the whetstone of war.
The decision was made to scrap the first Eight-Eight fleet plans and start a second. This second fleet was to be built around a nucleus of the newest vessels of the first, two completed battleships of the Nagato-class, two Tosa-class battleships that were in the process of being built, and four Amagi-class battlecruisers that were in various stages of construction. They were to be joined by four battleships of an unnamed class that was to carry 18" guns, and four "fast battleships" to accompany the battlecruisers.
The Amagi-class was to tip the scales at over 41000 tons, be capable of 30kts, and carry ten 16" guns on a hull some 826 feet long. As with all battlecruisers, the Amagis were not particularly well-armored; they were designed to be able to outgun anything they could outrun (cruisers of all sizes and destroyers), and outrun anything that outgunned them (battleships, mostly). While in retrospect it's clear that the battlecruiser concept was deeply flawed, the thinking of the time was that speed, not armor plating, would be a battlecruiser's best defense.
In 1922, the IJN's plans again had to be scrapped when Japan became a signatory to the Washington Naval Treaty. This attempt to curtail the growing naval arms race ongoing between Britain, America, Japan, France and Italy placed an upper limit on the size of any ship built of 35000 tons. All work on the four battlecruisers and two battleships came to a halt, in preparation for scrapping. With the stroke of a pen, both the Amagi-class and the Tosa-class, like the British N3 and G3 designs, had been invalidated.
Or almost so. The Treaty placed an upper limit on the size of aircraft carriers of 27000 tons. However, a provision of the treaty, insisted upon by both the Americans and the Japanese, allowed for the conversion of two ships of a maximum weight of 33000 tons each to aircraft carriers. The US Navy selected two Lexington-class battlecruisers for conversion. The IJN chose two of their Amagis, the namesake of the class and the Akagi, to be subjects for their conversions. The remaining battlecruisers were broken up and scrapped.
And then nature stepped in.
more...
By 1906 though, the Japanese fleet was made obsolete by the appearance of HMS Dreadnought in the British Royal Navy. Realizing that evolving technology had laid their fleet to waste (and terrified by that fact), the IJN made plans for a new and improved fleet of ships. Called the "Eight-Eight Fleet", it was to be based around eight new Dreadnought-style battleships and eight cruisers. Designed to be capable of going toe-to-toe with the US Navy, even at this early date thought to be Japan's most likely foe, this battleline was considered the only way the nation of Japan could be made safe. Though the country had been practically bankrupted by its war with the Russians, the first batch of ships was approved in 1911.
Events on the other side of the world again worked against the IJN's plans. While Japan had sided with the Allies in World War I, for all intents and purposes she had little to do with the European theater of war. Instead, she had little spats with far-flung German possessions in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the war in the Atlantic led to massive improvements in naval technologies for the combatants there. Suddenly, the IJN again found themselves with seemingly obsolescent ships while their rivals had honed their fleets against the whetstone of war.
The decision was made to scrap the first Eight-Eight fleet plans and start a second. This second fleet was to be built around a nucleus of the newest vessels of the first, two completed battleships of the Nagato-class, two Tosa-class battleships that were in the process of being built, and four Amagi-class battlecruisers that were in various stages of construction. They were to be joined by four battleships of an unnamed class that was to carry 18" guns, and four "fast battleships" to accompany the battlecruisers.
The Amagi-class was to tip the scales at over 41000 tons, be capable of 30kts, and carry ten 16" guns on a hull some 826 feet long. As with all battlecruisers, the Amagis were not particularly well-armored; they were designed to be able to outgun anything they could outrun (cruisers of all sizes and destroyers), and outrun anything that outgunned them (battleships, mostly). While in retrospect it's clear that the battlecruiser concept was deeply flawed, the thinking of the time was that speed, not armor plating, would be a battlecruiser's best defense.
Tosa-class battleship
The Amagi's heavier teammate on the battleline, the Tosa-class battleship, was paradoxically smaller than the battlecruiser in most ways. Coming in at just under 40000 tons and 760 feet long, they were to cruise at just over 26 knots. Armed with ten 16" rifles of the same type carried by the battlecruisers, their secondary battery of twenty 5" guns compared favorably to that carried by the Amagi. As with most battleships, the Tosa's armor was to be its strong point. In short, the Tosas were to slug it out with opponents while the Amagis danced in and out of the battle.In 1922, the IJN's plans again had to be scrapped when Japan became a signatory to the Washington Naval Treaty. This attempt to curtail the growing naval arms race ongoing between Britain, America, Japan, France and Italy placed an upper limit on the size of any ship built of 35000 tons. All work on the four battlecruisers and two battleships came to a halt, in preparation for scrapping. With the stroke of a pen, both the Amagi-class and the Tosa-class, like the British N3 and G3 designs, had been invalidated.
Or almost so. The Treaty placed an upper limit on the size of aircraft carriers of 27000 tons. However, a provision of the treaty, insisted upon by both the Americans and the Japanese, allowed for the conversion of two ships of a maximum weight of 33000 tons each to aircraft carriers. The US Navy selected two Lexington-class battlecruisers for conversion. The IJN chose two of their Amagis, the namesake of the class and the Akagi, to be subjects for their conversions. The remaining battlecruisers were broken up and scrapped.
And then nature stepped in.
more...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
12:40 AM
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March 14, 2011
ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!
I just lost three hours of work that I had put into a post, all because I pressed a button in error.
I'm somewhat put out by this.
I'm somewhat put out by this.
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09:29 PM
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March 07, 2011
Rock / Robot (ducks) Rock / Rock / Robot (ducks) Rock
The great reveal of the secret from a few days ago. When I saw these, I knew they had to join The Flock. Some things are too good not to own. Even better, I hear tell that they're going to be appearing over at Quacked Panes sometime in the near future, too!
Oh, the title of this post?
Only Daft Punk could make a song with only two words sound so darn cool...
And yes, that is my dead video card glowing ominously in the background...
The great reveal of the secret from a few days ago. When I saw these, I knew they had to join The Flock. Some things are too good not to own. Even better, I hear tell that they're going to be appearing over at Quacked Panes sometime in the near future, too!
Oh, the title of this post?
Only Daft Punk could make a song with only two words sound so darn cool...
And yes, that is my dead video card glowing ominously in the background...
Posted by: Wonderduck at
07:34 PM
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