Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Waddy

2009-01-02T22:26:57Z

Joshbaumgartner: cat

A '''waddy''', '''nulla nulla''' or '''hunting stick''' is an [[Australian Aboriginal]] war club. The former name comes from the Dharuk Aborigines of [[Port Jackson]], [[Sydney]]<ref> Peters, Pam, ''The Cambridge Australian English Style Guide'', [[Cambridge University Press]], 1995, ISBN 0-521-43401-7</ref>.

A waddy is a heavy club constructed of carved timber. Waddies have been used in hand to hand combat, and were capable of splitting a shield, and killing or stunning food. In addition to this they could be employed as a projectile as well as used to make fire and make [[ochre pits|ochre]]. They found further use in punishing those who broke Aboriginal law.

They were made by both men and women and could be painted or left unpainted. Their construction varied from tribe to tribe, but they were generally about one metre in length and sometimes had a stone head attached with [[bees wax]] and string. They were made from where a branch met the tree, or from a young tree pulled up with its roots from the ground.

Originally, the word ''waddy'' referred to a tree, or any piece of wood, as well as a verb meaning to 'beat up or kill with a club'.

It has also been spelled as wadi, wady, and waddie. The spelling stabilised around the mid-nineteenth century, partly to help distinguish it from the [[Arabic]] word [[wadi]], a dry water course.<ref> Peters, Pam, ''The Cambridge Australian English Style Guide'', [[Cambridge University Press]], 1995, ISBN 0-521-43401-7</ref>

==Uses==
Some other uses are for [[ceremonies]]. Men will wave these above their heads to ward off evil spirits, while in some cultures the women will go out and use these to hunt the ceremonial feast - usually a large [[kangaroo]] and some [[bush fruits]].
Sometimes the waddy can be used as a digging tool, to dig up bush tuckers that are underground such as the [[bush potato]].

==References==
<references/>
* http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/ida/link_d2_nullah.html
{{IndigenousAustralia-stub}}
{{Indigenous Australians}}

[[Category:Australian Aboriginal culture]]
[[Category:Words and phrases of Australian Aboriginal origin]]
[[Category:Australian English]]
[[Category:Weapons of Australia]]
[[Category:Clubs]]

[[bg:Вади]]
[[lt:Nula nula]]

Belgische Luftstreitkräfte

2007-01-22T21:29:45Z

Joshbaumgartner: Aircraft inventory

[[Image:Roundel_of_the_Belgian_Air_Force.svg|250px|thumb|Roundel of the Belgian Air Force]]
[[Image:F-16 MLU of Belgian Air Force's Solo Display Team (reg. FA-133), taxiing, Radom AirShow 2005, Poland.jpg|thumb|right|250px|F-16 of Belgian Air Force's Solo Display Team]]

==Early years==
The '''Belgian Air Force''' was founded in [[1909]] as a branch of the Belgian Army. It originally carried the name of ''Compagnie des Ouvries et Aérostiers''. At the start of the First World War, the military aviation branch consisted of four squadrons equipped with Farman aircraft. In March 1915 it was expanded to six squadrons. One of its pilots, [[Willy Coppens]], even became the top ranking "balloon buster" of German observation balloons of World War I.

At the start of World War II, the Army Air Force had three active Air Force Regiments. Planes which were used by those regiments were the [[Renard]], the [[Fiat CR.42]], the [[Hawker Hurricane]], the [[Gloster Gladiator]], the [[Fairey Fox]], and the [[Fairey Battle]]. These were massacred by the much superior German Luftwaffe in the German invasion of May 1940. After the surrender of Belgium on 28 May 28 1940, a very small Belgian Air Force in exile was created in Great Britain. This small force was active within the British [[Royal Air Force]], and its squadrons were equipped with versions of the much better aircraft, the British [[Supermarine Spitfire]] and [[Hawker Typhoon]].

==During the Cold War==
On 15 October 1946, the Belgian military aviation was turned into an autonomous force, independent of the Belgian Army.

During the Cold War, at various times the Belgian Air Force operated the following planes:

* The British [[Gloster Meteor]] fighter
* The American Republic [[F-84 Thunderjet]] fighter-bomber
* The American Douglas [[C-47 Skytrain|C-47B Skytrain]] and Fairchild [[C-119 Flying Boxcar|C-119F/G Flying Boxcar]] transports.
* [[Fouga Magister]]
* The Canadian [[Avro CF-100|Avro-Canada CF-100 Canuck]] interceptor
* The British [[Hawker Hunter]] attack plane
* The American Lockheed [[F-104 Starfighter]], a NATO standard fighter/interceptor of many countries, including The Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the USAF
* The French [[Dassault Mirage III|Dassault Mirage 5]]
* The British [[Britten-Norman Islander|Britten-Norman BN-2B-21 Islander]]
* The American [[Lockheed]] [[C-130 Hercules]] transport
* [[Douglas DC-3]] passenger transport
* The American [[General Dynamics]] [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], a NATO standard fighter/interceptor of many countries, including Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, and the USAF.
* The French/German [[Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet|Alpha Jet]]
* The Italian [[Aermacchi F-260|SIAI-Marchetti SF.260M/D]] propellor-driven trainer aircraft

and helicopters:
* The French [[Aérospatiale Alouette II]] and [[Aérospatiale Alouette III]]
* The American [[Sikorsky]] [[H-34 Choctaw|S-58]]
* The British [[Westland Sea King]], built under license from Sikorsky

==Post Cold War reforms - COMOPSAIR==
In the beginning of the nineties, the end of the Cold War caused the Belgian government to restructure the Belgian Armed Forces in order to cope with the changed threats. This meant cutbacks and crimping the Armed Forces. The Belgian Air Force was hit hard and saw its strength more than halved with the disbanding of the ''3rd Tactical Wing'' in Bierset (1994); the disbanding of the ''1st Fighter Wing'' in [[Beauvechain]]; the 9th Training Wing in [[Sint-Truiden]]; and the Elementary Flying School in ''Goetsenhoven'' (1996).

In 2002, the Belgian government decided to emulate [[Canada]] and impose a "single structure" on its armed forces in which the independent Belgian Air Force ceased to exist. The former Air Force became the Belgium Air Component ('''COMOPSAIR''') of the Armed Forces. COMOPSAIR nowadays consists of the ''2nd Tactical Wing'' in [[Florennes]] and the ''10th Tactical Wing'' in [[Kleine Brogel]], both flying the F-16 in four squadrons. Out of the 160 F-16s originally bought by Belgium, only 90 were updated then; with further reductions to 72 aircraft in 2005; and planned to 60 by 2015. The 1st Wing at ''Beauvechain'' is assigned with the training of pilots for which the Marchetti propellor-driven trainer aircraft is used for elementary training, and the Alpha Jet for advanced training. Advanced fighter training occurs in the F-16 at ''Kleine Brogel''.

COMOPSAIR still uses the [[Lockheed]] [[C-130 Hercules]] (in the ''15th Air Transport Wing'' based at Melsbroek, Belgium, which in time is planned to be replaced by seven [[Airbus A400M]] transport planes. VIPs are transported with Embraer 135/145 jets, and the [[Dassault Falcon|Dassault 20/900]]. The Sea King helicopters and the Alouette III SAR helicopters will be active for still another few years. They will be replaced by [[NHI NH90|NH-90's]].

In 2004, as part of the new unified structure, the Army Aviations units were transferred to the COMOPSAIR. These contain the [[Agusta A109]] attack helicopter, and the Alouette II training and scout helicopter.

Within the framework of its commitments within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, [[NATO]]. Belgium has allotted its 72 F-16s to NATO purposes. Two squadrons with a total of 36 aircraft have been designated for use by the ''Rapid Reaction Forces''.

==Recent Operations==
In January of 1991, 18 Mirage V aircraft of the 3rd Tactical Wing were deployed to [[Turkey|Turkey's]] [[Diyarbakır]] air base. During this operation, Belgian planes carried out several deterrent flights along the Iraqi border.

From October 1996 on, the Belgian Air Force cooperated with the Dutch Royal Air Force in the ''Deployable Air Task Force'' in patrolling former Yuguslavian airspace. F-16s of the 2nd and 10th Tactical Wings, operating from the Italian bases of ''Villafranca'' and ''Amendola'', were assigned to missions insuring the control of a No-Fly Zone over Yugoslavia, and providing the air support necessary for UN and NATO troops. Between 24 March and 10 June 1999, 12 Belgian F-16s carried out 679 combat sorties - the first time since the Second World War that Belgian aircraft took part in active war operations in enemy territory - against [[Serbia]] during the [[Kosovo]] crisis. The last Belgian F-16 detachment left Italy in August of 2001.

On 29 March 2004, four F-16s from ''Kleine Brogel'' were transferred under NATO's [[Baltic Air Policing]] mission to the ''Sioulai'' air base in [[Lithuania]] for three months, where they were employed in monitoring the [[Lithuania]]n, [[Latvia]]n, and [[Estonia]]n skies.

On 9 September 2005, an F-16 crashed near [[Vlieland]], [[The Netherlands]]. The pilot was killed.

On 5 May 2006, a Belgian C-130 "Hercules" undergoing updating at the Sabena Technics was destroyed when the hangar that it was in burned to the ground. The C-130 and three commercial planes were destroyed beyond recovery. The Belgian Air Force has announced its intention to acquire a second-hand C-130 to replace the one lost in the fire.

On [[December 1]], 2006 the Belgian Air Force deployed again under [[Baltic Air Policing]] mission four F-16 MLU aircraft to Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where they are used to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. [http://www.f-16.net/news_article2075.html Belgium deploys F-16s to police Baltic airspace]

== Strength ==

{{Standard table|0}}
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service<ref name="awst_20070115">"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, ''[[Aviation Week & Space Technology]]'', [[January 15]] [[2007]].</ref>
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| [[Aérospatiale Alouette II]]
| {{FRA}}
| Utility helicopter
| SA 318C
| 13
|
|-----
| [[Aérospatiale Alouette III]]
| {{FRA}}
| Utility helicopter
| SA 316B
| 3
|
|-----
| [[Agusta A109]]
| {{ITA}}
| Scout/attack helicopter
|
| 32
|
|-----
| [[Airbus A310]]
| {{FRA}}
| VIP transport
| A310-222
| 2
|
|-----
| [[Dassault Falcon 20]]
| {{FRA}}
| VIP transport
| Falcon 20C
| 2
|
|-----
| [[Dassault Falcon 900]]
| {{FRA}}
| VIP transport
|
| 1
|
|-----
| [[Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet]]
| {{FRA}} {{GER}}
| Trainer
| Alpha Jet E
| 29
|
|-----
| [[Embraer ERJ 145 family|Embraer ERJ 135]]
| {{BRA}}
| Transport
| ERJ 135LR
| 2
|
|-----
| [[Embraer ERJ 145 family|Embraer ERJ 145]]
| {{BRA}}
| Transport
| ERJ 145LR
| 2
|
|-----
| [[Fouga Magister]]
| {{FRA}}
| Trainer
| CM 170
| 9
|
|-----
| [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]]
| {{USA}}
| Transport
| C-130H
| 11
|
|-----
| [[Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon]]
| {{BEL}}
| Fighter
| '''Total''' F-16A F-16B
| '''68''' 53 15
| Produced in Belgium by [[SABCA]].
|-----
| [[Piper PA-18 Super Cub]]
| {{USA}}
| Utility
| L-21B
| 5
|
|-----
| [[SIAI-Marchetti SF.260]]
| {{ITA}}
| Trainer
| '''Total''' SF.260D SF.260M
| '''34''' 9 25
|
|-----
| [[Westland Sea King]]
| {{UK}}
| Search and rescue
| Mk.48
| 4
|
|}

In addition to aircraft, the [[Grob G 102 Astir|Grob G-102]] sailplane is maintained for training purposes.

==External link==
*[http://www.mil.be/aircomp/index.asp?LAN=en Official website]

[[Category:Air forces]]
[[Category:Military of Belgium]]
[[Category:Aviation in Belgium]]

[[nl:Luchtcomponent van de Belgische Strijdkrachten]]
[[ja:ベルギー空軍]]

Cassard-Klasse

2006-10-31T23:58:16Z

Joshbaumgartner: Chart

{{Infobox Class|
|Image=[[Image:Cassard_1.jpg|300px|Frigate ''Cassard'']]
|Image caption=''Cassard''
|Country=France
|Country flag=Flag of France.svg
|Builders=
|Operators={{Navy FRA}}
|Preceding class=
|Following class=
|Subclasses=
|First commissioned date=
|First in service date=
|Final decommission date=
|Final out of service date=
|Total ships in class=2
|Total ships active=[[Cassard (D 614)|''Cassard'']] [[Jean Bart (D 615)|''Jean Bart'']]
|Total ships building=
|Total ships fitting out=
|Total ships stored=
|Total ships converted=
|Total ships out of service=
|Total ships sunk=
|Total ships scrapped=
|Total ships preserved=
|Total ships unbuilt=
|Total ships planned=
|Ship type=Air defense frigate
|Ship displacement=4,500 tons
|Ship length=139 m
|Ship beam=14 m
|Ship draught=6 m
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=4 [[diesel engines]]
|Ship speed=29 knots
|Ship range=8,000 nm
|Ship test depth=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=244
|Ship armament=52 [[surface-to-air missile]]s 8 [[anti-ship missile]]s 1 [[dual purpose gun]] 2 [[anti-aircraft gun]]s 4 [[machine gun]]s 10 [[torpedo]]es
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=1 [[helicopter]]
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|}}

The ''Cassard'' type is a class of anti-air frigate of the [[French Navy]]. Their primary role is to provide air cover for a fleet, an aeronaval group, or a convoy. They can also be used for research, identification or presence missions.

The experience gained during the design and construction of the ''Cassard'' type was used for the design of the ''[[La Fayette class frigate|La Fayette]]'' type.

The two elements of the class are
* D614 ''[[Cassard (D 614)|Cassard]]''
* D615 ''[[Jean Bart (D 615)|Jean Bart]]''

They are due to be decommissioned around 2010.

== Electronics ==

*DRBV26C sentry radar
*1 DRBJ11B tri-dimensional air sentry radar
*1 DIBV2A infra-red alert system
*2 DRBN34 navigation and landing radar
*1 DUBV 24C hull sonar
*Syracuse II satellite communication system
*1 ARBR 17 radar detector
*1 SAIGON radio emission detector
*1 ARBB 33 jammer
*2 SAGAIE NG decoy launchers
*2 DAGAIE decoy launchers

==Photographs==
<gallery>
Image:Cassard 1.jpg|The ''Cassard'' frigate at sea near Toulon
Image:Cassard 2.jpg|The anti-air frigate ''Cassard'' docked in Toulon
Image:Panther_helo_1.jpg|Maneuvering of a ''Panther'' helicopter on the ''Cassard'' frigate
Image:Cassard 3.jpg|Fire team of the ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 4.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 5.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 6.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 7.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard'' during her 2000/2001 refitting
Image:Cassard-Jean Bart2.jpg|The ''Cassard'' and ''Jean de Vienne'' (D643)
Image:Surcouf-Courbet-Jean Bart.jpg|The ''Jean Bart'' besides the stealth frigates ''Surcouf'' and ''Courbet''
Image:FS_Jean_Bart.jpg
Image:FS_Jean_Bart2.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Frigate classes]]
[[Category:Cold War frigates of France]]
[[Category:Active frigates of France]]

Biter (Schiff, 1942)

2006-09-30T17:09:42Z

Joshbaumgartner:

'''HMS ''Biter'' (D97)''' was an [[escort aircraft carrier|escort carrier]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. She was laid down in 1939, under [[Maritime Commission]] contract (Hull Sun-60), by the [[Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]], [[Chester, Pennsylvania]], launched on [[18 December]] [[1940]], and transferred from the [[United States Navy]] to the Royal Navy in 1940.

She carried out some aircraft ferry operations in the [[Mediterranean]] then returned to the [[United Kingdom]] to start the real task.

In March 1943, she embarked the [[Fairey Swordfish]] of [[No. 811 Squadron FAA|811 Naval Air Squadron]] of the [[Fleet Air Arm]] and carried out operations escorting [[convoy]]s.

In January 1945, HMS ''Biter'' was retransferred to the [[French Navy]] as ''Dixmude''. She subsequently saw action in [[Indo-China]] in 1946-48. She was returned to the US Navy in 1966 for disposal.

== See also ==

* [[List of aircraft carriers]]
* [[List of World War II ships]]
* [[List of ship launches in 1940]]
* [[List of ship commissionings in 1945]]
* [[List of ship decommissionings in 1945]]
* [[List of ship decommissionings in 1966]]

{{Charger class escort carrier}}

[[Category:Avenger class aircraft carriers|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:Royal Navy aircraft carriers|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom|Biter (D97)]]

{{UK-mil-ship-stub}}

Biter (Schiff, 1942)

2006-09-30T16:59:41Z

Joshbaumgartner: Lists

'''HMS ''Biter'' (D97)''' was an [[escort aircraft carrier|escort carrier]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. She was laid down in 1939, under [[Maritime Commission]] contract (Hull Sun-60), by the [[Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]], [[Chester, Pennsylvania]], launched on [[18 December]] [[1940]], and transferred from the [[United States Navy]] to the Royal Navy in 1940.

She carried out some aircraft ferry operations in the [[Mediterranean]] then returned to the [[United Kingdom]] to start the real task.

In March 1943, she embarked the [[Fairey Swordfish]] of [[No. 811 Squadron FAA|811 Naval Air Squadron]] of the [[Fleet Air Arm]] and carried out operations escorting [[convoy]]s.

In January 1945, HMS ''Biter'' was retransferred to the [[French Navy]] as ''Dixmude''. She subsequently saw action in [[Indo-China]] in 1946-48. She was returned to the US Navy in 1966 for disposal.

== See also ==

* [[List of aircraft carriers]]
* [[List of World War II ships]]
* [[List of ship launches in 1940]]
* [[List of ship commissionings in 1940]]
* [[List of ship commissionings in 1945]]
* [[List of ship decommissionings in 1945]]
* [[List of ship decommissionings in 1966]]

{{Charger class escort carrier}}

[[Category:Avenger class aircraft carriers|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:Royal Navy aircraft carriers|Biter (D97)]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom|Biter (D97)]]

{{UK-mil-ship-stub}}

Octavius (Schiff)

2006-09-25T19:41:08Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''''Octavius''''' was a [[ghost ship]] found near [[Greenland]] by the [[whaling ship]] ''Herald'' in [[1775]].

Boarded as a [[derelict]], the boarding party found the entire crew below deck: dead, frozen, and almost perfectly preserved. The [[captain]]'s body was supposedly still at the table in his cabin, pen in one hand with the [[captain's log]] in front of him. The boarding party took only the captain's log before quitting the vessel. The last entry in the log was from [[1762]], which meant that the ship had been lost in the Arctic for 13 years.

Apparently, the ''Octavius'' had left England for the [[Orient]] in [[1761]], and successfully arrived at its destination the following year. The captain gambled on a return through the treacherous (and then unconquered) [[Northwest Passage]], with the unfortunate result of trapping the vessel in [[sea ice]] north of Alaska; thus, the ''Octavius'' had made the Northwest Passage posthumously.

The ship was never seen again after its encounter with the ''Herald''.

==Reference==

*Raybin Emert, Phyllis. ''Mysteries of Ships and Planes''. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 1990. ISBN 0812594274

[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean]]
[[Category:Phantom vehicles]]

Octavius (Schiff)

2006-09-25T19:39:38Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''''Octavius''''' was a [[ghost ship]] found near [[Greenland]] by the [[whaling ship]] ''Herald'' in [[1775]].

Boarded as a [[derelict]], the boarding party found the entire crew below deck: dead, frozen, and almost perfectly preserved. The [[captain]]'s body was supposedly still at the table in his cabin, pen in one hand with the [[captain's log]] in front of him. The boarding party took only the captain's log before quitting the vessel. The last entry in the log was from [[1762]], which meant that the ship had been lost in the Arctic for 13 years.

Apparently, the ''Octavius'' had left England for the [[Orient]] in [[1761]], and successfully arrived at its destination the following year. The captain gambled on a return through the treacherous (and then unconquered) [[Northwest Passage]], with the unfortunate result of trapping the vessel in [[sea ice]] north of Alaska; thus, the ''Octavius'' had made the Northwest Passage posthumously.

The ship was never seen again after its encounter with the ''Herald''.

==Reference==

*Raybin Emert, Phyllis. ''Mysteries of Ships and Planes''. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 1990. ISBN 0812594274

[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean]]
[[Category:Phantom vehicles]]

Octavius (Schiff)

2006-09-25T19:38:49Z

Joshbaumgartner:

Mackay-Bennett

2006-09-25T19:31:20Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''CS Mackay Bennet''' was a cable-laying [[ship]] based in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]. She earned her fame by carrying out the difficult task of retrieving and returning bodies floating in the [[North Atlantic]] after the [[Titanic]] disaster.

==External links==
*[http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ship/174/ Mackay-Bennett at Encyclopedia Titanica]

[[Category:Cable laying ships]]
[[Category:Service vessels of Canada]]
[[Category:RMS Titanic]]
{{ship-stub}}

Mackay-Bennett

2006-09-25T19:30:16Z

Joshbaumgartner: cat

The '''CS Mackay Bennet''' was a cable-laying [[ship]] based in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]. She earned her fame by carrying out the difficult task of retrieving and returning bodies floating in the [[North Atlantic]] after the [[Titanic]] disaster.

==External links==
*[http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ship/174/ Mackay-Bennett at Encyclopedia Titanica]

[[Category:Service vessels of Canada]]
[[Category:RMS Titanic]]
{{ship-stub}}

Blackwall-Fregatte

2006-09-25T17:48:42Z

Joshbaumgartner:

[[Image:Clyde1860.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Clyde (1860)]]

'''Blackwall Frigate''' was the colloquial name for a type of three-masted fully-rigged merchant [[ship]] built between the late 1830s and the mid 1870s. They were originally intended as replacements for the British [[East Indiaman]] in the trade between [[England]], the [[Cape of Good Hope]], [[India]] and [[China]], but from the 1850s were also employed in the trade between England, [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]].

The first '''Blackwall Frigates''' were designed and built by the Wigram and Green shipyard at [[Blackwall, London|Blackwall]] on the [[River Thames]]. Under different owners these yards had built '''East Indiamen''' since the early 17th century as well as warships for the [[Royal Navy]]. Whereas the traditional East Indiaman had double stern galleries the Blackwall Frigate had single galleries and was superficially similar in appearance to a naval [[frigate]]. The first two Blackwall Frigates, the 871-ton ''Seringapatam'' and 951-ton ''Madagascar'' launched in 1837, carried the names of two slightly larger Indian-built frigates in the Royal Navy. With only a single gallery, the hull-lines at the stern could be very fine and combined with relatively fine lines at the bow, Blackwall Frigates were fast sailing ships, although not as fast as the [[clipper]] ships that appeared in the late 1840s.

Over 120 '''Blackwall Frigates''' were built British and Indian yards before the last, the 1857-ton iron ship ''Melbourne'', was built at Blackwall by the Green family in 1875. They were generally considered to be safe and comfortable ships in premium trades, but were the victims of some of the most celebrated [[shipwreck]]s of the 19th century. These included the [[Madagascar (ship)]] missing between Melbourne and London in 1853 with the loss of about 150 lives; the ''Dalhousie'' that sank off [[Beachy Head]] on 13 October 1853 with the loss of about 60 passengers and crew; the [[Dunbar (shipwreck)]] that was wrecked near [[Sydney Heads]] on 20 August 1857 with the loss of 121 lives; the [[Northfleet (ship)]] run down and sunk by a steamer in the [[English Channel]] on 22 January 1873 with the loss of 320 lives; and the [[Cospatrick (ship)]] that was destroyed by fire south of the [[Cape of Good Hope]] on 18 November 1874 with the loss of 473 lives.

By the 1860s the main difference between Blackwall frigates and clippers was the stern gallery (which "true clippers" never had, though some "semi-clippers" did) and the residual "tumble-home" or hull curvature such that the hull was narrower at deck level than at the waterline). Both types became superseded as passenger carrying vessels by steamships during the 1870s and later sailing ships of the type colloquially called a [[windjammer]] were built for cargo carrying only. The vessel illustrated (''Clyde'', full-rigged ship 1151 tons built in 1860) is not generally listed as a Blackwall frigate but displays all the characteristics of later vessels of the type including the stern galleries and moderate "tumble-home".

==Sources==

*Basil Lubbock, ''The Blackwall Frigates'', Brown, Son & Ferguson, Glasgow, 1922.
*''Lloyd's Register of Shipping''
*David Lyon, ''The Navy Sailing List - All the Ships of the Royal Navy built, Purchased and Captured - 1688-1860'', Conway Maritime Press, London, 1993

[[Category:Victorian era frigates of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Victorian era merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of India]]
[[Category:Ship types]]

Blackwall-Fregatte

2006-09-25T17:47:31Z

Joshbaumgartner: cat

Belgische Luftstreitkräfte

2006-06-09T17:26:58Z

Joshbaumgartner: F-260 link

[[Image:Belgian Air Force Flag.gif|250px|thumb|Ensign of the Belgian Air Force]]
[[Image:F-16 MLU of Belgian Air Force's Solo Display Team (reg. FA-133), taxiing, Radom AirShow 2005, Poland.jpg|thumb|right|250px|F-16 of Belgian Air Force's Solo Display Team]]

==Early years==
The '''Belgian Air Force''' was founded in [[1909]] as a branch of the Belgian Army. It originally carried the name of ''Compagnie des Ouvries et Aérostiers''. At the start of the First World War, the military aviation branch consisted of four squadrons equipped with Farman aircraft. In March 1915 it was expanded to six squadrons. One of its pilots, [[Willy Coppens]], even became the ranking balloon buster of the war.

At the start of the Second World War, the Army Air Force had three active Air Force Regiments. Planes which were used by those regiments were the Renard, the Fiat CR42, the [[Hawker Hurricane]], the [[Gloster Gladiator]], the [[Fairey Fox]] and the [[Fairey Battle]]. After the German invasion of May 1940 and the surrender of [[Belgium]] on [[May 28]], [[1940]], a Belgian Air Force in exile was created in the [[United Kingdom]]. This section was active within the [[Royal Air Force]] and its squadrons were equipped with versions of the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] and the [[Hawker Typhoon]].

==During the Cold War==
On 15 October 1946, the Belgian military aviation was turned into an autonomous force, independent of the Army (compared to the [[United States Air Force|USAF]] which didn't become independent of the army until September 1947).

During the Cold War, at various times the Belgian Air Force operated the following planes:

* [[Gloster Meteor]] fighter
* Republic [[F-84 Thunderjet]] fighter-bomber
* Douglas [[C-47 Skytrain|C-47B Skytrain]] and Fairchild [[C-119 Flying Boxcar|C-119F/G Flying Boxcar]]
* [[Avro CF-100|Avro-Canada CF-100 Canuck]]
* [[Hawker Hunter]]
* [[F-104 Starfighter]]
* [[Dassault Mirage III|Dassault Mirage 5]]
* [[Lockheed]] [[C-130 Hercules]]
* [[General Dynamics]] [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]]
* [[Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet|Alpha Jet]]
* [[Aermacchi F-260|SIAI-Marchetti SF.260M/D]] propellor trainer aircraft

and helicopters:
* [[Aérospatiale Alouette II]] and [[Aérospatiale Alouette III]]
* [[Sikorsky]] S-58
* [[Westland Sea King]]

==Post Cold War reforms - COMOPSAIR==
In the beginning of the nineties, the end of the Cold War caused the Belgian government to restructure the Belgian Armed Forces in order to cope with the changed threats. This meant cutbacks and crimping the Armed Forces. The Belgian Air Force was hit hard and saw its strength more than halved with the disbanding of the ''3rd Tactical Wing'' in [[Bierset]] (1994) and the disbanding of the ''1st Fighter Wing'' in [[Beauvechain]], the 9th Training Wing in [[Sint-Truiden]], and the Elementary Flying School in ''Goetsenhoven'' (1996).

In 2002, the government decided to impose a "single structure" on the armed forces in which the independent Belgian Air Force ceased to exist. The former Air Force became the Belgium Air Component ('''COMOPSAIR''') of the Armed Forces. COMOPSAIR nowadays exists out of the ''2nd Tactical Wing'' in [[Florennes]] and the ''10th Tactical Wing'' in [[Kleine Brogel]], both flying the F-16 in four squadrons (out of 160 F-16s bought by Belgium only 90 were updated, with further reductions to 72 aircraft in 2005 and 60 by 2015). The 1st Wing at ''Beauvechain'' is tasked with the training of pilots for which the Marchetti propellor trainer aircraft is used for elementary training and the Alpha Jet for advanced training. Advanced fighter training occurs on the F-16 at ''Kleine Brogel''.

COMOPSAIR still uses the C-130 Hercules (''15th Air Transport Wing'' at [[Melsbroek]]) which in time will be replaced by 7 [[Airbus A400M]] transport planes. VIPs are transported with Embraer 135/145 jets and the [[Dassault Falcon|Dassault 20/900]]. The Seaking helicopters and the Alouette III SAR helicopters will be active for still another couple of years. They will be replaced by [[NHI NH90|NH-90's]].

In 2004, as part of the new unified structure, the Army Aviations units were transferred to the COMOPSAIR. These contain the [[Agusta A109]] attack helicopter and the Alouette II training and scout helicopter.

Within the framework of its commitments within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Belgium has allotted its 72 F-16s to [[NATO]]. Two squadrons with a total of 36 aircraft have been designated for use by the ''Rapid Reaction Forces''.

==Operations==
In January 1991, 18 Mirage V aircraft of the 3rd Tactical Wing were deployed to [[Turkey|Turkey's]] [[Diyarbakir]] air base. During this operation, Belgian planes carried out several deterrent flights along the Iraqi border.

From October 1996 on, the Belgian Air Force cooperated with the Dutch Royal Air Force in the ''Deployable Air Task Force'' in patrolling the former Yuguslavian airspace. F-16s of the 2nd and 10th Tactical Wings, operating from the Italian bases of ''Villafranca'' and ''Amendola'', were entrusted with missions ensuring the control and monitoring the no-fly zone and providing the air support necessary for UN and NATO troops. Between March 24 and June 10, 1999, 12 Belgian F-16s carried out 679 combat sorties - the first time since the Second World War that Belgian aircraft took part in war operations in enemy territory - against [[Yugoslavia]] during the [[Kosovo]] crisis. The last Belgian F-16 detachment left [[Italy]] in August 2001.

Since 29 March 2004, 4 F-16s from ''Kleine Brogel'' were transferred to the ''Sioulai'' air base in [[Lithuania]] where they are employed in monitoring missions above the territory of [[Lithuania]], [[Latvia]] and [[Estonia]].

On 9 September 2005, an F-16 crashed near [[Vlieland]], [[The Netherlands]]. The pilot died.

On 5 May 2006, a Belgian C-130 undergoing revision at Sabena Technics was destroyed when the hangar it was in burned to the ground. The C-130 and three commercial planes were destroyed beyond recovery. The Belgian Air force has announced its intention to acquire a second hand C-130 to replace the one lost in the fire.

==External link==
*[http://www.mil.be/aircomp/index.asp?LAN=en Official website]

[[Category:Air forces]]
[[Category:Military of Belgium]]

[[ja:ベルギー空軍]]

Admiral-Klasse (1920)

2006-01-31T00:49:28Z

Joshbaumgartner: /* See also */

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:HMS Hood early 1930s.jpg|300px|HMS ''Hood'']]
|-
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| General Characteristics
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| [[Image:RN-White-Ensign.svg|60px|Royal Navy]]
|-
|Displacement:
|45,200 tons
|-
|Length:
|860 ft 7 in
|-
|Beam:
|104 ft 2 in
|-
|Draft:
|33 ft 1 in
|-
|Propulsion:
|4 oil turbines producing 144,000 shp
|-
|Speed:
|31 knots
|-
|Range:
|5,300 nmi (10,000 km)
|-
|Complement:
|1,169
|-
|Armament:
|8 x 15 inch guns 12 x 5.5 inch DP guns 8 x 4 inch DP guns 24 x 2 pdr AA guns 20 x .50 cal machineguns 4 x 21 inch torpedo tubes
|-
|Aircraft:
|1 catapult-launched plane
|}

The '''Admiral-class battlecruisers''' were a group of four British [[Royal Navy]] [[battlecruiser]]s designed near the end of [[World War I]]. The class consisted of HMS ''Anson'', ''Howe'', ''Rodney'', and [[HMS Hood (51)|''Hood'']]. These ships were intended to counter the German [[Kaiserliche Marine]] [[Mackensen class battlecruiser|''Mackensen''-class]] battlecruisers that were then under construction. After the Germans stopped working on the ''Mackensen'' class, HMS ''Anson, Howe'', and ''Rodney'' were cancelled. The ''Hood'' was completed and later saw service in [[World War II]].

==History==

In 1915 the [[Admiralty]] were considering the next generation of warship to follow the [[Queen Elizabeth class battleship|''Queen Elizabeth''-class]]. The Director of Naval Construction, Sir [[Eustace Tennyson-d'Eyncourt]], was given instructions to prepare designs for a new "fast battleship". The designs should incorporate the lessons already learned from the Royal Navys vessels operating under wartime conditions; they needed a high freeboard, with secondary armament mounting clear of spray, shallow draught, make in at least 30 knots and use 15 inch guns.

Admiral Jellicoe changed the requirement from fast battleship to large battlecruiser since the rumoured ''Mackensen''s would outperform the current British battlecruisers.

In early 1916, the choice was between two designs by E.L. Attwood. In April 1916, the design choice was made. They would be large ships 860 feet long, displacing 36,000 tons. The narrow hull, lightly armoured with small boilers meant that she should be able to reach 32 knots. The orders for the first three were placed the same month, the fourth a while later.

{|-
|HMS ''Hood''
| after [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Viscount Hood]]
|to be built by John Brown & Company Ltd, Clydebank
|-
|HMS ''Howe''
|after [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Earl Howe]]
|to be built by [[Camell Laird|Cammell Laird & Company, Ltd]]
|-
|HMS ''Rodney''
| after [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Baron Rodney]]
|to be built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Ltd.
|-
|HMS ''Anson''
| after [[George Anson, 1st Baron Anson|George Anson]]
|to be built by [[Armstrong-Whitworth|W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Company, Ltd]].
|-
|}

*Displacement 42,100 tons
*Length: 860 feet
*Complement: 1,341
*Armament
**Eight 15 inch guns in four turrets
**Twelve single mount 5.5 inch guns
**Eight 4 inch AA guns in 4 mounts
**Two underwater torpedo tubes

The loss of British battlecruisers at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in 1916 led to changes in the design. These included additional armour and changes to the armament. The extra weight of the armour necessitated strengthening the hull and the keel of the first, ''Hood'', was not laid until September 1916. The new displacement would be 42,100 tons.

The non-arrival of the German ''Mackensen''s meant that there was no longer a rush to build four ships. At the same time the US was starting on the ''Lexington'' class battlecruisers (later to become the [[Lexington class aircraft carrier]]s) and [[South Dakota class battleship|''South Dakota'' class battleships]] in her bid to create a navy without equal. The Royal Navy needed better ships than the Admiral class and started looking forward to the [[G3 battlecruiser]]s and [[N3 battleship]]s. As her build was already underway the ''Hood'' was retained but the other three were cancelled.

== Ships in class ==

[[Image:HMS Hood early 1930s.jpg|thumb|right|200px|HMS ''Hood'' in the [[1930]]s]]
==== [[HMS Hood (51)|HMS ''Hood'']] ====
* Builder: [[John Brown & Company]] in [[Clydebank]], [[Scotland]]
* Laid down: [[1 September]] [[1916]]
* Launched: [[22 August]] [[1918]]
* Commissioned: [[15 May]] [[1920]]
* Operations: [[Cruise of the Special Service Squadron]], [[Invergordon Mutiny]], [[Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir|Mers-el-Kebir]], [[Battle of the Denmark Strait]]
* Victories: None
* Fate: Sunk [[24 May]] [[1941]] by [[Kriegsmarine]] [[battleship]] [[German battleship Bismarck|''Bismarck'']]

==== [[HMS Anson|HMS ''Anson'']], [[HMS Howe|''Howe'']], [[HMS Rodney|''Rodney'']] ====
Laid down in 1916, construction suspended in March 1917 and cancelled in October 1918.

==See also==

* [[List of battleship classes]]
* [[List of World War II ship classes]]
* [[List of ship launches in 1918]]
* [[List of ship commissionings in 1920]]
* [[List of shipwrecks in 1941]]

==External links==

[http://www.hmshood.com/ship/history/Design.html HMS Hood website]

 
{| style="margin:0 auto;" align=center width=75% class="toccolours"
|align=center| '''[[Admiral class battlecruiser]]'''
|-
|align=center| HMS ''Anson'' | [[HMS Hood (51)|HMS ''Hood'']] | HMS ''Howe'' | HMS ''Rodney''
|-
|align=center| '''[[List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy]]'''
|}

[[Category:Royal Navy battlecruisers]]
[[Category:Ship classes]]

Admiral-Klasse (1920)

2006-01-31T00:30:20Z

Joshbaumgartner:

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:HMS Hood early 1930s.jpg|300px|HMS ''Hood'']]
|-
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| General Characteristics
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;"| [[Image:RN-White-Ensign.svg|60px|Royal Navy]]
|-
|Displacement:
|45,200 tons
|-
|Length:
|860 ft 7 in
|-
|Beam:
|104 ft 2 in
|-
|Draft:
|33 ft 1 in
|-
|Propulsion:
|4 oil turbines producing 144,000 shp
|-
|Speed:
|31 knots
|-
|Range:
|5,300 nmi (10,000 km)
|-
|Complement:
|1,169
|-
|Armament:
|8 x 15 inch guns 12 x 5.5 inch DP guns 8 x 4 inch DP guns 24 x 2 pdr AA guns 20 x .50 cal machineguns 4 x 21 inch torpedo tubes
|-
|Aircraft:
|1 catapult-launched plane
|}

The '''Admiral-class battlecruisers''' were a group of four British [[Royal Navy]] [[battlecruiser]]s designed near the end of [[World War I]]. The class consisted of HMS ''Anson'', ''Howe'', ''Rodney'', and [[HMS Hood (51)|''Hood'']]. These ships were intended to counter the German [[Kaiserliche Marine]] [[Mackensen class battlecruiser|''Mackensen''-class]] battlecruisers that were then under construction. After the Germans stopped working on the ''Mackensen'' class, HMS ''Anson, Howe'', and ''Rodney'' were cancelled. The ''Hood'' was completed and later saw service in [[World War II]].

==History==

In 1915 the [[Admiralty]] were considering the next generation of warship to follow the [[Queen Elizabeth class battleship|''Queen Elizabeth''-class]]. The Director of Naval Construction, Sir [[Eustace Tennyson-d'Eyncourt]], was given instructions to prepare designs for a new "fast battleship". The designs should incorporate the lessons already learned from the Royal Navys vessels operating under wartime conditions; they needed a high freeboard, with secondary armament mounting clear of spray, shallow draught, make in at least 30 knots and use 15 inch guns.

Admiral Jellicoe changed the requirement from fast battleship to large battlecruiser since the rumoured ''Mackensen''s would outperform the current British battlecruisers.

In early 1916, the choice was between two designs by E.L. Attwood. In April 1916, the design choice was made. They would be large ships 860 feet long, displacing 36,000 tons. The narrow hull, lightly armoured with small boilers meant that she should be able to reach 32 knots. The orders for the first three were placed the same month, the fourth a while later.

{|-
|HMS ''Hood''
| after [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Viscount Hood]]
|to be built by John Brown & Company Ltd, Clydebank
|-
|HMS ''Howe''
|after [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|Earl Howe]]
|to be built by [[Camell Laird|Cammell Laird & Company, Ltd]]
|-
|HMS ''Rodney''
| after [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Baron Rodney]]
|to be built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Ltd.
|-
|HMS ''Anson''
| after [[George Anson, 1st Baron Anson|George Anson]]
|to be built by [[Armstrong-Whitworth|W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth & Company, Ltd]].
|-
|}

*Displacement 42,100 tons
*Length: 860 feet
*Complement: 1,341
*Armament
**Eight 15 inch guns in four turrets
**Twelve single mount 5.5 inch guns
**Eight 4 inch AA guns in 4 mounts
**Two underwater torpedo tubes

The loss of British battlecruisers at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in 1916 led to changes in the design. These included additional armour and changes to the armament. The extra weight of the armour necessitated strengthening the hull and the keel of the first, ''Hood'', was not laid until September 1916. The new displacement would be 42,100 tons.

The non-arrival of the German ''Mackensen''s meant that there was no longer a rush to build four ships. At the same time the US was starting on the ''Lexington'' class battlecruisers (later to become the [[Lexington class aircraft carrier]]s) and [[South Dakota class battleship|''South Dakota'' class battleships]] in her bid to create a navy without equal. The Royal Navy needed better ships than the Admiral class and started looking forward to the [[G3 battlecruiser]]s and [[N3 battleship]]s. As her build was already underway the ''Hood'' was retained but the other three were cancelled.

== Ships in class ==

[[Image:HMS Hood early 1930s.jpg|thumb|right|200px|HMS ''Hood'' in the [[1930]]s]]
==== [[HMS Hood (51)|HMS ''Hood'']] ====
* Builder: [[John Brown & Company]] in [[Clydebank]], [[Scotland]]
* Laid down: [[1 September]] [[1916]]
* Launched: [[22 August]] [[1918]]
* Commissioned: [[15 May]] [[1920]]
* Operations: [[Cruise of the Special Service Squadron]], [[Invergordon Mutiny]], [[Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir|Mers-el-Kebir]], [[Battle of the Denmark Strait]]
* Victories: None
* Fate: Sunk [[24 May]] [[1941]] by [[Kriegsmarine]] [[battleship]] [[German battleship Bismarck|''Bismarck'']]

==== [[HMS Anson|HMS ''Anson'']], [[HMS Howe|''Howe'']], [[HMS Rodney|''Rodney'']] ====
Laid down in 1916, construction suspended in March 1917 and cancelled in October 1918.

==See also==

* [[List of World War II ship classes]]
* [[List of ship launches in 1918]]
* [[List of ship commissionings in 1920]]
* [[List of shipwrecks in 1941]]

==External links==

[http://www.hmshood.com/ship/history/Design.html HMS Hood website]

 
{| style="margin:0 auto;" align=center width=75% class="toccolours"
|align=center| '''[[Admiral class battlecruiser]]'''
|-
|align=center| HMS ''Anson'' | [[HMS Hood (51)|HMS ''Hood'']] | HMS ''Howe'' | HMS ''Rodney''
|-
|align=center| '''[[List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy]]'''
|}

[[Category:Royal Navy battlecruisers]]
[[Category:Ship classes]]

Great Lakes Storm of 1913

2005-12-29T19:46:24Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''Great Lakes Storm of 1913''', historically referred to as the "'''Big Blow'''," the "'''Freshwater Fury'''," or the "'''White Hurricane'''," was a [[blizzard]] with [[hurricane]]-force winds that devastated the [[Great Lakes]] [[watershed|basin]] in the [[United States]] [[Midwest]] and the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[Ontario]] from [[November 7]], [[1913]], to [[November 10]], [[1913]].

The deadliest and most destructive [[natural disaster]] to ever hit the lakes[[Great Lakes Storm of 1913#Notes|1]], the Great Lakes Storm killed over 250 people, destroyed 19 [[ship]]s, and stranded 19 others. The financial loss in vessels alone was nearly [[United States dollar|US]]$5 million, or about $100 million in present-day adjusted dollars. The large loss of cargo, including [[coal]], [[iron ore]], and [[cereal|grain]], meant short-term rising prices for consumer products throughout [[North America]].

The storm originated as the convergence of two major [[Weather front|storm front]]s that was fuelled by the lakes' relatively warm waters, a seasonal process called a "November [[gale]]". It produced 90 mph (145 km/h) winds, [[ocean surface wave|wave]]s over 35 feet (11 m) high, and [[whiteout (weather)|whiteout]] [[snow]] [[squall]]s.

[[Image:DetroitNews-11-13-1913.png|right|thumb|400px|''[[The Detroit News]]'', [[November 13]], [[1913]], page 1]]

==Cause: the November gale==
[[Image:November gale.png|thumb|left|300px|Convergence of systems to form the November [[gale]].]]
During [[autumn]], cold, dry air moving south from northern [[Canada]] converges with warm, moist air moving north from the [[Gulf of Mexico]], forming large storm systems in the middle of the continent. Several of these systems move along preferred paths toward the Great Lakes. When the cold air from these storms moves over the lakes, it is warmed by the waters below. This added heat postpones the arctic outbreak in the region, allowing the lakes to remain relatively warm for much longer than otherwise.

In [[November]], two storm tracks converge over the Great Lakes. One travels southeastward from the province of [[Alberta]]; the other brings storms from the [[leeward|lee]] of the central [[Rocky Mountains]] northeastward toward the Great Lakes. This convergence is commonly referred to as a "November [[gale]]" or "November witch". When this [[cyclone|cyclonic]] system moves over the lakes, its power is intensified by the [[jet stream]] above, and warm waters below. This allows the storm to maintain hurricane-force winds up to 100 mph (160 km/h), produce [[ocean surface wave|wave]]s over 50 feet (15 m) high, and dump several feet of snow or inches of [[rain]]. Fuelled by the warm lake water, these powerful storms may remain over the Great Lakes for days. Intense winds then ravage the lakes and surrounding shores, severely eroding the shoreline, and flooding the coasts.

November gales have been a constant bane of the Great Lakes, with at least 25 killer storms striking the region since [[1847]]. During the November gale of [[1975]], the giant [[ore]] bulk carrier [[SS Edmund Fitzgerald|SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']] sank suddenly, without a [[distress signal]].

==Prelude to the storm==
The storm was first noticed on Thursday, [[November 6]], on the western side of [[Lake Superior]], rapidly moving toward northern [[Lake Michigan]]. The [[Weather forecasting|weather forecast]] in ''[[The Detroit News]]'' called for "moderate to brisk" winds for the Great Lakes, with occasional rains Thursday night or Friday for the upper lakes (except on southern [[Lake Huron]]), and fair to unsettled conditions for the lower lakes.

Around midnight, the [[steamboat|steamer]] ''Cornell'', while 50 [[mile]]s (80 [[kilometre|km]]) west of [[Whitefish Point]] in Lake Superior, ran into a sudden northerly gale and was badly damaged. This gale would last until late Monday, [[November 10]], almost forcing ''Cornell'' ashore. This would be the shape of things to come.

''See also: US weather maps for [[:Image:US weather map, 5 Nov 1913.png|November 5]] and [[:Image:US weather map, 6 Nov 1913.png|November 6]] (images)''

==The storm==
===November 7===
[[Image:Storm-Warning-NW-Winds-Flags.png|thumb|right|Storm warning with northwesterly winds]]

On Friday, the weather forecast in the ''Port Huron Times-Herald'' in [[Port Huron, Michigan]], described the storm as "moderately severe." By then, the storm was centered over the upper [[Mississippi River|Mississippi Valley]], and had caused moderate to brisk southerly winds with warmer weather over the lakes. The forecast predicted increased winds and falling temperatures over the next 24 hours.

At 10:00 AM, [[Coast Guard]] stations and [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) Weather Bureau offices at Lake Superior ports raised white [[maritime flags|pennant]]s above square red flags with black centers, indicating a storm warning with northwesterly winds.

By late afternoon, the storm signal flags were replaced with a vertical sequence of red, white, and red lanterns, indicating that a [[hurricane]] with winds over 74 mph (119 km/h) was coming. The winds on Lake Superior had already reached 50 mph (80 km/h) and an accompanying blizzard was moving toward Lake Huron.

''See also: [[:Image:US weather map, 7 Nov 1913.png|US weather map for November 7]] (image)''

===November 8===
By Saturday, the storm had been changed to "[[Severe weather|severe]]" status, and was centered over eastern Lake Superior, covering the entire lake [[watershed|basin]]. The weather forecast from the ''Port Huron Times-Herald'' stated that southerly winds had remained "moderate to brisk". Northwesterly winds had reached gale strength on northern Lake Michigan and western Lake Superior, with winds up to 60 mph (97 km/h) at [[Duluth, Minnesota]].

That morning, assistant engineer Milton Smith of the bulk carrier ''Charles S. Price'' looked at the weather forecast in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], and decided not to join the crew on their voyage. For the past few days, Smith had felt uneasy about this trip; he tried to talk his friend and neighbor, wheelsman Arz McIntosh, into leaving with him, but McIntosh claimed that he needed the money. Bert L. Reynolds of Cleveland was hired to replace Smith before ''Price'' departed from [[Ashtabula, Ohio]].

There was a false lull in the storm, called a ''[[sucker hole]]'', allowing traffic to begin flowing again, both down the [[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Marys River]] and up [[Lake Erie]], and the [[Detroit River|Detroit]] and [[St. Clair River|St. Clair]] rivers, into Lake Huron. The gale wind flags raised at over a hundred ports were ignored. Long ships traveled all that day through the St. Marys River, all night through the [[Straits of Mackinac]], and early Sunday morning up the Detroit and St. Clair rivers.

''See also: [[:Image:US weather map, 8 Nov 1913.png|US weather map for November 8]] (image)''

===November 9===
[[Image:1913 Great Lakes storm wave.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A wave breaking on the shore of [[Lake Michigan]] while a man watches from a bridge.]]

By noon on Sunday, weather conditions on lower Lake Huron were relatively normal for a November gale. [[Barometric pressure]]s in some areas actually began to rise, bringing hope of an end to the storm. The [[low pressure area]] which had moved across Lake Superior was moving northeast, away from the lakes.

The Weather Bureau had sent out its twice daily reports at approximately 8:00 AM, and would not send another set of reports to [[Washington, D.C.]], till around 8:00 PM. This proved to be gravely unfortunate for the Great Lakes region, as the storm would have the better part of a day to build up hurricane forces before the Bureau headquarters in Washington, D.C., would have detailed information.

Along southeastern Lake Erie, near the city of [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], a southern low pressure area was moving toward the lake. This low had formed overnight, and so was absent from Friday's weather map. It had been traveling northward, and began moving northwestward after passing over Washington, D.C.

The intense [[clockwise and counterclockwise|counterclockwise]] rotation of the low was made apparent by the changing wind directions around its center. In [[Buffalo, New York]], morning northwest winds had shifted to northeast by noon, and were blowing southeast by 5:00 PM, with the fastest gusts, 80 mph (130 km/h), occurring between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Just 180 miles (290 km) to the southwest, in Cleveland, building winds remained northwest during the day, shifting to the west by 5:00 PM, and maintaining speeds over 50 mph (80 km/h). The fastest gust in Cleveland, 79 mph (127 km/h), occurred at 4:40 PM. Also of note is the dramatic drop in barometric pressure in Buffalo, from 29.52 [[Pressure|inHg]] (99.97 [[kPa]]) at 8:00 AM to 28.77 inHg (97.43 kPa) at 8:00 PM.

The rotating low continued along its northward path into the evening, bringing its counterclockwise winds in phase with the northwesterly winds already hitting Lakes Superior and Huron. This resulted in an explosive increase in northerly wind speeds and swirling snow. Ships on Lake Huron that were south of [[Alpena, Michigan]], especially around [[Harbor Beach, Michigan|Harbor Beach]] and [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]] in [[Michigan]] and [[Goderich, Ontario|Goderich]] and [[Sarnia, Ontario|Sarnia]] in [[Ontario]], were battered with huge waves moving southward toward St. Clair River.

From 8:00 PM to midnight, the storm became what modern [[meteorology|meteorologists]] call a "[[weather bomb]]". Sustained hurricane-speed winds over 70 mph (110 km/h) ravaged the four northern lakes. The worst damage was done down Lake Huron as numerous ships scrambled for shelter along its southern end. Gusts of 90 mph (140 km/h) were reported off Harbor Beach, Michigan. The lake's shape allowed northerly winds to increase unchecked, due to the lower surface friction of water compared to land, and the ability of wind to guide itself down the long axis of a body of water.

[[Image:Cleveland streetcar after blizzard of 1913.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Cleveland [[streetcar]] stranded in the snow]]

In retrospect, weather forecasters of the time did not have enough data or understanding of atmospheric [[dynamics (mechanics)|dynamics]] to predict or comprehend the events of Sunday, November 9. [[Weather front|Frontal]] mechanisms, referred to then as "[[squall]] lines", were not yet understood. Surface observations were collected only twice daily at various stations around the country, and by the time this data was collected and hand-drawn maps were created, the information was already hours behind actual weather conditions.

===November 10 and 11===
On Monday morning, the storm had moved northeast of [[London, Ontario]], dragging [[lake effect snow|lake effect blizzard]]s in its wake. An additional 17 [[inch]]es ([[1 E-1 m|43 cm]]) of snow were dumped on Cleveland, Ohio that day, filling the streets with snow drifts 6 feet ([[1 E0 m|2 m]]) high. [[Streetcar]] operators stayed with their stranded, powerless vehicles for two nights, eating whatever food was provided by local residents. Travelers were forced to take shelter and wait for things to clear up.

''See also: [[:Image:US weather map, 10 Nov 1913.png|US weather map for November 10]] (image)''

By Tuesday, the storm was rapidly moving across eastern Canada. Without the warm lake waters, it lost power quickly. This also meant less snowfall, both because of the fast motion of the storm and the lack of lake effect snow. All shipping was halted on Monday and part of Tuesday along the [[St. Lawrence River]] around [[Montreal, Quebec]].

==Aftermath==
[[Image:Cleveland after blizzard of 1913.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Cleveland after the blizzard]]

Historically, storms of such magnitude and with such high velocities haven't lasted more than four or five hours. This storm, however, raged at an average speed of 60 mph (100 km/h) for over sixteen hours, with frequent bursts of over 70 mph (110 km/h). It crippled traffic on the lakes and throughout the Great Lakes basin region.

===Surrounding shoreline===
Along the shoreline, blizzards shut down traffic and communication, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. A 22-inch (56 cm) snowfall in Cleveland, Ohio, put stores out of business for two days. There were four-foot (122 cm) drifts around Lake Huron. [[Electric power|Power]] was out for several days across Michigan and Ontario, cutting off [[telephone]] and [[telegraphy|telegraph]] communications. A [[Chicago, Illinois]], park project, eight years in the making, was destroyed in as many hours.

[[Image:Cleveland blizzard 1913, poles down.png|thumb|right|250px|East 105th Street, [[Cleveland, Ohio]], [[November 11]].]]

After the final blizzards hit Cleveland, the city was paralyzed under feet of snow and ice, without power for days. [[Telephone pole]]s had been snapped like twigs, and [[power cable]]s lay in tangled masses. From the [[November 11]] ''[[Cleveland Plain Dealer]]'':

:"Cleveland lay in white and mighty solitude, mute and deaf to the outside world, a city of lonesome snowiness, storm-swept from end to end, when the violence of the two-day blizzard lessened late yesterday afternoon."

:"Take it all in all—the depth of the snowfall, the tremendous wind, the amount of damage done and the total unpreparedness of the people—I think it is safe to say that the present storm is the worst experienced in Cleveland during the whole forty-three years the Weather Bureau has been established in the city." — William H. Alexander, Cleveland's official observer

[[Image:Charles S Price upside down, 1913.png|thumb|left|250px|The 504 ft (154 m) ''Charles S. Price'', upside down on the southern end of Lake Huron.]]

===On the lakes===
The greatest damage was done on the lakes. Major [[shipwreck]]s occurred on all but [[Lake Ontario]], with most happening throughout southern and western [[Lake Huron]].

Personal accounts of lake masters were that waves reached at least 35 feet (11 m) in height. Being shorter in length than waves ordinarily formed by gales, they occurred in rapid succession, with three waves frequently striking one after the other. Masters have also stated that the wind often blew in directions opposite to the waves below. This would indicate that the storm exhibited [[cyclone|cyclonic]] motion, something rarely seen on the Great Lakes.

[[Image:Charles S Price, upside down illustration.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Artist's rendition of how ''Price'' looked before finally sinking to the bottom.]]

In the late afternoon of [[November 10]], an unknown vessel was spotted floating upside-down in about sixty feet of water on the eastern coast of Michigan, within sight of [[Huronia Beach]] and the mouth of the St. Clair River. Determining the identity of this "mystery ship" became of regional interest, resulting in daily front page newspaper articles. The ship eventually sank to the bottom, and it was not until early Saturday morning, [[November 15]], that it was finally identified as ''Charles S. Price''. The front page of that day's ''Port Huron Times-Herald'' extra edition read, "BOAT IS PRICE — DIVER IS BAKER — SECRET KNOWN". Milton Smith, the assistant engineer who decided at the last moment not to join his crew on premonition of disaster, aided in identifying any bodies that were found.

The final tally of financial losses included [[United States dollar|US$]]2,332,000 for vessels totally lost, $830,900 for vessels that became constructive total losses, $620,000 for vessels stranded but returned to service, and approximately $1,000,000 in lost cargoes. This does not include financial losses in coastal cities.

There were several long-term consequences of the storm. Complaints against the USDA Weather Bureau of alleged unpreparedness resulted in increased efforts to achieve more accurate [[weather forecasting]] and faster realization and communication of proper storm warnings. Criticism of the shipping companies and shipbuilders led to a series of conferences with insurers and mariners to seek safer designs for vessels. This resulted in the construction of ships with greater stability and more [[longitudinal]] strength. Immediately following the blizzard of Cleveland, Ohio, the city initiated a campaign to move all utility cables underground, in tubes beneath major streets. The project took half a decade.

==Ships foundered==
''For details, see the full list at [[Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm]].''

[[Image:Great Lakes 1913 Storm Shipwrecks.png|thumb|right|none|350px|Ships wrecked during the storm.]]

[[Image:Wexford victims ashore, 1913.png|thumb|right|250px|Victims from ''Wexford'' washed ashore near [[Goderich, Ontario]].]]

The following list includes ships which sank during the storm, killing their entire crews. It is sorted geographically by the lake on which each ship disappeared, and alphabetically by the name of the ship. This list does not include the three victims from the freighter ''William Nottingham'', who volunteered to leave the ship on a [[lifeboat]] in search of assistance. While the boat was being lowered into the water, a breaking wave smashed it into the side of the ship. The men disappeared into the near-freezing waters below.

*[[Lake Superior]]
**''Leafield:'' 18 victims
**''Henry B. Smith:'' 23 victims
*[[Lake Michigan]]
**''Plymouth'' ([[barge]]): 7 victims
*[[Lake Huron]]
**''Argus:'' 28 victims
**''James Carruthers:'' 22 victims
**''Hydrus:'' 25 victims
**''John A. McGean:'' 28 victims
**''Charles S. Price:'' 28 victims
**''Regina:'' 20 victims
**''Isaac M. Scott:'' 28 victims
**''Wexford:'' 20 victims
*[[Lake Erie]]
**''Lightship 82:'' 6 victims

Of the twelve ships that sank in the storm, five have never been found: ''Henry B. Smith'', ''Leafield'', ''James C. Carruthers'', ''Hydrus'', and the barge ''Plymouth''. The most recent discovery was that of ''Wexford'' in the summer of [[2000]].

==Quotations==
*"I knew it was storming before I was told. The rooms, the corridors, everywhere within this building vibrates with the power of the storm outside. The storm waves, like sound waves or the waves of the wireless, will not be denied by stone walls and plate glass windows." — [[Helen Keller]], trapped in a hotel during the Cleveland blizzard, after having completed a public lecture

*"Dear wife and Children. We were left up here in Lake Michigan by McKinnon, captain ''James H. Martin'' tug, at anchor. He went away and never said goodbye or anything to us. Lost one man yesterday. We have been out in storm forty hours. Goodbye dear ones, I might see you in Heaven. Pray for me. / Chris K. / P.S. I felt so bad I had another man write for me. Goodbye forever." — message found in a bottle 11 days after ''Plymouth'' disappeared, dictated by Chris Keenan, [[United States Marshals Service|federal marshal]] in charge of the barge

*"No lake master can recall in all his experience a storm of such unprecedented violence with such rapid changes in the direction of the wind and its gusts of such fearful speed... It was unusual and unprecedented and it may be centuries before such a combination of forces may be experienced again." — excerpt from Lake Carriers' Association report, 1913

*"Erie, and Ontario, and Huron, and Superior, and Michigan — possess an ocean-like expansiveness, with many of the ocean's noblest traits... they are swept by Borean and dismasting blasts as direful as any that lash the salted wave; they know what shipwrecks are, for out of sight of land, however inland, they have drowned full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew." — [[Herman Melville]], ''[[Moby-Dick]]''

*[[Gordon Lightfoot]], in the song ''[[Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald|The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald]]'': 
::''The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down'' 
::''Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee'' 
::''Superior, they said, never gives up her dead'' 
::''When the gales of November come early.''

==Notes==
1. Brown, 2002

==References==
*Brown, David G. (2002). ''White Hurricane: A Great Lakes November Gale and America's Deadliest Maritime Disaster''. International Marine / McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-138037-X.
*Hemming, Robert J. (1992). ''Ships Gone Missing: The Great Lakes Storm of 1913''. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. ISBN 0-8092-3909-4.
*Ratigan, William (1987). ''Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals''. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBN 0-8028-7010-4.
*Shipley, Robert and Fred Addis (1992). ''Wrecks and Disasters: Great Lakes Album Series''. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-920277-77-2.
*''The Port Huron Times-Herald'' (Nov. 1913). various dates and pages.
*{{Web reference|title=The Great Lakes: Storm Breeding Ground|work=Science of the Sky, Suite University|URL=http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/science_sky/84988|date=February 2|year=2005}}
*{{Web reference|title=Isaac M. Scott|work=Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve|URL=http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/scott.html|date=February 10|year=2005}}

==See also==
*[[Gallery of 1913 Great Lakes storm images]]
*[[Wikisource:List of victims of the 1913 Great Lakes storm|List of victims of the 1913 Great Lakes storm]]
*[[Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm]]
*[[SS Edmund Fitzgerald|SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'']]

==External links==
*[http://www.detnews.com/history/storm/storm.htm ''The night 12 ships vanished on the Great Lakes''], article in the ''[[Detroit News]]''.
*[http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/stm_1913.htm ''Hell Hath' No Fury Like a Great Lakes Fall Storm'']
*[http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Campus/2712/ The Great Storm of 1913], includes numerous articles transcripted from November 1913 issues of the Port Huron Times-Herald.
*[http://www.wmhs.org/html/storm.html A first-person account of the storm], from a 1914 article in the ''Marine Review''
*[http://www.hhpl.on.ca/GreatLakes/documents/1913Storm/ Personal experiences of Captains of the Lake Fleet]
*[http://wrecksandreefs.com/index.htm Photos of various discovered shipwrecks]
*[http://www.pointeauxbarqueslighthouse.org/preserve/shipwrecks/1913storm.cfm Article from the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse Society]
*[http://www.shipwreckwexford.ca/ The Wexford: Elusive Shipwreck of the 1913 Great Storm]
*[http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/?page=stories/blizzard1978 The Great Blizzard of 1978], details the cause of the November gale.
*[http://greatlakeshistory.homestead.com/home.html Great Lakes History and Shipwreck Directory]
*[http://www.ship-wrecks.net/ Great Lakes Shipwreck Research]
*[http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/hcgl/hcgl.html Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, BGSU]

[[Category:1913]]
[[Category:Great Lakes]]
[[Category:Historic weather events in the United States]]
[[Category:History of Ontario]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes|1913]]
[[Category:Storms]]

Cassard-Klasse

2005-12-20T22:04:32Z

Joshbaumgartner:

<div style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; background-color: #white; border: 0px solid #black; padding-left: 20px; width:300px; clear: both;">
{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:Cassard_1.jpg|300px|Frigate''Cassard'']]
|-
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Career
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[image:France_flag_large.png|45px|French Navy Ensign]]
|-
|Displacement:
|4500 t
|-
|Length:
|139 m
|-
|Width:
|14 m
|-
|Draught:
|6 m
|-
|Propulsion:
|4 Pielstick PA6 BTC disesel engines 
2 fixed pace propellers 
4 diesel-alternators (3400 kW) for electrical plant 
|-
|Speed:
|
|-
|Range:
|8000 nautical miles (14,800 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h)
|-
|Complement:
|22 officers 
142 non-commissioned officers 
80 men
|-
|Armament:
|'''Anti-air'''
* 1 [[RIM-24_Tartar|Tartar]] system
* 2 [[Sadral]] systems (2 x 6 Mistral missiles)
* 1 x [[French 100 mm naval gun|100 mm CADAM turret]]
* 2 x 20 mm F2
* 4 x 12.7 mm machine guns 
'''Anti-ship'''
* 8 [[Exocet]] MM40 missiles 
'''Anti-submarine'''
* 10 L5 Mod4 torpedoes
* L5 torpedoes launchers
|-
|Detection
|
*DRBV26C sentry radar
*1 DRBJ11B tri-dimensional air sentry radar
*1 DIBV2A infra-red alert system
*2 DRBN34 navigation and landing radar
*1 DUBV 24C hull sonar
|-
|Electronic Warfare
|
*1 ARBR 17 radar detector
*1 SAIGON radio emission detector
*1 ARBB 33 jammer
*2 SAGAIE NG decoy launchers
*2 DAGAIE decoy launchers
|-
|Satellite transmission
|1 Syracuse II system
|-
|Planes
|1 [[Eurocopter_Panther|Panther]] helicopter
|}
</div>

The ''Cassard'' type is a class of anti-air frigate of the [[French Navy]]. Their primary role is to provide air cover for a fleet, an aeronaval group, or a convoy. They can also be used for research, identification or presence missions.

The experience gained during the design and construction of the ''Cassard'' type was used for the design of the ''[[La_Fayette_class_frigate|La Fayette]]'' type.

The two elements of the class are
* D614 ''[[FS_Cassard|Cassard]]''
* D615 ''[[FS_Jean_Bart|Jean Bart]]''

They are due to be decommissioned around 2010.

==Photographs==
<gallery>
Image:Cassard 1.jpg|The ''Cassard'' frigate at sea near Toulon
Image:Cassard 2.jpg|The anti-air frigate ''Cassard'' docked in Toulon
Image:Panther_helo_1.jpg|Maneuvering of a ''Panther'' helicopter on the ''Cassard'' frigate
Image:Cassard 3.jpg|Fire team of the ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 4.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 5.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 6.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard''
Image:Cassard 7.jpg|Frigate ''Cassard'' during her 2000/2001 refitting
Image:Cassard-Jean Bart2.jpg|The ''Cassard'' and ''Jean de Vienne'' (D643)
Image:Surcouf-Courbet-Jean Bart.jpg|The ''Jean Bart'' besides the stealth frigates ''Surcouf'' and ''Courbet''
Image:FS_Jean_Bart.jpg
Image:FS_Jean_Bart2.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Cold War frigates of France]]
[[Category:Modern frigates of France]]
[[Category:Ship classes]]

Cassard-Klasse

2005-12-20T22:02:59Z

Joshbaumgartner: moved FS Cassard class to Cassard class frigate

Sun Bright (Schiff)

2005-10-26T10:05:09Z

Joshbaumgartner:

[[Image:Silja Opera Olympiaterminaalissa.jpg|thumb|300px|''Silja Opera'' at the Olympia Terminal in Helsinki.]]

'''M/S ''Silja Opera''''' (earlier '''''Sally Albatross''''', '''''Leeward''''' and '''''Superstar Taurus''''') is a [[cruise ship]] owned by the [[Finland|Finnish]] [[shipping company]] [[Silja Line]].

The ship was built using parts from the burnt down [[M/S Viking Saga|''Sally Albatross'']], but it is classed as a new built ship. The new ''Sally Albatross'' was delivered to [[Sally Cruise]] on [[March 23]], [[1992]] and started doing cruises in the [[Baltic Sea]]. In September that same year the ship was transferred to [[Silja Line]] who also were a part of the [[EffJohn]] concern.

On [[March 4]], [[1994]] ''Sally Albatross'' ran aground outside of [[Porkkala]]. After some complications she was towed to the [[Nordsjövarvet]] [[shipyard]] where the most necessary repairs were made. After inspection it was determined that the cost to repair the damage would be around 200 million [[markka|FIM]] (1200M [[United States dollar|USD]]). The ship was towed to [[La Spezia]], [[Italy]] where it was repaired. It was then chartered to [[Norwegian Cruise Line]] who renamed her ''Leeward'' and put her on cruises in the [[Caribbean]].

In [[March]], [[2000]] the ship was chartered to [[Star Cruises]] who renamed her ''Superstar Taurus'' and put her on cruises in [[Asia]]. In [[December]], [[2001]] the contract was broken and the ship was once again in the hands of Silja Line who renamed her ''Silja Opera''.

Silja Opera started cruising the Baltic Sea, with [[Helsinki]] as the starting point, on [[May 29]], [[2002]]. She has also sailed from [[Stockholm]] during some periods.

== Specifications ==
* Passengers: 1 400
* Cabins: 482
* Floors: 10
* Car capacity: None
* Length,Width: (160 m, 25.2 m)

==External links==
*http://www.silja.com
*[http://www.siljaweb.com/ SILJAweb.com]
*[http://www.finnjetweb.com FINNJETweb.com]

[[Category:Cruise ships of Finland|Silja Opera]]

[[fi:M/S Silja Opera]]
[[sv:M/S Silja Opera]]

Mega Victoria

2005-10-26T10:01:23Z

Joshbaumgartner:

[[Image:Ferry viking line amorella 20050823 001.jpg|thumb|225px|'''M/S ''Amorella''''' west of [[Yxlan]] in the [[Stockholm archipelago]]]]

'''M/S ''Amorella''''' is a [[automobile|car and passenger]] [[ferry]]. She was built in [[1988]] by [[Brodogradiliste Split]] in [[Croatia]].

Amorella serves on [[Viking Line]]'s route from [[Stockholm]] to [[Mariehamn]]/[[Långnäs]] to [[Turku]]. In [[1993]] the ship had a small accident outside Stockholm, in which she ran aground and had problems with stability. Also, in [[2001]] the ship had a small [[fire]] in one of the cabins, but the ship's crew managed to put it out.

M/S Amorella has three sister ships: [[M/S Crown of Scandinavia|M/S ''Crown of Scandinavia'']], [[M/S Frans Suell|M/S ''Frans Suell'']], and [[M/S Isabella|M/S ''Isabella'']]

== Specifications ==

* Passengers: 2 450
* Year Built: [[1988]]
* Car capacity: 450
* Length: 169.4 [[meters|m]]
* Width: 27.6 [[meters|m]]
* Max speed: 21.5 [[Knot (speed)|knots]]
* Ice class: 1A Super

{{ship-stub}}
[[Category:Ferries of Finland|Amorella]]
[[fi:M/S Amorella]]

Surprise (Schiff, 1970)

2005-10-23T18:23:03Z

Joshbaumgartner:

{| style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em" border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="200"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center" | [[Image:hmsrosephoto.jpg|200px|HMS Rose, Miami, 2000]]
|-
| class="odd" | Type:
| class="even" | [[Full Rigged Ship]]
|-
| class="odd" | Built:
| class="even" | [[1970]], [[Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (town)|Lunenburg]], [[Nova Scotia]]
|-
| class="odd" | Homeport:
| class="even" | [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], [[California|CA]]
|-
| class="odd" | [[Spar|Sparred]] Length:
| class="even" | 179 ft
|-
| class="odd" | Length on [[Deck (ship)|deck]]:
| class="even" | 135 ft
|-
| class="odd" | Length [[waterline]]:
| class="even" | 58 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Beam]]:
| class="even" | 32 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Draft (nautical)|Draft]]:
| class="even" | 13 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Rigging|Rig]] Height:
| class="even" | 130 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Displacement (fluid)|Displacement]]:
| class="even" | 500 tons
|-
| class="odd" | [[Sail]] Area:
| class="even" | 13,000 sq. ft
|}

'''''Rose''''' was a modern [[tall ship]], built at [[Lunenberg]], [[Nova Scotia]] in [[1970]] to a [[Phil Bolger]] design based on the original [[18th century]] [[Admiralty]] drawings. She was a replica of [[HMS Rose (1757)|HMS ''Rose'']], a [[sixth-rate]] [[frigate]] built in [[1757]].

Rose was inspected and certified by the [[United States Coast Guard]] and operated as a [[sail training]] vessel in the 1980s and 1990s, run by the HMS Rose Foundation based in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]], [[Connecticut|CT]]. She was sold to the [[20th Century Fox]] film studio in [[2001]] to be used in the making of the film ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]'', in which she played the fictional [[Royal Navy]] frigate ''[[HMS Surprise|Surprise]]''. After the film was complete, the ship was given to the [[San Diego Maritime Museum]] who have renamed her the ''Surprise'' and plan on restoring her to her former glory.

==External links==
* [http://www.tallshiprose.org/ Tall ship ''Rose'']
* [http://www.sdmaritime.com/contentpage.asp?ContentID=152 ''HMS Surprise'' at SDMM]

[[Category:Vessels of the American Sail Training Association]]
[[Category:Individual ship or boat stubs]]
[[Category:Museum ships]]
[[Category:Tall ships of the United States|Rose]]
[[Category:Ships of Canada]]
[[Category:Sailboat Names]]

Lady Washington (Schiff, 1989)

2005-10-23T18:14:18Z

Joshbaumgartner:

{| style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em" border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="250"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center" | [[Image:Ladyport.jpg]]
|-
| class="odd" | Type:
| class="even" | [[Brig]]
|-
| class="odd" | Hull:
| class="even" | [[Douglas Fir]]
|-
| class="odd" | Built:
| class="even" | [[1989]], [[Aberdeen, Washington|Aberdeen]], [[Washington|WA]]
|-
| class="odd" | Homeport:
| class="even" | [[Grays Harbor County, Washington|Grays Harbor]], [[Washington|WA]]
|-
| class="odd" | Designer:
| class="even" | Ray Wallace
|-
| class="odd" | [[Spar|Sparred]] Length:
| class="even" | 112 ft
|-
| class="odd" | Length on [[Deck (ship)|deck]]:
| class="even" | 68 ft
|-
| class="odd" | Length [[waterline]]:
| class="even" | 58 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Beam]]:
| class="even" | 22 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Draft (nautical)|Draft]]:
| class="even" | 11 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Rigging|Rig]] Height:
| class="even" | 90 ft
|-
| class="odd" | [[Displacement (fluid)|Displacement]]:
| class="even" | 178 tons
|-
| class="odd" | [[Sail]] Area:
| class="even" | 4,400 sq. ft
|}

The original '''The Lady Washington''' was a 90 ton trading vessel built in [[Massachusetts]] around [[1750]]. She sailed around [[Cape Horn]] and participated in the [[fur]] and [[pelt]] trade with the coastal [[Native American|Native Americans]] in the [[Pacific Northwest]] and in [[tea]] and [[porcelain]] across the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] in [[China]].

She became the first American vessel to reach the Island of [[Japan]] in an unsuccessful attempt to move some unsold [[pelt|pelts]]. The Lady remained in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] trade and eventually foundered in the [[Philippines]] in 1798.

A replica of the Lady Washington was built in [[Aberdeen, Washington|Aberdeen]], [[USA]] in time for the [[1989]] Washington State Centennial celebrations. Aberdeen is located on [[Grays Harbor County, Washington|Grays Harbor]], an inlet of the Pacific Ocean named for [[Robert Gray]], the man who discovered the [[harbor]] as [[Master Mariner|Master]] of the original Lady Washington.

Named "[[Washington|Washington State's]] [[Tall ship|Tall Ship]] Ambassador", the new Lady Washington has already made plenty of her own history. Operated by a professional and volunteer crew under the auspices of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, she sails up and down the Pacific coast reaching out to sailors and lubbers of all ages through the romance of the [[sea]] in the hope that they may take a little bit of her history back with them.

Recently, she has added "actress" to her resume, portraying the ''HMS Interceptor'' in the film ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl]]'' and the [[brig]] ''[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Enterprise_%28brig%29 Enterprise]'' in ''[[Star Trek: Generations]]''. She also provided the basis for the ''RLS Legacy'' in the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] animated feature ''[[Treasure Planet]]''.

==See also==
*[[Ship replica]] (including a list of ship replicas)
*[[Brig]]
*[[Robert Gray]]
*[[Grays Harbor County, Washington|Grays Harbor]]
*[[Nautical terms]]
*[[Rigging]]
*[[Tall ship]]

===External links===

*[http://ladywashington.net/ History of the Lady Washington]
*[http://ladywashington.org/ The Modern Lady Washington]
*[http://sailtraining.org/ The American Sail Training Association]

[[Category:Vessels of the American Sail Training Association]]
[[Category:Individual ship or boat stubs]]
[[Category:Museum ships]]
[[Category:Sailboat Names]]
[[Category:Tall ships of the United States]]

Lady Washington (Schiff, 1989)

2005-10-23T18:12:11Z

Joshbaumgartner:

Jeremiah O’Brien (Schiff)

2005-10-20T22:17:03Z

Joshbaumgartner:

<table border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width=300>
<tr><td colspan="2" align="center">(add image here)</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;">'''Career'''</th></tr>
<tr><td>Launched:</td><td>[[19 June]] [[1943]]</td></tr>
<tr><td>Built By:</td><td>New England Shipbuilding Corp</td></tr>
<tr><td>Class/Type:</td><td>EC2-S-C1 / Liberty Ship</td></tr>
<tr><td>Fate:</td><td>[[museum]] </td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy;">'''General Characteristics'''</th></tr>
<tr><td>Displacement:</td><td>14,245 tons</td></tr>
<tr><td>Length:</td><td>441 ft 6 in (135 m)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Beam:</td><td>57 ft (17.4 m)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Draft:</td><td>27 ft 9 in (8.5 m)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Speed:</td><td>11 knots (20 km/h)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engine:</td><td>3-cylinder, reciprocating triple expansion steam</td></tr>
<tr><td>Armament:</td><td>8 x 20mm anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 3in (76mm) gun, 1 x 5in (127mm) gun</td></tr>
</table>

'''SS ''Jeremiah O'Brien''''' was a [[Liberty ship]] during [[World War II]]. She was named for [[Jeremiah O'Brien]].

In [[June]] [[1943]], ''Jeremiah O'Brien'' slid down the ways at the [[New England Shipbuilding Corporation]] in [[South Portland, Maine]]. Shortly thereafter she entered service, operated by Grace Line for the [[War Shipping Administration]]. Named for the first American to capture a British naval vessel during the Revolutionary War, ''O'Brien'' made seven [[World War II]] voyages, ranging from [[England]] and Northern [[Ireland]] to [[South America]], to [[India]], to [[Australia]]. She also made eleven crossings of the English Channel carrying personnel and supplies to the [[Normandy]] beaches in support of the [[D-Day]] invasion. After the war, she was "mothballed" and laid up in the [[Reserve Fleet]] at [[Suisun Bay]], north of [[San Francisco]].

Thirty-three years later, skillful maneuvering by a [[US Maritime Administration]] official (himself a former Liberty ship sailor) saved ''Jeremiah O'Brien'' from the scrap yard. In [[1979]], after hundreds of hours labor by volunteer crew members to remove thick layers of preservatives, ''O'Brien'' headed for San Francisco to be restored. No other ship ever has steamed out of the mothball fleet under her own power.

Following dry-docking, generous donations of money and supplies by numerous individuals and companies, and thousands of hours of restoration work by her volunteer crew, the old ship entered service on San Francisco Bay in like-new condition. She is a steaming memorial to the seamen of the U.S. [[Merchant Marine]] who served on Liberty ships in World War II, to their Navy [[gun]] crews, and to the [[civilian]] men and women who built the largest single class of ships in history.

In 1994, ''Jeremiah O'Brien'' steamed through the [[Golden Gate]], down the west coast, through the [[Panama Canal]], and across the [[Atlantic (ocean)|Atlantic]] to [[England]] and [[France]], where ''O'Brien'' and her crew (a remarkable collection of old salts whose average age was 70, and a few cadets from the California Maritime Academy), participated in the 50th Anniversary of [[Operation Overlord]] - the Allied invasion at Normandy that turned the tide of World War II in Europe. Of the more than 5,000 ships that formed the original D-Day armada, ''O'Brien'' was the only ship to return 50 years later.

''Jeremiah O'Brien'' is approved by the [[American Bureau of Shipping]], certified by the [[U.S. Coast Guard]], and fully seaworthy - the only active Liberty Ship in original configuration. Operated as the National Liberty Ship Memorial, she is moored at Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf and open to the public most days. Virtually the entire ship from engine room to flying bridge can be seen by visitors. Boilers are "lit off," and the 2500 horsepower (1.9 MW), triple-expansion reciprocating steam main engine is operated on Steaming Weekends (normally the third Saturday and Sunday of each month) so visitors can see the engine plant in action. Several San Francisco Bay cruises are scheduled each year, with occasional longer voyages to west-coast ports such as Sacramento.

''The ship relies on the work of her hundreds of volunteer crew members, funding from individual and corporate donations, and revenue from the thousands of visitors she hosts each year.''

Original Text was taken from [[http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/welcome.html]]

The SS ''Jeremiah O'Brien'' was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].

== External links ==

* [http://www.virtuar.com/ysf2/ap-Jeremiah.htm Virtual Tour]

==See Also==
*[[Liberty ship]]
*[[List of ships of the United States Navy]]
*[[SS John W. Brown]] - other surviving Liberty ship

[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United States|Jeremiah O'Brien]]
[[Category:Liberty ships|Jeremiah O'Brien]]
[[Category:Museum ships|Jeremiah O'Brien]]
[[Category:Freighters|Jeremiah O'Brien]]

Amagi (Schiff, 1944)

2005-10-07T19:32:24Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''Japanese aircraft carrier ''Amagi''''' was a fleet [[aircraft carrier]] of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] which served during [[World War II]].

Second vessel of the [[Unryu class|''Unryu'' class]], the ''Amagi'' was a lightly built carrier design based on the [[Hiryu class|''Hiryu'' class]]. She carried around 65 aircraft and also carried a secondary armament of twelve 5" DP guns. Diplacing 17,150 tons, she was capable of 32+ knots.

The ''Amagi'', named for the town of [[Amagi, Fukuoka]], was built in [[1944]] and sunk on [[July 27]], [[1945]].

== See also ==

* [[List of ships of World War II]]

{{mil-ship-stub}}
{{japan-stub}}

[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of Japan|Amagi]]

Matador (Panzerabwehrwaffe)

2005-05-24T19:27:42Z

Joshbaumgartner:

[[Image:metadorLAW.jpg|thumb|250px|The MATADOR LAW]]

'''MATADOR''' is an unguided tube launched rocket developed by [[Singapore]]. It is an updated version of the German [[Armbrust]] design, and operates on the same principle.

==Specifications==
*Product Launched: Year 2004
*Calibre: 90mm
*Length: 1 metre
*Max range: 400 meters
*Flight time to max range: 1.2s
*Weight: 8.9kg
*Penetration: Actual classified, but has anti-wall HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head) and anti-armour (HEAT) mode
*Recognition: Similar to SPIKE-SR, however with exposed armor piercing pin
*Equips: [[Singapore Army]] (2 men in every 7 men section)

==External Links==
[http://www.mindef.gov.sg MINDEF Singapore]

[[Category:Modern Singapore anti-tank rockets]]

Bofors 37-mm-PaK

2005-04-12T04:11:28Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''Bofors 37 mm''' was a very common [[anti-tank]] gun used by all [[Allied forces]] during [[WW2]]. Initially designed by [[Sweden|Swedish]] manufacturer [[Bofors]], licensed copies were soon produced by various Allied nations. The German 37 mm [[PAK35]] was actually an unlicensed copy of the Bofors.

The gun became a mainstay of [[British Army|British]] forces in [[North African Campaign|North Africa]], where it was often carried portee on the back of a vehicle.

The Bofors had a [[muzzle velocity]] of 800 m/s (2,625 ft/s) and an effective range of 4000 m (4,376 yd).

==See also==
*[[Anti-tank gun]]
*[[List of artillery]]

[[Category:Swedish World War II anti-tank guns]]

Exercise Tiger (1944)

2005-01-28T07:41:54Z

Joshbaumgartner:

{{stub}}

'''Exercise Tiger''' was the code name for an eight-day practice run for [[D-Day]], on [[April 28]], [[1944]], at a beach in [[Slapton, Devon|Slapton]] (Slapton Sands), South [[Devon]]. Things turned tragic in the early morning. The [[United States|American]] troops were about to practice for a landing, when nine [[Cherbourg]]-based [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[E-boat]]s launched a surprise attack, killing 749 military personnel. Just six weeks before the 'big show', the mock operation involved 30,000 men and 300 ships. The 749 killed included 551 Army and 198 Navy personnel, all of them [[United States|Americans]].

== History ==
...

== Aftermath - information kept secret ==
...

== See Also ==
* [[Battle of Normandy]]
* [[European_Theater_of_World_War_II|European Theater]]
* [[World War II]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq20-1.htm Exercise Tiger at The Naval Historical Center]
* [http://www.exercisetiger.co.uk/ Exercise Tiger UK Memorial Site]
* [http://www.exercisetiger.org/ Exercise Tiger U.S. Memorial Site]
* [http://www.slapton.org/indextiger.htm Slapton Village Tiger Page]
* [http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/slapton.html An extensive research about the event]
* [http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/exercisetiger.html History of Exercise Tiger from the West Virginia State Archives]
* [http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/tigerbios.html Biographies of West Virginians Killed During Exercise Tiger]

[[fr:Opération Tigre]]

[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Western European Theatre|Exercise Tiger]]

Operation Mincemeat

2005-01-26T20:35:18Z

Joshbaumgartner:

During [[World War II]], '''Operation Mincemeat''' was a highly successful [[Allied]] deception plan against [[Axis]] Forces. On [[April_30]], [[1943]], the submarine H.M.S. Seraph, under the command of William Jewell (October 24 1913 - August 18 2004), put into the sea, off the coast of Huelva, [[Spain]], a dead man in a life jacket and a rubber boat. Fake identification identified the man [sic] as Royal Marine Captain (Acting Major) [[William Martin]]. A briefcase attached to the body contained fake letters claiming the Allies planned to invade [[Sardinia]] and [[Peloponnese]], [[Greece]], rather than the more obvious [[Sicily]].

Local fishermen discovered the corpse floating offshore. Spanish authorities sent copies of the documents to German Intelligence who passed them to the German High Command. Since, the German's believed the documents were genuine, this information quickly reached Hitler who, on [[May_12]], demanded that "measures regarding Sardinia and the [[Peloponnese]] take precedence over everything else." As a result, German military forces and invasion preparations were diverted from southern Sicily to Sardinia and Greece. [[Operation Husky]] commenced on [[July_9]], with the Allies attacking the southern tip of Sicily. The Germans remained convinced for two weeks that the attack on Sicily was a diversion for larger Allied attacks on Sardinia and Greece. Allies took Sicily by [[August_7]]. [[Benito_Mussolini|Mussolini]] was stripped of his power on [[July_25]].

A fairly complete, factual account of Operation Mincemeat was published in 1954 under the title "[[The Man Who Never Was]]," written by [[Ewen Montagu]], the officer responsible for obtaining the body, the fake letters, and numerous other personal documents (e.g., an ID, a photograph of and love letters from a fake fiance named Pam, a bank overdraft, etc.) for creating a believable person. A movie with the same title was released in [[1956]].

== See also ==
[[Operation Barclay|Barclay]], [[Operation Trojan Horse|Trojan Horse]], [[Operation Warehouse|Warehouse]], [[Operation Waterfall|Waterfall]], and [[Operation Withstand|Withstand]].

== External links ==
* http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalwarfare/a/mincemeat.htm
* http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/sm/seraph.html
* http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/27/1043534001763.html
* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/24/db2401.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/08/24/ixportal.html

[[Category:World War II deception operations of the Mediterranean Theatre|Mincemeat]]

Mincemeat

2005-01-26T20:31:37Z

Joshbaumgartner: Removed WWII category - link to Operation sufficient

'''Mincemeat''' was originally a conglomeration of bits of meat and dried fruit and spices, created as an alternative to smoking or drying for preservation. Mincemeat containing actual meat has become less common over the years. The customary form today typically consists of [[raisin]]s, spices, and bits of [[apple]] or [[pear]], and sometimes [[tomato]] and [[suet]]. Mincemeat may also contain [[currant]]s, candied fruits, and [[brandy]], [[rum]] or other [[liquor]].

This mixture can be made at home, but is also available either canned or dried. The commonest use is in a [[mincemeat tart]] or mince pie but there are many kinds of [[pastry]] including mincemeat. See also ([[fruitmince]].

The term ''mincemeat'' has become a common image, even perhaps a [[cliché]]. To ''make mincemeat'' out of one's adversary is to impose defeat in an especially complete and humiliating manner.

----

[[Operation Mincemeat]] was a [[World War II]] plan used by Allied forces to deceive its Axis counterparts by planting a body with false secret papers where it would be found by German spies.

[[Category:Foods]]
[[nl:Gehakt]]

Luftangriff auf Darwin

2005-01-26T07:52:10Z

Joshbaumgartner: /* See also */

{{Battlebox|
battle_name=Air raids on Darwin, February 1942
|campaign=Pacific 1941
|colour_scheme=background:#ffccaa
|image=
|caption=
|conflict=[[World War II]], [[Pacific War]]
|date=[[February 19]] [[1942]]
|place=[[Darwin, Australia]]
|result=Japanese victory
|combatant1=[[Australia]]
|combatant2=[[Japan]]
|commander1=[[David Valentine Jardine Blake|David V. J. Blake]]
|commander2=[[Chuichi Nagumo]]
|strength1=20 planes
|strength2=242 planes
|casualties1=243 killed 20+ planes destroyed 10 ships sunk
|casualties2=4 planes destroyed
|}}
The two '''[[Japan]]ese air raids on [[Darwin, Australia]]''' on [[February 19]], [[1942]] were by far the biggest ever attack by a foreign power against the [[Australia|Australian mainland]]. They were also a significant action in the [[Pacific War|Pacific campaign]] of [[World War II]] and represented a major psychological blow to the Australian population, several weeks after hostilities with Japan had begun.

Darwin, which in 1942 had a permanent population of about 2,000, was a strategically-placed naval port, airbase and the capital of the [[Northern Territory]]. Although it was a relatively less significant target, a greater number of bombs were dropped than in the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. Darwin was unprepared, and although it came under attack from the air another 63 times in 1942–1943, these first two raids were massive and devastating by comparison.

Most of the attacking planes came from the four [[aircraft carrier]]s of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]'s Carrier Division 1 ([[Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi|''Akagi'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga|''Kaga'']]) and Carrier Division 2 ([[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu|''Hiryu'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu|''Soryu'']]), commanded by Admiral [[Chuichi Nagumo]]. Land-based [[heavy bomber]]s were also involved.

The Japanese launched two waves of planes — a total of 242 bombers and fighters, under the direction of naval Commander [[Mitsuo Fuchida]]. The first wave of 188 planes arrived just before 10.00am: 71 [[Nakajima B5N]] "Kate" torpedo bombers hit shipping in the harbour, while 81 [[Aichi D3A]] "Val" dive-bombers, escorted by 36 [[Mitsubishi A6M]] Zero fighter planes attacked military and civil airfields, and a hospital. This first attack lasted 40 minutes.

Just before midday, there was a high altitude attack by land-based bombers, concentrated on the [[Darwin RAAF Airfield]]: 28 [[Mitsubishi G3M]] "Nell" bombers flew from [[Ambon]] and 27 [[Mitsubishi G4M]] "Betty" from [[Kendari]], [[Sulawesi]]. This second raid lasted for 20-25 minutes.

At least ten ships were sunk in Darwin Harbour, including the [[United States]] [[destroyer]] [[USS Peary (DD-226)|USS ''Peary'']], the large [[US Army]] transport ship ''General M. C. Meigs'' (AP-116) and the [[merchant ship]]s ''British Motorist'', ''Kelat'', ''Mauna Loa'', ''Neptuna'', and ''Zealandia''.

At least 243 civilians and military personnel were killed, most of the essential services in Darwin were destroyed, and there was a wave of refugees, as half of the town's civilian population fled. At least 278 servicemen were considered to have deserted as a result of the raids. There were many reports of looting.

Fuchida later wrote of the raid:
:[T]he job to be done seemed hardly worthy of the Nagumo Force. The harbour, it is true, was crowded with all kinds of ships, but a single pier and a few waterfront buildings appeared to be the only port installations. The airfield on the outskirts of the town, though fairly large, had no more than two or three small hangars, and in all there were only twenty-odd planes of various types scattered about the field. No planes were in the air. A few attempted to take off as we came over but were quickly shot down, and the rest were destroyed where they stood. Anti-aircraft fire was intense but largely ineffectual, and we quickly accomplished our objectives.

The success of the Darwin raid led to calls within the Japanese Navy for an invasion of Australia. Admiral [[Osami Nagamo]], the Chief of the Navy General Staff, was in favour. But the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] lacked the troops for such an undertaking and Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]]'s plan for an [[battle of Midway|attack on Midway Island]] was preferred.

The [[Allied]] navies largely abandoned the naval base at Darwin after the attack, dispersing most of their forces to [[Brisbane]], [[Fremantle]] and smaller ports. Conversely, air commanders launched a major build-up, with several airfields and deploy many Allied fighter squadrons in the Darwin area.

== See also ==

* [[Japanese air attacks on Australia, 1942-43]]
* [[Military history of Australia during World War II]]
* [[Military history of Japan during World War II]]

==References==
* Mitsuo Fuchida and M. Okumiya, ''Midway: the Battle that doomed Japan'', Hutchinson, 1957.

==External links==

*[http://www.naa.gov.au/Publications/fact_sheets/fs195.html National Archives of Australia, 2000, "Fact Sheet 195 The bombing of Darwin" ]
*[http://www.users.bigpond.com/battleforaustralia/battaust/CharlieUnmack.html "A Darwin Eyewitness Account – Stoker 2nd Class Charlie Unmack"] (of [[HMAS Gunbar|HMAS ''Gunbar'']]).
*[http://www.users.bigpond.com/battleforaustralia/battaust/LACHawker.html "A Darwin Eyewitness Account – Leading Aircraftman Stanley Hawker, No 2 RAAF Squadron."]

[[Category:World War II aerial operations and battles of the South Pacific Campaign]]

Luftangriff auf Darwin

2005-01-26T07:46:13Z

Joshbaumgartner: Category

{{Battlebox|
battle_name=Air raids on Darwin, February 1942
|campaign=Pacific 1941
|colour_scheme=background:#ffccaa
|image=
|caption=
|conflict=[[World War II]], [[Pacific War]]
|date=[[February 19]] [[1942]]
|place=[[Darwin, Australia]]
|result=Japanese victory
|combatant1=[[Australia]]
|combatant2=[[Japan]]
|commander1=[[David Valentine Jardine Blake|David V. J. Blake]]
|commander2=[[Chuichi Nagumo]]
|strength1=20 planes
|strength2=242 planes
|casualties1=243 killed 20+ planes destroyed 10 ships sunk
|casualties2=4 planes destroyed
|}}
The two '''[[Japan]]ese air raids on [[Darwin, Australia]]''' on [[February 19]], [[1942]] were by far the biggest ever attack by a foreign power against the [[Australia|Australian mainland]]. They were also a significant action in the [[Pacific War|Pacific campaign]] of [[World War II]] and represented a major psychological blow to the Australian population, several weeks after hostilities with Japan had begun.

Darwin, which in 1942 had a permanent population of about 2,000, was a strategically-placed naval port, airbase and the capital of the [[Northern Territory]]. Although it was a relatively less significant target, a greater number of bombs were dropped than in the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]. Darwin was unprepared, and although it came under attack from the air another 63 times in 1942–1943, these first two raids were massive and devastating by comparison.

Most of the attacking planes came from the four [[aircraft carrier]]s of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]'s Carrier Division 1 ([[Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi|''Akagi'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga|''Kaga'']]) and Carrier Division 2 ([[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu|''Hiryu'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu|''Soryu'']]), commanded by Admiral [[Chuichi Nagumo]]. Land-based [[heavy bomber]]s were also involved.

The Japanese launched two waves of planes — a total of 242 bombers and fighters, under the direction of naval Commander [[Mitsuo Fuchida]]. The first wave of 188 planes arrived just before 10.00am: 71 [[Nakajima B5N]] "Kate" torpedo bombers hit shipping in the harbour, while 81 [[Aichi D3A]] "Val" dive-bombers, escorted by 36 [[Mitsubishi A6M]] Zero fighter planes attacked military and civil airfields, and a hospital. This first attack lasted 40 minutes.

Just before midday, there was a high altitude attack by land-based bombers, concentrated on the [[Darwin RAAF Airfield]]: 28 [[Mitsubishi G3M]] "Nell" bombers flew from [[Ambon]] and 27 [[Mitsubishi G4M]] "Betty" from [[Kendari]], [[Sulawesi]]. This second raid lasted for 20-25 minutes.

At least ten ships were sunk in Darwin Harbour, including the [[United States]] [[destroyer]] [[USS Peary (DD-226)|USS ''Peary'']], the large [[US Army]] transport ship ''General M. C. Meigs'' (AP-116) and the [[merchant ship]]s ''British Motorist'', ''Kelat'', ''Mauna Loa'', ''Neptuna'', and ''Zealandia''.

At least 243 civilians and military personnel were killed, most of the essential services in Darwin were destroyed, and there was a wave of refugees, as half of the town's civilian population fled. At least 278 servicemen were considered to have deserted as a result of the raids. There were many reports of looting.

Fuchida later wrote of the raid:
:[T]he job to be done seemed hardly worthy of the Nagumo Force. The harbour, it is true, was crowded with all kinds of ships, but a single pier and a few waterfront buildings appeared to be the only port installations. The airfield on the outskirts of the town, though fairly large, had no more than two or three small hangars, and in all there were only twenty-odd planes of various types scattered about the field. No planes were in the air. A few attempted to take off as we came over but were quickly shot down, and the rest were destroyed where they stood. Anti-aircraft fire was intense but largely ineffectual, and we quickly accomplished our objectives.

The success of the Darwin raid led to calls within the Japanese Navy for an invasion of Australia. Admiral [[Osami Nagamo]], the Chief of the Navy General Staff, was in favour. But the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] lacked the troops for such an undertaking and Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]]'s plan for an [[battle of Midway|attack on Midway Island]] was preferred.

The [[Allied]] navies largely abandoned the naval base at Darwin after the attack, dispersing most of their forces to [[Brisbane]], [[Fremantle]] and smaller ports. Conversely, air commanders launched a major build-up, with several airfields and deploy many Allied fighter squadrons in the Darwin area.

==See also==
*[[Japanese air attacks on Australia, 1942-43]]

==References==
* Mitsuo Fuchida and M. Okumiya, ''Midway: the Battle that doomed Japan'', Hutchinson, 1957.

==External links==

*[http://www.naa.gov.au/Publications/fact_sheets/fs195.html National Archives of Australia, 2000, "Fact Sheet 195 The bombing of Darwin" ]
*[http://www.users.bigpond.com/battleforaustralia/battaust/CharlieUnmack.html "A Darwin Eyewitness Account – Stoker 2nd Class Charlie Unmack"] (of [[HMAS Gunbar|HMAS ''Gunbar'']]).
*[http://www.users.bigpond.com/battleforaustralia/battaust/LACHawker.html "A Darwin Eyewitness Account – Leading Aircraftman Stanley Hawker, No 2 RAAF Squadron."]

[[Category:World War II aerial operations and battles of the South Pacific Campaign]]

Matador (Panzerabwehrwaffe)

2004-11-19T17:30:31Z

Joshbaumgartner:

[[Image:metadorLAW.jpg|thumb|250px|The MATADOR LAW]]

'''MATADOR''' is an unguided tube launched rocket developed by [[Singapore]].

==Specifications==
*Product Launched: Year 2004
*Calibre: 90mm
*Length: 1 metre
*Max range: 400 meters
*Flight time to max range: 1.2s
*Weight: 8.9kg
*Penetration: Actual classified, but has anti-wall HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head) and anti-armour (HEAT) mode
*Recognition: Similar to SPIKE-SR, however with exposed armor piercing pin
*Equips: [[Singapore Army]] (2 men in every 7 men section)

==External Links==
[http://www.mindef.gov.sg MINDEF Singapore]

[[Category:Rockets and missiles]]
[[Category:Anti-tank weapons]]
[[Category:Singapore weapons]]
[[Category:Modern weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons by name]]

Bofors 37-mm-PaK

2004-11-12T21:47:01Z

Joshbaumgartner:

The '''Bofors 37 mm''' was a very common [[anti-tank]] gun used by all [[Allied forces]] during [[WW2]]. Initially designed by [[Sweden|Swedish]] manufacturer [[Bofors]], licensed copies were soon produced by various Allied nations. The German 37 mm [[PAK35]] was actually an unlicensed copy of the Bofors.

The gun became a mainstay of [[British Army|British]] forces in [[North African Campaign|North Africa]], where it was often carried portee on the back of a vehicle.

The Bofors had a [[muzzle velocity]] of 800 m/s (2,625 ft/s) and an effective range of 4000 m (4,376 yd).

[[Category:Artillery]]
[[Category:Crew served weapons]]
[[Category:Anti-tank weapons]]
[[Category:Swedish weapons]]
[[Category:World War II weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons by name]]

Cruiser Tank Mk II

2004-10-28T00:39:56Z

Joshbaumgartner: /* External links */

The '''A10 Cruiser Tank Mark II''', was developed alongside the [[Cruiser_Mk_I|A9]], and was intended to be a heavier, infantry-support version of that type. Use of the A10 was confined to [[United Kingdom|Britain]].

==History and specifications==
The A10 was developed by Sir John Carden in [[1934]]. The two sub-turrets present on the A9 were removed, and bolt-on armor was applied to the front and sides of the hull, along with all faces of the turret, providing approximately twice the armor in most areas. 205 vehicles of this type were produced.

There was no separation between the driver's compartment and the fighting compartments. As well as the turret armament, which consisted of a [[2-pounder]] (40mm) gun and a coaxial [[Vickers]] machine-gun, there was a [[BESA]] machine gun mounted in a barbette to the right of the driver. The tank had a total crew of 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and hull machine-gunner).

The A10 entered service in December [[1939]], but was something of an oddity - it was designed to be as slow as an Infantry tank, but was still relatively poorly armoured, and was, as a result, not effective. Used the same suspension and engine as the A9.

The A10 weighed 13.8 tons, was 5.5 metres long, 2.5 metres high, 2.6 metres wide, and had a top speed of 16mph on road and 8mph off. Its maximum road range was 100 miles. 100 2-pounder rounds were carried, and 4050 rounds total were carried for the two machine-guns.

==Variants==
Mark II 
Classified as a 'heavy cruiser' and 31 were sent to [[France]] with the 1rst Armored Dvision, but performed poorly in the following [[Battle of France|campaign]]. Also served in the [[North African Campaign]] until late in [[1941]].

Mark IIA 
Vickers machine guns were replaced with BESA machine guns.

Mark IIA CS 
Had a 3.7" (94mm) [[howitzer]] installed in the turret. This gun only fired smoke rounds, 40 of which were carried.

===Vehicles based on chasis===
* [[Valentine tank|Valentine]]

==External links==
* A10 information [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/britain/CruiserMkII.htm][http://www.armourinfocus.co.uk/a10/index.htm]
* A10 specifications [http://www.onwar.com/tanks/uk/fctmkii.htm]

{{Template:WWIIBritishAFVs}}

[[Category:Medium tanks]]
[[Category:World War II tanks]]
[[Category:British tanks]]

Winkelspiegel MK.IV

2004-10-27T23:04:15Z

Joshbaumgartner:

'''Vickers Tank Periscope MK.IV''' (invented by engineer [[Rudolf Gundlach]]) was first patented in [[1936]] as ''Gundlach Peryskop obrotowy''. It was the first utility to allow the tank commander to have a 360 degrees radius of sight from his [[turret]]. Also, the main advantage of this periscope was that the tank commander did no longer have to turn his head in order to look backwards.

The design was first used in Polish [[7-TP]] light tank. Shortly before the war it was given to the British and used in most tanks of [[World War II|WWII]], including British ''[[Crusader]]'', ''[[Churchill tank|Churchill]]'', ''[[Valentine tank|Valentine]]'', ''[[Cromwell tank|Cromwell]]'' and american ''[[M4 Sherman|Sherman]]''. The design was later copied and used extensively also in the armies of [[Red Army|USSR]] and [[Wehrmacht|Germany]] (among others in the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[T-34]]).

[[Category:Tank equipment]]