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Load HEAT- Helen Baxendale
Helen Baxendale is one of those British actresses that’s been in everything, but you have no idea who she is.
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Lockheed actually proposed a flying boat Hercules.
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A pair of AH-1W Cobras on approach to KPSP.
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Explosion reported at US military facility in Japan | Fox News
DEVELOPING: An explosion has been reported at the U.S. military facility in Sagamihara, Japan, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports, citing the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation.
Sagamihara is a city in the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa, which borders Tokyo.
“Fire from the American military base has occurred,” the Sagamihara Fire Department said, according to JBC.
via Explosion reported at US military facility in Japan | Fox News.
Certainly not good. But it doesn’t look nearly as bad as the blast in China.
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An update on that PLAN recruiting video.
Via Chris Cavas, who you should be following on Twitter:
Excellent annotation & analysis of the #Chinese #PLAN #Navy's new recruiting video at youtube.com/watch?v=wWX-Cw… http://t.co/69EtNNFdz6—
Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) August 23, 2015 -
Let’s nuke Australia, kinda.
So, War is Boring had a cute little article with video of a test explosion in Australia. How’s 51 tons of TNT sound to you?
Now, that’s pretty nifty. Of course, it’s nothing compared to Sailor Hat.
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Footage of the Last Hours of USS Wasp CV-7
Shortly after 1440 on 15 September 1942, in the waters of the Solomon Islands, USS Wasp (CV-7) was struck by three torpedoes from the IJN submarine I-19. The impact point was directly below the AVGAS distribution station, which was in operation when the torpedoes struck. Within minutes, Wasp was engulfed in flames, roaring like a furnace, punctuated by powerful explosions from built-up gasoline vapors. Ammunition and aerial bombs began to detonate from the heat, and inside of an hour, Captain Forrest Sherman ordered Wasp abandoned. She burned well into the evening before torpedoes from USS Lansdowne (DD-486) finally sank her.
When I was a young lad, I read an excellent book on the Solomons Campaign. In it, the author described Wasp as burning like a torch, and how, as darkness fell, sailors on other ships could see her glowing red from the fires inside. When Wasp finally slipped beneath the waves, it was said she emanated a loud and eerie hissing as her hot steel sank into the sea. Watching the footage above, one understands that such a description, like Tom Lea’s famous painting, is hardly hyperbole.
In all, 193 sailors died on Wasp, and 366 were wounded. Forty-three precious aircraft also went down with her. She had been in commission just 28 months.
In the 37 weeks of war since December 7th, the US Navy had lost Langley (CV-1), Lexington (CV-2), Yorktown (CV-5), and Wasp (CV-7). Also soon to be lost was Hornet (CV-8), sunk at Santa Cruz on 26 October 1942. Hornet, however, would be the last US fleet carrier lost during the war.
H/T to Grandpa Bluewater
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North Korea’s sabre rattling might be having some unintended consequences.
Norks gotta nork, I guess. The exchange of artillery earlier this week led to the cancellation of a long planned US/South Korea exercise, and troops on both sides of the DMZ at heightened alert. But now there’s word that China is moving troops to its border with the DPRK.
#BREAKING: China's PLA Mobilizes Forces Near North Korea's Border. Tank Destroyers Seen Driving In Yanji http://t.co/W4pAAu4Ko3—
(@Breaking911) August 22, 2015 -
3 American friends tackle and hogtie gunman aboard European train – The Washington Post
PARIS — French President François Hollande plans to meet three Americans who foiled a suspected terrorist attack on a packed high-speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris.
Friday’s dramatic incident — in which a heavily armed man emerged from a train bathroom with an automatic rifle and started shooting — was being investigated by French counterterrorism authorities. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The three men were friends from middle school and two of them were members of the armed services, according to their family members.
One of the Americans, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, was stabbed and remained in the hospital Saturday, said the parents of his two friends. The Pentagon said his wounds were not life-threatening.
Stone, who is stationed at Lajes Air Base in the Azores, was traveling with Spc. Alek Skarlatos, an Oregon National Guardsman, and a civilian friend, according to the Pentagon. Anthony Sadler, a student at Sacramento State University, is their civilian companion, according to their families.
via 3 American friends tackle and hogtie gunman aboard European train – The Washington Post.
So, not Marines, but still in keeping with the highest traditions of the service.
These young men have spent most of their lives in a post- 9/11 world. One wonders if they recall “Let’s roll!” or if they simply personify the traditional American bias toward action in the face of adversity.
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Awful airshow crash in England.
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