SHIPMATE SPRING 2020
TO EXPLAIN THE ABOVE - PLEASE SEE OVER - BUT NOTE THE CAP TALLY>
======================================================================================================
The above photo was taken at the wedding of PO (Mine Warfare) Andy O' Rourke in Kirkham last year and was of his best man, his brother Michael, modelling a cap with a Collingwood cap tally.
The wedding went well (we were there) and a 'good time' had by all.
The above photo was taken at the wedding of PO (Mine Warfare) Andy O' Rourke in Kirkham last year and was of his best man, his brother Michael, modelling a cap with a Collingwood cap tally.
The wedding went well (we were there) and a 'good time' had by all.
Some people
try to turn back their odometers.
Not me!
I want people to know why
I look this way.
I've travelled a long way
and some of the roads weren't paved.
===========================================================================
try to turn back their odometers.
Not me!
I want people to know why
I look this way.
I've travelled a long way
and some of the roads weren't paved.
===========================================================================
CROSSED THE BAR
There was only one notification of a Crossing so far. Mrs. Anne Steel informed us that her uncle
George Daniels
crossed in November 2019.
The list will remain and be added to as required.
We will remember them.
There was only one notification of a Crossing so far. Mrs. Anne Steel informed us that her uncle
George Daniels
crossed in November 2019.
The list will remain and be added to as required.
We will remember them.
Text message from the neighbour;
Hi, Ben, this is Richard, next door. I've got a confession to make. I've been riddled with guilt for a few months & have been trying to get up the courage to tell you face-to-face.
At least I'm telling you in this text, & I can't live with myself a minute longer without your knowing about this.
The truth is that, when you're not around, I've been sharing your wife, day & night. In fact, probably much more than you. I haven't been getting it at home recently & I know that's no excuse.
The temptation was just too great.
I can't live with the guilt & hope you'll accept my sincere apology & forgive me.
Please suggest a fee for usage, & I'll pay you.
Regards, Richard
NEIGHBOUR'S RESPONSE:
Ben, feeling enraged & betrayed, grabbed his gun, went next door, & shot Richard dead. He returned home, shot his wife, poured himself a stiff drink & sat down on the sofa. Ben then looked at his phone & discovered a 2nd text message from Richard.
2nd TEXT MESSAGE:
Hi, Ben, Richard here again.
Sorry about the typo on my last text. I assume you figured it out
& noticed that the darned Spell-Check had changed "wi-fi" to "wife."
Bloody Technology, It'll be the death of us all.
Hi, Ben, this is Richard, next door. I've got a confession to make. I've been riddled with guilt for a few months & have been trying to get up the courage to tell you face-to-face.
At least I'm telling you in this text, & I can't live with myself a minute longer without your knowing about this.
The truth is that, when you're not around, I've been sharing your wife, day & night. In fact, probably much more than you. I haven't been getting it at home recently & I know that's no excuse.
The temptation was just too great.
I can't live with the guilt & hope you'll accept my sincere apology & forgive me.
Please suggest a fee for usage, & I'll pay you.
Regards, Richard
NEIGHBOUR'S RESPONSE:
Ben, feeling enraged & betrayed, grabbed his gun, went next door, & shot Richard dead. He returned home, shot his wife, poured himself a stiff drink & sat down on the sofa. Ben then looked at his phone & discovered a 2nd text message from Richard.
2nd TEXT MESSAGE:
Hi, Ben, Richard here again.
Sorry about the typo on my last text. I assume you figured it out
& noticed that the darned Spell-Check had changed "wi-fi" to "wife."
Bloody Technology, It'll be the death of us all.
Have you served on a carrier?
I was on the Hermes on its last trip as a 'Strike Carrier'
below are the aircraft carried on board.
I was on the Hermes on its last trip as a 'Strike Carrier'
below are the aircraft carried on board.
BLACKBURN BUCCANEER
This was the Navy's main strike and ground support aircraft.It was used in Malaya/Borneo in the 60's as support for the Marines. She also carried nuclear weapons when required. It was used as anti-submarine deterrent - especially for subs hiding in the fjords of Norway.
This was the Navy's main strike and ground support aircraft.It was used in Malaya/Borneo in the 60's as support for the Marines. She also carried nuclear weapons when required. It was used as anti-submarine deterrent - especially for subs hiding in the fjords of Norway.
Westland Wessex
This was the helo used for all general jobs - mainly rescue. Off Cyprus I watched an argument between the rescue diver sat in the hatchway and the pilot (via the winch man).He wanted the helo to go lower before he jumped,the pilot wanted him to go from there. He was still gesturing downwards when the winch man pushed him out. Life was easy in those days!!!
This was the helo used for all general jobs - mainly rescue. Off Cyprus I watched an argument between the rescue diver sat in the hatchway and the pilot (via the winch man).He wanted the helo to go lower before he jumped,the pilot wanted him to go from there. He was still gesturing downwards when the winch man pushed him out. Life was easy in those days!!!
.de Havilland Sea Vixen
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the 1950s through the early 1970s.
It had a crew of two with the observer being below to the right of the pilot. We did have a couple of 'ditchings' and the pilots always tried to land to let the observer to get out.
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the 1950s through the early 1970s.
It had a crew of two with the observer being below to the right of the pilot. We did have a couple of 'ditchings' and the pilots always tried to land to let the observer to get out.
FAIREY GANNET
The Fairey Gannet is a British carrier-borne aircraft of the post-Second World War era developed for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was a mid-wing monoplane with a tricycle undercarriage and a crew of three, and a double turboprop engine driving two contra-rotating propellers.
It was used as anti - submarine or by us as air early warning. Most important use was the one they painted black - called it COD courier on deck - and sent it for the mail. It used to fail when on land with the result that the mail was late. The pilot, however, has played golf on courses around the world. He always seemed to remember his clubs - lucky eh??
HMS HERMES
This is a photo of the Hermes in it's last role as a Strike Carrier.
It is able to tell the different ones with the Hermes having the 'Dustbin' radar aerial. This is the Type 984 which was a leader in the field of long range warning and fighter control.The attached display system had auto tracking and could watch multiple 'targets'. When it was switched on it remained on until we decommissioned and sent it off. We were in watches of 5 (at sea) and 3 in harbour with a LREM and 2 on the display and an LREM and 1 for the radar itself.See photo below.
We spent most time in the Med and were part of the largest British fleet to visit Gib. Including two carriers and many destroyers (County Class) and Frigates (Various). We also attended the JMC in the North (Norway) that year. We ended up in Pompey to decommission by packing each bit of electronic in plastic prior to it being removed by truck. She then had a ski jump fitted, went to the South Atlantic and is now in India as part of their Navy. They don't build 'em like they used to!
It is able to tell the different ones with the Hermes having the 'Dustbin' radar aerial. This is the Type 984 which was a leader in the field of long range warning and fighter control.The attached display system had auto tracking and could watch multiple 'targets'. When it was switched on it remained on until we decommissioned and sent it off. We were in watches of 5 (at sea) and 3 in harbour with a LREM and 2 on the display and an LREM and 1 for the radar itself.See photo below.
We spent most time in the Med and were part of the largest British fleet to visit Gib. Including two carriers and many destroyers (County Class) and Frigates (Various). We also attended the JMC in the North (Norway) that year. We ended up in Pompey to decommission by packing each bit of electronic in plastic prior to it being removed by truck. She then had a ski jump fitted, went to the South Atlantic and is now in India as part of their Navy. They don't build 'em like they used to!
The 984/CDS staff for the final trip.
Can you spot your Secretary and Web Manager.
Hermes leaving Pompey.
===============================================================================================================
The following was sent to Peter Lacey from a Shipmate of 94 years who lives in Ireland.
Hello Peter,
Regret that my age (94) & location (I live in the West of Ireland) means I am unable to attend the reunion.
In an earlier message, I told how I was at Collingwood in June 1943 (just 2 weeks into my service in the Andrew) when, unheralded by sirens, a lone German raider dropped 2 bombs on the hut opposite mine (Hut 26, I think?), killing 36 equally raw recruits. I recall one of my messmates saying "This is not fair. They were only youngsters". Grimly but silently, I had to disagree: By the standards of the times, it WAS fair! Youngsters we were, but we were training to kill the foe, & the foe were the Germans!
I also told you how, just six months later, serving on Russian Convoys, we achieved grim retribution with the sinking of Kreigmarine Scharnhorst (see attachment), killing 1,867 German sailors. I now believe that all war is bad, & grieve for the German sailors just as much as I do my own young shipmates.
To the present generation serving aboard Collingwood, I say this: The world being as it is, it is, unfortunately, necessary for you to be prepared to fight if needed, but can only hope that politicians have the wisdom to resolve disputes by other means.
Sincerely,
Norman Scarth (One-time AB/LTO, HMS Matchless [destroyer], Cleopatra [Dido class cruiser], & Niger [Fleet minesweeper]. The first with the Home Fleet. The last two with the East Indies Fleet.)
===============================================================================================================
The following was sent to Peter Lacey from a Shipmate of 94 years who lives in Ireland.
Hello Peter,
Regret that my age (94) & location (I live in the West of Ireland) means I am unable to attend the reunion.
In an earlier message, I told how I was at Collingwood in June 1943 (just 2 weeks into my service in the Andrew) when, unheralded by sirens, a lone German raider dropped 2 bombs on the hut opposite mine (Hut 26, I think?), killing 36 equally raw recruits. I recall one of my messmates saying "This is not fair. They were only youngsters". Grimly but silently, I had to disagree: By the standards of the times, it WAS fair! Youngsters we were, but we were training to kill the foe, & the foe were the Germans!
I also told you how, just six months later, serving on Russian Convoys, we achieved grim retribution with the sinking of Kreigmarine Scharnhorst (see attachment), killing 1,867 German sailors. I now believe that all war is bad, & grieve for the German sailors just as much as I do my own young shipmates.
To the present generation serving aboard Collingwood, I say this: The world being as it is, it is, unfortunately, necessary for you to be prepared to fight if needed, but can only hope that politicians have the wisdom to resolve disputes by other means.
Sincerely,
Norman Scarth (One-time AB/LTO, HMS Matchless [destroyer], Cleopatra [Dido class cruiser], & Niger [Fleet minesweeper]. The first with the Home Fleet. The last two with the East Indies Fleet.)
===============================================================================================================
My wife Andrea found out that our dog (a Schnauzer) could hardly hear, so she took it to the veterinarian. The vet found that the problem was hair in the dog's ears
He cleaned both ears, and the dog could then hear fine. The vet then proceeded to tell Andrea that, if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the pharmacy and get some “Nair” hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.
Andrea went to the store and bought some “Nair” hair remover.
At the register, the pharmacist told her, “If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days. If you're using it on your legs, don't use body lotion for a couple of days.”
Andrea replied, “I'm not using it on my legs either. If you must know, I'm using it on my Schnauzer.”
The pharmacist said, “Well, stay off your bicycle for at least a week!”
==========================================================================================
He cleaned both ears, and the dog could then hear fine. The vet then proceeded to tell Andrea that, if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the pharmacy and get some “Nair” hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.
Andrea went to the store and bought some “Nair” hair remover.
At the register, the pharmacist told her, “If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days. If you're using it on your legs, don't use body lotion for a couple of days.”
Andrea replied, “I'm not using it on my legs either. If you must know, I'm using it on my Schnauzer.”
The pharmacist said, “Well, stay off your bicycle for at least a week!”
==========================================================================================
==================
Who knew? Why isn't this a movie yet?...a true story that literally begs for it. How a brilliant starlet created a worldwide technology boom!
(It all started with a skin flick)
In 1933, a beautiful young Austrian woman took off her clothes for a movie director. She ran through the woods... naked. She swam in a lake... naked. Pushing well beyond the social norms of the period, the movie also featured a simulated orgasm. To make the scene "vivid," the director reportedly stabbed the actress with a sharp pin just off-screen.
The most popular movie in 1933 was King Kong. But everyone in Hollywood was talking about that scandalous movie with the gorgeous, young Austrian woman.
Louis B. Mayer, of the giant studio MGM, said she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The film was banned practically everywhere... which of course made it even more popular and valuable. Mussolini reportedly refused to sell his copy at any price.
The star of the film, called Ecstasy, was Hedwig Kiesler. She said the secret of her beauty was "to stand there and look stupid." In reality, Kiesler was anything but stupid. She was a genius. She'd grown up as the only child of a prominent Jewish banker. She was a math prodigy. She excelled at science. As she grew older, she became ruthless, using all the power her body and mind gave her.
Between the sexual roles she played, her tremendous beauty, and the power of her intellect, Kiesler would confound the men in her life... including her six husbands, two of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th century, and one of the greatest movie producers in history.
Her beauty made her rich for a time. She is said to have made - and spent - $30 million in her life. But her greatest accomplishment resulted from her intellect... And her invention continues to shape the world we live in today.
You see, this young Austrian starlet would take one of the most valuable technologies ever developed right from under Hitler's nose. After fleeing to America, she not only became a major Hollywood star... her name sits on one of the most important patents ever granted by the US Patent Office.
Today, when you use your cell phone or, over the next few years, as you experience super-fast wireless Internet access (via something called "long-term evolution" or "LTE" technology), you'll be using an extension of the technology a 20- year-old actress first conceived while sitting at dinner with Hitler.
At the time she made Ecstasy, Kiesler was married to one of the richest men in Austria. Friedrich Mandl was Austria's leading arms maker. His firm would become a key supplier to the Nazis.
Mandl used his beautiful young wife as a showpiece at important business dinners with representatives of the Austrian, Italian, and German fascist forces. One of Mandl's favorite topics at these gatherings - which included meals with Hitler and Mussolini - was the technology surrounding radio-controlled missiles and torpedoes. Wireless weapons offered far greater ranges than the wire-controlled alternatives that prevailed at the time. Kiesler sat through these dinners "looking stupid," while absorbing everything she heard..
As a Jew, Kiesler hated the Nazis. She abhorred her husband's business ambitions. Mandl responded to his willful wife by imprisoning her in his castle, Schloss Schwarzenau. In 1937, she managed to escape. She drugged her maid, snuck out of the castle wearing the maid's clothes, and sold her jewelry to finance a trip to London.
(She got out just in time. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria. The Nazis seized Mandl's factory. He was half Jewish. Mandl fled to Brazil. Later, he became an advisor to Argentina's iconic populist president, Juan Peron.)
In London, Kiesler arranged a meeting with Louis B. Mayer. She signed a long-term contract with him, becoming one of MGM's biggest stars. She appeared in more than 20 films. She was a co-star to Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and even Bob Hope. Each of her first seven MGM movies was a blockbuster.
But Kiesler cared far more about fighting the Nazis than about making movies. At the height of her fame, in 1942, she developed a new kind of communications system, optimized for sending coded messages that couldn't be "jammed." She was building a system that would allow torpedoes and guided bombs to always reach their targets. She was building a system to kill Nazis.
By the 1940s, both the Nazis and the Allied forces were using the kind of single-frequency radio-controlled technology Kiesler's ex-husband had been peddling. The drawback of this technology was that the enemy could find the appropriate frequency and "jam" or intercept the signal, thereby interfering with the missile's intended path.
Kiesler's key innovation was to "change the channel." It was a way of encoding a message across a broad area of the wireless spectrum. If one part of the spectrum was jammed, the message would still get through on one of the other frequencies being used. The problem was, she could not figure out how to synchronize the frequency changes on both the receiver and the transmitter. To solve the problem, she turned to perhaps the world's first techno-musician, George Anthiel.
Anthiel was an acquaintance of Kiesler who achieved some notoriety for creating intricate musical compositions. He synchronized his melodies across twelve player pianos, producing stereophonic sounds no one had ever heard before. Kiesler incorporated Anthiel's technology for synchronizing his player pianos. Then, she was able to synchronize the frequency changes between a weapon's receiver and its transmitter.
On August 11, 1942, US Patent No. 2,292,387 was granted to Antheil and "Hedy Kiesler Markey," which was Kiesler's married name at the time.
Most of you won't recognize the name Kiesler. And no one would remember the name Hedy Markey. But it's a fair bet than anyone reading this newsletter of a certain age will remember one of the great beauties of Hollywood's golden age - Hedy Lamarr. That's the name Louis B. Mayer gave to his prize actress. That's the name his movie company made famous.
[see attached file: mime-attachment.png]
Meanwhile, almost no one knows Hedwig Kiesler - aka Hedy Lamarr - was one of the great pioneers of wireless communications. Her technology was developed by the U.S. Navy, which has used it ever since.
You're probably using Lamarr's technology, too. Her patent sits at the foundation of "spread spectrum technology," which you use every day when you log on to a wi-fi network or make calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. It lies at the heart of the massive investments being made right now in so-called fourth-generation "LTE" wireless technology. This next generation of cell phones and cell towers will provide tremendous increases to wireless network speed and quality, by spreading wireless signals across the entire available spectrum. This kind of encoding is only possible using the kind of frequency switching that Hedwig Kiesler invented
===========================================================================================
Who knew? Why isn't this a movie yet?...a true story that literally begs for it. How a brilliant starlet created a worldwide technology boom!
(It all started with a skin flick)
In 1933, a beautiful young Austrian woman took off her clothes for a movie director. She ran through the woods... naked. She swam in a lake... naked. Pushing well beyond the social norms of the period, the movie also featured a simulated orgasm. To make the scene "vivid," the director reportedly stabbed the actress with a sharp pin just off-screen.
The most popular movie in 1933 was King Kong. But everyone in Hollywood was talking about that scandalous movie with the gorgeous, young Austrian woman.
Louis B. Mayer, of the giant studio MGM, said she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The film was banned practically everywhere... which of course made it even more popular and valuable. Mussolini reportedly refused to sell his copy at any price.
The star of the film, called Ecstasy, was Hedwig Kiesler. She said the secret of her beauty was "to stand there and look stupid." In reality, Kiesler was anything but stupid. She was a genius. She'd grown up as the only child of a prominent Jewish banker. She was a math prodigy. She excelled at science. As she grew older, she became ruthless, using all the power her body and mind gave her.
Between the sexual roles she played, her tremendous beauty, and the power of her intellect, Kiesler would confound the men in her life... including her six husbands, two of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th century, and one of the greatest movie producers in history.
Her beauty made her rich for a time. She is said to have made - and spent - $30 million in her life. But her greatest accomplishment resulted from her intellect... And her invention continues to shape the world we live in today.
You see, this young Austrian starlet would take one of the most valuable technologies ever developed right from under Hitler's nose. After fleeing to America, she not only became a major Hollywood star... her name sits on one of the most important patents ever granted by the US Patent Office.
Today, when you use your cell phone or, over the next few years, as you experience super-fast wireless Internet access (via something called "long-term evolution" or "LTE" technology), you'll be using an extension of the technology a 20- year-old actress first conceived while sitting at dinner with Hitler.
At the time she made Ecstasy, Kiesler was married to one of the richest men in Austria. Friedrich Mandl was Austria's leading arms maker. His firm would become a key supplier to the Nazis.
Mandl used his beautiful young wife as a showpiece at important business dinners with representatives of the Austrian, Italian, and German fascist forces. One of Mandl's favorite topics at these gatherings - which included meals with Hitler and Mussolini - was the technology surrounding radio-controlled missiles and torpedoes. Wireless weapons offered far greater ranges than the wire-controlled alternatives that prevailed at the time. Kiesler sat through these dinners "looking stupid," while absorbing everything she heard..
As a Jew, Kiesler hated the Nazis. She abhorred her husband's business ambitions. Mandl responded to his willful wife by imprisoning her in his castle, Schloss Schwarzenau. In 1937, she managed to escape. She drugged her maid, snuck out of the castle wearing the maid's clothes, and sold her jewelry to finance a trip to London.
(She got out just in time. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria. The Nazis seized Mandl's factory. He was half Jewish. Mandl fled to Brazil. Later, he became an advisor to Argentina's iconic populist president, Juan Peron.)
In London, Kiesler arranged a meeting with Louis B. Mayer. She signed a long-term contract with him, becoming one of MGM's biggest stars. She appeared in more than 20 films. She was a co-star to Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and even Bob Hope. Each of her first seven MGM movies was a blockbuster.
But Kiesler cared far more about fighting the Nazis than about making movies. At the height of her fame, in 1942, she developed a new kind of communications system, optimized for sending coded messages that couldn't be "jammed." She was building a system that would allow torpedoes and guided bombs to always reach their targets. She was building a system to kill Nazis.
By the 1940s, both the Nazis and the Allied forces were using the kind of single-frequency radio-controlled technology Kiesler's ex-husband had been peddling. The drawback of this technology was that the enemy could find the appropriate frequency and "jam" or intercept the signal, thereby interfering with the missile's intended path.
Kiesler's key innovation was to "change the channel." It was a way of encoding a message across a broad area of the wireless spectrum. If one part of the spectrum was jammed, the message would still get through on one of the other frequencies being used. The problem was, she could not figure out how to synchronize the frequency changes on both the receiver and the transmitter. To solve the problem, she turned to perhaps the world's first techno-musician, George Anthiel.
Anthiel was an acquaintance of Kiesler who achieved some notoriety for creating intricate musical compositions. He synchronized his melodies across twelve player pianos, producing stereophonic sounds no one had ever heard before. Kiesler incorporated Anthiel's technology for synchronizing his player pianos. Then, she was able to synchronize the frequency changes between a weapon's receiver and its transmitter.
On August 11, 1942, US Patent No. 2,292,387 was granted to Antheil and "Hedy Kiesler Markey," which was Kiesler's married name at the time.
Most of you won't recognize the name Kiesler. And no one would remember the name Hedy Markey. But it's a fair bet than anyone reading this newsletter of a certain age will remember one of the great beauties of Hollywood's golden age - Hedy Lamarr. That's the name Louis B. Mayer gave to his prize actress. That's the name his movie company made famous.
[see attached file: mime-attachment.png]
Meanwhile, almost no one knows Hedwig Kiesler - aka Hedy Lamarr - was one of the great pioneers of wireless communications. Her technology was developed by the U.S. Navy, which has used it ever since.
You're probably using Lamarr's technology, too. Her patent sits at the foundation of "spread spectrum technology," which you use every day when you log on to a wi-fi network or make calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. It lies at the heart of the massive investments being made right now in so-called fourth-generation "LTE" wireless technology. This next generation of cell phones and cell towers will provide tremendous increases to wireless network speed and quality, by spreading wireless signals across the entire available spectrum. This kind of encoding is only possible using the kind of frequency switching that Hedwig Kiesler invented
===========================================================================================
Military Guys Find A Scorpion In Their Tent
The Air Force response is CLASSIC............
Scorpion In Your Tent
A man was conducting an All Service member briefing one day, and he posed the question: "What would you do if you found a scorpion in your tent?"
A Sailor said, "I'd step on it."
A Soldier said, "I'd hit it with my boot."
A Marine said, "I'd catch it, break the stinger off, and eat it."
An Airman said, "I'd call room service and find out why there's a tent in my room."
The Air Force response is CLASSIC............
Scorpion In Your Tent
A man was conducting an All Service member briefing one day, and he posed the question: "What would you do if you found a scorpion in your tent?"
A Sailor said, "I'd step on it."
A Soldier said, "I'd hit it with my boot."
A Marine said, "I'd catch it, break the stinger off, and eat it."
An Airman said, "I'd call room service and find out why there's a tent in my room."
HERE IS A BIT OF HISTORY I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...
Hours after Pearl Harbour was bombed on December 7, 1941, the U.S. Secret Service found themselves in a bind.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was to give his Day of Infamy speech to Congress on Monday, and although the trip from the White House to Capitol Hill was short, agents weren't sure how to transport him safely.
At the time, Federal Law prohibited buying any cars that cost more than $750, so they would have to get clearance from Congress to do that, and nobody had time for that.
One of the Secret Service members, however, discovered that the US Treasury had seized the bulletproof car that mobster Al Capone owned when he was sent to jail in 1931.
They cleaned it, made sure it was running perfectly and had it ready for the President the next day.
Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac V-8 "Al Capone" Town SedanBecame the President's Limo in December 1941.
Mechanics are said to have cleaned and checked each feature of the Caddy well into the night of December 7th ,to make sure that it would run properly the next day for the Commander in Chief.
And run properly it did. It had been painted black and green to look identical to Chicago 's police cars at the time.
To top it off, the gangster's 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan had 3,000 pounds of armour and inch-thick bulletproof windows.
It also had a specially installed siren and flashing lights hidden behind the grille, along with a police scanner radio.
Footnote: The car sold at auction in 2012 for $341,000.00.
=============================================================================
After my Prostate Exam, and the Doctor left,
the nurse came in.
As she shut the door, she asked me a question I didn't want to hear....
She said...."Who Was That?"
Hours after Pearl Harbour was bombed on December 7, 1941, the U.S. Secret Service found themselves in a bind.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was to give his Day of Infamy speech to Congress on Monday, and although the trip from the White House to Capitol Hill was short, agents weren't sure how to transport him safely.
At the time, Federal Law prohibited buying any cars that cost more than $750, so they would have to get clearance from Congress to do that, and nobody had time for that.
One of the Secret Service members, however, discovered that the US Treasury had seized the bulletproof car that mobster Al Capone owned when he was sent to jail in 1931.
They cleaned it, made sure it was running perfectly and had it ready for the President the next day.
Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac V-8 "Al Capone" Town SedanBecame the President's Limo in December 1941.
Mechanics are said to have cleaned and checked each feature of the Caddy well into the night of December 7th ,to make sure that it would run properly the next day for the Commander in Chief.
And run properly it did. It had been painted black and green to look identical to Chicago 's police cars at the time.
To top it off, the gangster's 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan had 3,000 pounds of armour and inch-thick bulletproof windows.
It also had a specially installed siren and flashing lights hidden behind the grille, along with a police scanner radio.
Footnote: The car sold at auction in 2012 for $341,000.00.
=============================================================================
After my Prostate Exam, and the Doctor left,
the nurse came in.
As she shut the door, she asked me a question I didn't want to hear....
She said...."Who Was That?"
FLOODING IN IRELAND
If this doesn't tug at your heart strings, nothing will.
We've all seen the faces of those ravaged by the floods of Sri Lanka, New Orleans, and Iowa.
This 'award-winning' photograph of the recent flood waters rising in Ireland captures the horror and suffering there.
The press never seems to print these photos in our newspapers.
Keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.
Editors Comments.
I'm back again with this edition. This may be the last one as it appears that there isn't much interest in our/ your Association. As you can see we don't seem to get any input from members - only the committee.
We even have only one 'Crossing' to report .
We seem to rely on anybody but ourselves to manage our Association with only the usual input from the usual people.
This year I'm only going to print a couple of 'Shipmates' to take to the Reunion and will send others as
required or requested as I have never had any notification of their receipt but have had a couple returned as no longer at this address. I will send any out to those requiring one.
I don't have much else to write and I don't want to keep complaining but I will close on the return of the T.V. series of Warship. It follows the Duncan in the Med. I'm glad that I've retired as the average matelot appears to be far removed from what we were like. It appears we no longer have Senior Rates on board as I have only seen one P.O. in last weeks episode.
That's it for this one. I hope to see you in Derby this year.
Roger.
