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Navy divers take part in a five-day operation to defuse the largest unexploded World War II Tallboy bomb ever found in Poland.
Navy divers on Monday began a five-day operation to defuse the largest unexploded World War II bomb ever found in Poland, forcing more than 750 people to evacuate their homes. Dubbed the “earthquake” bomb, the Tallboy bomb was used by Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and weighs nearly 5,400 kg, including 2,400 kg of explosive, the Navy said on its Facebook account.
HMNZS TAKAPU P3556 (1943)
HDMLs Q1187 & Q1188 were shipped as deck cargo from Vancouver aboard SS Kootenay Park and arrived at Wellington on 30 April 1943. There they were unloaded by floating crane and underwent full commissioning trials. Q1188 joined the 125th Motor Launch Flotilla based in Wellington and carried out routine patrols through to 1945. As the war came to an end in 1945 the launches were concentrated at Auckland to pay off. Q1188 arrived on 11 July. After paying off they were laid up at Pine Island in the Upper Waitemata. In July 1946 ownership passed to the Marine Department who was selling off war surplus. Once the Lend-Lease agreements were concluded the government put them up for sale. However, during the sale process the government realised their value and in Februar...
RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH
The RMS Queen Elizabeth pulling into New York with service men returning home after the end of World War 2, 1945.
Tense showdown off Gibraltar as Royal Navy vessels scramble to stop Spanish Customs boarding a speed boat in ‘unlawful incursion’ in British waters
Royal Navy vessels scrambled to stop Spanish customs officials boarding a speedboat in an ‘unlawful incursion’ in British waters off of Gibraltar on Monday. A Royal Navy speed boat was sent to escort the Spanish vessel out of British waters near Europa Point at around 4pm. Footage shows a Spanish Customs (Auduanas) Fenix III stop the speed boat while a Spanish helicopter watches from above. Read the full story from the Daily Mail here and watch the video footage here
HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED
At HMNZS Tamaki (Fort Cautley) we had the Officers, Senior and Junior Rates Bars where our ships companies gathered to relax, drink, enjoy each other’s company and invited guests. However, there were also other places within the establishment where at certain times matelots would gather to celebrate, party and socialize. One of the most insignificant places was the old white house at the southern end of the rugby field which at one time was known as the Friday afternoon party house where senior rates would return too after the ‘make & mend’ session at the Masonic had ended. It was ideal as no one could hear the noise level or see what was going on. Guitars would play, singing and laughter as matelots enjoyed the party atmosphere through the afternoon and evening. On completion of the e...
PAPAMOA CENOTAPH NEARS COMPLETION
The Papamoa Cenotaph has been having the final elements of a wall, seating and landscaping installed this week, thanks to the generosity of many locals. “The last part of the landscaping design is a World War 1 type trench,” says Michael O’Carroll. “There will be seating on the front part of the wall so local folk can go up to the memorial, sit down and spend time to reflect and remember our current servicemen and women and also our veterans and fallen heroes.”
Panic in Turkey at its Navy cannot find Greek Submarines
On Tuesday afternoon, five Turkish CN-235 electronic warfare aircraft and two helicopters scanned from one end of the Aegean in order to locate the “invisible hunters” of the Greek fleet, the powerful and state-of-the-art submarines 214, News Bomb reported. Read more from the Greek Times here https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/15/panic-in-turkey-as-its-navy-cannot-find-greek-submarines/
US Navy’s 245th Birthday Message
The following is Gilday’s NAVADMIN message celebrating the Navy’s birthday. 1. Shipmates, this year we are celebrating our 245th Birthday virtually,around the world, together. 2. Although this birthday is different than in past years, what has notchanged is how proud we can be of two and a half centuries of tradition, aswell as our Sailors who continue to build our legacy with family members andloved ones at their side. 3. Today, Sailors stand the watch from the Western Atlantic to the SouthChina Sea, and from the High North to the South Pacific. Your Navy enablesprosperity 24/7/365 – at home and abroad – by helping keep the maritimecommons free and open. And I promise you that our allies and partners – aswell as your fellow Americans – all sleep better because you are there. 4. Our birthd...
90 year old celebrates birthday with dive from Sky Tower
Bryan Johnson, a father of five, grandfather of 12 and great grandfather of 12, joined the navy at a young age and fought in the Korean War, where he suffered severe hearing damage. He took a jump off the Skytower for his 90th birthday. Read more from the New Zealand Herald here
New Zealand Defence Training Team Gets Under Way In Fiji
A combined training team from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Ministry of Defence will this week begin working alongside Fijian counterparts in areas ranging from basic hydrography to advanced combat first aid as part of a new training initiative in the Pacific Island nation. Read more from Scoop World here
The ship with no crew or passengers that’s run by an AI captain
With a splash of Plymouth gin, the US ambassador to Britain has officially launched a ship named Mayflower, 400 years to the day after a wooden vessel with that name sailed from an English port and changed the history of two continents. Unlike the merchant ship that carried a group of European Puritan settlers to a new life across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, the Mayflower christened by US Ambassador Robert Wood Johnson has no crew or passengers. It will cross the sea powered by sun and wind, and steered by artificial intelligence. Read more here